drewh

has anyone done it?
Is it easy to get into the lifestyle even if you don't speak Japanese?
How well do they really treat Gaijin?

Have you got any recommendations/warnings for me?

[I'm graduating and looking at going to teach english for the Nova school chain - not related to my computing science degree, but I feel it might be a chance to get something interesting on my CV and also waste some time while the economy picks up]

kutulu

deleted, somehow went to this thread instead of a new thread

Asuka{eve}

May I ask which part of Japan you are going to?

drewh

well there's a choice - you can do the big cities - tokyo, osaka etc or the more rural places. I just worry that the rural places are more xenophobic - I'm not sure if I could deal with that....

nowthen

i dont know about japan specifically, but i would say go for it. i think living in another country is a great way to enrich yoursefl as a person.

i got sent to rep of panama 3 years ago for a 6 month contract, i was crapping it big time because i didnt even speak a word of spanish... now i am married to a panamanian girl, house, dog, the whole lot here. never want to leave.

not saying that will happen, but, its a good chance to broaden your horizons, whatever direction it leads you in.

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Asuka{eve}

My personal experience is that tokyo is way different than any other part of Japan. But I dont think you should worry.

la petite moi

I have a question. Could you teach English in Japan if you had an English minor/major in America, and spoke no Japanese?

lordjeebus

Yes.

The English lesson companies in Japan generally teach in a way that is entirely in English, so they don't care if you don't speak Japanese.

They care that you are a native English speaker, and to a lesser extent, that you look like a native English speaker. A Bachelor's degree is also a requirement, but what field that degree is in doesn't matter much.

I believe the JET program (through the Japanese government) also has no Japanese language requirement, but I'm not sure about that one.

drewh

yeah - that's how I can get in with a computing science background...

Quote:

I believe the JET program (through the Japanese government) also has no Japanese language requirement, but I'm not sure about that one.

I think the JET program does require (iirc) Japanese language fluency, and also (again iirc) some teaching qualifications.

from: http://www.jetprogramme.org/e/join/join.html

to be honest the JET programme is quite scary in their formality... it's quite offputting to read

ibis

Hell yeah! GO FOR IT!!!

It's only a year and your experiences will be priceless... not to mention that it'll be like gold on your resume!

ultra_agent9

The JET programme doesn't require fluency in Japanese, remember: you're there to teach English using English, not Japanese. I have friends who currently are JET teachers and some of them don't speak a word.

Anyway, I live here and have been for quite some time.

Quick tips: Nova sucks, Tokyo rocks! Learn Japanese and it will make life in Japan that much easier.

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zenmaster10665

what about consultant positions in IT? Has anyone ever seen any websites or know of recruites in Japan?

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la petite moi

Do you earn any money while doing this? Or does it cost the teacher a bunch?

drewh

you earn money... that's what makes it sweet...

a cousin of a friend from uni did it and saved around £5000 (about $9000-$10000) after paying the bills and living 'comfortably' with holidays etc for three years with Nova....

drewh

if so, tell me too

/me = new compsci grad (BSc (Hons) CompSci 2.1)

drewh

excellent, sounds like you're in the know then... so why does nova suck?

and as for japanese, i know a chibi amount, although i can't read it whatsoever, i can speak enough to at least introduce myself and do the formalities...

la petite moi

5000 quid? Well, my questions are: Do you have to REALLY know any Japanese? (I know how to say hello, hi, and good bye. And a bit of couting.) Can I do it straight out of college (four years with a BA)? Where do I sign up?!

drewh

they said not (the people from nova) but i think you'd need to know a bit more than the basics to be useful, imho

and i'm hopefully doing it straight out of college
and i think it's www.teachinjapan.com

hope that all helps

who knows, might even see you over there

la petite moi

Wow, thanks drewh! Do you think I could buy one of those computer CDs and teach myself a bit of Japanese?

And another thing (since you've given me so many answers!!)...do you know of any programmes where you can go to France to teach English?

Ratman

Google "teaching english in (country)" and you will find some info. If you want to know why Nova sucks, there are sites like http://www.fuckedgaijin.com/
and a forum on http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=home
where you can find out about the big English schools. Good luck!

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G5_Todd

i would love to do this.....i cant thou.....because i wouldnt be able to get my job back......

i hope you do it....good luck

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la petite moi

I still don't understand why Nova is so awful. Please please please explain.

Skettios

I'm applying to teach English in Taiwan. Has anyone done this? I'm going through Hess.

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ultra_agent9

Where does one begin with Nova...

Ok, I've never personally worked there but I know about 10 people who have, and they unamiously agree that it is not one of the better teachings jobs they have had. None of those friends currently work there now. It is considered the McDonalds of teaching jobs in Japan. If you're going to teach English in Japan, I would come here and then look for a job. The only reason Nova (Aeon and Geos, and other large chains) look attractive is that they recruit overseas and set you up with everything before you get here. That is a good idea, but once people get here and start working, they realise there are better jobs out there with better pay and working conditions etc. Do a search, read the stories, you can do a lot better...

If in Tokyo, get the Japan Times newspaper on a Monday and you'll find a shitload of jobs. Check <a href="http://www.japantoday.com/" target="_blank">Japan Today</a> for job listings too. If you're not a complete moron (or "moran"), then you shouldn't have too much of a problem coming to Japan first and then finding a job. When I first got here (a while back yes) I found two jobs (one was teaching) and worked my ass off until I had enough cash to increase my options.

Ok, the English teaching racket has probably changed since I first came here (I no longer teach). The market is flooded with gaijin now, so prospective schools and employers can be a little more choosy. They probably want experience and some basic Japanese language skills. Also, they might not want to employ you if you are on a tourist visa. So going back to the Nova job- it's probably not a bad idea because then you'll have a job, work visa, AND a place to stay (ok, you'll be sharing with other Nova teachers), and you'll probably won't have a choice where you'll be sent to (Nova are nation wide). They will make you work hard and you'll probably have to work weekends, but so what? The contract might be 1 or 2 years (you'll have to check that), but it will give you enough time to sus out other options and when your contract expires- BAM! You're outa there and ready for the next best thing.

I know, it goes against everything I said about Nova, but there aren't too many other companies that recruit overseas unless you're a specialist in some other field. It won't kill you, but it will suck for a while. Hey, we've all worked a shitty job at least once in our lives to get to somewhere better haven't we?

Nova is owned by a credit loan company (if I recall correctly), so they are in it for the cash obviously and not famous for their amazing teaching techniques. I could go into it more but that's not really important now. Do a search and find out what else is out there, I've been out of the game for a while now so I'm not sure what's on offer right now. Read peoples blogs, those who are working as JET's or Nova teachers and find out what really goes on. A friends site: www.avoidinglife.com, although he isn't in Tokyo (Aomori actually, northern Japan), it's a good insight to what a JET's life is really like.

Most of all- good luck! I've found Japan to be one of the most amazing experiences in my life, and that has been what has kept me here for so long I guess.

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la petite moi

Wow, about other options- do you know of any other 'better' options?

JStrider

man would it be cool to spend a year in japan... maybe i'll have to look into this more...

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ultra_agent9

"better" options? You mean other ways of coming to Japan?

I'm an Aussie so I was able to come here on a working holiday visa, if you're from one of the countries that are part of the working-holiday partnerships with Japan (it works both ways) then I would definitely recommend it. You can basically do anything with that visa- work, travel, and study, and the transition to a full working visa is as painless as ever.

If not, well then you're going to have to look at your options. Some of my friends came here in different situations eg; as a student, married to a Japanese national, recruited by a company to do a job in their particular field, as a JET, with Nova, and on the working-holiday system. Like I said, look into it. There are jobs that foreigners can do, but Japanese language skills might be a requirement. Read: learning Japanese will be one of the best things that you could ever do before coming to Japan. It will open many doors...

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Esco

I think this is a great oppurtunity and you'll regret it if you let it pass you by. Not many people get a chance like this. It can only broaden your horizons.

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ariekitten

dude i would sooooooo love to go to japan! to live there for a year? that would be fucking awesome!!!!!! i've gotta check that all my qualifications pan out...

thx for the info guys! and good luck to anyone who chooses to do this!

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drewh

well I've applied for the Japanese Embassy MOFA Study Tour (two weeks in Japan paid for by Foreign Affairs) so I thought that would be a good way (if I get in) to find out whether I could do a year or more in Japan and be comfortable with it (I have depression so I couldn't necessarily face doing it and then find I couldn't deal with it and know I've got a year's contract to finish/pay for all the expenses and break the contract)

but the more positive things I hear, the more I do want to actually do it rather than just consider it...

la petite moi

Dude, the problem with depression is that if you put your mind to it, you can get over it. Don't let yourself depressed, because it limits you SO MUCH. (This is spoken from someone with experience.)