Teaching Environment

1. I do not speak Japanese. Is this a problem?

No. You do not use Japanese in the classroom, so not having Japanese is not a problem.
It is useful to have Japanese for your own private use. The school does provide classes for those wanting to learn. Alternatively, you can learn Japanese locally at the Tsukuba International Information Centre.

2. How many hours will I work per week?

You are required to teach approximately 30 hours per week or an average of 110 hours over a one month period.

3. How many days a week do I work?

On a first year contract, you shall work six days a week. This schedule is compensated with seven weeks of holidays evenly spread throughout the year.
Also from Monday to Friday the mornings are your own time as nearly all the schedules shall start after 2.00pm. Saturday could start at any time as the kids are not at school on this day.
Those that may be interested in earning a higher income can so choose to work in the mornings after the completion of their probationary period, which is the first three months. This potentially would be a company class.

4. Are there any other times I will need to work?

Yes, as follows:
You may be asked to work when other teachers are sick or when there is a shortage of staff. A rarity in the first year as a first year teachers schedule is already full. But if a teacher is absent who is at the same school as yourself, then the manager may ask you to cover teacher some of the other teachers classes if there are vacancies on your schedule for that day.
You will need to attend a staff meeting once a month, on the last Wednesday of each month unless told otherwise.
There are two special events per year  EThe company school picnic and each school that you teach at has a Christmas party. It is compulsory for teachers to attend these events.

5. How many weeks holiday do I get in a year?

The school year is 44-weeks, so there are 7 to 8 weeks of holidays. These holidays are paid vacations; this is due to first year contracts being a fixed monthly salary. If you are on an hourly wage, then these are not paid.

6. What is the dress standard?

Business style dress. Teachers need to look professional.
For men, short or long sleeve shirt, with a tie and slacks(NO JEANS)Jacket in winter
For women, dress, shirt, skirt, stockings/tights with skirts and slacks. (NO JEANS).

7. What are the class sizes?

They are on average 3 students per class, but some may be up to 8 students.

8. What ages are the students?

They range in age from play-group (age 3) to silver class (over 50). In this latter class, some Japanese may be used as some adults may have a little difficulty in learning the language.

9. Is there any on going training provided by the company?

Yes there is. There are several sessions conducted on a regular basis. On going material training is conducted once a month. As the majority of the classes require support activities to the teaching material, extra games and interaction skills are conducted at least twice a month or when a teacher requests it.

10. What is the mix of students?

The largest group of students is the elementary children  Eranging in age from 6  E12  Ethis comprises 50% of all classes.
There are some JHS and HS students  Emaking up about 15% of the learners
About 5% are kindergarten and play group (under four years of age)
The balance are adults, they make up about 30% of the learners. This includes company classes.
You may also have private classes, usually adults that are one on one private session.

11. Is it possible to teach only one of these classes  Eadult, business, or children classes?

No, it is not possible. Teachers need to teach across the curriculum, across the age groups. There is a mix of classes ranging from children’s, to teen classes to adult classes with maybe a company class. There may also be a public or private school class with up to 40 children in the class. These are shared out according to scheduling and the specific requirements that they may have.

12. Are Japanese students shy?

No more than other children who are put in a room with a foreigner. Children appear to be shy initially, but they usually get to know you fairly quickly. Then classes become interactive.

13. What background are the adults?

TsukubaCity is the science research capital of Japan. Many of the people who come to classes are professional people who want/need to improve their English for conferences/ international communication or when they are abroad on holidays. Others are housewives, young adults who simply want to learn English and talk to a foreigner.

14. Is there a set curriculum?

Yes, there is. We use a series of books that start with young learners and goes right through to advanced learners. Currently the school uses a mix of English and American Texts, but in time, the school will move to all North American Texts.
In addition to set texts, there are free conversation classes where learners simply discuss matters and issues of interest to them with the teacher.

15. Is there a set methodology?

No, there is no set methodology as such, but there is an ideal way that the BernardEnglishSchool directors want classes to be delivered. The school is serious about students learning to speak English. If there is a methodology used in the classrooms, it is of a communicative nature. We do have fun with our students, children and adults alike. All teachers shall require some form of orientation and training prior to being allocated their respective students and commencing their teaching in the classroom. On-going training and support is available and provided to all teachers on a regular basis.