Teach Overseas - Stories on
Teaching in Japan From Those
Who Did it And Lived to Write About it

If you're planning to teach overseas you might benefit from reading some stories from those who slugged it out in Japan. So here it is the good, bad and the ugly.

"I landed in Gifu and got a job with a mom and pop eikaiwa. Big mistake. They were tyrants. To be honest I didn't put much thought into where I taught I just wanted to get over there. That was my biggest mistake because I like big cities but wound up in a pretty small town. I like privacy so being stared at a lot was a major bummer. I also had to teach children which I didn't care for. So by the end of the day I was  heading for Lawson to buy as  much beer as I could afford.

I finally got my act together got the hell out of there to a bigger city (Nagoya). It was a smart move things got better. And now I enjoy what I'm doing. I'd say put some thought into where you want to teach before you get on that plane. I'd also say every situation is different so the experience you get is different."

Are You Going to Teach Overseas? Here are a Few Stories That May Shed a Bit of Light on Things

Teach Overseas - Teacher Experiences

Jeff was kind enough to share his teaching experiences he had in Japan. He landed his first job in Nagoya.

Teaching overseas: My First year
" I 'd have to say it had its' ups and downs. If you want to teach overseas I"d say you need to be a bit adventurous I taught all levels from little crazy  kindergartners to small groups of adults at a typical eikaiwa. I would say if you don't have  a lot of energy stay away from companies that specialize in kids like Peppy Kids Club etc. 

The kindergarten groups were big like about 30 kids or so. So you really have to bring it  or you get eaten up.

Adults were way easier and the cool thing was that I actually learned things about Japan so it was educational for me.  The worst thing is when they don't  speak , so it makes you feel like you are  like a T.V. They kind of sit down and expect to be entertained.

My apartment was small but comfortable but it was next to a train station so it was pretty loud.  I never needed an alarm clock because the first train would get me up. I really never got used to it. I kind of felt left out or felt like I didn't  belong so  much because I worked in a small town. I think things would have been better if I  taught in a big city. The alienation got to me so I packed it in when my contract was up."

Barry was kind enough to share his experiences on teaching English in Japan. It didn't work out as planned.

Teach Overseas & More Stories - "I Just Bailed"

Based off of my personality, I bailed out of the industry. I was a JET and while most of my experience was positive, there were some things I simply did not enjoy about English education in Japan as a whole. The glass ceiling was also a major deterrent from continuing this as an actual career.

I have a degree in computer science, so it wasn't meant to last forever, but I also have experience as a public speaker. The problem wasn't with performing my job, I can easily create a lesson and execute it without issue. The bureaucracy of the industry was not what I had envisioned when I signed on the dotted line. Though, if my experience had been slightly better, maybe I would have continued teaching for good. Personally, I just needed to get out.

More stories here

More stories from people who decided to teach overseas soon to come so stay tuned.