teaching in Japan

[Dr Yoshimasa Tsuji]

Hello Dominique, hello Catherine Jarvis.
 Finding a job in Japan depends solely upon your command of the Japanese
language. Let me explain.
 Firstly, jobs in Japan for people whose Japanese is less than satisfactory
(let me call them non-J) are limited to the following two categories.
     1. working in foreign organizations (embassies, in particular).
     2. working in institutions founded by Japanese here English is the
        primary language (schools of English, in particular). A few research
        institutes of high energy/biotechnology, etc. belong to this category.
On the other hand, universities and first class firms are very keen on
recruiting foreigners for various reasons. The State-owned universities
have to employ more than a minimal number of foreigners, by the way. That is
good news, but here begins my story.
   As English is not spoken here in Japan (the primary cause for English
here is the screening in education, not for other purposes), the command
of the Japanese language is VERY necessary. And acquiring the language
skill of Japanese is extremely difficult (any language is difficult, of
course) particularly for people with little knowledge of Chinese characters
or for people the syntax of whose first language is not of Mongolian origin.
Assuming you do not believe me, I give you a piece of fact: a friend of
mine used to be an associate professor in one of the largest universities
in Greater Tokyo area (i.e. was a colleague of Catherine), teaching
English for undergraduates. Asked how he was tutoroing his post-graduate
students of Anglo-American literature, he simply said to me, "In Japanese
of course. Otherwise, they won't finish their thesis." He started his career
in Japan as a teacher of "English conversation", but left the profession,
thinking it was ridiculous to be teaching "Good morning, Bill" ten hours
a week to students who are least motivated and to be titled as professor
of English though he himself had the first degree only, with no other academic
background whatsoever (no academic articles, of course).
  I also have a colleague in my own school who teaches English as an American.
When he was about to be employes by us, I put a couple of queries to the
committee people who had decided on him: "Has he got a qualification as
teacher of English as a second language? Or, has he got experience as
a writer or an editor?" The answer was, "He has been teaching English in
Japan for many years and he speaks Japanese very well, having married a
Japanese woman." He got the job solely because he was a specialist of Japanese
literature. That is the fact of life in Japan.
  Playing cricket well and coaching it well are completely different business.
No one can acquire the right pronunciation simply by listening or looking at
the native speaker: pupils need to be told how to move tongue, lips and other
organs and need to be told how they are doing as ordinary people are not
aware what they are doing. (They do not even listen to what they are saying
as taping pupils' voices is a rare practice at school). I very much deplore
the lack of professionalism, particulary in language acquistion here in Japan.

With best wishes,
Tsuji