Recently, I created a blog post about leaving my previous teaching position in Japan. There were many moving pieces involved to be able to do so. I decided to make this blog to provide some unsolicited advice (but you already knew that I would) that I have found helpful for myself as I navigate life in Japan and eyed my next steps. I didn’t plan on teaching English for a long time. Many people underestimate the power of desk warming. It can be very exhausting for people to sit at their desks thinking there’s nothing to do, but I would like to discuss how you can utilize your desk warming time.
I have talked to a few people who wanted to pursue different fields after finishing their teaching position in Japan or go back home to do so. Many of them want to go into tech and become video game designers, illustrators, IT technicians, and etc. The S.T.E.A.M (Science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics) field was also a field I wanted to continue to pursue, so I can mainly speak on those. These are all amazing things to want to become. However, after asking to share some of their work or if they had some type of portfolio, there was not much to share. I want to enter a disclaimer here that I am not a top shot myself, however I have experience with the tech and art field. Because of that, I know that many of the potential positions you may be applying for will no doubt ask you to see some of your work and ask you about projects you’ve worked on. Personal projects also count, do not underestimate them. It could be a personal blog if you’re looking to work on a job that focuses on writing and creating content, it could be a personal coding project, or it could even be a photography portfolio. The possibilities are endless. All of these things are extremely valuable and can land you a job within the tech field (or other) If you don’t have anything to show, that can cause you to drop out of the candidate pool. It may translate into a lack of passion or desire to learn.
Depending on where you are working in Japan, you are going to have a lot of free time. There is going to be a lot of desk warming time (which is also a phenomena in other places an English teacher) What is desk warming you ask? It’s a time during the JET Programme that may happen more than once when you sit at your desk and have nothing to do besides plan lessons. How many lessons can you really plan in advance? When I began teaching 6th grade, and even for people that teach higher grades, I realized that creating lessons in advance is great but ultimately things may change when you’re working closely with a Japanese Teacher of English (JTE) How much can you decorate the English classroom? Or organize your desk? Maybe you can start a blog instead, wink. How about building a portfolio for development / design if you’re looking to get into the tech field? Taking initiative and starting personal projects will be favored.
If you don’t have anything to show, that can cause you to drop out of the candidate pool.
Besides brushing up your skills, you’ll likely want to begin scouting out certain positions that you want to apply to in the future. It is always a good idea to see what’s available to you from time to time. I felt myself feeling a bit more motivated when I saw the amount of positions posted across job boards. When that time comes to applying to them, you will feel less aimless in your job search.
When I worked ahead to a point that was comfortable for me for the following weeks, I began doing other activities. The good thing about my past school is that everyone allowed me to do my own thing when things were slow. I didn’t feel a lot of pressure, especially since I did my work well. Your school may vary, so push the limit little by little to find out. Don’t whip out a gaming pc or your Switch and start playing games (you’d be insane to do so) Try to do something productive! I wrote out blog posts, studied Japanese, coded, or did other work that I might have had at my desk. I felt good making personal development and you will too! In the beginning, I was annoyed with the desk warming, but I have learned how I could take advantage of it to the best of my ability.
When you’re ready to start applying to your new job, you will be a lot more confident to do so when you’ve either improved your Japanese or technical skills little by little. Let’s start off 2023 strong.
