WORK IN JAPAN Navigating
the universe of language teaching
The majority of
foreigners in Japan make their living as language teachers, but the plum jobs don' seem
to be as plentiful in these post-bubble times. Donald Fountaine, academic
director of Sundai College of Foreign Languages, gave an employer's perspective on hiring
in the new economy.
TC: How has the economy affected the language schools? DF: There are fewer students and they're not willing to pay what they
once did, so the schools have had to cut back in order to stay afloat. Starting pay for
teachers at English conversation schools such as Nova and ASA used to be around JY3500 and
went up to, say, JY6000 an hour. Now, starting pay at English conversation
"lounges" or small schools (the easiest place for a newcomer to get hired)
averages about JY2500. We used to hire our teachers overseas and give them a package of
benefits, including housing. Nowadays, we hire only locally. We pay our part-time teachers
JY6500 per ninety-minute class plus transportation. It can be misleading to compare only
salaries, because benefits vary so much. I know teachers who have more paid vacation
during a year than they do teaching time.
TC: Has the pool of candidates changed? DF: It used to be so easy to get a job teaching English, and the money so
good, that many people were attracted to teaching who were not teachers. Most of our
teachers now are teachers by trade - they've been trained. A teacher at a school like ours
has to be able to teach grammar, reading, and writing.
TC: What else do you look for? DF: Not for a particular accent, because I think it's important to expose
our students to as many different ones as possible. I want teachers who are sincerely
kind, because Japanese students are quick to pick up if they're not. They should be
responsible, punctual, and prepared. They should be relaxed so that their students will
be, too. I'm not looking for dancing bears to entertain students, but I want teachers who
will make learning fun.
TC: How do you find your teachers? DF: I don't put ads in the newspapers because I'd be overwhelmed. A
school I know advertised for one position and got over 500 resumes. Screening them just
takes too much time. So I get referrals from other teachers and colleagues - schools that
interviewed them but don't have positions open.
TC: What should candidates ask in an interview? DF: They should learn what the school is teaching and how, preferably by
observing a class. I'm turned off by anyone who seems to be interested only in the money
and benefits.
Sundai College of Foreign Languages is a two-year, full-time technical school (senmon
gakko), that teaches English, Chinese and Italian to students who are primarily
recent high school graduates. Interested applicants are invited to send resumes to Donald
Fountaine, Academic Director, 1-5-8 Kanda-Surugadai, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0062.
language teaching