Many Americans come to Japan to "teach" English. I notice that many people are talking here how easy it is to teach English in Japan and make money just by speaking your native language. Do You Really Think You Are Qualified To "Teach" English?
I am not talking about those licensed teachers hired by the government of Japan, official organizations and public high schools.

Hello, it's me again. Many Americans have got a huge ego being in Japan. Back home they are probably burger flippers but they come to Japan and all of a sudden they are TEACHERS! Getting good money, being respected, after a few days hey think they are qualified to teach in Japan without any qualifications, experience or basic knowledge of their own language. But they are not to blame, it is the education system.

Because the organization I work for said that I am. :)

No really lol, to be honest I'm not sure I'm qualified, but I'm a bit closer than most people I know. I have an undergraduate degree in English and a Master's degree in Educational Psychology. That doesn't mean I was taught how to teach the way a person with a teaching degree would have been, but I did have to take quite a few classes on learning theory. I also took a series of classes specializing in teaching English as a second language because I was interested in working in bilingual education before I decided to move to Japan.

As for teaching experience, I tutored writing in college and statistics while I was working on my Master's. I worked in two pre-schools, as well as a kindergarten after-school classroom. Unfortunately, the latter two don't help as much with the highschool kids I work with now. :P

Even considering all that, I felt a bit overwhelmed when I arrived. The Japanese education system is a bit different, and my students are really unmotivated and low level, and that makes it difficult to keep the interested and learning anything. I do, however, try to apply what I've learned to the best of my ability, for instance providing learning in different forms, written, verbal, aural, etc. I try to constantly adapt and learn from my mistakes and try to provide the students with the best lessons I can.

I've also been learning Japanese for three years, which comes in quite handy not only with helping the students, but also with getting around in an area where not many people speak English.

Do I really think that makes me qualified? I don't know. I know it makes me more qualified than alot of people. I think the only way I would have felt really prepared would have been if I had been teaching ESL for years in America before I came, but even then this is such a different environment in all ways that I think I'd still have found myself feeling a little overwhelmed at first.

I think the most important qualities in a teacher aren't necessarily the paper qualifications, but the ability to be interesting and to try hard and learn from their mistakes and be flexible. Well, that and a good grasp of the English language lol. :)

You're lucky they're not coming over to teach Ebonics.

oh hell nah...i butcher it everday. like now :)

yes, I also can teach Japan in Japan.

teaching english in asia sucks.

They're not qualified at all. But unqualified people work in jobs all the time. If Japan wants "qualified" teachers they should raise their standards and not hire the incompetent. Hiring one incompetent soul encourages three more to apply