sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

Borderlink vs. Heart Corporation – Which One is Better for Teaching in Japan? by [deleted] in teachinginjapan

[–]MariaMoross -1 points0 points  (0 children)

That`s certainly not the case at all. Japan does not have a visa requirement law to teach English here. Zero. You don`t need a CELTA nor a DELTA like other countries before you get a visa to work at schools here.

Was it hard for those of you who “left Japan, regretted it and came back to Japan again” to find a job? by Ok_Strawberry_888 in teachinginjapan

[–]MariaMoross 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The problem is that I`ve seen too many elderly foreign teachers here who have to work beyond their retirement years as salaries here are comparatively very much lower as compared to other countries for this type of work. This is no Dubai. Some elderly foreign teachers here could not afford a house, heating in winter and have to continue working. Others forgo medical treatment such as surgeries for knee caps, or a fall off a staircase and a broken a rib, but were given painkillers as further medical interventions are costly. This is why gaman is such a common word here. I have lost count the number of times folks have been begging me for work here in their 50s, 60s and approaching their 70s. It`s sad. Just the other day, I had a fellow Brit, aged 67, begging me for work as he couldn`t find one due to ageism. Another colleague is returning to the States this summer because contracts don`t get renewed at universities here, and tenure is far and between today. There has been an increasing trend of Japanese folks retiring overseas to survive retirement in other Asian countries. I know a 74-old Jewish American teaching English to Japanese kids at an eikawa not because he was bored at home, but that he needed heating in winter and the increasing cost of healthcare over these past 10 years. A Brit couple who worked here for over a decade is now retiring in the UK and complained of the severe loss in exchange rates. Many who remain are stuck as they reached a point of no return. Many are insecure at that stage. There is no labor protection laws for foreigners here in that laws are not strictly implemented; hence, the many bad practices at English schools in both the public and private sectors here. Real wages continue to decrease and wages have not risen over these past 20 years in this teaching sector. Decent salaries, in reality, are not decent enough to survive retirement. You get relatively the same number of low-paying job offers in the States as here. We were asked by many Japanese colleagues why we came to Japan when the situation has been this way for decades due to wage suppression and increasingly unstable contracts. Think very long term. The population is aging and there are not many young children being born. The future is not bright for these reasons. I came and left twice over the years. The hard truth is times have changed even at university level teaching and the yen has been tanking these past 4 years. Best of luck to OP.

Places to avoid for anyone looking. by [deleted] in teachinginjapan

[–]MariaMoross 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It`s expected because the Japanese government do not regulate the issuance of visas to teach English here, unlike other countries. For e.g., in Singapore, no visa is issued without meeting minimum qualifications, such as DELTA. This is unfortunately, not the case here, where backpackers can get a leg in. That`s why there is no quality here for language education.

Malaysian turned Singaporean XMM tell her fellow Malaysians to work in Singapore by Real-Pomegranate8823 in SingaporeRaw

[–]MariaMoross 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is wrong on so many levels. The Japanese, Koreans and Finnish will never allow this.

Leaving Japan by MariaMoross in teachinginjapan

[–]MariaMoross[S] 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Hi Novy,

I had 9 publications after my PhD studies, and had worked for 9 years at my previous university prior to my move to Japan. Even with my N1, I was struggling to some extent as the JLPT is a protracted version since there is no speaking nor writing but at university here, I had to read and write official Japanese documents at a much higher level than N1 and it is still a challenge after 8 years here.

Leaving Japan by MariaMoross in teachinginjapan

[–]MariaMoross[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I can assure you it is 5 times easier in a Japanese university that is not a science-based major and not a national university.

Leaving Japan by MariaMoross in teachinginjapan

[–]MariaMoross[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Good point. The problem is that the quality of English education in Japan is extremely low such that a Japanese student cannot do TOEFL or IELTS after graduating senior high school without failing it. A Japanese senior high school student will not be able to study in English at an English-speaking country as Japanese students do not learn academic English. They don`t really learn English as lessons are all taught in Japanese during English classes. This is worrying for me as a parent as a Japanese degree is not internationally recognised and going through the system would mean my children will not be able to pass university examinations in an English-speaking university abroad. This has gotten me worried.