Why Americans think you can teach English in Japan?

Question

Why so many Amreicans have a wrong idea that you can teach English here in Japan without enough knowlege of your own language? Speaking it fluently as your native tangue is not enough to teachi it to many intelligent Japanese students.

Answer 1

I agree, most people teaching English in Japan are not experienced or qualified. Many Americans do these not very credible on-line MA courses or enroll at a dodgy university for 3months and get an MA (no credits of course). But, it is not their fault, it is the Japanese education system. They want native English speakers in their school.
I once met a young Australian guy whose accent was so bad nobody could understand what he was saying and he had no experience as a teacher. He went for the same job interview as a lady from Hong Kong who was qualified and spoke really beautiful English. Guess what? The Australian got the job!!! Also, a lot of English teachers simply answer ads in their own country from Nova/Aeon etc which beg for anyone, I mean ANYONE, no experience, no qualification to PLEASE come and teach in Japan. And guess what? Japanese people pay a lot of money to be taught by them.

Answer 2

Naturally, you are correct. However, it can be a good basis, and they at least want to do it. The truth is (as one who is now teaching English and has recently become almost-fluent in Spanish) that ideally you need both a technical (grammatical) knowledge of the language you're teaching and extensive real-life experience with it. And, like it or not, the number of native English speakers with extensive grammatical knowledge who are willing to travel to Japan to teach English (which does not pay very well, from everything I have seen) is just not that great.

So, although I would wish that every American coming over has a deep grammatical knowledge of their language (and as somebody who teaches English, I can tell you that it's something you gain over time if you are the least bit curious), the reality is that you have what you have.

And it sounds a bit harsh, but I think you need to be a little less prideful and a little more appreciative. I'm sorry to sound harsh, but those people are there with a real desire to help you - probably even a love for your people.

Answer 3

That's because most native-Japanese teachers of English are incapable knowing all of the idioms, slang, culture and nuances that make English such a difficult language to learn. Do you realize how much television they would have to watch just to keep up with a fraction of the pop culture that gets generated and then becomes part of the language. You are *so* not knowing what you're stepping into here, big time.

Truth be told, most Americans are not hired to teach grammatical textbook English. They are hired so that Japanese students can hear, learn and experience what real conversational English is like. They've already spent most of their lives learning English grammer, and yet very few can hold a conversation with an English-speaking foreigner, let alone understand movies and television shows. Hearing and speaking real English is still completely foreign to them.

In the same way, Japanese don't speak textbook-style Japanese. You can spend a decade taking Japanese language classes, but you will never learn to speak Japanese the way Japanese people speak it in Japan without going to live there. The next best thing is to find a native Japanese person to teach you real natural conversational Japanese, so that you can hear and see it spoken and the mannerisms and cultural nuances that go along with it. Could an American Japanese teacher really convey how to use phrases like "hotondo byooki" or "ap-paa" or explain why Japanese found them hysterical?

Most Americans going overseas to teach English know that they're only there to provide conversation experience and an American accent. Perhaps also functioning as a walking dictionary. However, only a native speaker could tell you why, from even your first two words, a native speaker would never make your statement the way that you did. No offense to you. Your point comes across clearly and you're obviously intelligent.

But if Japanese are going to continue to pay $25 - $85 dollars an hour to hear our sweet little lilt, den dey's gonna be Yanks in the hizzle my nizzle. We are in like Flint. True dat. Betta recognize

Answer 4

Because Americans are told that they can teach English in Japan without having knowledge of the Japanese language.

I agree that one should know both languages in order to teach English. But don't blame the Americans. Blame the schools. They do the hiring of the teachers and they set the requirements for people to teach English.

Answer 5

I have taught English in Japanese junior high schools for many years now, and I am constantly amazed at the poor English level of the Japanese-native English teachers.

The solution to THAT major problem seemed to be importing native english speakers in order to allow students access to natural sounding English. These native speakers were never intended to be grammar teachers - a role the Japanese teachers of English jealously guarded.

There is very little incentive for qualified and skilled ESL teachers to come to or stay in Japan as there is no real chance of promotion or career development.

How to make this better? Hmmm.......
Ideas:
1) Break down this division between Grammar and conversation in the school system
2) Offer better job opportunities to experienced and skilled ESL teachers.....and chance for a long term positions within the school system
3) Make sure that Japanese teachers of English have a far better command of spoken English.

Answer 6

You don't need a college education to teach english in Japan. I'm a military wife moving to japan soon & I'm also looking for a job out there. In my job search I found that you have to take a 60 hr. class to become certified to teach english in japan. The class is offered at most universities.

Answer 7

Because they think they know English better than the Japanese.

In any case, in many Asian countries there are not enough people who know English as their native language resulting in Engrish ie Just It Do - a bad translation of the NIKE slogan. If some Japanese students know English, but want to perfect their knowledge, Its OK for some American person to go there, remember language is just practice, practice practice. So why not.

Answer 8

I believe that in order for an american person to teach English in Japan, they would have to understand both languages very well to comprehend correctly in order to communicate first...and then maybe they could teach after they have understood the Japanese language.

Answer 9

A friend of mine has a degree in Linguistics from USC and he teaches English in Japan and he's very articualte in English and speaks very good Japanese.

Answer 10

I wondered the same thing about my Korean teachers at the Defense Language Institute. It seems like they would just pull some of them out of the dry cleaners. Some of my teachers were well qualified however some of them I believe there only qualification is that they were Korean. Sometimes they would just confuse us more and we would just wait to ask a teacher that we knew could teach well.