An English teaching job: impossible?

First of all, my apologies for asking a question that's been asked and answered so many times before. I'm sure it gets tiresome after such a long time.

How doomed am I exactly? I am a non-native English speaker, because I was born and raised in a country where the primary language is not English.

To make matters worse, not only am I a non-native English speaker, I am also a non-white person.

If I get a Bachelor's degree in English, do you think that would help me in any way? If I look at the requirements of acquiring a visa, it states that I should have education in English for at least 12 years, which I obviously haven't had.

Regardless of all the obstacles listed above, do I stand a chance at all at landing myself a job? In addition, I speak two other languages fluently, but there is no demand for those languages, unfortunately.

Maybe things will be different 5 years from now, but I doubt it.

Teaching English should be a stepping stone, not a career objective. It's low pay with basically no room for advancement. Not something someone should aspire for.

I'm sorry but who are you to say what is or isn't worth aspiring to?

Anyway this OP never said it was their ultimate goal, but even if it was, who are you to judge that? Jeez.

To OP:
It is indeed very hard to actually get your visa approved under your circumstances, but I believe that if you have several years of English-teaching experience in your home country, that should help...
So maybe that would be a way?

I do not think skin colour or ones country of origin has anything to do with it. You needs the skills to teach and the ability to speak English.

Most that travel to Japan to teach English are on working holidays as the pay is rubbish/bad/below par. I think what the first respondent was trying to say was to not just get a degree in English teaching in the hope for a job in Japan. As it is not a option for a long term career in Japan.

An English degree, as in English literature, isn't likely to make you any more employable in teaching conversation English/ESL in Japan than any other four-year degree.

English-teaching can definitely be a long-term career in Japan. It already is for many people. There are many options in the field for those who are qualified and willing to make the effort. Some people do in fact like teaching. It's not always a "stepping stone" (and there's no guarantee you'll ever find that magical dream job).

If you are NOT from a country where the native language is English then you will need a degree in English or something to prove that you have credentials to teach English. Otherwise, immigration may deny your visa application even if you find someone willing to employ you. I've seen this happen, and it was to white people. Please think about your qualifications instead of your race.

I'm sorry but who are you to say what is or isn't worth aspiring to?
Anyway this OP never said it was their ultimate goal, but even if it was, who are you to judge that? Jeez.

Not judging. OP sounds like they are in their teens. Which means they probably don't understand that English teaching in Japan is pretty much a dead-end job. Simply pointing that out.

Thanks for the answers, guys!

The thing is... technically speaking, I should be considered a native English speaker because I learned the language naturally when I was a young child, as opposed to having learned the language through school (studying), work or living overseas.

But what job contractors usually mean by "applicant has to be a native speaker", like other people have pointed out in this thread, is that I should be from either the UK, the US, New Zealand, South Africa, Australia or Canada.

Just teaching English isn't my career objective. That would have to be nursing. But for that to happen, one would have to learn the language because of obvious reasons, however, acquiring a visa for that (learning the language) is the biggest hurdle I'd face.

In the end, it seems rather impossible for me to realize my dream.. which is okay, I guess. I can always just visit the country for three months every three years or so.

Anyway, once again, thanks for the answers, guys! I appreciate it.

For immigration purposes there has to be specific, well-defined criteria, and for "Instructor" status the criterion is 12 years of education in the language you intend to teach. The phrase "native speaker" never appears in immigration law.

As for employers, the only way to know what they mean by "native speaker" is to ask them.

Besides, there's more to being a "native speaker" than just "naturally learning the language" (whatever that may mean, I do not know of any artificial learning process). There's the whole cultural aspect, which is at least as important.

Oh and I am not sure what you mean by this.

acquiring a visa for that (learning the language) is the biggest hurdle I'd face.

Acquiring a student visa to attend a language school is easy: pay the school's fees, enroll and attend.

Well if nursing is your ultimate goal, don't waste 4 years of university on an English degree. Start your nursing education, graduate, and then enroll in a Japanese language school in Japan.

Or alternatively, enroll in a Japanese language school and once done enroll in a nursing program in Japan.

Either way, as Firas pointed out to get a visa to learn Japanese all you need to do is have the money to pay the school's tuition and enough money to support yourself for your studies.

Teaching English should be a stepping stone, not a career objective. It's low pay with basically no room for advancement. Not something someone should aspire for.

Sorry but this is the dumbest thing I've read in a while. I have friends who have made solid careers out of teaching English all over the world and are now getting paid high salaries working at elite international universities. I also have friends who made a career out of teaching English in their home countries. There are plenty of benefits to teaching English both abroad and at home and of course there is room for advancement, especially if you want to pursue it as a career after teaching abroad.

To the original poster, I'm not sure what country you're from, but you should be able to get a job here if you have a university degree. What they seem to focus on isn't the country in which you were born or raised, but the country you now reside in. I know many people on JET whose first language wasn't English. In fact one of my good friends here didn't begin learning English until she was 18. The JET Programme employs people from many countries, including Jamaica, Russia and South Africa, so being an L1 speaker isn't always a requirement, as long as you have a good command of the language and can speak it fluently. There might be specific rules depending on which country you're from, but generally I think you should be able to get a job here, if not in a public school, then in a private eikaiwa.

Not judging. OP sounds like they are in their teens. Which means they probably don't understand that English teaching in Japan is pretty much a dead-end job. Simply pointing that out.
For most people it's a dead-end job if they want to stay exclusively in Japan, but if your goal is to travel the world teaching English there are many opportunities open to you, and the more experience you have across a broad range of countries, the more job offers you get. My friend has travelled the world teaching English for 10 years and is now working for an elite international university. He gets so many job offers that he can pick and choose where he wants to live and which job has the best salary. Countries like UAE and Saudi Arabia offer very high salaries and working conditions to those who have had experience teaching in countries like Japan. Teaching English in Japan is also beneficial for those who want to teach when they return to their home country, especially those who want to pursue a career in TESOL. I really resent the idea that teaching English abroad is some 'gap year' holiday thing that people do when they're not serious about a career. For those interested in a career in ESL, it will definitely look good on your resume in the future.

My friend has travelled the world teaching English for 10 years and is now working for an elite international university.

So your friend has at least a Masters degree then. That's a little different than what the OP was originally posting. And for the most part teaching ESL in a foreign country is a stepping stone.

It's moot anyways because if you'd read the thread you'd see their goal is Nursing.

I somehow missed the post of the person who that thought I was in my teens.. I am not.

To Firas: there is no "artificial" way of learning English, obviously. I was simply going by the definition of "a native speaker."

If by "cultural aspect" you mean slangs and idioms, then yes, I know all about that, too.

The language school idea is handy, though, so thank you.

To curious:[/ that's probably what I am going to do. Get a degree in Nursing first and then enroll in a Japanese language school. I think that would be my best bet anyway. Thank you.

To Jenn Jett:[/ currently I live in the same country where I was born and raised, which is Holland. Speaking of the JET program, for my country, there is only a limited number of spots available. Only 3.

I think what I should do is get a nursing job here in Holland, work a couple of years until I have enough money for me to enroll in a Japanese language school.

However, even if I do master the language, is it even possible for me to get a job as a nurse? I mean, after all, I wouldn't have a work visa, but a student visa. I think that's out of the question. Anyway, thank you!

However, even if I do master the language, is it even possible for me to get a job as a nurse?

Of course it's possible. A degree, experience, and mastery of the language (maybe not fluency but at least the ability to hold a conversation) makes you a viable candidate.

Japan is facing a shortage of nursing staff, especially for caring for the elderly. .

Thanks for answering, curious.

I think I need to know more than conversational Japanese. I have to be able to read it.. which, so far, seems to be the hardest part. Any pointers on where to start?

The thing that confuses me is that there are no "ABCs", but rather letters consisting of multiple ones, such as "ryu" and "ko."

Just like A B C etc. are the building blocks of English, ka, shi, no, etc. are the building blocks of Japanese.

If you want to start off self studying there are many resources on the web and many recommendations for books. Personally I recommend the Genki series (but that's only because it's what I used), other people may recommend other books.

Or look for an intro course to Japanese at your local college or university.

I'm on the JET Programme. There are plenty of people from non-English speaking countries I met at orientation (some with practically no English; granted, some were CIRs, but not all of them were). There were plenty of non-white people too.

Get a degree in what interests you. You might hate teaching. There are plenty of people who get into teaching English and realise it (or Japan) just isn't for them. If you find yourself in that situation, you'll feel pretty dumb for spending 3-4 years getting a degree that you aren't passionate about or can't turn into employment.

Getting a degree in something that interests you can help with your employment. A unique/less common degree may give you skills that certain companies/areas want, and make your interview/resume stand out against the competition.

Think about why you want to teach English. Think about why Japan. Are you happy to be placed anywhere? What about a support network? Moving overseas isn't an easy thing to do, think long and hard about the hows and whys. Even though it's meant for JETs, check out ithinkimlost - it's used by people who have, who are or who want to teach in Japan. You'll be able to find a lot more specific answers there (though be warned, some people are idiots)