It's a relief to finally say that all the paperwork is done, and I am officially leaving to Japan on August 16th and returning to America on December 23rd.
I'm teaching English in Tokyo, Japan through Interac, a company that provides Japanese schools with English speaking teachers. Most of the time, companies that do this sort of thing require the person they're hiring to have a bachelor's degree. But Interac has a unique opportunity to teach as an Internship - so no degree is required - and the commitment is shorter. You don't have to commit to a full year, just three or four months. Perfect for me!
Right now, the places I'll be teaching aren't for sure. Last I heard, I'm going to be teaching at Roka Jr. High School . There's also word I might be teaching in an Elementary school as well. Unfortunately, finding placements this time of year is difficult as the Japanese school year starts in April. Because of this, there's the chance I'll be working in Interac's Tokyo office or getting some obscure part time job in Japan. Personally, I'm a fan of some obscure job. If I got stuck in some random little ramen shop down some little alleyway, I'd be completely happy. I want the chance to be immersed in the culture and forced to speak the language in order to survive.
So I'm leaving Sunday at 11:30 with another guy who is doing the internship too. I'll land at Narita Airport August 17th at 4:40pm where we'll be escorted to Asakusa Central Hotel. I will stay there four days for training. I a bit scared for the training. Most interns get a week long training, and mines condensed into just four days. On the 20th, I'll be taken to my new apartment and be shown around my school! I'll start teaching on the 24th.
As an Intern, I'm more like a language assistant than a full time teacher. Though some assistants tend to do most of the work in classes. It just depends on how the school goes about it. I don't need to know any Japanese to assist, as I am there so the students know how native English sounds. In most cases, a student will study Japanese for six years, and when a English Native talks to them, they still can't understand them. So having a native speaker is becoming more and more popular to have in all levels of public education.
I'm getting pretty nervous! I really hope I make a good teacher and don't make any huge cultural blunderings. Just because the culture is so different, making mistakes will be easy, so I gotta be careful.
Anyways, I will try to update this blog on a daily, or every other day basis once I get to Japan. I should have internet at the hotel, but access at my apartment may take some time to get. I'll keep you all updated!
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