Monday, October 30, 2017

A Day in the Life of an English Teacher in Japan



I started my blog in 2012, yet I have got only 4 posts. This time around, it looked like writing a blog addressing some good (or bad) working experiences from Japan would be a fascinating comeback.
After my graduation, I dreamed of working in some corporations or organizations when RCSC refused to enroll me in PGDPA. The HR Officer or Research Officer, that kind of job. The dream did not include working in Japan, leave aside teaching English to the Japanese kids. Had I seen this coming, I wouldn’t have given up the other option RCSC has offered me in PGDE. In fact, it would have been a plus-point here! And I wouldn’t have wasted the damn 4 months figuring out what to do in a foreign soil. However, had I chosen that option, I would have missed this great opportunity here. You see, everything happens for a reason. I’m a firm believer of this adage.
I began teaching in Japan since June this year.  I work as an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) in Public Schools. Basically, I plan the lessons and team teach the lesson with a Japanese teacher to 5th and 6th grade students. Japanese Elementary Schools have grades 1-6, students aged 6-12. Due to the shortage of English teachers in Japan (or say just human resource management), one ALT covers several schools. For instance, I go to four different elementary schools, one school every day. I’m grateful that this allows me to approach the work with different brand of sweet and adorable kids every morning.