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Teaching English overseas (pg. 3)
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| dance2dabeat |
| quote: | Originally posted by nusty
In Japan you do need one, to do it legally.
I've heard the same thing but they take almost anyone so if you need a way to get there they will most likely take you. I put it as my last pick but also as my last chance back up option if the other fell through.
I'm leaving for Toyko in September. |
well then japan is definately not an option for me |
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| nusty |
| quote: | Originally posted by dance2dabeat
well then japan is definately not an option for me |
There are other options in Japan though for private instruction if you are ambitious enough to pursue your own employement status once you get there.
You can check with the Japanese Consulate for more information on this, they have dedicated staff in Ottawa to deal with exactly this issue.
Thier phone # should be on thier website. |
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| nusty |
| quote: | Originally posted by Tudo Beleza
I am going to teach english in japan in the fall. I am going through on the JET program. If you are interested in Japan then it is a great program. Though you will probably end up in the country side like me. I will be in Hokkaido, the northern island in Japan.
I have not heard great things about Korea, it is not really well run and like people have said many come back early because of the experience they have. China is also the same. Though I have heard good things about Japan and Taiwan.
If you do decide on Japan I can help you, as I did a lot of research on it, before accepting JET. |
what made you choose JET? When I looked at what they required of their workers they were among the lowest paid with the highest work demands... I'm curious what sealed the deal for you? |
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| Tudo Beleza |
| quote: | Originally posted by nusty
what made you choose JET? When I looked at what they required of their workers they were among the lowest paid with the highest work demands... I'm curious what sealed the deal for you? |
With the JET program it really depends on where you and the types of schools you get.
Regarding the pay, i am not sure who you are comparing it to. Compared to other english schools in Japan they pay the highest. I get 3,500,000 yen per year, while nova top's out at 3,200,000 and that is in Tokyo where the cost of living is higher. The JET salary is one of the highest in Japan for english teachers.
For me the thing that sealed the deal was that I want to study Japanese. With JET there is a lot of time for me to study Japanese on the side or at school. Also I will be in the countryside so i will have more opporunity to study. They will pay for my plane ticket and give me a 3 year Visa.
The workload in NOVA or the private schools is much higher, 40 plus hours. While JET you just have to go to school for the day like any other job. |
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| nusty |
| quote: | Originally posted by Tudo Beleza
With the JET program it really depends on where you and the types of schools you get.
Regarding the pay, i am not sure who you are comparing it to. Compared to other english schools in Japan they pay the highest. I get 3,500,000 yen per year, while nova top's out at 3,200,000 and that is in Tokyo where the cost of living is higher. The JET salary is one of the highest in Japan for english teachers.
For me the thing that sealed the deal was that I want to study Japanese. With JET there is a lot of time for me to study Japanese on the side or at school. Also I will be in the countryside so i will have more opporunity to study. They will pay for my plane ticket and give me a 3 year Visa.
The workload in NOVA or the private schools is much higher, 40 plus hours. While JET you just have to go to school for the day like any other job. |
Of the five major schools none of them list hours over 28.5 per week of duties. Berlitz for example only requires a work load of 22-23 hours a week. Nova is the highest of the private schools, you are correct but thier work loads are maxed out at 28.5 hours a week with the expectation that you would spend about 34 hours at the office.
Also something I know a lot of the EDM community will like is that many of the private schools do not start school until the afternoon. sure you may work till dinner time but that allows you enough time to go out and enjoy the nightlife for a few hours and still be home in time to get enough sleep before work the next day. You can also pick which days you want off.
I looked very seriously at JET for an CIR position but everyone I spoke with said that once they had got to Japan the work load had increased beyond what they were told previously. As for the salery, you are forgetting that JET requires you to take 40,000 yen a month out for a pension fund you are unlikely to ever use. You are also responsible for the full cost of your living. Many of the other programs will pay a majority of your housing leaving you to only be responsible for as little as 42,000 yen a month for a fully furnished apt.
From JET:
| quote: | | Rent is usually paid a month in advance and expenses other than rent such as housing deposit, key money (a non-refundable sum of money paid to the landlord/lady) and real estate agent's commission may also be payable by participants before moving into the accommodation. This could amount to the equivalent of between one and six months rent. Other expenses for maintenance and repairs will be based on each JET's housing contract. |
AEON for example will pay these items saving you potentially up to a full months rent.
There are some schools which will even provide you with Free Japanese lessons once you get there so learning Japanese can be made easier.
All of the schools I looked at provided a full return ticket to/from Japan (in one case I even found a school that offered TWO tickets so I could go home for xmas as well on their bill) and a three year visa is pretty standard for english teachers in Japan which is why most of the schools will offer you bonus packages of up to an extra $2,500USD if you just stay for a bit longer.
When I looked at all the small things I decided against JET. I love the idea of the program but it didn't allow me to be in the city I really wanted to be in and it couldn't provide me with the lifestyle I wanted to live. It will be a great experience though and will look great on your resume when you get back. Saying you worked a year through the Japanese Consulate can't hurt. :)
I'm sure living in the country you will have a fantastic experience culturally as well. |
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| Tudo Beleza |
| quote: | Originally posted by nusty
As for the salery, you are forgetting that JET requires you to take 40,000 yen a month out for a pension fund you are unlikely to ever use. You are also responsible for the full cost of your living. Many of the other programs will pay a majority of your housing leaving you to only be responsible for as little as 42,000 yen a month for a fully furnished apt.
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This is half correct, though you pay in to the pension fund for the period of your employment with JET. You recieve a lump payment at the end of your JET contract. For many JETs this can work out to a fairly large amount of money. With JET your rent depends, many people i know get their placement for free, while others have to pay. Though I have not met any one who has paid more then 50,000 yen. Also with NOVA you don't get your own place, you are sharing it with other people. So if you get idiots like my friend did, then you are screwed. But yes this is a great way if you want to spend it in the city. JET is not designed for the cities. Going into the program you know that. The cities do not have any problems finding english teachers. It is the countryside that needs them. Also when you read that quoted passage from JET, you must take it with a grain of salt. As they try to provide you with the worst case situation. Though most likely you will take over your pred and the cost of living will be low.
| quote: |
There are some schools which will even provide you with Free Japanese lessons once you get there so learning Japanese can be made easier.
All of the schools I looked at provided a full return ticket to/from Japan (in one case I even found a school that offered TWO tickets so I could go home for xmas as well on their bill) and a three year visa is pretty standard for english teachers in Japan which is why most of the schools will offer you bonus packages of up to an extra $2,500USD if you just stay for a bit longer.
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Yes that is true, and so does JET with regards to providing lesson in Japanese. Though I think with JET my opportunites to speak Japanese will be greater then in NOVA. I don't want to say NOVA is bad, but when i went about researching both ways of getting to Japan. I felt that JET provided what i wanted. I had already spent a year on exchange in a large city in Japan. So i wanted to see an other side of Japan. The JET program is more of a cultural exchange, and provides a greater opportunity to get involved in the community. The JET program for the most part will place you in the smaller areas of Japan. Me for example will be ina city or I mean town of 4,100 people. This is what i wanted. With NOVA and other schools the pay depends on where you are, while with JET it is the same across the board. Another thing is that on JET you get much more holidays compared to the english schools.
| quote: | | I love the idea of the program but it didn't allow me to be in the city I really wanted to be in and it couldn't provide me with the lifestyle I wanted to live. |
For me i did not want to live in the city again, or atleast as an english teacher. Maybe later on I would like to work in Tokyo in an non-english field.
oh so you did go with NOVA? from the tone of your post, if you had gone I would assume it was enjoyable. I do not want to come across as defending JET at the expense of NOVA. There is already enough rivalry between the two programs as is. But I do agree that each program can be a great experience depending on how you make it. If one decides to go to Japan, it is best to research the program that best fits your needs. |
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| Tudo Beleza |
| quote: | Originally posted by nusty
There are other options in Japan though for private instruction if you are ambitious enough to pursue your own employement status once you get there.
You can check with the Japanese Consulate for more information on this, they have dedicated staff in Ottawa to deal with exactly this issue.
Thier phone # should be on thier website. |
I was interested in finding more information on this question. For most of the major english language schools in Japan and JET you need a university degree.
But Canada and Japan have a work holiday program, it is where you can go to Japan and spend initally 6 months, but renewable up to 1 year in Japan working. If you don't have a university degree this is one of teh better ways to go as there is no degree requirement. Just an age requirement of 18-30. So one could apply for this and then get a job in Japan. Many of the smaller english schools in Japan do not want to go through the hassle of getting you a Visa and then bringing you over on the chance you ditch them. But if you are able to prove you have a VISA and are in Japan they are more likely to hire you. |
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| Euphorica |
| One dude I know dropped out of my program to go do this in Japan. He is still there and Id imagine he is having a good time...not sure if Id want to do it though. |
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| KaiLee |
Kelbell why didn't you ask me! I've been living here in Taiwan for 2 years and taught English :p
Most countries require you to have a bachelors degree to teach English. I know Taiwan and Japan do....and my friends that taught in China had to have one as well in order to work legally.
Taiwan has so far been the best (according to many English teachers I've spoken to). You get paid more than Japan.....and the living expenses are MUCH cheaper. Taipei has a great foreigner community and the nightlife is pretty fun! (bars that serve all night anyone?)
I was doing private tutoring here with only a high school degree....and making about 650 NT an hour which is about 22 US dollars. If you can afford an apartment in Toronto, you can definitely afford one here in Taipei. I find Taipei to be a very convenient city and has a great transportation system to get around...taxis are quite cheap as well.
Check out www.tealit.com they have teaching positions on there. |
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| Playa24_7 |
| quote: | Originally posted by Sasha
ARE U GOING TO RUSSIA, KELLY? :crazy: :haha: :p |
I think we have enough facked up people in our area already to deal with, no need to go to the place they came from
oooh snap |
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| bluE_Neon |
Oxford Seminars
It's avaiable @ UofT. You don't need any degrees/diplomas or canadian citizenship for this job. A passport is only required since you'll be coming back anyways since this is only a temporary job unless stated otherwise. I thought about this myself a while ago but I realized that I'm no teacher @ heart. |
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| nusty |
| quote: | Originally posted by Tudo Beleza
This is half correct, though you pay in to the pension fund for the period of your employment with JET. You recieve a lump payment at the end of your JET contract. For many JETs this can work out to a fairly large amount of money. With JET your rent depends, many people i know get their placement for free, while others have to pay. Though I have not met any one who has paid more then 50,000 yen. Also with NOVA you don't get your own place, you are sharing it with other people. So if you get idiots like my friend did, then you are screwed. But yes this is a great way if you want to spend it in the city. JET is not designed for the cities. Going into the program you know that. The cities do not have any problems finding english teachers. It is the countryside that needs them. Also when you read that quoted passage from JET, you must take it with a grain of salt. As they try to provide you with the worst case situation. Though most likely you will take over your pred and the cost of living will be low.
Yes that is true, and so does JET with regards to providing lesson in Japanese. Though I think with JET my opportunites to speak Japanese will be greater then in NOVA. I don't want to say NOVA is bad, but when i went about researching both ways of getting to Japan. I felt that JET provided what i wanted. I had already spent a year on exchange in a large city in Japan. So i wanted to see an other side of Japan. The JET program is more of a cultural exchange, and provides a greater opportunity to get involved in the community. The JET program for the most part will place you in the smaller areas of Japan. Me for example will be ina city or I mean town of 4,100 people. This is what i wanted. With NOVA and other schools the pay depends on where you are, while with JET it is the same across the board. Another thing is that on JET you get much more holidays compared to the english schools.
For me i did not want to live in the city again, or atleast as an english teacher. Maybe later on I would like to work in Tokyo in an non-english field.
oh so you did go with NOVA? from the tone of your post, if you had gone I would assume it was enjoyable. I do not want to come across as defending JET at the expense of NOVA. There is already enough rivalry between the two programs as is. But I do agree that each program can be a great experience depending on how you make it. If one decides to go to Japan, it is best to research the program that best fits your needs. |
I can't respond to everything right now since I'm about to unplug my laptop since I'm packing up the house to move today but I just wanted to say that no I did not pick NOVA. I actually didn't like them very much after really looking into them for a bunch of reasons, mostly based on people who worked with them thought of the experience but perks also played a big role. Nova didn't accomodate much when asked about if they would help with learning japanese and I got the impression that they DID NOT want you to learn it so they could keep you on their terms with the school. The roomate thing was another issue, I really wanted a single apt.
Don't get me wrong for all the reasons you stated I feel that JET really is a great program for the types of things you were looking for. If I wanted the same stuff I would have likely pushed harder to go with them.
I mainly wanted to go to Japan for the martial arts, getting to experience Japanese Urban living and the music scene. So in that regard the country side didn't really apeal to me.
I'll write more when I get unpacked back in NYC or when I come up to Toronto in a week or two. The next few weeks are going to have me all over the place. |
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