I’m trying to decide which direction to go, and hoping some people here can share their experiences and give some insight.
I’m currently a high school ESL teacher in the US. I enjoy it, but the goal has always been to teach in Japan for a few years. I got in to ECC a year ago but had to decline the offer because some financial issues came up. The plan was to reapply once I’m able to, but I’m starting to second guess my decision.
When I had applied to ECC, I was about to graduate with my TESL degree and liked the idea of not having to lesson plan as I would just use their lessons. Wasn’t a huge fan of having to teach young kids for more or less half the day (I prefer middle & high schoolers) but I know I could handle it.
Now, I’ve had my own classroom in the US for a year, and lesson planning isn’t really an issue for me. Honestly, it may bother me more to not use my own lessons. I’m working on my Masters in Education as well, and I wonder if an Eikaiwa would be a waste of the experience/education/qualifications I’ll have. I know I can’t straight out CHOOSE where I go or what age I teach being an ALT, but it would give me some more freedom with lessons. The biggest thing that has bothered me about being an ALT is the “assistant” part of it. I’ve had successful co-teaching experiences here with math and science classes, but I’m still not sure how I feel about the whole situation. When doing research about people teaching in Japan, they seem to have a fair amount of say of what happens in class and how things are taught, but as I haven’t been in it I can’t say for sure. I’m trying to figure out if I’ll even be able to use my personal teaching style in a public school environment anyway.
I guess I’m just wondering if people from either side (Eikaiwa teachers and ALT programs) have any insight or thoughts on this. Any advice or experiences you’re willing to share would be great. Thanks 🫶🏼
by itsSiennaSNOW