My First Days Working as an English Teacher in Japan

Hello! Apologies for the silence these last few months. As most of you may know (and some may not), I’m on a new adventure: I got a job as an English teacher! If you told me I would be working as a teacher a year ago, I would have laughed in your face. LAUGHED. It’s unbelievable. It’s never going to happen.

But here I am, a year later, doing exactly what I thought I would never do, and I am overjoyed.

What my job is in Japan

I recently started teaching at a private eikaiwa English conversation school. My classes cater to a wide range of students, from 3-year-olds accompanied by their mothers to high school students, and focus on improving their English proficiency. The majority of my students fall between the ages of 6 and 14.

I have set up my classroom equipped with 12 manuals tailored for each proficiency level in preparation for my classes. Additionally, I’ve curated a variety of (hopefully) fun games to incorporate into my lessons so that learning is not only practical but also enjoyable for the students.

Training to become an English teacher

Experiencing the challenges of becoming a teacher cannot be fully conveyed until one undertakes the endeavour. I underwent an intensive two-week training program in January to acquire teaching skills. It was a profound experience filled with uncertainty, stress, progress, and setbacks. Undoubtedly, it was one of the most demanding tasks I have ever undertaken. 

Fortunately, I had the support of a small group of fellow trainees who shared similar sentiments. Together, we found solace in each other’s company and, through our mutual struggle, managed to get through it all (helped with the bonding experience of screaming Billy Joel’s Piano Man in a private karaoke booth). 

My first two weeks as an English teacher

During my two weeks of training, I had a combination of studying, workshops, commuting, only 4 to 5 hours of sleep, and actual classes with real students. I officially want to apologize to those students for the boring lessons. I am genuinely sorry. However, I also want to mention that I have improved significantly.

During my first week of work in Kyushu, I started teaching students about Parent’s Observation. This meant parents would sit in on my classes while I taught my first lessons. It sounds crazy, considering they would be evaluating their children’s educational experience with a new teacher and that my eikaiwa company would allow this. Despite my nerves and worries, the classes turned out well, and I got my first taste of what a successful and enjoyable class could look like.

I have completed my first full month of working as an English teacher. Things are getting easier, and I believe I’m a fun teacher. Maybe I shouldn’t say that, but I already did. I still have some off days or lessons that don’t go well, but I look forward to the day when I don’t give a second thought to a day of five lessons or dealing with difficult students testing my boundaries. I also hope to stop having those weird teaching dreams.

Although my training period was stressful and anxiety-inducing, those memories are already being replaced with new ones. I have some amazing, smart, and funny students, and when a class goes well, it doesn’t even feel like an English lesson. Everyone, including myself, has fun. Who knew?