Why do Americans come to Japan to "teach" English?
Despite the fact that most of them have no discipline in teaching. Despite the fact that most of them cannot speak Japanese. Despite the fact that most of them are not respected by the Japanese public. It is totally wrong if you think you can make easy money in Japan. Hey annsiha, 1) Don't send wrong information to others. The sentence you have shamelessly quoted must have come from your student. 2) Why do you react so hysterically to a criticism about Americans? Behave yourself and be more humble. 3) I lived in the U.S. for 4 years and I love America. I am not a racist. I just want you to face the reality if you are really serious about what you are talking about.
Japan - 10 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
this way americans can get closer to japan and become close in all aspects you can it is an american tactic
2 :
The Ministry of Education used to send Japanese teachers abroad to develop their English skills, but the majority of those teachers liked living abroad so much that they never came back to Japan. Next, they tried hiring foreigners who were certified teachers to come to Japan and teach, but those foreigners were so dismayed by the sorry state of education in Japan that they bolted or put up a big fuss and couldn't get along with the Japanese teachers and bureaucracy. They tried looking for foreigners who can speak Japanese, but most of them are otaku who were more interested in speaking Japanese and practicing Japanese culture than they were in teaching English or about Western culture. Really, their only choice was to offer high salaries to uncertified foreigners to come to Japan. Japanese people are too racist to take English lessons from other Asians. If the Japanese public disrespects English-teaching foreigners so much, why are they handing over their cash in droves to take lessons from them? Perhaps you dislike the situation, but you cannot argue factually that "It is totally wrong if you think you can make easy money in Japan" because many foreigners are doing EXACTLY that and having a good time too. Did an English teacher sleep with your girlfriend or something?
3 :
i agree with you..but many people want to live here and learn the language and learn more about the culture and the only chance they have is to teach English.as for me,I met My wife in London and she had to come back to Japan.so i had to come here..and with the fact that i am not fluent in all aspects of Japanese then that only leaves me with teaching English(which i`d rather not do.)
4 :
Hey Area52 why do you single out "Americans". There are many British, Australian, Canadians etc that do the EXACT same thing. In fact, its easier for them because they can get "Working Holiday Visas" whists Americans cannot get working holiday visas. So maybe you should do some "fact" checking yourself. To get a Working Holiday Visa you don't need a Bachelors Degree. Whists Americans who can't get Working Holiday Visas, have to get real full "Work Visas" which require's a University Degree. -"Teaching" English requires no skills in actual teaching. Have you ever taught at any of these companies? If not, then you know jack what you're talking about. Some of the big companies put teachers through their training course. I know someone with a degree in Journalism and he works as an Electrical Engineer, as long as you're trained to do something it doesn't matter. English "teaching" doesn't require a discipline in teaching, it just requires you to follow the company handbook. If they wanted teaching qualifications they can easily make it a requirement, but they don't. So it has nothing to do with the person but the people hiring. -You don't need to speak Japanese to teach English. -I don't know where you get your facts that they don't get respected by the Japanese public. If the Japanese disrespected them why pay good money for them. If they didn't want them around these schools wouldn't exist. Hell, many English teachers get paid more then the Japanese clerical staff at the office. Sometimes they are paid even more then real deal Japanese teachers at schools. But again, Canadians, Australians, British, hell even German, French etc come to teach language. So again I don't know why you single out Americans when there are people of many nationalities who with the same exact points you mentioned. Don't get me wrong, I see a bunch of "teachers" of all nationalities who are dummies. But if thats what they want to do, I can't change their minds.
5 :
I actually find it quite amusing that Americans are teaching English in other countries and they can barely speak it themselves and can certainly not spell...... So actually feel sorry for the Japanese students they are suppose to be teaching.... If you want to learn English, learn from an English speaking person....if you want to learn American...learn from and American
6 :
It is really ridiculous, isn't it! How can someone teach who doesn't even speak one foreign language? No ideas about languages, origins of words etc. Yeah, and then coming here, making no effort to learn Japanese, no effort understanding the culture, and behaving like barbarians. They shouldn't give out visas so easily anymore! And because of all this, Japanese students are wasting money to learn nothing! Besides the salaries aren't even great here for a teacher! So, it is just a waste of their time and our time!
7 :
Well, you get payed good and you're teaching your native language so it's very easy to teach. If such job is open, I think anybody would go for it unless they can find better jobs.
8 :
Because there's a demand. Japanese official English education is not good to learn speaking English. And I guess they know the job doesn't make much money don't they ? If I hear there's a big demand of learning Japanese somewhere that seems fun,I would be interested even if I didn't know much of the language and culture. I think I would make an effort to respect their culture if I went there though. What motivates them does not matter so much as long as they finally try to fit themselves in the society and do the best in their jobs.
9 :
konnichiwa! I don't agree with you totally, but I have some thoughts to tell you regarding "Teaching English". At my working place, I speak with regular people around the world on the phone almost everyday, then I find that especially some Americans are appallingly ignorant. (e.g. what is WHO, CHANNEL, where does UN locate etc...) That's common knowledge isn't it!? People at my working place usually speak 3-4 languages, they have vast knowledge. They would be a good teacher, but then some American teachers without common knowledge? I never been to English schools in Japan. I think it doesn't bring you anywhere, it 's just wasting my time and money. Sayonara : )
10 :
I agree that many people do come to Japan to teach English without having discipline in teaching- something that is ridiculous. Some background really ought to be necessary. As for not speaking Japanese, well, I think it greatly reduces opportunities and will create difficulties, but assuming the person is teaching a high enough level, it is not necessary for them to know Japanese (just as it isn't necessary for ESL teachers in the U.S. to know the languages of the advanced students they teach). As for respect from the Japanese public, well, that doesn't seem to be a problem with the Americans so much as with the Japanese. From what I know (and I don't claim to know much), it is rather easy to make money in Japan; it's much harder to make long-term money, given how foreign teachers are often bounced away and not given long-term contracts. You might remember that the JET Program is also somewhat responsible for sending over non-Japanese-speaking, non-teachers to teach English; the Japanese government is involved in this.
