getting old in japan

Getting old in Japan | Simon Cole | December 9th, 2002

Getting old in Japan in TESOL doesn't pay.... I was recently rejected for a full-time non-tenured position at a university despite having influential friends there pushing for me. Reason? "I've been in Japan too long and I don't have a master's and we don't need anyone that well qualified" Can you figure that? Officially, the position doesn't require a master's. Apparently the department is thinking of setting up a JET-style program. This is how I see it: The top dogs there want giddy young things fresh from overseas to entertain their jaded 1 st and 2 nd year students. Quality education doesn't matter because the students are supposed to be relaxing after years of exam hell anyway. A master's in TESOL doesn't have the status of a master's in Literature, Business, or Chemistry, so who cares anyway.

Simon

Re: Getting old in Japan | James Hobbs | December 9th, 2002

Simon,

Cheer up, sport! Yes, ridiculous reasons for not giving you the job, but it seems obvious that they don't deserve someone as good as you, and you wouldn't want to work there, anyway. So be grateful that you're not working there now and hating it.

I noticed a while back that the ELT News website had set up a comprehensive list of the good, the bad and the ugly among Japanese universities with regard to foreigner-hiring practices. Might be worth checking out. At the end of the day there seem to be some very good positions, some jobs from hell, and a lot in between. But the worst ones seem to get most of the publicity, so perhaps things aren't as bad as they seem.

James

Re: Getting old in Japan | Jerry Talandis Jr. | December 9th, 2002

Hi James,

This is Jerry. Nice advice about getting old in Japan. I was going to write the same things you did, but you beat me to it. I really believe that we always get the "perfect" job, and that each rejection just brings you one step closer to that position. Perfect jobs can still have lots of problems, but what ever we end up with is just right for us at that moment. I agree that the bad situations get the most press. That seems to be human nature- it happens in all walks of life.

Jerry

Re: Open question to all | Dominic Marini | December 9th, 2002

Open question to all,

We've recently seen a couple of postings about "growing old" in Japan. This is a real concern for a lot of people because of the professional glass ceiling which foreigners face. The problem is more acute because in Japan there is, in certain circles, a preference for untrained young teachers. This can deceive young teachers when they arrive here: it is easy to get work and you get well paid. So, you figure that as you get more experience it will be easier to get even better paid work. But actually, it can be more difficult to find work the older and more experienced you are!

I'm wondering if other participants face similar problems in their professional life, particularly if they are expats. If not, what professional problems do you face?

Dominic
Japan

Re: Open question to all | Jerry Talandis Jr. | December 9th, 2002

I'm currently working at a senmon gakko that specializes in foreign languages (mostly English). It's a great job overall, and I'm really happy here. I'd love to stay forever, but the fact is that I have reached the limits of how far I can go with my particular qualifications. That's why I'm at Aston- I need the Masters in order to give myself a chance to get a better job.

There are not a lot of choices for me in Toyama. I could work at Toyama University, but they don't offer tenured positions (three year contracts are their thing). My best option is to work at a smaller college nearby my house, but they are not doing well financially at the moment. I wonder if they'll be around by the time I get my MSc done. That's about it. I could start my own school, but I don't like that idea either, as I'd be in a constant state of looking for work (hustling for students, etc). I've got a 25-year mortgage on the house we built, so I'm pretty much locked in.

Sometimes I verge on despair, but really, I have faith that all will work out. I trust that the path I'm on will reveal a fresh opportunity that I now can't imagine. I just know that I HAVE to get my MSc. That much is clear. I'm counting on divine intervention, basically. It's a scary way to go, but it's always worked for me in the past.

I can sympathize with all the fears people living here face, but I really believe that if you really care about your work and want to be of genuine service in the world, then the proper opportunities will make themselves known. When they do, you need to be ready to take them. That is a whole other story!

Anyway, to all the ex-pats living in Japan, gambate! Don't lose hope. There is a lot of work out there that needs to be done. If you really want to live and work here, you will eventually find the position of your dreams!

Cheers,

Jerry

Re: Open question to all | Colin Graham | December 10th, 2002

Hi Dominic,

Ooh what a can of worms you've opened up there! There does seem to be a magic 'cut-off' of 35 applied to many jobs in Japan. There also seems to be a requirement for an MA in ESP/ESOL/EFL too. The company I currently work for likes older, more experienced teachers with MA preferred, but I would say that this is atypical.

For me, the keyword in your mail was "professional". I think that, unfortunately, EFL teaching is not seen as a profession in the way that 'normal' teaching is. This is not helped by the number of sausage factories like AEON and NOVA and GEOS etc. churning out courses using college-age students with working visas. Yes, it's a big generalization and I am probably being unkind to many in those organizations who take their work seriously. However, that does seem to be a kind of general image, here in Japan anyway. I do think it is changing, though and OAPs such as Simon and myself could probably get jobs with the 'factory schools' if push came to shove.

I will have to make a decision in that direction fairly soon. I can't say more for reasons of confidentiality. But it's basically how much do I want to stay in Japan against how much might I feeling I am compromising my idea of professionalism (if at all).

The fact that we are all in EFL/ESOL and pursuing this course, for me, is an encouraging sign that there are people trying to improve the professional image of EFL by seeking to develop themselves.

What you didn't mention of course was the additional bias towards (North) American English speakers.... not a problem for Jerry but unfortunate for Simon and I :-(

It would be interesting to know if CPs outside Japan face similar issues...

Thanks for raising the point. Maybe we'll get a discussion going. (I live in hope, anyway)

Colin
\(^_^)/
Banzai!