FAQ’s

Konnichiwa!

So thanks to my future roomie, Katiria for the idea, I thought it would be a good idea to write some FAQ’s I get a lot about my journey to Japan. I am leaving August 5, 2014 to head to Nagoya, Japan to teach 2nd grade at Nagoya International School for 1 year…here we go!

Will I be teaching English?

No, it will be all subjects just like a class in the U.S. What makes it different is that since it is an international school, students will be coming from all over the world. That means my classroom will be very diverse :). The curriculum is also different from here in the U.S. where most schools now use the Common Core State Standards. Almost all international schools use IB (International Baccalaureate) which uses the rigor like CCSS but presents the material in a more inquiry based manner. Very exciting concepts and I can’t wait to learn how to use it in the classroom!

How long will I be there for?

One year (August 2014-June 2015), but technically 10 months unless I extend for a bit to travel afterwards.

Am I packed yet?

Nope… I just came back from leading a Birthright trip in Israel, left the following day for Costa Rica for a week with my family and trying to finish packing now. I’m drowning in clothes… help.

Will I live alone/do I know anyone there?

No thankfully I will have a roommate! 🙂 We will be sharing an apartment in Nagoya, Japan (about an hour-ish from Tokyo) Her name is Katiria and she will be working as part time intern/part time teaching. We’ve been talking a lot over the summer and I can’t wait to meet her! I haven’t met anyone in person from the school besides the Headmaster that I interviewed with, Matthew Parr. He is such a warm-hearted person who is very passionate about his education philosophies at NIS (Nagoya International School). Since I know he plays a huge role in hiring staff, I know I will like them just as much as him.

Do I speak Japanese?

Barely any unfortunately 😦 I was doing Rosetta Stone but with all the traveling I’ve been doing I haven’t been able to keep up. I know how to count to 6, say random phrases, and that’s about it. I want to learn as much as I can though!

How will I get around?

I am only about a 10 minute walk to school and 20 minutes from the nearest grocery store. However, Katiria and I thought it would be a good idea to split a car. We bought a 2002 Nissan March in amazing condition from one of the teachers leaving NIS after 5 years. It only has about 40,000 something miles on it! We both got our International Drivers License but we will definitely need to help each other out on learning how to drive on the opposite side of the road… YIKES.

Why did I choose Japan?

Japan was never even on my radar. I knew I didn’t want to teach English abroad but I had never studied abroad in college and thought the idea of going abroad after school was a brilliant idea. No ties/connections and it’s a perfect time to travel and get out there in the world! I went to career services and the woman asked me if I had heard of international schools. Shyly I told her I had not. She told me more about them and I was baffled. I didn’t even know these unbelievable schools existed. I started researching and applying online for about a month. Most of the positions had a laundry list of credentials that I did not have. I was basically throwing my resume, cover letters, and applications out into the wind hoping someone would see me… I really didn’t have much luck.

I started seeing posts about career fairs for international schools and started looking into it. We (thankfully, my parents and I) eventually decided to go through a recruiting agency, Search Associates and I applied to go to their fair in Cambridge Massachusetts. In short, it was a 4 day fair with over 130 schools from all over the world. I had almost 25 interviews, 4 offers, and a big decision to make. Going into this fair if you asked me where I wanted to be, my response was Europe. I had never been and I guess I was stuck in the cliche mindset of traveling Europe like every other post-grad college kid wants to do. I realized soon enough at this fair Europe was a hard stretch. They were the most competitive jobs and they paid the least. I stopped looking at the places and just started to interview based on the position no matter where in the world it was.

On the car ride home I was so upset because I didn’t know how to decide. It came down to following my gut feeling which had been Japan all along or go with an option that had better benefits but was a bigger embassy school. As I usually do, I followed my gut 🙂 something in my heart told me from the beginning I would fit in at NIS, and my education philosophies match theirs exactly.

Will I come home at all? 

Negative. Since I am there for only a year I want to travel as much as possible. My parents will come visit me mid-year in December/January and we are hoping to travel together in Japan and Thailand! My cousin is also visiting me in October and hopefully a friend or too on my break in March. 🙂

Am I nervous?

Of course. I think it would actually be strange if I wasn’t nervous. It’s my first real job after college and my first time being away from home this long. But I’m also SOOOO excited!!! I’ve been thinking about going abroad to teach for about a year and a half now and I knew about Japan since early February!

What’s next? 

Who knows! That’s what makes life exciting right? My family wants me to come home and that this will be my only adventure but only time will tell. A lot of people at NIS seem to extend for another year because they like it so much. Or maybe I’ll end up at an international school in Europe after all… we shall (:

“A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instill a love of learning.”- Brad Henry