letter from kyoto: becoming a better teacher

by Chris Gladis

When NOVA collapsed back in October, I found myself, for the first time, in a situation for which I was not prepared: involuntary unemployment. If you haven’t had the opportunity, I certainly don’t recommend it.

At this point, I was faced with the task of looking for a new job, and a terrible truth occurred to me: I may not be as employable as I think I am. Somehow, I didn’t think that having NOVA as the last entry on my resume wouldn’t be very appealing to a new employer, all things being equal. Even with seven years of experience, I figured that I needed more. The trouble was that, while I thought I was a good, creative teacher, I had no proof.

One of the burdens of being an English conversation teacher in Japan is that companies such as NOVA, Aeon, ECC and Berlitz don’t require any actual training in TESL. As far as I can tell, the only real qualification necessary is a Bachelor’s degree, and there’s no specific requirement on what your Bachelor’s should be in. In fact, I have often speculated that NOVA, at least, prefers it that way. It’s easier, after all, to get a new teacher to follow the company’s teaching methodology (such as it is) if they don’t know any other way.

This makes us eikaiwa teachers something of a lower caste of English teachers in Japan: a class of instructors with no formal training, questionable motivation, employed by a profit-seeking corporation rather than a Respectable Educational Institution. Add to that the stigma of working for a company that had mismanaged itself into a catastrophic bankruptcy, and I began to fear for my employability, to say nothing of my future as an ESL teacher.

Some of my co-workers had mentioned the CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults) to me. The Certificate is issued by Cambridge University, and administered in various places around the world. It is also internationally recognized, so if you’re planning on traveling and teaching, this is the certificate to get. Intensive programs run for four weeks, but the part-time program (which I’m doing) can last about four months. The general consensus was that the program was a lot of work — and money — but well worth it. It would be self-improvement, and more importantly, credibility. Not only would I know what I was doing, but I’d have a piece of paper to prove it.

Honestly, I had no idea how much work it would actually be. They did warn us in the interview, but between a full-time job and the work required for this course…well, let me just say that my apartment is filthy. So if you’re thinking of taking the four-month course, either hire a cleaner or give your place a really good scrubbing beforehand.

This is how it breaks down: there’s an eight-hour session every Saturday, with three Sundays thrown in for good measure. You have teaching practice every other weekend, for which you must have a complete, meticulously documented lesson plan plus any materials, pictures or worksheets that you plan to use. And because the course assessment is continuous, you should be better than you were the week before. Complacency, laziness and just doing the least you have to do are all frowned upon.

In the hours you’re not teaching, you’re being instilled with as much knowledge about English and the teaching of it as possible. Bring a heavy-duty ring binder, because there’ll be enough paper going around to make the Lorax weep.

In addition to all that, there are four written assignments which will do their best to kick your ass, and you have to take time during your week to go observe qualified teachers. If you’re really lucky, these observation sites will be less than three hours away by train.

Long story short (too late), kiss your free time goodbye.

Having said that, if you’re serious about making yourself a better English teacher, look into this course. Aside from the credibility and employability angle, it’s re-invigorated my enthusiasm for this job. The lessons I learn on Saturday are applicable at work on Sunday, and I have a chance to view my old job in a new light. Once the course is finished (after I spend a few luxurious Saturdays with The Boyfriend doing nothing) I’ll look at what kind of opportunities all this hard work has afforded me. I’ll update the resume, start dusting off a few contacts and see what happens.

It’s what I said a few months ago: standing still is really easy to do when you’ve found a nice comfortable niche to exploit. And it’s tempting, it really is, especially when you’re outside your culture and failure could lead to a rather humiliating trek back to the homeland.

But one who doesn’t change doesn’t grow, and one who doesn’t grow is dead. Given the choice between staying as I was and becoming someone better, I know how to choose.

tagged under:asia, education, living abroad