| There is, in Japan, a great demand for native English | | | | Many people, however, find that the premiere English |
| speakers teaching English, but most of that demand | | | | teaching jobs in Japan come through the JET program, |
| comes from private English "conversation schools", or | | | | overseen by the Japanese government. The JET |
| Ekaiwa, or JET, the Japan Exchange and Teaching | | | | program, while it does include employment teaching |
| Program. | | | | English in Japanese schools on a daily basis, is really |
| Teaching English in Japanese Ekaiwa | | | | designed to expose the Japanese people to |
| Ekaiwa are very common in Japan, and are "schools" | | | | foreigners. |
| in which those teaching English will be actually offering | | | | Most of those teaching English in the JET program are |
| individual of small class sessions of conversations. | | | | assistant teachers in Japanese middle and high |
| Ekaiwa give Japanese of every age a chance to | | | | schools. They must be under forty, and have both |
| engage in real English conversation; teaching English in | | | | excellent language skills and a college degree--although |
| this way can give the teacher a chance to see their | | | | the field does not matter--and they are not allowed to |
| students progress in a very short time. | | | | choose the part of Japan in which they will be working. |
| There are chains of ekaiwa in Japan, rather like there | | | | If accepted to the JET program, however, their airfare |
| are chains of ballroom dancing studios in the US. The | | | | will be provided. For more info see on Teaching. |
| premier chains include Geos and ECC, which have | | | | Those accepted to teach English in the JET program |
| upwards of two hundred ekaiwa, but there are | | | | will have to have great interpersonal skills, because |
| thousands of smaller schools. Salaries and working | | | | they will be immersed in a foreign culture and left more |
| conditions will vary according to the money behind | | | | or less to their own devices as far as seeing that their |
| each operation. | | | | basic needs are met. And they will be responsible for |
| Those wanting to teach English in the Japanese | | | | representing their native countries while in Japan. |
| ekaiwas can contact one of the recruitment offices | | | | Given a choice between the ekaiwa and JET English |
| that the chain ekaiwa operators have established | | | | teaching positions, most of those considering a job in |
| abroad, in particular in the US, UK, Canada, and | | | | Japan opt for the JET program, which offers better |
| Australia. While the better schools in the most desirable | | | | salaries and, most of the time, better working |
| locations may require degrees in English and teaching | | | | conditions. But if you are young and resourceful, and |
| experience, many ekaiwa only require a college | | | | want to see Japan while getting paid for doing |
| degree. | | | | something that is second nature to you--speaking |
| The JET Program | | | | English--an ekaiwa job can be just the ticket!. |