# 6 month contract teaching english



## evanepk17

First post,

I'm interested in teaching english in Japan for six months. I've taught in South America and have struggled going from one english company to the next, having students cancel, etc. I want to work in Japan for six months through a solid company sometime after Christmas. If anyone can give me some advice that'd be great. I don't know where to start. I know Jet is the big company, but I don't want to sign a full year contract. Again, any starter advice would be appreciated.

Evan


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## larabell

JET is not a school, it's a government program that places English teachers in public schools around the country. Beyond that, I can only speak in generalities, since I don't teach English.

There are fewer "solid" companies around these days because two of the largest have gone belly-up in recent years. As a result, there are now fewer jobs and, at the time, a glut of teachers. Companies are being more careful with their expenses these days and one of the first things they tend to cut are paid English lessons for their mid-level executives.

If you don't already have a visa to work here, you're essentially asking some language school to jump through the hoops of sponsoring your visa in exchange for just a six month commitment. You may have some trouble convincing a private school to hire you on that basis. My advice would be to reconsider the JET Programme. If, after the first year, you decide you really like it here, you can either extend your commitment or find a job with a private school. Most of the JET teachers I've met seem to be pretty happy -- and, in general, live under better conditions than teachers at private English schools.


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## CambriaOgden

I'm interested in doing this also! Do you need a teaching degree?


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## lip420

evanepk17 said:


> First post,
> 
> I'm interested in teaching english in Japan for six months. I've taught in South America and have struggled going from one english company to the next, having students cancel, etc. I want to work in Japan for six months through a solid company sometime after Christmas. If anyone can give me some advice that'd be great. I don't know where to start. I know Jet is the big company, but I don't want to sign a full year contract. Again, any starter advice would be appreciated.
> 
> Evan


You probably won't find a contract for 6 months. You sign for a year. If you want to quit around 6 months you usually have to give them one months notice.


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## larabell

CambriaOgden said:


> I'm interested in doing this also! Do you need a teaching degree?


You need a degree but it can be in anything, including underwater basket-weaving. Google "JET Programme" to find out more. There's plenty of information available.


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## hokkaido

To be honest, most companies are not going to take you on for 6 months, Look at it from their perspective, train you to teach the way they want, students get used to you and then bam your time is up....


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## larabell

For anyone who has a valid working visa and decent English skills, you could try putting an ad in one of the many English-language classified magazines (Metropolis is the big one in Tokyo). It's not going to be steady, predictable employment and there seems to be a lot of competition but it's definitely short-term.


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