Getting a Teaching Job in Japan
Shannon Sensei,
Venus,
To answer your question about finding a teaching job in Japan:
In order to work in Japan, you'll need to be eligible for a valid visa which allows you to work in Japan. The three common types of visas for foreigners in Japan are:
To obtain a marriage visa, you either need to be married to a Japanese citizen or married to someone who has a visa to work in Japan.
Working holiday visas allow you to work part time while you are in japan, for up to one year. They are available for people from the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Korea, Ireland, France, Germany, Canada, and Australia. Certain restrictions apply, so check out the Japanese consulate in your country.
A working visa is most common and to obtain this you need to have at least a B.A. degree from an accredited college or university and a clean criminal record.
Is your friend eligible for one of these visa types? If not, that is the reason that they are not getting hired by these companies.
If your friend does indeed qualify for a visa, then let me ask this bluntly...does your friend have an "alternative" appearance? By this I mean strange colored hair and/or visible tattoos or piercings? Japan is a very image-conscious country and is not friendly towards any image that might be construed as abnormal.
If neither of these could be the case, it can't hurt to ask the interviewers why they decided against hiring her. The worst that could happen is that they won't say.
The schools that you have mentioned, along with Geos Kids, are all large chain schools in Japan. The good thing about them is that they hire from outside of Japan and it's generally considered pretty easy to get a job through them. The bad thing about them is that their reputation within Japan is so bad that they have to hire outside of Japan.
To be honest, I don't really know all that much about the large chain schools. I haven't worked for the Big Names. This is just what I've heard from people online. Most people that I have met in person have not had such bad experiences (or if they did have bad experiences, it was because they broke their contract early to pursue a better opportunity). I think it's really just the luck of the draw. If you get placed in an area with people you like, you'll have a positive experience. If it's with people you don't like, you'll have a negative experience.
That said, there are certain impartial good and bad things about choosing to work with a large chain school like Nova or Geos.
The best thing is that the do hire from outside. Many smaller private schools will not hire you unless you are already in Japan. The Big Guys are also used to dealing with setting up new teachers. They provide you with the visa. They have health care options available. They'll provide you with housing (which can be quite costly in Japan, involving a significant amount of money, which you will not get back--equal to about 3-6 months rent) and appliances (apartments in Japan do not come with a refrigerator or washing machine, for example). Also, they'll have many teachers at the school, so you'll be able to have contact with many other foreigners.
The biggest drawback is that they have schools all over Japan and you cannot choose where you will live. You can put in a request to be in a certain area, but they're not always able to meet that request. You could very well end up far far away from where you had wanted. Also, your schedule will most likely involve working afternoons and evenings, Tuesdays through Saturdays (with Sunday and Monday being your "weekend".). Some people may see this as a positive, but I'm not so keen on it.
When I first came to Japan, I was hired by Peppy Kids Club and I really enjoyed working for them. I got lucky and they were able to meet my request to live near Tokyo. They offered a great training program. I never had any complaints about them and I think that anyone who is serious about teaching kids to consider applying to them. I'm a bit embarrassed to say that I broke my contract with them two months early, but it wasn't because I was unhappy with them. A "once in a lifetime" opportunity was just handed to me and I couldn't turn it down.
Other places to look for jobs in Japan include:
When interviewing, look professional (i.e. wear a suit) and be prepared to answer questions about classroom related situations. A great cover letter goes a long way. And a bit of experience doesn't hurt either.
Also, I know of a website that is only about teaching in Japan. It's appropriately called All About Teaching English in Japan. Check it out!
I hope that your friend is able to get the job that she wants. Please feel free to pass my info along to her if she's interested in talking more about the interview experience.
Love,
Click here to go from Teaching Job in Japan to the Main Advice page.
Hi Shannon! It's so great that you have this website to help us
out there who want to teach English in Japan. Anyways, I have a friend who's
interested in teaching kids in Japan, and she's applied to Nova and Amity
without success. Do you have any other suggestions or know of any other good
companies out there? She wants to be located in Tokyo if possible. Also, have
you heard of anything about GEO KIDS? Thanks so much!
Venus (in Canada)
Thanks for your kind comments about my site! Comments like this are what keep me going!
Shannon Sensei