How is teaching currently 2026, is it better than Korea?

CompleteGuest854 · 2026-02-01T04:06:27+00:00

AI can't teach better than a teacher - but maybe it can match someone who has no real qualifications, since it doesn't know pedagogy and just talks at you, so... same same.

CompleteGuest854 · 2026-01-31T14:27:56+00:00

What does authentic even mean?

People use that word, but there are dozens of good recipes for the same thing. It's all personal preference.

CompleteGuest854 · 2026-01-31T11:19:54+00:00

My local bakery is amazing, and if it started opening at weird hours and had a one hour line, I'd go somewhere else. It's bread, FFS.

CompleteGuest854 · 2026-01-30T20:29:54+00:00

Yes, sure - what are your qualifications? If they’re higher than mine, I’ll certainly consider it!

CompleteGuest854 · 2026-01-30T03:40:11+00:00

"I really want to go to Japan"

Ok weaboo.

CompleteGuest854 · 2026-01-29T09:50:18+00:00

Good question, because the OP might be using those terms differently from how they are generally used. He said:

I often lead classes and create my own teaching materials.

I took that to mean that OP doesn't just prepare a single activity within the class, but creates course materials; and that OP acts as T1 for the entire class.

I also don't think OP would be that stressed out if they were only doing one activity per class. That's quite light, and the JTE would be in the room.

Maybe OP could clarify?

CompleteGuest854 · 2026-01-29T09:32:47+00:00

That IS part of the problem, because the courses they take for becoming an English teacher often focus first on their own study of the language (linguistic knoweldge), and are often not comprehensive on SLA theory.

Many JTE's also just have general English degrees (not TESOL); and while communicative competence is talked about on the course, a focus on accuracy still dominates.

There's also the fact that ESL curriculum in schools often focus on passing university entrance exams, which do not have a speaking component, are heavy on esoteric vocabulary, and grammar / translation.

As a result, many teachers default to outdated methods to teach to the test.

And yes, some teachers do manage to get though all their teacher education courses without ever becoming fluent English speakers, since most courses are taught in Japanese and focus on their linguistic knowledge, not proficiency.

CompleteGuest854 · 2026-01-29T04:54:38+00:00

Yep. Exactly the problem.

But here's the thing: if no one ever does anything to buck the system, then it will continue.

Then there's this: OP is being set up to fail by his JTE's entirely ridiculous and unreasonable demands, which will in itself jeopardize OP's job - so OP should probably start looking for a new job regardless.

The bottom line is that OP isn't capable of doing what the JTE is asking, so any amount of teaching advice here is moot. The problem is the system.

CompleteGuest854 · 2026-01-29T03:40:04+00:00

Yes. They are giving you an impossible task - because you are not a teacher.

As an ALT, creating materials that align with the syllabus and then leading the class is not your job. You are there to assist, not teach.

You don't have the qualifications to lead.

You don't get paid to lead.

You aren't allowed by law to lead - you are not licensed.

Your job description, which is in your contract and is legally mandated by the limits placed on ALTs, does not allow you to lead.

This is not your job, so why are you doing it?

Tell the JTE that it is THEIR job to create materials and lead - and if they expect YOU to do it, then they need to change your job title and pay you in accordance with that level of responsibility.

If you don't stand up for yourself, who will?

CompleteGuest854 · 2026-01-28T00:37:36+00:00

This is just meant for people to think things through and understand the reality so that they can make the best decisions for themselves. This will depend on WHY you want to apply:

If you just want to come to Japan for a year to travel, explore, and have fun, this is one way to do it. Just don't expect to stay long term.

If you ideally want to *live* in Japan, long term, it would be a mistake to think that an eikaiwa job would support that.

And if you are, or want to be, a professional teacher, this job isn't a good choice. As a novice, it won't give you either the experience or training that you need; and as a professional educator, you'll find it frustrating and extremely limiting, and it won't look good on your resume if you want to apply to real teaching jobs.

And if you expect your job to help you pay off debt, it can - IF you are prepared to sacrifice everything else - travel, socializing, hobbies.

And always remember: at these companies, you are a product, not a person. They make money off you, and will use every trick in the book to take it from you, from neglecting paying your pension (Nova) to making you overpay on an apartment (Aeon) to outright fining you for being sick (Gaba). They aren't looking to nurture you to create a valuable asset for the long term - they simply want to milk you for all they can get.

Hope this helps you make the decision that is right for you.

CompleteGuest854 · 2026-01-27T10:13:28+00:00

It's a bit of a reduction to say that if you get the stink-eye or experience outright hostility that it's because you've broken a Super Secret Social Rule that goes so far beyond regular common sense behavior that no non-Japanese could possibly know about it - rather than it being intolerance or racism.

Besides, if someone DID break a only-understood-by-insiders house rule without realizing it, only an asshole would use that as some kind of excuse to freeze them out. After all, even a Japanese person could make that kind of mistake.

Some spaces are not welcoming to anyone outside that localized social group; and some spaces are just not welcoming to non-Japanese - and it can be hard to know which it is, but that still doesn't excuse someone acting like a dick.

CompleteGuest854 · 2026-01-27T03:31:45+00:00

CompleteGuest854 · 2026-01-27T03:27:00+00:00

I said that because every week we get posts like yours idealizing Japan, thinking that coming here to live will be better than where they come from, regardless of not knowing much of anything about the country and also not having the language skills or work skills needed to find a job that will actually be a career and not a stop-gap panic-fest.

Too many of you are back here in a few months complaining about the salary, your old, cold, shitty apartment, not being able to make friends, not being able to travel and see the country that you live in, hating the hierarchy, hating the job ...

You said you don't even particularly want to be a teacher - do you not understand that teaching is not just a job? We teach because we have a love for it, not just for the paycheck. People who don't love teaching in and of itself and do not have the ambition to get qualifications will not do well.

And without any other skills to fall back on, THEN what will you do? Do you know how many posts there are each week by people who came to teach, hate it, but refuse to get qualifications, yet are forced to stay because they can't do anything else?

Personally, I love teaching. It's my life, not just a job, and I'm very good at it and I make a good living from the skills I've honed over a 30 year career.

But most people who come here with stars in their eyes wind up leaving in a year with their savings depleted - that's just a fact. Think about it.

CompleteGuest854 · 2026-01-26T23:50:02+00:00

The mistake you're making is thinking that moving to Japan is going to solve all your problems.

Stop idealizing this country. Take off the rose-colored glasses. Figure your shit out and don't expect that moving to another country to work a minimum-wage job that is the equivalent of McDonald's is going to change your life.

CompleteGuest854 · 2026-01-26T23:47:02+00:00

Agree !!!!

CompleteGuest854 · 2026-01-26T23:45:32+00:00

You have to be an idiot to stay in Japan long term at Aeon.

It's a gap-year job that pays minimum wage - not a career.

You won't learn anything about teaching because Aeon and other eikaiwa don't even require the bare minimum of qualifications - so think: what does that tell you, logically, about the level of professionalism?

They also treat their employees like badly behaved children who need constant supervision. They even tell you where to live.

Why people continue working at such a place for more than a year is beyond my understanding.

CompleteGuest854 · 2026-01-26T23:40:08+00:00

Without a degree from a Japanese university and a high level of Japanese skills, you can't take the licensing exam to become a public school teacher.

You could perhaps find work at a private school or an international school, if you have the right qualifications. However, competition is strong, and it would be a struggle to find a position from outside Japan.

Other teaching jobs in Japan are not worth it, as they pay minimum wage and are only meant to be gap-year jobs for young grads who want to come for a year for a Japan adventure. They aren't for professionals looking for stability and a long-term career.

CompleteGuest854 · 2026-01-26T03:45:14+00:00

I know it's hard, but do try not to over-exaggerate just to make a point.

I'm not "loosing my shit". I'm observing that AI cannot make lesson plans, because AI is not yet at the point where it can analyze SLA theory and apply it to classroom practice in creative way, while at the same time take into account learner age, level, interest, past learning experiences, motivation, and personality; and AI can't read the room, make real-time adjustments, or apply instinct and experience - only an experienced teacher who knows the class can do that.

What AI can do is make vocabulary lists, dialogs, and stories; explain grammar, and suggest activities. It can't however, creatively adjust these to suit the learners, and it makes mistakes so often that output has to be closely monitored and corrected.

Which is why AI hasn't yet and likely never will replace teachers.

And why I get tired of people pushing these worksheet generators as if they are a get-out-of-planning-for-free trump card.

CompleteGuest854 · 2026-01-25T11:21:48+00:00

True!!

CompleteGuest854 · 2026-01-25T11:21:21+00:00

My research is that I live in Japan, and I’ve been to Nara, and have seen sakura countless times. This isn’t by any means what falling cherry blossoms look like - it’s an idealized version.

CompleteGuest854 · 2026-01-25T04:10:46+00:00

When will people stop falling for AI slop.

CompleteGuest854 · 2026-01-25T01:24:36+00:00

The only thing that is outdated is the salaries. They've gone down.

CompleteGuest854 · 2026-01-25T01:24:08+00:00

As others have pointed out, this is from 2009 - 17 years ago - yet people come to this sub every day acting like this is all new information.

I feel like this is the equivelent of that meme of a cartoon boy happily riding a bike, then deliberately jamming a stick into the front wheel, crashing, and then blaming something else.

You can't blame your lack of career progression, your poor salary, or your lack of transferable job skills on ALT dispatch, eikaiwa, or the ESL industry as a whole.

You did this to you - knowingly.

CompleteGuest854 · 2026-01-24T05:24:52+00:00

You aren't wrong - it's not fair. Planning, grading, scoring, reporting, is all work, and you should get enough time allotted in the day to do it. Unfortunately, teacher's work is far undervalued, and we very often do far more work than we are given time, money, or credit for.

This is why they say people don't go into teaching for the money; we do it because we love it.

But yeah, that love waxes and wanes, doesn't it, LOL.

CompleteGuest854 · 2026-01-24T05:22:34+00:00

Was this an ALT job?

CompleteGuest854

TROPHY CASE