I live and work in Tokyo. If you need help about Tokyo, just ask

[Uriko]

Originally Posted by kunitokotachi

My ex-girlfriend was a Japanese nurse. She said that she had to get certified first and take some courses. I'm sure it is extremely difficult for a non-native speaker. Just think of all of the technical terms that you learned throughout your college career. Others like me that graduated with a different major will get lost if you start using too many nursing terms. Now think about having to learn those terms in Japanese and understanding exactly what a patient that speaks no English is trying to tell you.

bah. i'm very driven to do this, so it may not be a walk in the park..but i'll be able to do it.
i'm already bilingual & i feel like that would help me understand other languages & learn them faster. as for learning medical terms in japanese, no problem.
what i'm really worried about is immigrating there & being able to stay there & stuff what with everyone saying japan is one of the hardest place to move to. -_-

[SSJup81]

Hello. I'm interested in teaching in Japan (preferably ESL at an Elementary School level). How difficult is it for a foreigner to get a real teaching job there, not counting stuff like NOVA (which I heard went bankrupt) and AEON?

I know one will need to have a Bachelor's degree (for a work visa) and I'm working on it. Too bad two-year degrees are looked down upon. Either way, I should be done sometime in 2009. I wish I could just do an exchange program, but, since I'm doing online schooling due to my not being able to afford to do so the traditional way, I can't do any type of international studying through my program of study. The only places offered to me to visit for about a week or so are England and Mexico. I definitely plan on taking the England trip...when it's offered again in 2009. I just hope I'll finally be able to find a job. I haven't been out of work long, but this is driving me nuts.

Anyway, back to the original question, how does a foreigner go about looking for a teaching job in Japan? I actually was interested in ASIJ school, but, even if I got into a program like JET, that wouldn't count towards teaching experience. Do you know if this is the case in general with most schools there? Do you know of any international schools, like ASIJ? Is it true that the BOE of whatever section you're in provide one with a place to stay or a company car (if one is needed)?

[kunitokotachi]

Originally Posted by SSJup81

Anyway, back to the original question, how does a foreigner go about looking for a teaching job in Japan? I actually was interested in ASIJ school, but, even if I got into a program like JET, that wouldn't count towards teaching experience. Do you know if this is the case in general with most schools there? Do you know of any international schools, like ASIJ? Is it true that the BOE of whatever section you're in provide one with a place to stay or a company car (if one is needed)?

Go to the Japanese department at your university and talk to them. The administrator in that department should have all the information you need. In addition, they can give a letter of recommendation which you may end up needing. Recheck about the JET program and there are others. There may be qualifications such as knowledge and "true" interest in the culture and language proficiency. I was offered a job teaching English for a program that was better than JET and I would have had to enter into a contract for three years but I turned the job down.

[SSJup81]

Originally Posted by kunitokotachi

Go to the Japanese department at your university and talk to them. The administrator in that department should have all the information you need.

That'd be a bit of a problem. I'm doing an online program; the school isn't in my city and state, and with the way it's set up, it's perfect for a full-time worker, and it's easy on the pockets, which is why I chose this particular university. It'll also be faster since I wouldn't be taking like one class all day on a Saturday or something.

Recheck about the JET program and there are others.

I don't know of any outside of JET, NOVA, and AEON for teaching related stuff, although, with JET it's ALT.

There may be qualifications such as knowledge and "true" interest in the culture and language proficiency.

Oh, what I meant earlier, was that to work at ASIJ, even one participated a couple of years as a JET, it wouldn't count as "work experience" for that particular school. I actually asked. I was just wondering if other schools felt that anyone who was a JET at one point would not consider this work experience, as ASIJ doesn't consider it as legitimate educational work experience.

I was offered a job teaching English for a program that was better than JET and I would have had to enter into a contract for three years but I turned the job down.

Out of curiosity, why did you turn it down?

[MMM]

Originally Posted by Uriko

bah. i'm very driven to do this, so it may not be a walk in the park..but i'll be able to do it.
i'm already bilingual & i feel like that would help me understand other languages & learn them faster. as for learning medical terms in japanese, no problem.
what i'm really worried about is immigrating there & being able to stay there & stuff what with everyone saying japan is one of the hardest place to move to. -_-

I actually translated a Japanese nurse's course load, as she was trying to get her certification in the US. It was at least three solid years of classes, and it didn't look like a walk in the park.

But I think your biggest problem is going to be getting in. I know many doctors, dentists and nurses in Japan study German, as many of the medical terms come from German.

You will need to be certified in Japan, which will more than likely mean graduating from a Japanses nursing school.

[kunitokotachi]

Originally Posted by SSJup81

That'd be a bit of a problem. I'm doing an online program; the school isn't in my city and state.

Is there a university in your city that has a Japanese language department? If so check with them.

Originally Posted by SSJup81

Out of curiosity, why did you turn it down?

Well, I'm a criminal justice major who is applying for a master's in CJ administration. I'm planning on working with a federal law enforcement agency or running for office afterwards. So, I'm going in a completely different direction. Plus, I've already worked as a receptionist, youth counselor, etc. in Japan. I'm not particularly interested in working in Japan, but I have the option if I want.

[Uriko]

Originally Posted by MMM

I actually translated a Japanese nurse's course load, as she was trying to get her certification in the US. It was at least three solid years of classes, and it didn't look like a walk in the park.

But I think your biggest problem is going to be getting in. I know many doctors, dentists and nurses in Japan study German, as many of the medical terms come from German.

You will need to be certified in Japan, which will more than likely mean graduating from a Japanses nursing school.

Ah, then so be it. things are only as difficult as we believe them to be.

[MMM]

Originally Posted by Uriko

Ah, then so be it. things are only as difficult as we believe them to be.

Best of luck. I would consider finding a way to live in Japan before applying for school, as you will need fluency which is best found in the country where the language is spoken.

[Uriko]

Originally Posted by MMM

Best of luck. I would consider finding a way to live in Japan before applying for school, as you will need fluency which is best found in the country where the language is spoken.

thank you very much for your help.

[SSJup81]

Originally Posted by kunitokotachi

Is there a university in your city that has a Japanese language department? If so check with them.

Yeah, the University of Richmond does...majorly expensive (and was my first choice). Too bad they didn't have anything for a "working adult" outside of the long drawn out, one class per semester per week for like five hours or so on a Saturday or late Friday evening. I've tried that before, and it didn't work well. I have a difficult time retaining anything when being lectured to for like four hours a day once a week.

The Community College I went to years ago never had Japanese as a language to offer or the culture, and yet, they had stuff like Hebrew and Arabic. Even though they never had anything remotely Japanese there, I do remember seeing, one time, on the bulletin board someone put up a flyer for a Japanese exchange program.

Either way, I guess I could talk to someone at UoR.

Well, I'm a criminal justice major who is applying for a master's in CJ administration. I'm planning on working with a federal law enforcement agency or running for office afterwards. So, I'm going in a completely different direction. Plus, I've already worked as a receptionist, youth counselor, etc. in Japan. I'm not particularly interested in working in Japan, but I have the option if I want.

Ahh, I understand. Good luck to you getting into it fully.