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Originally Posted by johnnyboydave
Thanks a BUNCH for the replies. This information is priceless. It seems like my plan's set, however, I have a few more unanswered questions.
First off, if I plan on taking courses for teaching, how long on average are the classes? 1-2 years? 3-4? And should I have some time under my belt on teaching here in the USA before applying for teaching English in a foreign country? Is their a license you must get with teaching English, a sort of certifcation to teach? Is it the same as what you would earn if you wanted to teach English in public shool here in the USA? (This is a question someone like MMM could probably answer for me: Is their a particular grade range English teaching, Japanese companies are looking for when recruiting an English teacher?
Second, I know it really must help having friends in Japan beforehand (I've read this all over the internet). I know noone in Japan. I'm guessing the best way for me to make friends there would be, once I've gotten to a semi-fluential level of Japanese, to surf online for websites with chat rooms where those living in Japanese practice their English speaking abilities with foreignors, such as English speaking people, who want to practice their Japanese speaking skills. Maybe after a while of speaking to the same person, discuss meeting IRL when the time comes?
As far as getting a degree goes, I plan on getting a Bachelor's Degree in Design (game design). However, I want to find out what the demand for video game designers is in Japan and compare that with the chances of a foreignor with a degree landing a position with one of those companies. I'm not sure as how I would go about finding out this sort of information and was maybe hoping someone here might be able to enlighten me on it.
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Glad to be of help, John.
1) on the JET program you get a one year visa that can be renewed up to to times (three years total). They do not encourage people looking for other work while you are there, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't at least look. Your contract is exclusive (though I had another part-time job while I was there... the school just didn't know about it.)
2) Don't worry about taking any teaching or education classes (unless that interests you). You would be applying for ALT: Assistant Language Teacher. You would help a Japanese native speaker(s) with her classes. Every situation is different, but I was almost never in the classroom alone with students.
3) I had no friends in Japan where I lived. (I was outside of Osaka, and my closest friends were in Tokyo and Kyushu.) You will make friends with local JETS soon (if you apply to JET), but since I was a Japanese major I preferred to hang out with Japanese people. The neighborhood adopted me immediately.
4) The bad news: The chances of landing a job a game company in Japan are slim and none UNLESS you are fluent (and I mean FLUENT) and have something the Japanese designers don't... (good luck). Visa sponsorship is very difficult, and is almost exclusive to Foreign Language Schools.