Shouta
Member
The old thread was made in 2007 and had a lot of old information that wasn’t particularly useful. This will be an updated thread with more relevant info. However, I’m not exactly up to date as I’ve been out of JET for 2 years now. I also only really know about Japan, so information on China and Korea would gladly be welcomed. Additionally information for Japan would be awesome too!
Teaching in Japan
The JET Programme - It’s a government program and one of the largest sources of English “teaching” jobs in Japan with participants from all over the world. I put teaching in quotes because while most people will be in the classroom to help students learn English, the primary purpose is mostly for cultural exchange. The E in JET is exchange, not English. Applications are taken once a year and go through a screening process. Successful applicants are then sent all over Japan. JET is school-based, not eikaiwa-based. So you’ll be in a school setting. The primary position is Assistant Language Teacher (ALT). They also have a few positions for Japanese proficient individuals called Coordinator of International Relations (CIR) and Sports Exchange Advisors (SEA).
Interac– An education consulting company in Japan that puts ALTs in many places in Japan. Unlike JET, this is a private company and has different benefits/drawbacks as a result. They recruit from all around the world to find applicants.
Aeon - A company that hires English speakers for their Language schools. They run eikaiwa, or conversational classes, aimed at a variety of ages. It’s different from what the experience you’d get into a school and may be a bitter fit depending on your own personal preferences and peculiarities.
ECC - Similar to AEON, they too run language schools and offer classes in English. They also provide courses in several other languages as well so they might take non-English speakers though I don’t know how abundant those jobs are.
Berlitz - Similar to Aeon and ECC, a language school. I’ve heard they’re a bit more selective but pays well in return.
Resources
GaijinPot - Portal site for foreigners in Japan. The jobs board has a lot of companies that are looking for individuals to fill their jobs. In most cases, it seems to be for folks already in Japan but exceptions will sometimes get posted up. It’s not a bad choice to look at, at the very least.
Teaching in Korea
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Teaching in China
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Teaching in Japan
The JET Programme - It’s a government program and one of the largest sources of English “teaching” jobs in Japan with participants from all over the world. I put teaching in quotes because while most people will be in the classroom to help students learn English, the primary purpose is mostly for cultural exchange. The E in JET is exchange, not English. Applications are taken once a year and go through a screening process. Successful applicants are then sent all over Japan. JET is school-based, not eikaiwa-based. So you’ll be in a school setting. The primary position is Assistant Language Teacher (ALT). They also have a few positions for Japanese proficient individuals called Coordinator of International Relations (CIR) and Sports Exchange Advisors (SEA).
Interac– An education consulting company in Japan that puts ALTs in many places in Japan. Unlike JET, this is a private company and has different benefits/drawbacks as a result. They recruit from all around the world to find applicants.
Aeon - A company that hires English speakers for their Language schools. They run eikaiwa, or conversational classes, aimed at a variety of ages. It’s different from what the experience you’d get into a school and may be a bitter fit depending on your own personal preferences and peculiarities.
ECC - Similar to AEON, they too run language schools and offer classes in English. They also provide courses in several other languages as well so they might take non-English speakers though I don’t know how abundant those jobs are.
Berlitz - Similar to Aeon and ECC, a language school. I’ve heard they’re a bit more selective but pays well in return.
Resources
GaijinPot - Portal site for foreigners in Japan. The jobs board has a lot of companies that are looking for individuals to fill their jobs. In most cases, it seems to be for folks already in Japan but exceptions will sometimes get posted up. It’s not a bad choice to look at, at the very least.
Teaching in Korea
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Well, I only know about Korea but here goes:
As you are married, living together should be no problem. If you apply through the EPIK program, you will be placed together with no exceptions. However, you might not be working at the same school.
You have a degree in education and teaching experience, this means you are more than qualified to teach here and you shouldn't start on shitty paygrades. 2.2 million won minimum! Your wife would be fine to teach here most likely however she will be required to get some kind of TEFL qualification, I recommend either going all the way and doing a CELTA or doing a short 120hr course with classroom component.
As for non-teaching jobs, I wouldn't recommend it. Your wife wouldn't receive any special benefits and unless she can speak the language (I'm assuming no) they will be unlikely to even consider her.
Whereas being ESL teachers (with EPIK) you get the following:
- Reimbursement of flight costs
- 300,000 won settlement allowance
- A free apartment (You just pay for bills)
- Tax exemption, or if not the tax is very low anyway. 3%-ish
- Health insurance
- 18 - 21 days vacation (This is a workaholic country)
- A government run scheme = job security.
- 22 contact hours a week. (Easy hours for Korea)
- One months salary bonus at the completion of one year/great re-signing bonuses.
This means you basically pocket all of the money which you can use to travel or save etc. The cost of living is cheap so this is all possible. The other possible route is to go to a private school (a hagwon), although I don't recommend this for beginner for a few reasons:
- Great hagwons exist, however if you don't know the market you can end up somewhere shady.
- You will be worked harder, maybe 30 contact hours a week.
- Your vacation will be short as hell. 10 days a year is the norm.
- Non - government means you can be fired a lot easier.
- You may earn more money, however as I said, they are mercenary.
The biggest downside to EPIK is you can't decide where you will be placed, you can say your preference but it is no guarantee. If you want a chance to get to Seoul you have to be early. I've probably forgotten a few things so yeah, I'd recommend EPIK. They have a February and August intake, it's a little late for the Feb one now but it is very possible you could make the August one if you apply and get your documents in EARLY. I'm talking Jan/Feb.
I'd say your chances are pretty damn good though, I came here with a BA in English (which is considered a +) and no teaching experience. I got in pretty easily. Although remember this, Korea is a pretty judgmental society. They care a great deal about their appearance and judge others for theirs, if you are overweight or ugly you might not have a great time.That's the ugly side of Korea, heh.
Anymore Qs, just ask!
For anyone interested in teaching in Korea check out some of these programs/recruiter:
EPIK (English Program in Korea) Public schools.
TALK (Teach And Learn in Korea) public schools, if you are still in college.
Fulbright (if you are still in college). Public schools.
Korean Horizons (a recruiting company that fills public school positions across the entire country).
Teaching in China
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China:
Been here over 2 years now, though I haven't been in English teaching since the first few months. Still, can give a lot of info.
Pretty much all of the English teaching in China is private, basically the only exception is University jobs. There are a fair few very large chains that operate all over the country and a vast number of much smaller schools. Bear in mind this is not a school setting. The whole system is english training schools, which students take in addition to their regular schooling.
The most well known chains include the likes of EnglishFirst(EF), Wall Street English, Astor English, Disney English. You will hear a lot of bad things about most of these schools, just remember that they are franchise systems, so it's usually the case that one franchise owner is just a jerk. I would always recommend just doing a quick google search for any school you apply to. Of course the easiest way is just to look at the contract you are being offered and the visa they offer you. Only Z-Visas are legal for China but many schools will try to get you to come on a tourist visa or business visa. Don't trust those schools. The Visa laws have recently been tightened up a lot but in the end it is a teachers market and you should look around to find a reputable school. As for the contract, best advice I would give is to check the hours, you should never take a job with more than 20 class hours a week.
A particularly good forum I used when first looking is here:
http://raoulschinasaloon.com/index.php
You can also use the boards at DavesESL.
As for job websites, as already mentioned DavesESL is one of the biggest and easiest to use. I personally would recommend:
http://www.seriousteachers.com/
which is more focused on actual school teaching jobs but will also have lots of english jobs.
Another good piece of advice is to look on regional websites, i.e. Shanghai or Beijing specific places and search their job listings. Even somewhere like craigslist. A few shanghai websites:
https://www.careerengine.org/shanghaiexpat/
http://www.smartshanghai.com/jobs/
https://www.careerengine.org/cityweekend/
As I mentioned above, one option for teaching is to work at Chinese Universities. Universities have far fewer hours per week, typically 10-15, you are guaranteed to be teaching adults with a good level of english and they will also be more trustworthy than the private training schools. The downside is pay which is quite a bit lower. Universities are the best option for those who wish to study Chinese as one perk is that most will allow you to take classes at the university, so you have free access to Chinese courses. Universities tend to be harder to get into though, you will probably need both a Uni degree and a TEFL/CELTA certificate, plus they'll usually hire only at certain periods.
By far the best option, however, is to get a job at a High School International Program. These are essentially regular teaching jobs, just like working at an American or English school, and you will probably be teaching IB or A-Levels. This is where I am working currently. I get paid more than if I were working in England as a teacher, and thats not even taking into account living cost differences. But, as you can probably imagine, there are very stringent requirements to get into schools like these. Many will require teaching certificates and a few years experience. It is possible however, to get a position without a teaching certificate, just with a TEFL or CELTA. These are a good option for anyone who plans to stay a bit longer.
Requirements for teaching:
- Speak English. Basically, the demand is so great that so long as you are an English speaking adult you can find a job in China. A University degree will make things considerably easier, as would a TEFL cert. Normally one or the other will be required, both would b very good. Experience will also open up better offers. It's also worth mentioning that being from the USA, England, Australia, NZ, etc. is better for your prospects,as sadly is having white skin.
Requirements for Visa:
-25 years old, 2 years experience teaching, minimum of University degree, TEFL or equivalent.
As you can see, the visa requirements are technically very stringent. However, this is China, there are no real laws. You can always find a school with enough guanxi to get around the restrictions and get you a job. So make sure you do look around.
That should be a good starting point. Feel free to ask me any questions.
In China, there are tons of "training schools" which are just after-school/weekend classes where you are encouraged to play games and sing with students teaching very basic English phrases. Aston English, Disney English, Kid Castle etc. Since they are franchised businesses, each city will have it's own manager and staff with a few company wide standards like the textbooks and CDs.
Here is one that I work at:
Teaching hours are minimal (no more than 20 hours in class a week). I have 10 classes a week, many of which are only 30 minutes. You'll have time in between classes to plan your lessons, but I'm not required to stay in the office if I don't have class. I teach Wed-Fri from 6:30pm-8pm and Sat-Sun from 9am-6pm (with 2 hour lunch).
There is a large number of Chinese employees that will help you to do anything and everything. You are basically only required to play with the students for 30-90 minutes at a time, while a Chinese teacher has already sat them down, done the attendance, collected/distributed homework and made sure everything is set for your section.
Classes are incredibly easy to teach. Younger kids (as young as 4) will learn very basic phrases (How are you? How old are you? etc.) for 30 minute sessions at a time. You are encourage to play games and have them run around while learning. There will be a Chinese teacher in the class at all times to translate and help deal with students. Classes range from 30-90 minutes. On Wed-Fri you can either have 2 30-min classes or 1 90-min class. Never 3 classes in a row.
Free rent, pay is great and allows you to live pretty luxuriously. I've been able to spend a week in Hong Kong and another in Beijing for less than 1 month's salary. Planning a 2 week trip to Shanghai and back to Hong Kong in a couple months too.
I work in a pretty small city (one-McDonalds-tier) and work for one of these training schools. The management staff is really great and helpful. Certain company-wide requirements like having to pay for my own utilities and sharing an apartment with 1 other teacher are able to be changed. I was offered a brand new single bedroom apartment as soon as I arrived. But it's definitely a city-by-city basis. The same company's branch in a city 2 hours away has downright terrible management. Make sure to google extensively and even try to get the contact information for one of the teachers already there so you can email privately away from the manager.
Because of the size of the city and the fact that it's smack dab in the centre of China, most people here have never seen a foreigner in their lives. You will get stares, pointing, laughing, photo-taking, etc. Every cab driver will ask you to teach his/her child English. Every restaurant owner will tell you they don't have "foreign chopsticks" aka forks as soon as you enter. Girls will clutch their boyfriend's arm when you walk by them. Highschool students will shout "Hello! (Ha-luo)" or FUCK when they see you. Get used to this and ignore it. You can make friends with local shop owners and your neighbours.
It's definitely worth it to get a job in a small town. Salaries will be incredibly high relative to the living standards and domestic flights in China are absurdly cheap. Live in a small city, travel extensively to large ones while also saving a shit ton for when you go back home.