TEFL Journal of Japan

 Moving halfway around the world, to a culture as foreign and difficult to penetrate as Japan`s is difficult for anyone. If you become an English teacher here, you will probably have to deal with a Japanese boss and staff with different cultural values from your own. This can lead to a feeling of paranoia in some cases; isolation and disillusionment. To a great extent, leaving your friends and family and going to Japan to teach English engenders some of the same feelings as that of teenagers rebelling from their parents in the West.

Teenagers rely on their parents, yet resent and rebel against them. Of course they complain to their friends about them too. Foreign English teachers in Japan must rely on their Japanese bosses for: their work visa, in some cases their apartment, and of course their salary. Some teachers come to Japan with virtually no knowledge of the country. Childlike, they ask questions about Japan that many six year old Japanese know the answers to. The new teacher can feel embarrassed at times having to ask such basic questions as how do I use the Japanese toilet in my apartment? Can you open a bank account for me tomorrow? How do I get home from the school? To someone used to being independant, it is an uncomfortable, flashback to the teenage years. Japan is a beautiful, interesting, yet daunting country for the newcomer. Some people thrive in the adventure that is teaching English in Japan and others don`t. For them it is the toughest thing they have ever done.

The new arrival to Japan is faced with three alphabets to learn just to read her pay cheque! One comes to feel pretty helpless and childlike at times. Going to the doctor for your first cold can be intimidating. You don`t understand her questions and she doesn`t understand your answers. Paranoia is common amongst immigrants the world over. Experts argue it is a symptom of not understanding what is going on around you–linguistically and culturally. The isolation this can lead to, causes the paranoia. Resentment can set in if you are not prepared for this kind of culture shock. The possible symptoms of culture shock are many, and of course different levels of culture shock can occur over many years. If you are not a member of the majority, culture shock can hit you at any time.

One symptom we often see in Japan is that of foreigners lashing out by complaining. They complain about the food, they complain about Japanese people, if they work for a Japanese company, they complain about how they are mistreated, and if they work for an English school, (which comprises most Western foreigners in Japan), they complain about the English school they work for. Some complain about all English schools as if all of them are the same, and all are bad.

Some expats in an attempt to beef up future sales for the book they are writing, even set up a whole website to complain about Eikaiwa. While there are certainly problems in Eikaiwa, there are many great things happening too. You only have to open the pages of an ETJ magazine, ELT Journal, or read the latest article at ELT News to see that. No this prevalence of complaints is something more.

Indeed culture shock is one aspect of this phenomenon. At many of the big schools the working hours are about the same as they are at public schools in North America. Yet the teachers of GEOS and Nova complain about their 28 hours of teaching and 40 hour a week shifts. (They work a 9 hour shift, five days per week at GEOS, with a one hour lunch break which equals eight hours of preparation and teaching).  One Canadian elementary school teacher said: ” I don`t know what they are complaining about. That is what I do every week. That is what we all do at the public schools in Canada.”

At many schools though, the shifts are much shorter and they don`t require you to be in the office. The work time of around 20-25 hours per week, would be considered part-time work back home. At Kevin`s English schools the teachers work between 20-25 hours per week with no requirements to be in the office when they are not teaching. Under the contract they can be asked to work as many as 28 hours per week but none are currently doing so. The current average is about 22 hours per week. They are not required to put in any office hours, so when they don`t teach their time is their own.  There are many schools like this, just check the Greenlist.

Many of the English teachers miss their friends and family back home. Some were not happy in their home country and escaped to Japan to try to sort out their lives–only to find they are not happy here either. The old saying: “Where ever you go, there you are.” springs to mind.

I assert that much of the rampant negativism on the internet about teaching at English schools is only in a very small part due to the schools themselves, but is more a symptom of culture shock and the difficulty adjusting to life in Japan for some teachers.

It is a reaction to the sense of dependancy some teachers feel as they have to rely on their bosses and Japanese staff for many things. The boss who is in some cases also the landlord, is cast by the teacher (unconsciously) in the role of parental figure, and the English teacher, the star of our show, is the rebellious teenager with a need to get it off his or her chest. The internet forums provide the perfect venue for that.

While most English teachers are well balanced and make the most of their time in Japan, it is the vocal minority we see on the internet complaining about how unfair their English school is. While some of these complaints are legitimate and the English school should be taken to task, others are merely venting a teenage like rage, as they rale against what they fail to understand is simply culture shock.

If the person is your friend, you need to listen to them and sympathize, but at some opportune moment, you may want to suggest to them, that couldn`t their negative feelings about their boss or school be due to something else? If their complaint is legitimate then talking with their union, labour relations board or finding a new job with one of the many great Eikaiwa schools here, might be the answer.

by Kevin Burns

At many of the forums the negativity is rampant. They distort the reality of teaching in Japan. At one popular forum, one of the moderators dispensing advice hasn`t taught at an English school in years! But she is advising people on how to get a job at one. If you teach in the university system as I do myself, it is a new game. The hiring practices and everything else are different. You can`t equate them to the hiring practices of English schools. Yet one moderator seems to. She tells people (incorrectly) how to get a job in Japan, and many at her forum are taking what she says as gospel.

At one forum I found a person based in Asia was listed as the moderator for the teaching in Africa forum. I think you are starting to see what I mean. Amateur hour! In a way it is ironic that so many at the forums claim our profession in Japan is a joke, the forums themselves are jokes, and can`t be trusted.

I`m not saying there aren`t problems at English schools, there are and I acknowledge that. But you can`t tar all schools with the same brush.  Some are very good, just check the  Greenlist.
Again I am trying to emphasize here is that a lot of what you will read on the internet is not well researched, is hearsay or worse; vindictive gossip. Amongst all of that there is some truth. But you will need to sort through the sludge to attempt to find what it is. This of course is very difficult if you have never lived and worked in Japan.

Further, a lot of the websites are hobbled together with volunteers and someone hoping to make a buck through advertising. The emphasis is on bulk of information, not quality and certainly not integrity in many cases. Controversy and angst bring more hits and more advertising revenue. A peaceful forum is a boring forum. Dirt, sleaze and heated debate bring more people to rant and rave. The google ad revenue and other sources add up. The webmaster is the only one laughing.

In one forum, the moderator stated that schools here won`t hire you unless you are already in Japan. In fact, most schools will hire you while you are outside of Japan. Why? They have to. If you have a school in one of the mid to smaller cities in Japan–which comprises most of Japan, you don`t have many teachers banging on your doors to teach at your schools. These schools must accept resumes by Email or post, and interview by telephone, or they can`t hire teachers. I am talking of course about the smaller schools. Most of the teaching profession in Japan is comprised of these smaller Mom and Pop schools, and they tend to be the best of the lot.

If you choose to work for a large school here then good luck to you. Some love it. Others hate it. I didn`t mind my stint at a large school.

At a small school though, you will get to know the owner and manager well. You will also become friends with your students. The above is very difficult with the large schools. Some of which, have an infamous non-fraternization policy.

Indeed one of my main points is that some of the so-called experts are anything but. Yet they are espousing their opinions on the internet and you are reading them, and sometimes taking them at face value. The people who post at forums rarely post anything positive about any of the schools they work for. There must be some positive stories but you won’t read them there.

The Greenlist of English Schools in Japan was set up by Kevin Burns to combat some of that negativity and to redress some of the balance. As well, to be of service in pointing out some of the good schools here that deserve a pat on the back for a job well done, and for being a beacon of hope.

There are many good schools in Japan and some great ones. You will find some of them at the Greenlist.   The forums and the sites they are attached to, are not doing their job of educating people in a balanced way about teaching in Japan.

I heard of a teacher from America, who is quoted at the end of the article, and she felt Let`s Japan was so negative that she was debating whether to even come to Japan. If the situation were so bad here in Japan, then the forums and the websites they are attached to, would be doing everyone a service. But it just distorts the actual reality of teaching English here.

Many of the teachers who post have had a bad experience at one school, yet in many cases still continue to teach there, and rant about it continuously at one of the forums. Perhaps someone can recommend a good counselor.

You won’t find the people who enjoy their jobs posting much. If they do, they will take a lot of abuse from the trolls already ensconced there, and they are too busy enjoying their lives to log on and post. Happy people don’t usually rant. Some people did not enjoy their time at Geos. Perhaps the profession and not the school were to blame? Perhaps they just weren`t suited to teaching? Or maybe Geos is not a great place to work for many people. But to tar all English schools with the same brush is irresponsible and incorrect. If one doctor is bad, do you say all of them are? Are some doctors not good or great? I would like to point out, that in general, the smaller schools tend to be great places to work. They are run in a more relaxed way, they are often a family business, so the owner really cares about her business, her students, and of course her teachers. If teachers are not happy afterall, that hurts the business. I know of a man who loved Geos. He loved the fact that he had his own classroom, would brag about the fact in his animated way, and enjoyed teaching and his students. He doesn’t post at the forums though. He is too busy enjoying life. He is very outgoing and friendly. This kind of person tends to thrive in a teaching position here, where the students tend to be quiet. Someone inherently quiet themselves, has a difficult time teaching English in Japan. They just don`t suit the job. They sometimes blame the school for this. I am confident in saying that some of the bitter people at the forums fall into this category. They really need to find a line of work that suits their character. I think they also need to realize that part of the blame at least, lies with them. At times some of the teachers seem to want to pick a fight over things so inane. In one story, a teacher said “Sayonara,” to his students as they were leaving. Being an English school he should have said, “goodbye.” His manager told him not to do it again. Had it been me, I would have simply said, “Sorry,” and said “goodbye,”to my students the next time. But this teacher argued with his boss over it. A person was called from head office to have a meeting with him. I gather his local manager felt she couldn`t get it across to him that what he had done was enough to make some students quit. I can see both sides, but a simple sorry it won`t happen again, would have defused the situation. I agree with the teacher that it is a pretty silly thing, but students quit over silly things, and a lot of arguments are over them too. Some teachers can be pretty immature. It is amazing at times. Then some have the gall to rant about it on the internet. By all means read as many articles as you can about teaching in Japan. You may relate to things you wouldn’t like, but keep in mind that all Geos managers are not the same. Personality conflicts occur everywhere. My point is, I am in favour of being fair and I am worried that some people believe the negative postings at forums. I am concerned that it affects them to such a degree that they choose to teach in another country. That really is a shame when there are many good schools here, and it is a great, safe country to live and work in.

Lastly, take a good look at some of the so-called “Mom and Pop” schools of Japan. As pointed out above, they are generally better run, and care about their teachers and students. In general, they are just better quality schools. To tar them with the same brush as the BIG schools, is completely unjustified.

“After reading what they had to say in the forums there, I almost decided to go to Korea, it is so negative. When I did ask, well what schools are good to work for?-no one answered.” –A.P., USA–commenting on Let`s Japan.org

by Peter Walker

The Greenlist of English Schools in Japan does its` best to inform you of the best English schools to work for here. We are not infallible. We need your help! If you know of a good school to work for in Japan or work for one and want to tell us about it. Post at our forum or Email the moderator. This list is only as good as you make it! This list is for all of us. People deserve to know about the good schools to teach at in Japan. Kevin Burns Editor http://english-school-greenlist.blogspot.com/ Greenlist Homepage