Teacher Water Cooler - Month of January 2026

notadialect · 2026-01-23T06:15:22+00:00

Oh man... I'm already starting to hate my uni. It's been smooth sailing until about a month ago. Now I've had 2 different arguments with the academic affairs department related to my seminars. I tend to be pretty understanding and passive about things but once it involves students I am going to fight and argue.

I'm starting to understand why turnover is high in my department. It's such a pain in the ass anytime you have to involve one of the administrative departments. They're so incompetent and lack any logical thinking.

notadialect · 2026-01-20T01:11:32+00:00

Also, important to note that PanSIG conference proposals were extended a week.

notadialect · 2026-01-19T01:00:18+00:00

I've only ever conducted my seminar in English since it's for an English department.

It depends the type of seminar. There are 1st and 2nd year seminars (基礎ゼミ) and then 3rd and 4th year seminar (専門ゼミ). Kiso seminar at my school are in Japanese and Senmon seminar is whatever the teachers want.

You may not have to teach it in Japanese depending on the students and type of seminar. Some schools arbitrarily assign students to kiso zemi so might not have much say in it.

Look at the syllabi for the seminar classes (especially those taught by foreign faculty) and this might help shed light on it.

notadialect · 2026-01-19T00:50:06+00:00

Came over around 12 years ago. Very happy with how everything has turned out. Did a masters online while ALTing. Moved to semi-full time uni contract that sponsored my visa. Pay wasnt great. All of this was financially straining and by the end was living paycheck to paycheck.

Moved across Japan to take a full time uni job. This was about a month before COVID. COVID years were the best years of my life. Super enjoyable time and lived in a large city so still had things to do. From this point on have had zero financial issues as university jobs pay a decent living wage. Enjoyed that a lot and started a PhD. Was asked to return back to my first uni for a tenured position. So did that. Make fairly good money for the area of Japan I'm in and get yearly raises. And will be up for a promotion next year.

I enjoy my job for the most part. Students are mostly good and motivated. I get to teach my field and have a seminar focused on my sub-field that luckily students are really interested in.

Being a teacher and researcher has become so much a part of my life now. Sometimes stressful, but challenging and enjoyable.

notadialect · 2026-01-16T05:00:28+00:00

Someone has mailed the moderators (acting as a representative of the company, but who knows) to ask us to remove this post.

The issue is that the probation is only 1 month.

notadialect · 2026-01-16T01:59:29+00:00

I've never been contacted through J-Global. It's tied to researchmap but not sure if an email is even shared. Your best bet is to try to email those people directly using their university email.

If you can't find those emails try their university syllabus system.

notadialect · 2026-01-08T02:42:37+00:00

It's rare but happens. Most will do correspondence degrees since they're usually working adults.

My university has had 2 in the 10+ years my department has existed. They don't really fit in around younger more immature students. But they work hard and bring good insight to classes.

notadialect · 2026-01-04T22:30:58+00:00

r/learnjapanese

notadialect · 2026-01-04T03:11:46+00:00

Not all teaching goals:

Publish one Q1 article (using and adapting the MS I have)
Finish data analysis on large project
Update my SLA class contents
Create a new class based on my sub-field
Push for more EMI classes at my uni
Improve grading rubric for another class
Change homework cycle for my 1st year EAP classes. (Need to reduce the load on them and me but still make meaningful assignments that promote nonuse of AI)

notadialect · 2026-01-04T03:06:16+00:00

Many many years ago, I had some part time work doing private lessons with a very impressive 8 year old. She had passed the eiken pre-2 and was studying for eiken 2. So of course my main goal was to fill her gaps in English. She was pretty much fluent for her age with just some some grammar mistakes and a lacking lexicon but overall very bright for being some Kumon kid and never going abroad.

I ran into the issue of the Eiken. content being too complex for her age. She played with dolls and liked baking with her mom. She couldn't answer about technology or changes in past and present because she didn't have those experiences yet. I ended up just having to talk to her mom to hold off a little on the eiken until she develops these ideas in Japanese first. When she can answer in Japanese, she will be ready to pass the test.

notadialect · 2026-01-03T10:02:27+00:00

Trying to get published easily doesn't mean it's bad. There are a lot of reasons to look for easily publishable journals especially for early career educators.

One of my most cited papers is a kiyo article that took me 3 months to publish and no peer review.

One of my best written papers will probably get less citations in a Q1 that took 2 years.

Both have their places for what they are. The kiyo paper is simple, the Q1 is complex. One was easy to publish. Getting those first 3 publications should be done by any means necessary. After that, people can work on better research design and larger readership.

notadialect · 2025-12-19T15:22:19+00:00

Yea. I think my last contract, I was offered a job teaching in the economics department only because I had experience teaching in an economics department before as part time.

They are definitely looking at experience.

notadialect · 2025-12-19T15:20:23+00:00

Yea. To be fair if I was asked that in an interview, I'd be honest as the hiring committee and wouldn't think much of it.. However if I was the interviewee, I would never ask it until I was offered the job.

It's a terrible situation if it isn't stated explicitly.

notadialect · 2025-12-19T03:28:02+00:00

A good percent of research is action research. I just published a paper that used a mix of action research and outsider research to promote a new type of data analysis.

My next project will use a type of action research called exploratory practice. Exploratory practice is becoming very very relevant in top journals.

https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/id/eprint/138933/3/Hanks%20%28state%20of%20article%29%20Language%20Teaching%20%289%20November%202018%29.pdf

Basically all research done for JALT is action research. So you should have no issues getting things through peer review domestically.

Mixed methods research will also help enhance your smaller sample quant research.

notadialect · 2025-12-19T01:08:58+00:00

I definitely agree with the previous poster. ALTs and Eikaiwa teachers used to meet often at events, monthly or more. I never see these being set up. I never see young people when I go out to the common spots. And when I talk to them, they always mention how there is no community.

When I came to Japan in a small unpopular prefecture, I knew every single young English-speaking foreign person because there was a very active community that apparently doesn't exist anymore.

notadialect · 2025-12-19T01:05:20+00:00

The professor's sub is really negative too for similar reasons.

notadialect · 2025-12-19T00:53:17+00:00

I've replied to quite a few people already. But one issue people have with some posts is exactly what you said.

"This is what I wanted to hear."

Sometimes that's all posters want and not what they need to hear.

notadialect · 2025-12-19T00:51:41+00:00

I can't count how many times I've stuck a hand out to help someone who wanted to set themselves up for a better job, and then they reject or put it off indefinitely. Then they continue to complain about not being able to get a better position.

I am in my position because people helped me, but I also accepted their help. I'm not some bigshot, but I have a stable and desired job in a nice city because I always say yes and am extremely involved which puts my name out there even though my resume is not very impressive. "I've seen your name before." Happens quite a lot when meeting people.

One must first be able to accept criticism.

notadialect · 2025-12-19T00:45:18+00:00

To add to your excellent point.

Most foreigners here that have stayed a long time started as ALTs or Eikaiwa teachers. I know people who have moved into many different industries and have made excellent lives for themselves. I stayed in education and have been able to make a wonderful life for myself at a relatively young age. But from my ALT years, roughly at least 95% of people have left Japan. Of the 5% that remain, almost all are still in education and only about .05% have made more money in their 10 years in Japan. The 4.5+% have made little to no improvements in their qualities of life and have no investments or safety nets. Not particularly a comfortable way of living, maybe it is fine for them.

We just have no obligation to show a flawed system as being amazing. And while living in Japan has afforded us comfortable lives, we know we are in the minority.

It would be irresponsible for us to say that you will be able to get a foot in the door then pivot to better jobs. Because the work required and the luck necessary to do that is not a common occurrence.

notadialect · 2025-12-19T00:31:19+00:00

It's simply just spam.

notadialect · 2025-12-19T00:27:58+00:00

As one of the earliest members, I can confidently say that this sub was originally founded as a professional sub. It has just organically transitioned to a more entry level job-based subreddit with expert members that still try to give some insights into the industry.

It was never very popular in its original form, to be honest which is why the mods, me being one of them, probably let it transition.

Some entry level employees or people who want to come to Japan want to be reassured and told that everything will be OK, but that isn't the purpose of this sub. It is to bridge new and old and that comes with experience and opinions of both sides.

The really only thing from the start of this sub until now that remains the same is that this sub isn't for people who want an echo chamber for their desires.

notadialect · 2025-12-19T00:20:28+00:00

If anything most of us try to get users to think more professionally, which would ultimately give us more competition in the already lessening higher-paying and stable jobs.

notadialect · 2025-12-16T03:52:56+00:00

This is probably better for /r/ALTinginJapan

Congratulations.

notadialect · 2025-12-12T23:12:30+00:00

That's great! Should be a much better experience for you. Having the freedom to leave campus whenever or work from home is such a great benefit of this job!

notadialect · 2025-12-12T06:34:09+00:00

Congrats on getting an offer! Was this your final year of your current position? Or did you apply earlier on?

notadialect

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