Sorry if I may have missed a post on this. Which way is the best way to contact the HR departments in schools to bypass the recruiters if I am outside of China? Or do I simply go on the net and find emails and numbers and go from there? Are there consulants who can help you get contacts?

Thanks

Quote: (08-29-2017 10:55 AM)tomtud Wrote:  

Sorry if I may have missed a post on this. Which way is the best way to contact the HR departments in schools to bypass the recruiters if I am outside of China? Or do I simply go on the net and find emails and numbers and go from there? Are there consulants who can help you get contacts?

Thanks

Some schools will have their own websites. They'll generally have some information about any ESL jobs they have available. Universities and larger training school chains will have a website.

The other option is to look at the job ads on expat websites like thebeijinger.com. Most will be posted by agents, but there are always a few that are companies/schools that are looking to do direct hiring.

Thanks suits. Check your inbox.

This article does a good job of summing up where you are in the pecking order and how much your skills (if you have some) will be valued in Japan and elsewhere in Asia, assuming that you know how to read between the lines.

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Schools fret about assistant teachers ahead of proposed 2020 reforms

When Stevie Lim, 30, started singing “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” with gestures, the first-graders at Minami Elementary School in Sayama, Saitama Prefecture, started singing together and mimicking his movements.

As the assistant language teacher (ALT) from Britain started speeding up, the children’s excitement boiled over, and some started screaming.

The children kept asking Lim questions in Japanese while gluing together a Christmas out of colored pieces of paper. The homeroom teacher and another assistant teacher — both Japanese — paid attention to each student’s needs and helped Lim answer their questions using the simplest English words possible.

Does it sound like the students are actually learning anything?

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“Our role, first and foremost, is to make students interested in other languages and other cultures. That’s the most important thing in learning a new language, or learning any subject really,” said Lim, a native of Worcestershire who came to Japan fresh out of university in 2005 and has spent most of his time as an assistant language teacher.

Having an ALT in class does a lot to make children excited about learning English, teachers at the school said. The assistants are the embodiment of Western culture, and because each class gets an ALT-taught lesson only once or twice a semester, it’s special for the children, they said.

“Stevie is really good with kids. While some past ALTs have declined our request to eat lunch together with the children, Stevie eats together with the students and interacts with them,” Minami Elementary Principal Susumu Ichikawa said.

We prefer to squeeze as much out of our employees as possible and do not respect their scheduled break times.

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Lim is the kind of ALT many schools hope for. Because his mother used to run a language school, Lim has experience teaching English to Japanese and other Asian students and is passionate about teaching the language to children.

However, ALT quality varies from person to person, and the different ways they are hired also makes it difficult for teachers to work with ALTs the way they want to, according to experts.

This could turn out to be a major issue when the curriculum for English education is expected to enter a new phase in 2020, the year Japan will host the Summer Olympics.

At that time, English could become a formal subject, whereas it is currently treated as “Foreign Language Activities” under which fifth- and sixth-grade elementary school students are exposed to foreign people and languages.

“Some ALTs have a background in education, while some studied completely unrelated subjects at universities and never even studied a foreign language before,” said Kensaku Yoshida, a professor of English at Sophia University.

“They also have different attitudes. Some are doing it just to earn money, while other ALTs are working because they really want to teach the language,” he added.

Basically, we prefer teachers that are so desperate to teach in Japan that we don't have to pay them at all.

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The less responsible ALTs just quit in the middle of their contracts, he said.

Where their contracts properly honoured?

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“The education ministry is responsible for ensuring the quality of ALTs,” Yoshida said. “But if English becomes a proper subject (in 2020) and the education ministry doesn’t provide some kind of training, it may cause confusion (with the teachers).”Currently, native English speakers are involved in the public education system as ALTs only. But their employers often differ. Some are brought in through the government-backed Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program, some are dispatched by private companies and others are directly hired by the schools themselves.

The education ministry recommends “team teaching” when conducting a class with ALTs. The ministry says the ALTs’ role in this system is to support the homeroom teachers, such as by advising on pronunciation and grammar, and by meeting with them before and after the class to discuss the teaching plans.

So, basically, their role is to not do any teaching.

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The worker dispatch law, however, makes team teaching impossible for subcontracted ALTs because their contracts are made between municipalities and their companies. This means homeroom teachers can’t give orders to or make requests of such ALTs and instead have to route any such demands to their companies.

Take a guess at what team teaching really means.

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Due to such restrictions, elementary schools with subcontracted ALTs sometimes have no choice but to throw the English class completely into their hands, experts said. On the other hand, there are also homeroom teachers who are reluctant to teach English and ask the ALTs to do all the work, they said.

As the training of subcontracted ALTs is entirely dependent on their companies, the teaching quality varies. Big companies generally provide good training while small agencies tend to just send them out without any support, experts said.

“For someone without a lot of experience teaching, it can be a bit of a daunting task,” said ALT Jamey Fukunaga, 42.

With nine years of experience under his belt, the Boston native works at five elementary and junior high schools in Tokyo as an assistant teacher subcontracted by Interac, a major ALT provider.

Fukunaga said the company he worked at before Interac was small and did not provide enough support before sending the teachers out.

Describing the situation, he said it was like, “If you don’t know what you are doing, tough luck.”

In terms of ability, there is no difference between ALTs dispatched by the JET program and subcontracted ALTs, but experts say JET-sponsored ALTs are preferable because the local board of education is responsible for them and the schools can control them directly.

But an increasing number of local governments are choosing to hire subcontracted ALTs because they cost less.

“When it comes to JET ALTs, the boards of education are responsible for training them. The boards must also look after their daily lives, whereas those things are taken care of by private companies for subcontracted ALTs. Also, municipalities must pay (JET ALTs) salaries even during the summer vacation, when the ALTs have no classes to teach,” said Yuko Naoyama, a researcher at the National Institute for Educational Policy Research who formerly taught English in junior high school.

As of December 2012, a total of 8,505 ALTs were teaching at elementary and junior high schools, according to the education ministry. Of them, about 30 percent, or 2,560, were brought in by the JET program.

The remaining 5,945 were not JETs, with ALTs dispatched by private subcontractors accounting for 2,298. ALTs hired directly by municipalities or other routes accounted for the rest.

Fukunaga suggests ALTs should not play a leading role in English classes because they are paid to provide a supplementary role.

“We are not really even full-time ALTs, I think. We aren’t quite paid full-time, really,” he said.

“We have a limited chunk of time to be working there, and a lot of preparation time in there. Then you go home and (you are) expected to do more preparation. It’s kind of a little bit annoying. Especially when you are new at it,” he said.

Meanwhile, more homeroom teachers are taking the lead in their English classes and asking ALTs to support them.

Koyamadai Elementary School in Shinagawa Ward, Tokyo, is one of the public elementary schools where homeroom teachers play a central role in English classes. From first through sixth grades, homeroom teachers give their lessons almost completely in English.

Because most Japanese elementary school teachers have no professional English-teaching skills, many struggle to learn it when they first come to Koyamadai, Principal Sanae Saito said.

“Teachers are basically serious people. I guess some have a hard time getting used to the system at first, but as they learn more, and as they see children’s growth, teachers become more active in making the English lesson a better one,” she said.

Yoshida of Sophia University said homeroom teachers are indeed crucial in elementary school, because they are the ones who know each student’s background, ability and personality and can provide the support for each student’s needs.

Fukunaga, who works there, said Koyamadai Elementary is “the cream of the crop.”

“I think why Koyamadai works so well is they got licensed teachers, and our job as ALTs is not to come here to be a licensed teacher. I’m here to help create a complete English environment with the language. And part of our job is to bring our culture and just a different way of thinking.”

Quote: (09-11-2017 01:37 AM)Suits Wrote:  

“For someone without a lot of experience teaching, it can be a bit of a daunting task,” said ALT Jamey Fukunaga, 42.

How the hell are you still doing English teaching at 42?
That's for kids who've just got out of college and want to knock around Japan for a while.
It's a shitty job, but the conditions aren't too terrible, and you can have some fun living in another country. Just expect to be annoyed by dealing with the bureaucracy and to not actually teach anyone anything. None of them give a shit about English, it's just something they learn because they're expected to.

Hey y'all, I'm an American applying for online teaching gigs.

I was wondering if I should I use a "CV" format for most of these companies? Including a picture of myself, my age, marital status and all that stuff?


Sorry for the dumb question, I am American so it still feels awkward placing information that type of information - I don't want to expose more than I have to.

Quote: (09-17-2017 12:31 PM)Heart Break Kid Wrote:  

Hey y'all, I'm an American applying for online teaching gigs.

I was wondering if I should I use a "CV" format for most of these companies? Including a picture of myself, my age, marital status and all that stuff?


Sorry for the dumb question, I am American so it still feels awkward placing information that type of information - I don't want to expose more than I have to.

If your age and picture serves your marketability, I'd include it, but I wouldn't bother with sharing your marital status or anything irrelevant to such gigs.

I've finally got all my shit sorted guys! Got the TESOL cert in the mail just this morning, copy of my uni degree, nice solid luggage all set.

Now just gotta find a position and get my injections and I'm off. Thinking HK or Vietnam/Thailand.

Quote: (10-06-2017 01:43 AM)STEEL_WARRIOR Wrote:  

Now just gotta find a position and get my injections and I'm off. Thinking HK or Vietnam/Thailand.

Wow, these companies aren't kidding around these days, straight to doping you up from day one just to get through a class. Makes sense though.

Quote: (10-06-2017 01:43 AM)STEEL_WARRIOR Wrote:  

I've finally got all my shit sorted guys! Got the TESOL cert in the mail just this morning, copy of my uni degree, nice solid luggage all set.

Now just gotta find a position and get my injections and I'm off. Thinking HK or Vietnam/Thailand.

how much did you pay for your cert? I'm still not sure how much I should pay for one.

Quote: (10-06-2017 06:57 AM)Heart Break Kid Wrote:  

how much did you pay for your cert? I'm still not sure how much I should pay for one.

Well I got it during their new years special so 50% off if you shop around you can get a bargain. You'd be better off asking the guys who've done their first contract as they will have more to say than me right now this cert I've got is just a fancy looking piece of paper if it can get me some replies from employers I've sent applications out to then it'll be worth it.

Little update with my teaching. Now been teaching online for over a year, still great. I don't love the job but I love the flexibility and benefits of being able to work from wherever in the world and get paid a reasonable amount. Overall I'm happy for the moment.

The online teaching sphere is growing rapidly, so more opportunities but also more competition. My company is now very strict on their degree and classroom experience.

If anyone is interested send me a PM and I can give you more info about the company (but just keep in mind you need a bachelors minimum) and need to like teaching little kids.

Sorry just to clarify as I've gotten a fair number of PM's. For my company the bachelors is needed from the U.S or Canada only, kind of stupid but the way it is.

Tefl is for losers. So many easier ways to earn a crust.

Quote: (10-13-2017 09:23 AM)soltopia Wrote:  

Tefl is for losers. So many easier ways to earn a crust.

How much money do you earn a week?

How many hours do you work a week?

Quote: (10-13-2017 09:23 AM)soltopia Wrote:  

Tefl is for losers. So many easier ways to earn a crust.

I would put it this way. Teaching English has the stink of death. You're assumed to be a loser, so it's an uphill battle from there in terms of how you'll be perceived. It's a dirty job that wants to see itself as a career.

Suits has a good point - there are ways to be entrpreneurial and have more potential -- also, there is a career track for teacher training (additional education/experience required) -- but I assume we're talking here about classroom teaching in a school.

My private students are mostly convinced that I'm an expert at this (which I am). However, prospective students/clients need to see that what you offer is categorically different and more professionally delivered than what they could get from the unwashed backpacker crowd.

Quote: (10-13-2017 09:23 AM)soltopia Wrote:  

Tefl is for losers. So many easier ways to earn a crust.

Define "easier"?

Quote: (10-13-2017 09:23 AM)soltopia Wrote:  

Tefl is for losers. So many easier ways to earn a crust.

Like what?

Has anyone here taught English in Russia? I'm currently a retail store manager. I'm stuck here in the states until I get my braces off and my apartment lease is done. I will be in Russia sometime in June next year.

Quote: (10-14-2017 09:07 AM)Leavethewestbehind Wrote:  

Has anyone here taught English in Russia? I'm currently a retail store manager. I'm stuck here in the states until I get my braces off and my apartment lease is done. I will be in Russia sometime in June next year.

I haven't personally but I know people who do. Check ESLcafe.You'll be making peanuts. You will not save any money at all! Russian schools are notoriously cheap and will pay absolute minimum. It doesn't matter if it's Moscow or a 2nd tier city...they will pay just so you cover your expenses.
I recommend teaching Chinese kids online and live in Russia if you really need to.

Quote: (10-14-2017 01:25 PM)Wayout Wrote:  

I haven't personally but I know people who do. Check ESLcafe.You'll be making peanuts. You will not save any money at all! Russian schools are notoriously cheap and will pay absolute minimum. It doesn't matter if it's Moscow or a 2nd tier city...they will pay just so you cover your expenses.
I recommend teaching Chinese kids online and live in Russia if you really need to.

I spoke with my advisor at the school I earned my certification from. She told me the same thing. I'm 100% set on going to Russia though. I've been studying the language for about a year now. Teaching English will just be a way for me to get into the country and stay long term. Eventually I would like to find my own students and tutor 1 on 1. And possibly start my own business online.

Quote: (10-13-2017 09:23 AM)soltopia Wrote:  

Tefl is for losers. So many easier ways to earn a crust.

Maybe it's for people who want to travel the world on a cost neutral basis.

Maybe it's for people who haven't drunk the Kool Aid and want to experience different cultures as an insider (of sorts) rather than just as a tourist.

Maybe its for people who want to carve out a lucrative niche, such as teaching business or legal English.

Or just maybe its for people who live life on their own terms want and don't give two fucks what some negative people have to say about their lifestyle choice...

I'm still waiting for soltopia to come back and tell us how much money he is swimming in.

Teaching english isn't glamorous, but you shouldn't be teaching english just to teach english, you should be pivoting your ample free time towards BUILDING something.

Whose more of a loser? The guy who makes 50k USD a year and goes home every night to watch football, drink beer and eat shitty food or the English teacher who makes maybe 25k USD a year but is devoting his free-time, low cost of living and other things towards building a business, getting in excellent shape and banging chicks?

If you're stagnating as an English teacher, you're a loser, but I do know straight up english teachers who are now making upwards of 70k+ a year teaching at boutique learning centers via connections. It is all in how you spend your time here.

As far as teaching in other countries goes, I don't have experience doing that, but the only way you'll get me teaching outside of China is if the cost of living in low and the pay is relatively high. Otherwise, it's not worth my time.

Quote: (10-15-2017 10:24 AM)Leavethewestbehind Wrote:  

I spoke with my advisor at the school I earned my certification from. She told me the same thing. I'm 100% set on going to Russia though. I've been studying the language for about a year now. Teaching English will just be a way for me to get into the country and stay long term. Eventually I would like to find my own students and tutor 1 on 1. And possibly start my own business online.

Try to get a job with as few hours as possible. Use your spare time to teach online and hustle for private clients. For sure there is money to be made in Moscow - $150 an hour would be very attainable with a bit of hustle.