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Non-native Teaching English? 2009/4/9 15:40
I am interested in teaching English in Japan, although I'm not a native speaker. I have checked out the websites of many companies, and they all say that they want ''native speakers,'' which I can understand, but do you guys know if they make exceptions at all? I was born in Taiwan and moved to the US when I was 12, and now even though I still have an accent, my English is good. Do I have a chance, or are they pretty strict about wanting to hire only native speakers?
by pete (guest)  

. 2009/4/9 18:23
If you could demonstrate that you lived in the US (or any country where English is the native tongue) your education, high school through college etc yeah you should be fine.

I've met plenty of domestic Japanese people who have lived abroad then come back to teach English as well.
by ExpressTrain (guest) rate this post as useful

sure 2009/4/9 19:36
sure you can! i am a native english speaker from Australia, but the other 3 teachers in my towns are non-native speakers of english! as long as you can speak fluent english, im sure you will be able to find a job here, as long as you arent too picky.
by julie (guest) rate this post as useful

... 2009/4/9 20:12
While I value the opinions of others who actually know non-native English speakers as teachers, just a word of caution here against full optimism; please think about the hiring situation currently as well. There would be many native speakers of English who might be looking for the same kind of job, so be aware that you would be competing with those. So what would be your extra credentials to be chosen over native speakers? Also, Japanese nationals who have been overseas and have returned to teach English have the advantage of not needing the employer to sponsor them for a work visa, and that they can explain grammar in Japanese (if needed). US/Taiwan citizens are not eligible for working holiday visa, so you need to be sponsored by the employer for a work-permitting visa to work in Japan, for which there are some Immigration requirements such as a bachelor's degree.
by AK rate this post as useful

12 years of schooling 2009/4/10 06:57
Well, I don't know if this matters at all, but I do have a US passport as I am a naturalized citizen. And I am still living in the US. So i don't think I'll have much problems in proving that I'm from the US, it's just that I don't have 12 years of schooling in the US, I only have 10, and in those ads, they always ask for at least 12, if not native.
by pete (guest) rate this post as useful

Sorry. 2009/4/10 06:59
Sorry, I forgot to add in my previous post. I do have a BA from a US university, and I've been going to school here since the 7th grade.
by pete (guest) rate this post as useful

Yes, it's possible. 2009/4/10 10:23
My husband is American and works for pre-schools in Japan. One of his coworkers is not a native English speaker.

I also know an English school here to hire people who are not native English speaker as an English teacher after checking your English. If there's any problem I can think of, it's visa. The teachers who are not native English speakers and teach English all have spouse visa or dependent visa, I believe.


by JW (guest) rate this post as useful

. 2009/4/10 10:50
When I was a high school student (private high school), I learnt it from German's teacher.
by Asuka (guest) rate this post as useful

Whats the School name? 2009/7/14 18:32
Hello JW,
Could you please share with me the school name where non native english teachers are entertained. I education throughtout was done in english and am looking out for a teaching job here in Japan. Yes am in Japan. Thank you.
by Satty (guest) rate this post as useful

For sure ... 2009/7/15 09:38
.... it is possible to teach English in Japan as a non-native speaker. But as others mentioned before:

you have to show that you are fluent!!

With the current economy, however, I think it would be pretty difficult to find a job that will pay you enough money to survive.

Despite that, it is always worth a try. Some companies might even appreciate you not being native - with at least one more language you (probably) are fluent in .... there might be chances.
by kulachan rate this post as useful

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