English in Japan
Japan is the focus of today’s post. First, an article from the Japan Times discusses the pros and cons of working for large and small schools in Japan, with the article Bigger is not always better for Japan’s English teachers.
Salaries, the article points out, do not differ that much between large and small schools, but there are some other points worth considering.
According to the article, job and income security are higher in larger schools and chains such as Nova, ECC and GEOS. If a branch of a large chain closes down for financial reasons, teachers can be transferred to another branch - not so in smaller, family-run schools.
On the other hand, teachers may be more likely to face contractual problems with larger schools. According to Louis Carlet, deputy general secretary of the National Union of General Workers, quoted in the article, larger schools are “particularly adept at writing contracts which protect themselves”.
Teachers may also feel that they are working for a faceless company, rather than experiencing the family atmosphere of a smaller school. But this can have its downside too, with more pressure on teachers: “If a tiny cog in a huge machine breaks down it’s unlikely the whole thing will come to a shuddering halt. That’s not the case when the teacher is the machine.”
If you’ve had experience working for a small school or a large chain in Japan, or both, have a look at the full article and post a comment below - do you agree with the points raised?
The second article asks Why do the Japanese struggle with English?
The author, Steve Kaufmann, writes that most Japanese people he meets in business struggle with their English, compared to, say, Swedes. One of the main reasons for this, he says, is the “language or cultural ego”, the belief that Japanese language and culture is so unique that to become fluent in another language would cause a learner to lose that uniqueness. In part 2 of the article, the author points to other factors, including the differences in sentence structure, vocabulary and pronunciation, the Kana writing system and less exposure to English-speaking culture.
Do you agree with Steve? Post a comment below…
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April 23rd, 2007 at 6:51 am
Regarding second portion of post:
I would agree that the Japanese have a strong cultural heritage that they carry with them abroad, but I would certainly not refer to it as an “ego” as stated by Mr Kaufmann. Operating a niche oriented teacher training school in Vancouver BC, (www.VancouverTEFL.ca) I come across students and colleagues from varying ages from many different countries, many of which are from Japan. If there was anything holding them back from learning English, it would in making a mistake that they somehow feel would be a detriment to their pride.
Great post! I appreciate the links.
Jay Fredrickson