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WingsToDiscovery (Offline)
JF Noob
 
Posts: 905
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Azabu-juban, Tokyo
12-29-2010, 12:32 AM

Quote:
Originally Posted by MMM View Post
I know plenty of people who can to Japan to TEACH, not came to JAPAN to teach. JET is a great way to get real classroom experience without having a master's degree or teaching certificate, and it looks good on a resume, especially of one stays for more than one year.
For every one person you know who's here to teach, there are a hundred who aren't. You pretty much run this place; how many people like OP have you seen since you've been here? Thousands? On this forum alone. People inquiring about moving to Japan and immediately jump to qualifications for being a "teacher."

Quote:
Originally Posted by MMM View Post
I only really know the JET program, but it is condescending to say "If you want to be a teacher, then get the proper education, but don't come to Japan to do it. JET is basically an apprenticeship, and not all of the people on the program are weeaboos and bad teachers that don't care about their schools or students.
I still don't think it's condescending at all. You go to school to teach if you want to be a teacher. On the job training in a few weeks is a slap in the face to those who actually have teaching degrees and spent years working on them.



Quote:
Originally Posted by MMM View Post
The reason young graduates are hired for these kinds of jobs is they have the ability to actually go. It may be a kind of discrimination, but bringing a single graduate to Japan and housing them is much cheaper and simpler than bringing a college professor, his wife and their three kids.
Of course, I actually think they even have an age stipulation. But hiring an unqualified, fresh out of school student over someone who's older but may have more qualifications, simply because it's economical is hardly a good point.

Quote:
Originally Posted by MMM View Post
I don't know what you mean by game, but right after college is many people's only chance to "see the world" before settling down.
People with more interest in seeing the world than what they've been hired to do.



Quote:
Originally Posted by MMM View Post
If all you do is regurgitate mock conversations out of a textbook, I wouldn't call yourself a teacher either. However if you work with your colleagues well, make lesson plans that will stimulate students interest, take time after school to help kids one-on-one, participate in school activities and clubs with pride and enthusiasm, then I think you can call yourself a teacher.
That is assuming the majority of people are like this, which they're not. But you really did sidestep my issue. It's so unfair that Japanese people are paying ungodly amounts of money to be "taught" English by people who don't even have any teaching qualifications.


I'm not a cynic; I just like to play Devil's Advocate once in a while.
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