Teaching English as a career

I'm 16, pretty young, but I want to plan this ahead of time. Now, to further my devoted practise to kendou and having nearly been around and studied all things Japan for a decade of my 16 years, I've come to seriously look into becoming an English teacher and understand the many programs. You see, I have discovered MANY different programs, but in my opinion, the most reliable seems to be the JET programme. However, I am seeking a TRUE career in this. Not just a contract thing for an year. I want to stay a long time, maybe not leave. Personal reasons. Anyways, is there any way to do this and go into the English teaching business? I can converse and understand Japanese almost perfectly, which I find to be a bonus, maybe. But, it's killing me. All the different stuff, and I'm here looking for it be a serious career. Of course, I plan to spend two more years here in Canada working to save money, to assure myself in this. One last thing, is that I have a specific place in mind. The city of Kanazawa in the prefecture of Ishikawa in the Chubu region. I guess I'm doing this now so I got something really waking me up in the morning rather than my path which I have long envisioned to be so obscure.

You're still young, yes, but I'm glad to hear that you have a goal in mind. A few suggestions:

When you turn 18, consider getting a working holiday visa for Japan or coming here on a student visa.

You'll need a university education in order to make a career of English language teaching. Look for undergraduate coursework in Linguistics and English. Study hard to get into a good master's degree program (I recommend Applied Linguistics, but TESOL, English and Education would also work).

In order to remain in Japan, you'll need a proper visa, whether student or work. Start thinking about this now and make a plan to achieve it.

Good luck!

You need a full Bachelor's degree to get into the JET programme, and also if you genuinely want to make teaching English your career, a degree in TESOL would obviously be invaluable.

Any Bachelor's degree is enough though for you to get a working visa for Japan that can be extended indefinitely. Without the degree you will only be eligible for a working holiday visa, student visa or cultural visa which don't give you the option of staying here long term.

If it's possible for you you might want to look at doing some or all of your university study here- unless you can get a scholarship though that can be pricey.

JET is a very good entry to teaching English and is probably your best bet to start off with, although not all applicants are accepted.

I have found these courses near my area. Can someone please look it over and tell me what I can do with these two sites I have found? Which is the better thing to do?

http://www.teachntravel.ca/?gclid=COuCjvH-nJACFQ0mIgodu09Frw
or
http://www.oxfordseminars.ca/Pages/Teach/teach_about_oxford....

They look very similar to me. The Oxford Seminars has the more professional looking website with a lot more information than the other one. Make sure the course you do has actual classroom teaching practice- in the TESOL world the online certifications with no practical segment are considered pretty much useless.

Bear in mind that although a course will help you to know what you are doing a bit more when you start teaching English, many employers in Japan won't consider you at all without a university degree. Many companies/ schools want you to follow their methods to the letter in any case so you will have to abandon much of what you learned in the course.

It is also tricky for under 20s to find jobs teaching English- it's just considered too young. Peppy Kid's Club is an exception I believe- perhaps chack that out.

Also have a look at www.eslcafe.com Japan branch- check out the FAQs as most of what you want to know will have already been answered there- questions like yours come up a lot.

Good luck!

I suppose I'll spend a few years working and then study for in English Literature in University..Thanks.

Jerry - If you ever wish to get an introductory English language teaching certificate in Canada, make sure that your institution is TESL Canada accredited. You can find a list of schools here:

http://www.tesl.ca/

Many of the better language schools in Canada all want their teachers to have this as a minimum requirement.

However, for abroad, the Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults (CELTA) is the most widely recognized. There are institutions in Canada where you can get a CELTA.

Still, it's best to have both a degree and an ESL/EFL certificate.

Once again overwhelmed with decisions. I still don't know where I'm going. At least it's not something I have to do right away.
But, I wonder...

I can get my undergraduate degree in English literature from University, then go for a TESL certificate and something...

Apparently, it is hard to make many years with JET, but is there a way to go to Japan and search for an English-teaching job independently? I really need suggestions, as school teachers and even the guidance counsellor are not familiar with this and are taking a while to look into my questions...

Did you check the website I mentioned above, www.eslcafe.com ? It is a resource site for people wanting to teach English overseas, with a whole branch on Japan with a very detailed FAQs section.

Many, many people arrive here independently to teach English through various different companies- private English conversation schools are another option. ESL cafe has all the information you are asking for and much more, seriously.

If there's something you can't find info on in the FAQs there, then ask on the forum- the people answering there have mostly lived and taught English in Japan for years and are very knowledgeable.

Hi, since I have been working as an English teacher, I thought I might give you some suggestions.

First, there are several ways to teach English in Japan.
1: JET program - teaching at public schools
2: Working in English conversation schools like ECC, GEOS ro AEON.
I guess the above doesn't match your demand since you are looking for a job which you can do for a long time.
It is difficult to get a lifetime work as an English teacher in Japan.
Another way is that
3: Opening your own English school - most of people get married to Japanese
4: Teaching English at university - I am not sure what qualification you need.
I think you should contact uni which have many English corses, like Kansai Gaidai uni or :Tokyo University of Foreign Studies,
but if you would like to work in Kanazawa, probably Kanazawa uni would be nice http://www.kanazawa-u.ac.jp/e/
Kanazawa is a nice place to live, but there aren't many unis. Some vocational school or college(senmon-gakko) might be nice too.
It depends on what kind of thing you would like to teach.

I recommend checking with schools in Japan directly. Personaly, I would work at uni or try working as JET and then work in English school then open own school. Experience and patience are needed to teach English :)

Apparently, it is hard to make many years with JET, but is there a way to go to Japan and search for an English-teaching job independently?

You can renew your contract for a maximum of three years on the JET Programme. However, a few prefectures offer some fourth and fifth year JET positions for those who are interested.

The great thing about JET is that it is the perfect first-step into the English-language teaching profession in Japan. You'll get teaching experience. You'll learn how Japanese students study English. You'll understand the specific challenges they face. You'll learn some Japanese yourself (very important!). Finally, you'll get some Japanese work references.

With all of these, you'll be more employable than if you had just arrived independent of the JET Programme. Any employer would rather hire someone with the proven experience and knowledge above than take a gamble on someone without them.

As of last year you can recontract on JET up to 4 times for a total of 5 years in the same position.

The 3rd and 4th recontractings have requirements such as JLPT lvl 4 or higher, and ones set by individual BOEs, but at many BOEs the requirements appear to be a formality that can be waived if they really want you to stay.