Why do Americans come to Japan to “teach” English?
I agree that many people do come to Japan to teach English without having discipline in teaching- something that is ridiculous. Some background really ought to be necessary. As for not speaking Japanese, well, I think it greatly reduces opportunities and will create difficulties, but assuming the person is teaching a high enough level, it is not necessary for them to know Japanese (just as it isn’t necessary for ESL teachers in the U.S. to know the languages of the advanced students they teach). As for respect from the Japanese public, well, that doesn’t seem to be a problem with the Americans so much as with the Japanese. From what I know (and I don’t claim to know much), it is rather easy to make money in Japan; it’s much harder to make long-term money, given how foreign teachers are often bounced away and not given long-term contracts. You might remember that the JET Program is also somewhat responsible for sending over non-Japanese-speaking, non-teachers to teach English; the Japan
