The first 1,000 people to use this link will get a 1 month free trial of Skillshare! skl.sh/mrseats01221 What skill are you planning on working on for 2022?
My favorite mistranslated menu item at a Japanese restaurant in the US was: chicken rude and offensive...they meant 'jerk chicken' (a spicy chicken dish)
Well, I’ve been living in Japan and teaching English here for the last 20 years, and I can say that the info & advice from ‘Mr. Eats’ was solid. I just want to clarify something for those who might be confused. The term ‘ALT’ (assistant language teacher) refers to English teaching jobs in the public system, for example with the jet program. In that case, you are not a “real teacher“, but an assistant to a licensed teacher in the classroom. Teachers who work in private English conversation schools are not ALTs. In the conversation school, you are usually main teacher. (harder work, for not necessarily more pay.) Just in case anyone was confused! But yeah, teaching English in Japan is great. But I agree that it’s not for everyone!
It's the same here in Korea. Either come for 1-3 years, learn the language, save money, travel, etc. and leave or you'll end up trapped. If you do stay long term in either country, please , please learn the language to get more types of jobs, start a business, or develop other skills for when you go back home. I've seen so many "teachers" here that are still in the same shitty low paying jobs and they are absolutely miserable.
I am starting to feel the drag. Teaching in Korea is a young person's game. It gets harder and harder to find decent employment as you get older. If you are here too long, the less desirable you will be.
So important!! Even if you’re a English teacher abroad it’s important to know Japanese for your daily life and communicating and connecting with Japanese students 😊
My half Japanese friend used to ask me words he was unsure of when we shared a house. One day he asked me, "Andrew, what's an auto pussy?" I asked him, "what the hell are you reading". He showed me. The word was autopsy.
In my case, I teach business English online here in Japan. I can set my own rates, schedule, and lesson plans. No meetings or colleagues. I do have to supplement it with other work but overall I really enjoy it because of how much freedom it gives me and just how interesting it is to talk with so many kinds of students of different walks of life (I’ve even had Japanese students who took my lesson from Germany or India!). Overall, I can earn enough to not have financial troubles and save up money.
I plan to teach as a ALT while I slowly build up tutoring clients. Great way to get clients too. I also plan to learn more languages and get certified for teaching. My passion is to be a language teacher so I think ALT is a great opportunity for me and I’m so excited.
Finishing up my M.A. TESOL in the US. After that I’d like to work here for 2 years, save $$$ and move back to Japan. I loved being an ALT; it inspired me to get my Masters. Maybe I’ll even start my own café/Eikaiwa someday
It’s nice to have a TESOL You’ll do best working directly for a school. Look up any sister Japanese cities in your area and check if the schools want an English teacher. At an Eikaiwa, you’ll teach their way and you have to stick to it though you might have TESOL knowledge.
One thing that you get with an ALT position is directly experiencing school life, an experience that most Japanese people go through. Very valuable if you end up living in Japan. You don't get this experience in an office or factory.
It makes me sad to hear that some people look down on ALTs! I’m a Music teacher in the U.S. and sadly, there are teachers and others who look down on us too. An average American teacher deals with a classroom of about 35 students for eight hours a day. “Specials” teachers (who teach art, music, P.E.) see several different classes per day. In a week, I teach about 1,243 students. Just because it’s a little different doesn’t mean we don’t deserve respect for our hard work. ALL teachers deserve respect 💜
That's so crazy to me that people look down on that, because all people enjoy music, culture is music, we all have favorite types of music, favorite artists/musicians, it's used for movies/TV... all of which we need music teachers for. Imagine if nobody taught music... that would be SAD. people are funny.
There's another Japanese TH-camr I watch and he taught English to Japanese people. He said he felt like his teaching job was more like babysitting adults for a so many hours a day. His English is really good and he said lots of Japanese people he was teaching kept on assuming he was a Japanese-American that moved to Japan to teach English.
@@JoeXTheXJuggalo1what? Why would not saying his channel’s name be respectful? Lmao saying the channel allows people to go see it, giving him more exposure. Weird logic
Great video. I was an ALT for a year and had also a part time job. I was an once in a lifetime experience. After the school year, I realized that it was easier for me to return to my home country to accomplish my goals. If I stayed, I don't know what I would had become.
One issue I have run into with living in Japan and working remotely for a company outside Japan is taxes and creating a Japanese financial history. That along with not having benefits like Nenkin and health issurance paid through an employer, meaning I have to cover that out of pocket. So I would recommend even if you have an online business or work remotely for a company outside Japan, try working for an employer in Japan even part-time, that might at least cover some of your requirements with Nenkin and health insurance. It can also help you qualify for credit cards or loans if the need arises.
I thought japan has free health care...at least that's what my Japanese wife has told me but she hasn't been back in 20 years and is planning on going back in 1 year for free health care instead of paying high U.S. prices... so she is wrong??
@@madmax8620 you must paid health insurance either through the government or your employer pays for you. It not as expensive as in the U.S. but you still pay a percentage. Dental and Vision ( just like in Canada) are usually not covered by government insurance so you usually have private insurance for those. I believe prescription are 70% covered and free for children under 18, but it can vary from prefecture to prefecture.
@@madmax8620 Is Your Wife Really Japanese? I am Japanese, but I have never had free healthcare. Don't tell me, do foreigners have the privilege of getting free healthcare in Japan? Sometimes the news reports incidents of foreigners running away from the hospital without paying for healthcare, are you referring to that?
In 2015, I work as an ALT in Osaka - I loved it, but sadly I was only able to stay for about two years because my wife had medical issues. We returned to the U.S, I earned a Master's of Education, got a lot more teaching experience and went through a divorce. I've saved up money and bought ALL the camera gear to do TH-cam and a photography side hustle on top of teaching. So, now I'm ready to go back. I returned to the states not because I wanted to but because of the circumstances. The current biggest issue I see is that the borders are closed and it's hard to get a job outside of dispatch companies. I was hoping to get hired on with an international school from the start this time around but that's not the case. Most companies seem to only hire if already in country with a work Visa. Not cool. I've waited a long time to go back, 7 years. I have an interview next month for a teaching job in Japan with a dispatch company. I guess I'll start over with them, and eventually branch out to an international school or maybe my photography or TH-cam channel will become something. The point is that I want to get back out there and try again - reclaim an old dream, this is my "what if" story.
Theres a million rich kids youtubeing in Japan with more time and money than u. If you're working full-time u wont have time to make many youtube videos.
Needs a correction. JET Program doesn't require a 4 year Bachelors degree for admission. A 3 year Bachelors degree is fine. e.g. from UK and British Commonwealth countries.
Wow, that’s great. I was actually going to type this question and also asked many. Mine is a 4 year degree but I’m planning to complete it within 3 years as it’s competency-based.
I've taught here for 30 years, and wake up each day thanking my lucky stars that I was able to come here and get a job at a great high school. Leaving Canada was the best decision I've ever made!
@@derpynoivern4815 Great! JET is a good way to get your foot in the door. If you find you like it here you can easily find work after your 3 year JET contract is up. Good decision to get started on your Japanese...I recommend patience and persistence as well as the calm, determined mindset to understand that goals are attained incrementally. Gambatte!
Also a JET. It's something that gets old really really fast, plus the curriculum is so rigid and outdated while being just an assistant that I'm more than ready to head out. Life and people here are great but even with the job being easy and chill, it's just one of the most mind numbing jobs.
It depends on your placement. I'd only do high school, personally. Middle school and elementary are rough in Japan. I stayed 5 years in JET and loved it. Pushed the mediocre teachers to up their game as much as possible, and tried to learn as much as I could about teaching. Sometimes you're going to play human tape recorder, but if you take the job seriously, you'll be taken seriously (generally) and will enjoy it more. Start searching for and creating materials, and use them to support what students are learning in class at the time.
i really want to try teaching in japan after i graduate. im an english major with almost 3 years of esl tutoring experience plus am already an instructional aid in a kindergarten.... i feel like it would be a great combo of both w/ the benefit of learning more about the world and meeting new people. i think i am a little bit scared about how big of a committment moving to a new country would be (even if i dont have intentions to stay more than a few years at most) but then again it may be the kind of fear that you get that tells you the thing you're scared of is what you need to do. thank you guys for your great informational videos!!!
I taught in Korea. It was a good experience, but I definitely got culture fatigue and needed a break after a while. If you immerse yourself as much as you can and really adapt yourself to the new culture it’s easier. Not sure if the adjustment is any different in Japan. Just be humble and learn, and you’d be alright.
@@mikehess4494 I felt that too, but it helps that I’m American. I was with the younger ones, so I took it upon myself to make sure they were having fun and enjoying school. The academic pressures were nuts. I’m a therapist now working with adolescents, so I took that experience with me.
Agreed on the culture break. COVID has had me stuck here for going on the 3rd year. I'm at that point where I either bounce out without a recovery plan or stay and build myself up more.
I'd never wanna live anywhere else but the US 🇺🇸 because having been born and raised in Southern Africa, and moving here when I was young, this is was a dream come true for so many reasons. It's the best place in the world for me as entertainer/artist, tech & business person. HOWEVER, I can't stop binge watching your videos. They are so good and refreshing.
One of the most memorable and enjoyable time in my life was the 4 years I'd worked in Japan. As I'd moved a great deal while growing up, around Europe, the US and Asia, getting use to the culture was the least of my problems. The more difficult part was keeping my languages straight, as I tend to bounce to other languages when I get stuck on a particular word. I hope to return and just spend time traveling around, once travel returns to some sense of 'normal' again. I'd be curious how other language lessons would be received or are marketable in Japan. They don't seem to be as common as English though.
if you work for Walmart in the U.S. the average overnight stockers get paid above $20.00 an hour. Targets is offering even more. So retail can easily earn more then an alt teaching position in Japan. So if you go to do that, you do it for the joy it gives you. but, there are horror stories to heed too.
I want to add that there are those of us who fell in love with teaching because we taught abroad. I wanted to go abroad to teach the best students I possibly could ever teach in my life. When I had to go back to America, I continued teaching here. I would love to go back to Asia as a professional teacher. It is not a trap if you are certified and working as a full-time main teacher.
My son is a JET in OMA. He loves the students, staff, and town of Oma Aomori. I think he only wants to come back home to get doctorate and go back. He said it's home in his heart.
We were able to visit Japan when our son was teaching English in Toyama. Loved the visit. One thing I can think of for an entrepreneurial job would be shooting western style commercials or internet linked information for hotels and/or tourist sites. I love the long format that you two as a couple use for exploring, I just think that there is a market for 30 second to two minute shorts linked to a company. For example - we had a hotel stay in Kanazawa at the Square Hotel. The staff was well capable of using Google Translate for any problem we encountered and very knowledgeable of the immediate area. I didn't have time to make them a commercial due to my wife feeling a little sick, but I would have loved to partner with them because of their excellent product. Love you both on this channel. I pray for your continued success.
Thank you James! Lots of private companies are a little more savvy with marketing to western audiences these days. The ones with big money will hire companies like Tokyo Creative and have their talents make promotional videos for them. I would say the ones who need more help are the smaller companies who are just starting to market themselves to a foreign customer base. There may be huge potential there, but of course, they may deal with budgetary concerns with hiring someone to do some PVs for them.
Thanks for the video! Starting to gear up for Japan currently. I'm Hoping to get around teaching English by transferring my psychotherapy license and start doing therapy with x-pats and other English speakers in the next 2-3 yrs. Any advice would be tremendously appreciated? Love y'all's channel, and really liked y'all's video "why you'll hate Japan" felt like I was back in my culture psych class :-) Keep up the good work and all the support!
I taught Conversational English in Japan for about 9 years. After the first 5 years I was totally burned out!! Couldn't wait to get back to California.
It’s also super easy being a English teacher in Japan you don’t even have to be American or British as long as English is your first/second language and you’re really good at it done!! You’ve got the job 😊
This is actually exactly what I'm doing, getting TEFL certified during my last year of college while self-studying web development for after a couple years as an ALT. I'm so happy to hear it's actually feasible and common! JLPT is something I should keep in mind, too. Thanks for the inspirational video!
If you can, try to get an actual teacher's license if you're serious about living in Japan long-term. I have a TEFL as well, and though it was useful to give me an upper-hand on JET, it's not enough to get you into a private school or international school. If you're in the U.S., the TeacherReady program can be done completely online and you'll be a fully licensed teacher in the state of Florida. That will open up many doors for you in education.
TEFL is next to meaningless (especially online courses, even the best rated of which are basically diploma mills), though you have the right idea in studying how to actually teach English. Consider looking into teaching methods, Japanese pronunciation (and get your own J pronunciation down as well as you can), etc. My friend took the CELTA (Cambridge English cert, best and probably most difficult non-degree cert in the world) and now teaches his own classroom in an international school in Hiroshima. Ended up teaching Biology.
I ♡loved♡ my students, but I was in the countryside and wanted a love life and eventually to start a family. I didn't have free time as an ALT to pursue that, nor hobbies, so I quit after 1 year, returned to US and worked for a Japanese company for 11 years. Now I'm a stay-at-home mom and I have time for my hobbies and the close family I wanted. I do miss Japan, though!
Can you also do a video and give your opinions on starting a small business in Japan? I'm sure this might be similar to what you said about entrepreneurship towards the end of the video, but maybe there 's more to it and also perhaps get a better view on how to get started and common pit falls to avoid?
You kind of make it look like the only way to start teaching with little or no experience is as an ALT, which isn't the case. It's easy to be recruited at an eikaiwa. The problem for foreigners who arrive as teachers and want to pivot into corporate Japan, is that they often then have to put up with corporate Japan expectations in the office. At an eikaiwa, you're often given much more leeway. A lot of Japanese also look down on ALT/eikaiwa teachers.
love your channel. . I work for an international preschool . . its fun but few studentsnow due to coronavirus so I supplement my income by working at mCDonalds. . which is so fun !!!
The thing is teaching is my passion, but English teaching in Japan is nothing like having your own classroom in America or wherever you’re from depending on whether you go to the Board of Education or whether you’re under a company you’re still their puppet. If Japan wants to improve its English education system. They need to hire teachers with experience and actual language exchange
FORMER JET HERE! great video and so true. have a long term plan and don't get stuck in your 40s as an English teacher in Japan with no prospects. consider grad school, another career, own business, etc. always build your skill sets!!!
Oh man, I would enjoy a video of Mrs. Eats doing short sketches based on those poorly translated signs so bad! 😂 But yeah, thank you for the very informative video! ☺
My girl Tomi! 😭 I do want to teach in Japan I want to be a teacher, however the education programs are so different from my country and that is worrying me a bit 😅 don't know if I'm having high hopes
Wouldn't it be plausible to get into Japan through JET, or similar, us then to meet your naturalization requirements, and then start an online business or whatever it is you wish to do? The naturalization requirement is only 5 years, I feel like that's doable. That's one of the options I'm considering but I'm also fortunate enough to have other options like starting my own business in Japan.
I have always wondered if there was a profession in Japan where a individual goes around the country and corrects English grammatical mistakes on signage, I know I saw more than a few when I was there. I think my favorite ones had to be "don't dumb here" which I can only assume meant to say "no dumping here", "cockrail" saw that one more than once which I'm sure meant to say cocktail had to do a double take the first time I saw it and finally "please flash after using" in a restroom which made me giggle way more than it should have considering the sign was basically telling me to be a exhibitionist.
Tourism organisations sometimes pay translation companies to clean up the main English in their region, but ultimately you’re still going to keep seeing some of that shit because someone has to pay translators to do our job and not everyone wants to do that. 🤷♀️
I'm from Canada with a 3 year BA in Child & Youth Studies from a university, as well as a TEFL i plan to work on soon. Also fluent in French. I love teaching langauges. Would these skills help me teach in Japan?
Never was an ALT, I came through an eikaiwa first then went to an international preschool so I’ve never understood the ALT life. If you stick it out with such companies though your pay will get to a point where it’s not terrible (if you can stand the long hours and power harassment of course). Personally, compared to when I first came, it seems like more and more teaching jobs want more than just a 4yr degree and are asking for teaching licenses. Unfortunately my “side skill” and actual degree is in creative writing so not many jobs here wanting that!
I'm on the opposite end, where I never did Eikaiwa work, so it's a completely different universe to me. But agree with you that the really good positions are mostly taken by other long-term expats who've been here for way longer than I have. Some cities and prefectures have their own JET-type programme which is definitely better than working for a dispatch company, but it's more of a lateral move, rather than an upward move in your career.
JET's great IMO because you get a built-in social network and connections to everyone. By the end of my 5 year stint I was organizing welcome parties with 130+ people in rooftop beer gardens. The key to avoiding long hours is to not get involved in clubs. I loved my kids but clubs are just a waste of everyone's time. The track kids spent hours stretching for no purpose. Maybe training them for the dullness and inanity of Japanese working life.
Yeah a lot of people start off being a English teacher to get a visa to live in Japan so in the way it’s a good thing if someone wants to stay in Japan 😅
Finding work as *tenured professor*. One can always dream... 😭 I am an non-tenured academic with a PhD. There are many temporary junior positions out there, but I feel that some people would even commit murder to get a tenured position.
This was so helpful but outside of that, I just want to say I’m so happy to see you and your husband growing such a great and funny TH-cam channel 🤟🏼 -Congrats from Houston, Texas
I’m a 3rd year JET ALT and while I enjoy it, I don’t know if I’d do it forever. I am transferring to recontract for 4th year but I’m not sure if I’ll recontract for a 5th.
To be fair, 'self-sacking corner' doesn't sound appropriate in English either. 😂 In America, it would be 'self service corner/area/station, self-check out, or something similar instead.
The “Tomahawk” translation may have been either themed to the place (Western BBQ?) or deliberately joking on the gaijin. 😄 It sounds too much like the old bathroom sign of “We aim to please…Will you aim too, please?”
The only thing that should have been added is that a lot of ALT and Eikaiwa jobs have suspect contracts and black company policies. I have worked both jobs; I agree with a lot of what you have said. The number one kicker is language ability. It traps people in the ALT jobs.
I've seen that "please stand closer" sign in bathrooms when I visited Japan and it had me dying because that's more or less how someone would passive aggressively put a note in a US bathroom lmao
Wanted? These means you 'wanted'' before - but not now, which contradicts your request. Always use the right tense (want), or you'll confuse the reader.
The first 1,000 people to use this link will get a 1 month free trial of Skillshare! skl.sh/mrseats01221
What skill are you planning on working on for 2022?
I tried signing up but it doesn't work.
Mrs Eats, you look exactly like Sarah from Team America World Police!
I have to be honest I am stunned Mr Eats has become Mr Eats. How did he manage to pull you when he's such a geek?
Great Stuff!
Why scraming sound look like Glitch !?!?!?
My favorite mistranslated menu item at a Japanese restaurant in the US was: chicken rude and offensive...they meant 'jerk chicken' (a spicy chicken dish)
"Yes, ma'am?"
"I would like a chicken, rude and offensive."
"Understood, anything else?"
"No, that's all. Thank you."
They probably used Google translate for that
Rotfl
That is beautiful. Japan is an amazing country.
Died laughing
Thumbs up for the short tomahawk sign.
I wouldn't even be mad. Not only is it funny but I've never had my stuff referred to as a tomahawk so bonus points for creativity
That isn’t even a Grammar mistake it’s a Joke sign translated you see often 😅 had a similar one myself.
In my country you have that sign a lot… expect Tomahawk… most like it’s written ‚it‘… so, i think that’s funny 😆
Well, I’ve been living in Japan and teaching English here for the last 20 years, and I can say that the info & advice from ‘Mr. Eats’ was solid. I just want to clarify something for those who might be confused. The term ‘ALT’ (assistant language teacher) refers to English teaching jobs in the public system, for example with the jet program. In that case, you are not a “real teacher“, but an assistant to a licensed teacher in the classroom. Teachers who work in private English conversation schools are not ALTs. In the conversation school, you are usually main teacher. (harder work, for not necessarily more pay.) Just in case anyone was confused!
But yeah, teaching English in Japan is great. But I agree that it’s not for everyone!
you are foreign local
Yeah, something like that. 😆
It's ok if u like 10 days paid holiday a year
Does it pay well?? Can i learn any skill with that payment or do i have to teach at University ??
@@joydeep5825you can only teach English at a University if you have an MA in ELT or English Philology and at least 2years full time exterience in ELT.
I love her humor so damn much. Never change, Mrs. Eats lol
It's the same here in Korea. Either come for 1-3 years, learn the language, save money, travel, etc. and leave or you'll end up trapped. If you do stay long term in either country, please , please learn the language to get more types of jobs, start a business, or develop other skills for when you go back home. I've seen so many "teachers" here that are still in the same shitty low paying jobs and they are absolutely miserable.
Ikr
I am starting to feel the drag. Teaching in Korea is a young person's game. It gets harder and harder to find decent employment as you get older. If you are here too long, the less desirable you will be.
So important!! Even if you’re a English teacher abroad it’s important to know Japanese for your daily life and communicating and connecting with Japanese students 😊
My half Japanese friend used to ask me words he was unsure of when we shared a house. One day he asked me, "Andrew, what's an auto pussy?" I asked him, "what the hell are you reading". He showed me. The word was autopsy.
In my case, I teach business English online here in Japan. I can set my own rates, schedule, and lesson plans. No meetings or colleagues. I do have to supplement it with other work but overall I really enjoy it because of how much freedom it gives me and just how interesting it is to talk with so many kinds of students of different walks of life (I’ve even had Japanese students who took my lesson from Germany or India!). Overall, I can earn enough to not have financial troubles and save up money.
I plan to teach as a ALT while I slowly build up tutoring clients. Great way to get clients too. I also plan to learn more languages and get certified for teaching. My passion is to be a language teacher so I think ALT is a great opportunity for me and I’m so excited.
Finishing up my M.A. TESOL in the US. After that I’d like to work here for 2 years, save $$$ and move back to Japan. I loved being an ALT; it inspired me to get my Masters. Maybe I’ll even start my own café/Eikaiwa someday
thats my plan rn to get tesol degree
It’s nice to have a TESOL
You’ll do best working directly for a school.
Look up any sister Japanese cities in your area and check if the schools want an English teacher.
At an Eikaiwa, you’ll teach their way and you have to stick to it though you might have TESOL knowledge.
One thing that you get with an ALT position is directly experiencing school life, an experience that most Japanese people go through. Very valuable if you end up living in Japan. You don't get this experience in an office or factory.
This is a great point!
I have some friends who went to Japan on the JET program and never came back because they loved it so much. One even opened a bakery.
It makes me sad to hear that some people look down on ALTs! I’m a Music teacher in the U.S. and sadly, there are teachers and others who look down on us too. An average American teacher deals with a classroom of about 35 students for eight hours a day. “Specials” teachers (who teach art, music, P.E.) see several different classes per day. In a week, I teach about 1,243 students. Just because it’s a little different doesn’t mean we don’t deserve respect for our hard work. ALL teachers deserve respect 💜
That's so crazy to me that people look down on that, because all people enjoy music, culture is music, we all have favorite types of music, favorite artists/musicians, it's used for movies/TV... all of which we need music teachers for. Imagine if nobody taught music... that would be SAD. people are funny.
There's another Japanese TH-camr I watch and he taught English to Japanese people. He said he felt like his teaching job was more like babysitting adults for a so many hours a day. His English is really good and he said lots of Japanese people he was teaching kept on assuming he was a Japanese-American that moved to Japan to teach English.
Sora?
@@flipkiller8521 yup that's him. I just didn't say the name because I respect other people's TH-cam channels
@@JoeXTheXJuggalo1 you can quote people, if they say something publicly lol. Anyway thanks for respecting his channel, you honor him
@@JoeXTheXJuggalo1what? Why would not saying his channel’s name be respectful? Lmao saying the channel allows people to go see it, giving him more exposure. Weird logic
Great video. I was an ALT for a year and had also a part time job. I was an once in a lifetime experience. After the school year, I realized that it was easier for me to return to my home country to accomplish my goals. If I stayed, I don't know what I would had become.
One issue I have run into with living in Japan and working remotely for a company outside Japan is taxes and creating a Japanese financial history. That along with not having benefits like Nenkin and health issurance paid through an employer, meaning I have to cover that out of pocket. So I would recommend even if you have an online business or work remotely for a company outside Japan, try working for an employer in Japan even part-time, that might at least cover some of your requirements with Nenkin and health insurance. It can also help you qualify for credit cards or loans if the need arises.
I thought japan has free health care...at least that's what my Japanese wife has told me but she hasn't been back in 20 years and is planning on going back in 1 year for free health care instead of paying high U.S. prices... so she is wrong??
@@madmax8620 you must paid health insurance either through the government or your employer pays for you. It not as expensive as in the U.S. but you still pay a percentage. Dental and Vision ( just like in Canada) are usually not covered by government insurance so you usually have private insurance for those.
I believe prescription are 70% covered and free for children under 18, but it can vary from prefecture to prefecture.
Also depends on her age if she is over 65 then the cost might be free.
@@madmax8620 Is Your Wife Really Japanese? I am Japanese, but I have never had free healthcare. Don't tell me, do foreigners have the privilege of getting free healthcare in Japan? Sometimes the news reports incidents of foreigners running away from the hospital without paying for healthcare, are you referring to that?
As someone who’s supposed to be starting April (still considering the job), this was a very helpful video. Thanks guys! I really appreciate it 😃!
How have you liked it?
In 2015, I work as an ALT in Osaka - I loved it, but sadly I was only able to stay for about two years because my wife had medical issues. We returned to the U.S, I earned a Master's of Education, got a lot more teaching experience and went through a divorce. I've saved up money and bought ALL the camera gear to do TH-cam and a photography side hustle on top of teaching.
So, now I'm ready to go back. I returned to the states not because I wanted to but because of the circumstances. The current biggest issue I see is that the borders are closed and it's hard to get a job outside of dispatch companies. I was hoping to get hired on with an international school from the start this time around but that's not the case. Most companies seem to only hire if already in country with a work Visa. Not cool. I've waited a long time to go back, 7 years.
I have an interview next month for a teaching job in Japan with a dispatch company. I guess I'll start over with them, and eventually branch out to an international school or maybe my photography or TH-cam channel will become something. The point is that I want to get back out there and try again - reclaim an old dream, this is my "what if" story.
Good Luck with the job interview! I am happy to hear you are going back to your dream job and place ( if that's it)
Try JET, unless that’s how you got to Japan in the first place
Best of luck!
Theres a million rich kids youtubeing in Japan with more time and money than u. If you're working full-time u wont have time to make many youtube videos.
This is the best video on expectations as an ALT. I’ve been looking at the JETT program too so thank you!
Needs a correction. JET Program doesn't require a 4 year Bachelors degree for admission. A 3 year Bachelors degree is fine. e.g. from UK and British Commonwealth countries.
Wow, that’s great. I was actually going to type this question and also asked many. Mine is a 4 year degree but I’m planning to complete it within 3 years as it’s competency-based.
I've taught here for 30 years, and wake up each day thanking my lucky stars that I was able to come here and get a job at a great high school. Leaving Canada was the best decision I've ever made!
I'm 16 and Canadian, and was thinking of entering the JET program out of university. Already learning Japanese!
@@derpynoivern4815 Great! JET is a good way to get your foot in the door. If you find you like it here you can easily find work after your 3 year JET contract is up. Good decision to get started on your Japanese...I recommend patience and persistence as well as the calm, determined mindset to understand that goals are attained incrementally. Gambatte!
Looking forward to "DON'T join the yakuza. Unless......".
...you want 4 finger!!
@@MrsEats Hahaha!!! 🤣🤣😂
Love your channel. I think it would be fun is you do a video on bad English "Engrish" in Japan.
Mrs. Eats, you are the positive energy and humor this world needs. Your videos always put a smile on my face. Subscribed forever!
6:30 Yep… there are people in my group like this.
I love this duo ~ Thank u guys
Thank you!
Thank you for the chuckle.
Thank you!!
Also a JET. It's something that gets old really really fast, plus the curriculum is so rigid and outdated while being just an assistant that I'm more than ready to head out. Life and people here are great but even with the job being easy and chill, it's just one of the most mind numbing jobs.
It depends on your placement. I'd only do high school, personally. Middle school and elementary are rough in Japan. I stayed 5 years in JET and loved it. Pushed the mediocre teachers to up their game as much as possible, and tried to learn as much as I could about teaching. Sometimes you're going to play human tape recorder, but if you take the job seriously, you'll be taken seriously (generally) and will enjoy it more. Start searching for and creating materials, and use them to support what students are learning in class at the time.
i really want to try teaching in japan after i graduate. im an english major with almost 3 years of esl tutoring experience plus am already an instructional aid in a kindergarten.... i feel like it would be a great combo of both w/ the benefit of learning more about the world and meeting new people. i think i am a little bit scared about how big of a committment moving to a new country would be (even if i dont have intentions to stay more than a few years at most) but then again it may be the kind of fear that you get that tells you the thing you're scared of is what you need to do. thank you guys for your great informational videos!!!
I taught in Korea. It was a good experience, but I definitely got culture fatigue and needed a break after a while. If you immerse yourself as much as you can and really adapt yourself to the new culture it’s easier. Not sure if the adjustment is any different in Japan. Just be humble and learn, and you’d be alright.
@@mikehess4494 I felt that too, but it helps that I’m American. I was with the younger ones, so I took it upon myself to make sure they were having fun and enjoying school. The academic pressures were nuts. I’m a therapist now working with adolescents, so I took that experience with me.
Agreed on the culture break. COVID has had me stuck here for going on the 3rd year. I'm at that point where I either bounce out without a recovery plan or stay and build myself up more.
@@Artleycoul it’s weird tho. As much as I was ready to leave when I left, I miss it sometimes.
@@PCStPierre Yeah. Our hearts won't forget the experience.
Thank you for the heads up.
I'd never wanna live anywhere else but the US 🇺🇸 because having been born and raised in Southern Africa, and moving here when I was young, this is was a dream come true for so many reasons. It's the best place in the world for me as entertainer/artist, tech & business person.
HOWEVER, I can't stop binge watching your videos. They are so good and refreshing.
This is amazing information, thank you for sharing 😊
One of the most memorable and enjoyable time in my life was the 4 years I'd worked in Japan. As I'd moved a great deal while growing up, around Europe, the US and Asia, getting use to the culture was the least of my problems. The more difficult part was keeping my languages straight, as I tend to bounce to other languages when I get stuck on a particular word. I hope to return and just spend time traveling around, once travel returns to some sense of 'normal' again.
I'd be curious how other language lessons would be received or are marketable in Japan. They don't seem to be as common as English though.
if you work for Walmart in the U.S. the average overnight stockers get paid above $20.00 an hour. Targets is offering even more. So retail can easily earn more then an alt teaching position in Japan. So if you go to do that, you do it for the joy it gives you. but, there are horror stories to heed too.
A major obstacle is learning Japanese first. I guess that's why a great deal of people abandon the idea quickly.
Great episode. Thnx.
I want to add that there are those of us who fell in love with teaching because we taught abroad. I wanted to go abroad to teach the best students I possibly could ever teach in my life. When I had to go back to America, I continued teaching here. I would love to go back to Asia as a professional teacher. It is not a trap if you are certified and working as a full-time main teacher.
Great advice guys
My son is a JET in OMA. He loves the students, staff, and town of Oma Aomori. I think he only wants to come back home to get doctorate and go back. He said it's home in his heart.
We were able to visit Japan when our son was teaching English in Toyama. Loved the visit. One thing I can think of for an entrepreneurial job would be shooting western style commercials or internet linked information for hotels and/or tourist sites.
I love the long format that you two as a couple use for exploring, I just think that there is a market for 30 second to two minute shorts linked to a company.
For example - we had a hotel stay in Kanazawa at the Square Hotel. The staff was well capable of using Google Translate for any problem we encountered and very knowledgeable of the immediate area. I didn't have time to make them a commercial due to my wife feeling a little sick, but I would have loved to partner with them because of their excellent product.
Love you both on this channel. I pray for your continued success.
Thank you James! Lots of private companies are a little more savvy with marketing to western audiences these days. The ones with big money will hire companies like Tokyo Creative and have their talents make promotional videos for them. I would say the ones who need more help are the smaller companies who are just starting to market themselves to a foreign customer base. There may be huge potential there, but of course, they may deal with budgetary concerns with hiring someone to do some PVs for them.
Thanks for the video! Starting to gear up for Japan currently. I'm Hoping to get around teaching English by transferring my psychotherapy license and start doing therapy with x-pats and other English speakers in the next 2-3 yrs.
Any advice would be tremendously appreciated? Love y'all's channel, and really liked y'all's video "why you'll hate Japan" felt like I was back in my culture psych class :-)
Keep up the good work and all the support!
I taught Conversational English in Japan for about 9 years. After the first 5 years I was totally burned out!! Couldn't wait to get back to California.
Tyvm for the video mr and mrs eats :)
It’s also super easy being a English teacher in Japan you don’t even have to be American or British as long as English is your first/second language and you’re really good at it done!! You’ve got the job 😊
Way to go Mr. Eats I'm working in E commerce field
This is actually exactly what I'm doing, getting TEFL certified during my last year of college while self-studying web development for after a couple years as an ALT. I'm so happy to hear it's actually feasible and common!
JLPT is something I should keep in mind, too. Thanks for the inspirational video!
Same, getting TEFL as well. I wish you well in your goals.
If you can, try to get an actual teacher's license if you're serious about living in Japan long-term. I have a TEFL as well, and though it was useful to give me an upper-hand on JET, it's not enough to get you into a private school or international school. If you're in the U.S., the TeacherReady program can be done completely online and you'll be a fully licensed teacher in the state of Florida. That will open up many doors for you in education.
TEFL is next to meaningless (especially online courses, even the best rated of which are basically diploma mills), though you have the right idea in studying how to actually teach English.
Consider looking into teaching methods, Japanese pronunciation (and get your own J pronunciation down as well as you can), etc.
My friend took the CELTA (Cambridge English cert, best and probably most difficult non-degree cert in the world) and now teaches his own classroom in an international school in Hiroshima. Ended up teaching Biology.
What does ALT mean and can you become a teacher in Japan with no uni degree?
@@dogchaser520 thanks for the information, although I have no interest in teaching in Japan.
I was an ESL teacher in Japan for 16 years. I enjoyed it but I had done enough. 8 years as an ALT and 8 in the eikaiwa
I ♡loved♡ my students, but I was in the countryside and wanted a love life and eventually to start a family. I didn't have free time as an ALT to pursue that, nor hobbies, so I quit after 1 year, returned to US and worked for a Japanese company for 11 years. Now I'm a stay-at-home mom and I have time for my hobbies and the close family I wanted. I do miss Japan, though!
Can you also do a video and give your opinions on starting a small business in Japan? I'm sure this might be similar to what you said about entrepreneurship towards the end of the video, but maybe there 's more to it and also perhaps get a better view on how to get started and common pit falls to avoid?
Hot Obaachans!? I almost spit my water out.
They can clean it for you!!
You kind of make it look like the only way to start teaching with little or no experience is as an ALT, which isn't the case. It's easy to be recruited at an eikaiwa. The problem for foreigners who arrive as teachers and want to pivot into corporate Japan, is that they often then have to put up with corporate Japan expectations in the office. At an eikaiwa, you're often given much more leeway. A lot of Japanese also look down on ALT/eikaiwa teachers.
Hmmmm, my TG-16 could definitely use some new stickers.
What I wouldn't give to have had this information 2015...You two are a wonderful.
Your thumbnails always put a big grin on my face before I even watch the videos!
Wow. Thank you.
I taught in Korea for 5 years. After a total of 17 years of teaching, I left teaching due to the politics.
love your channel. . I work for an international preschool . . its fun but few studentsnow due to coronavirus so I supplement my income by working at mCDonalds. . which is so fun !!!
The thing is teaching is my passion, but English teaching in Japan is nothing like having your own classroom in America or wherever you’re from depending on whether you go to the Board of Education or whether you’re under a company you’re still their puppet. If Japan wants to improve its English education system. They need to hire teachers with experience and actual language exchange
Bhaaaa my yoga classes are finally going to pay off..downward dog...I can't...your timing is impeccable
FORMER JET HERE! great video and so true. have a long term plan and don't get stuck in your 40s as an English teacher in Japan with no prospects. consider grad school, another career, own business, etc. always build your skill sets!!!
yup...... i made that mistake..... not the worst thing in the world, but i'm defo in need of a change.
What if you want to be a teacher? Like, youre passionate about teaching, is it still bad to stay as just a teacher long-term in Japan?
1:19 *cue Gut's theme* Mrs. Eats ain't got no chill!
The tomohawk one doesn't sound like a mistake to be honest, more like a secret message by someone who is fed up with foreigners lol
Oh man, I would enjoy a video of Mrs. Eats doing short sketches based on those poorly translated signs so bad! 😂
But yeah, thank you for the very informative video! ☺
That downward dog joke and "self sucking" killed me. 🤣
I think the Tomahawk sign makes sense in a sarcastic way
My girl Tomi! 😭 I do want to teach in Japan I want to be a teacher, however the education programs are so different from my country and that is worrying me a bit 😅 don't know if I'm having high hopes
I want to teach in Japan too! :) but ofcourse I haven’t even graduated high school yet, it’s just a long term goal for now
Loved Mrs. Eats character xD and very informative.
Character?? That's real me!!!
Mrs. EATS please do a video about dating in Japan!!!!
That camouflage bath mat sweater is why I subscribe to this content.
That Tomahawk sign is really hilariously funny : )
Wouldn't it be plausible to get into Japan through JET, or similar, us then to meet your naturalization requirements, and then start an online business or whatever it is you wish to do? The naturalization requirement is only 5 years, I feel like that's doable. That's one of the options I'm considering but I'm also fortunate enough to have other options like starting my own business in Japan.
I have always wondered if there was a profession in Japan where a individual goes around the country and corrects English grammatical mistakes on signage, I know I saw more than a few when I was there. I think my favorite ones had to be "don't dumb here" which I can only assume meant to say "no dumping here", "cockrail" saw that one more than once which I'm sure meant to say cocktail had to do a double take the first time I saw it and finally "please flash after using" in a restroom which made me giggle way more than it should have considering the sign was basically telling me to be a exhibitionist.
Tourism organisations sometimes pay translation companies to clean up the main English in their region, but ultimately you’re still going to keep seeing some of that shit because someone has to pay translators to do our job and not everyone wants to do that. 🤷♀️
@@kiwimusume Good to know a profession does exist like that and like everything it does always come down to money doesn't it.
I'm from Canada with a 3 year BA in Child & Youth Studies from a university, as well as a TEFL i plan to work on soon. Also fluent in French. I love teaching langauges. Would these skills help me teach in Japan?
Never was an ALT, I came through an eikaiwa first then went to an international preschool so I’ve never understood the ALT life. If you stick it out with such companies though your pay will get to a point where it’s not terrible (if you can stand the long hours and power harassment of course). Personally, compared to when I first came, it seems like more and more teaching jobs want more than just a 4yr degree and are asking for teaching licenses. Unfortunately my “side skill” and actual degree is in creative writing so not many jobs here wanting that!
I'm on the opposite end, where I never did Eikaiwa work, so it's a completely different universe to me. But agree with you that the really good positions are mostly taken by other long-term expats who've been here for way longer than I have. Some cities and prefectures have their own JET-type programme which is definitely better than working for a dispatch company, but it's more of a lateral move, rather than an upward move in your career.
JET's great IMO because you get a built-in social network and connections to everyone. By the end of my 5 year stint I was organizing welcome parties with 130+ people in rooftop beer gardens.
The key to avoiding long hours is to not get involved in clubs. I loved my kids but clubs are just a waste of everyone's time. The track kids spent hours stretching for no purpose. Maybe training them for the dullness and inanity of Japanese working life.
Yeah a lot of people start off being a English teacher to get a visa to live in Japan so in the way it’s a good thing if someone wants to stay in Japan 😅
I straight up subscribed to you after the tomahawak thing ..... 🤣🤣🤣 that was hilarious
jokes on you, my nickname for my junk is "The TOMAHAWK"!
*TOPU SECRETO!!!*
i subscribe because of the 3:47. I hope it was mrs eats idea lol. that gave me a good laugh. Thank you
Finding work as *tenured professor*. One can always dream... 😭
I am an non-tenured academic with a PhD. There are many temporary junior positions out there, but I feel that some people would even commit murder to get a tenured position.
This was so helpful but outside of that, I just want to say I’m so happy to see you and your husband growing such a great and funny TH-cam channel 🤟🏼
-Congrats from Houston, Texas
The world needs more Japanese English 😁
Japanese English will live forever!!!
Engurish*
Aaaaahhh…I enjoy your videos and YT Channel❤❤❤❤❤❤いつも見せてます❤❤❤❤
Always love your videos ❤️❤️🦋❤️
Wow as someone who's wanted to try teaching English in Japan this video really opened my eyes a bit more. Thanks Mr and Mrs Eats!!!😁
It really sounds like an exit strategy should be in place before committing to that path.
actually... I, as an American, am FULLY on board with Tomahawk as a new euphemism for willy winkie woozer chan
What does an ALT do compared to the actual teacher if you aren’t helping with curriculum and lessons?
My favorite thing is reading instruction manuals written in Asian countries. Do I understand them? Not at all. Are they hilarious? Yes they are
Tomi! She is a delight.
I’m a 3rd year JET ALT and while I enjoy it, I don’t know if I’d do it forever. I am transferring to recontract for 4th year but I’m not sure if I’ll recontract for a 5th.
To be fair, 'self-sacking corner' doesn't sound appropriate in English either. 😂 In America, it would be 'self service corner/area/station, self-check out, or something similar instead.
The “Tomahawk” translation may have been either themed to the place (Western BBQ?) or deliberately joking on the gaijin. 😄
It sounds too much like the old bathroom sign of “We aim to please…Will you aim too, please?”
In that "Please stand closer" scene she went from Mrs. Eats to Mr. Seats.
I'm sorry did you say work partime AND fulltime???? in Japan??? at Eikaiwa??
0:45 I mean the company IS called "joyful".
Ayeeeee, I was NOT expecting to see Tomi's World in the video at 4:30! =D
Edit: And this video, in general. 11/10! Very funny and informative :)
The only thing that should have been added is that a lot of ALT and Eikaiwa jobs have suspect contracts and black company policies.
I have worked both jobs; I agree with a lot of what you have said.
The number one kicker is language ability. It traps people in the ALT jobs.
I've seen that "please stand closer" sign in bathrooms when I visited Japan and it had me dying because that's more or less how someone would passive aggressively put a note in a US bathroom lmao
Please do a guide on becoming a nurse in Japan please! I wanted to come to Japan to work as a nurse so bad
Wanted? These means you 'wanted'' before - but not now, which contradicts your request. Always use the right tense (want), or you'll confuse the reader.
@@irielion3748 I am not confused by her comment
That's a cool job. 🙂
I just started as an ALT a few months ago and this is good advice on how to plan for my life here in Japan. Thank you.
🤣🤣🤣Not downward dog!!! Ahhhh, so that's why joyful 2 was at the bottom!
Very joyful!!