ESL Teacher – Felipe Vernaza

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Day in the life of
ESL Teacher – Felipe Vernaza

Felipe Vernaza
English Teacher
Japanese public elementary and junior high schools

I was an English Teacher in Japanese public elementary and junior high schools.

My Typical Day

In Japanese schools, teachers are divided by grade in the teacher’s room. For example, the first grade teachers sit together, the second grade teachers sit together, and so on. Before classes, each teacher group has a 5 to 10 minute meeting about the matters at hand during the day.

After the meeting, we all head to our respective classes. On average, I would have about 4 classes per day of 50 minutes each, and about two free time periods, which I would use to prepare for classes for the next day.

As part of my duties, I had lunch with the children every day to help them expose themselves to English in a casual setting.

After lunch, it’s cleaning time for everyone in the school, including teachers. This is one of the most interesting aspects of the Japanese school system for me. For about 15 minutes, everyone starts cleaning the floors of the school. Each teacher is in charge of a group of students and an area in the school for cleaning purposes. My area was the teacher’s room, which I cleaned every day.

Finally, after the end of the classes, the students would proceed to their after-school club activities. These encompassed sports, arts and music, and of course, English. I was the teacher in charge of the English Club. In the English Club, we would learn songs in English, talk about different countries, or play games in English.

At around 4:30 to 5:00, I would head home. However, in Japan, before heading home, you need to say to your co-workers “Osaki ni Shitsureishimasu”. This roughly translates to “apologies for leaving before you”. This was a bit awkward because you are announcing to everyone, including your boss, when you are leaving every day. I would be rude to leave and not say anything.

How much do ESL teachers make in Japan?

I got paid $3.6 million yen per year (about $33,000). This was from 2008 to 2010, so I would adjust for inflation.

Pros

  • Got to teach in Obama, Japan, a small coastal town amongst the mountains. Some of the schools I taught at in the area were quite remote, so remote that some of my classes had only 2-3 children!
  • Participated in unique activities with the kids, from preparing fermented sushi, to doing nature walks and gathering rice in rice paddies!
  • Get a 1 month summer vacation
  • Relatively stress free life
  • Drinking parties called ‘Enkais’. These parties usually start in a formal setting, where the Principal or some of the senior teachers give a speech. Then, gradually, after the drinks start pouring in everyone relaxes. As the night goes by, most teachers go to a second bar, and a third, and then end the night at a karaoke bar, while quite drunk! I learned that Japanese people party hard!
ESL Teacher Japanese "Enkai"

Japanese “Enkai”

Cons

  • The work can be repetitive. For example, oftentimes the class would need to repeat after me to improve their pronunciation. For me, there was insufficient intellectual stimulation.
  • Working in the Japanese system can be disorienting for a foreigner. Although I understand and can speak Japanese, I never got far enough to be able to read. In the teacher’s rooms, there would be announcements on the blackboard about the next following day, and sometimes, people would forget to inform me about them. So sometimes I would show up in ‘business casual’ clothes when a black suit and tie were required instead for that day.

Advice for aspiring ESL Teachers

Requirements change depending on the programme you apply to. I joined the JET (Japanese Exchange Teaching) Programme. The application process was quite lengthy and lasted about 8 months. It required filling up a lengthy application form, three references, an interview and class demonstration, an essay explaining why you should be selected, and a criminal record check. You need a university degree as well, although it does not have to be related to English or teaching (I graduated from engineering). A TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certification is recommended but not required (I did not have one). However, having experience does help. I did tutoring throughout high school and university, which helped me get this position. There are other programs such as Interac or West. Before becoming an ESL teacher in Japan, one should be comfortable being in a very different environment and culture, and be willing to learn and adapt to the Japanese way of doing things.

Felipe Vernaza
English Teacher
Japanese public elementary and junior high schools
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ESL Teachers

ESL teachers’ main responsibility is to teach non-English speaking people how to communicate fluently in the English language. They often work in elementary, middle, and high schools, as well as in adult education centers.

Salary: $45600
Salary Rank: C
Education: Bachelor's degree
Suitable Personality: The Helper

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