<p>So I'm having a dilemma about which major would be the right one for me for what I want to do later in life. I'm wanting to eventually teach English in Japan. However, I'm not sure what major would be the most beneficial for me. </p>
<p>My minors so far are either Japanese / Asian studies (focusing on East Asian with Japanese) and Spanish. So far I'm leaning towards Linguistics, however, there's no certainty that I will even like studying that. I've recently ordered several linguistics books from the public library to see what it is like, so I'll have to see whether or not I like it. International Studies would be fun, but I probably wouldn't be able to use much of what I will learn from it in my future, and for the Education degree, I would basically have to take more "gen eds", meaning more useless classes that I won't need for my future career. Of course, my ideal major would be TESOL, but there aren't any nearby colleges around that have that major. </p>
<p>At first I was planning on getting the Education degree with a focus on TESOL, however, I would probably have to go to school longer to be able to fit in the TESOL classes that would get my certification in that field, and I don't want to take those useless classes. I've found a program called Oxford Seminars who would have 6 classes, 9 hours each, plus 40 hours online to get TESOL certified for just over $1000. I've researched them and reviews and most of the reviews I've read are good things about the program. So I'm thinking I can take that later and save me money and time, instead of taking all of those classes at a university. </p>
<p>Also, at the universities that I've researched upon, they all want you to get a teaching certificate before you can even get the TESOL certificate. I don't plan on teaching in the United States, at least at first, so I don't really need to get that teaching certificate. I just need to make sure that the program is accredited before I take it.
Does anyone have any advice for me, or any other ideas?</p>
<p>Major is irrelevant when wanting to teach English in Japan as long as you’re a native English speaker and have a BA. That being said, having teaching experience and knowledge in language acquisition gives you an advantage over other candidates especially when it comes to the JET Program. Again, it’s not about the major, but what you do with it. Your major does not define your career or life. You can be a math major while teaching English on the side and still get accepted to teach English abroad. </p>
<p>Do you plan on teaching K-12 (ALT) or university level? Or are you looking for a company to work for (Eikaiwa)? Japan is less focused on actual language acquisition because of its new focus on “exam English” and TOEFL scores. Teaching English in Japan as one’s career is a little iffy because of the one-year contracts and instability of the job itself (This does not include university-level classes). Making a career teaching English at the university level is much more plausible, but you need the MA in order to qualify for the job. </p>
<p>I am unfamiliar with the Oxford Seminars so I’ll leave that to someone else.</p>
<p>I’d say take a few education classes about ESL and lesson planning. Try to get into a program such as JET in order to see if you really like teaching English in Japan, and then if you’re interested in getting TESOL, I’d say go for a Master’s later on. You don’t have to make the decision right now.</p>
<p>Have you looked into any dual programs with your school and a university in Japan?</p>
<p>I do know that it technically doesn’t matter what bachelors degree to get if I want to teach in Japan, however, I do want one that may help me out in the long run and will be useful for me to have later down the road… I’ve never really thought about what I would want to do AFTER I teach in Japan… I’m sure I’ll eventually want to come back home in good ol’ America and settle down one day and I’ve realized that I need something to fall back into once I’m back here… I need an after plan. Perhaps getting a degree in Education would be best, along with a teaching certificate for my state, so I can go ahead and teach here once I’m back.</p>
<p>And actually, my plan is to apply for the JET program once I get a bachelor’s degree. I want to teach middle school or high school… But I guess it doesn’t matter all too much what age I teach.</p>
<p>I have looked into study abroad programs that the possible schools that I could go to have… I plan to study abroad in Japan for hopefully a year.</p>