For Positions of English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers. For Positions of Assistant Language Teachers (ALT) at Junior High Schools and Elementary Schools For Positions for Preschool Teachers
Ota English School (OES) is a medium-size english conversation business based in Ota city, Gunma prefecture. The first school was first established in 1985 with the help of local banks and city hall. Now, OES has expanded to include several branches in neighboring towns as well as various external company classes including Subaru, Sanyo and so on, and has most recently been granted ALT contracts through the Board of Education. We currently have about 12 fulltime ESL teachers, 3 ALT teachers and numerous part-time teachers. We have about 1000 students, the vast majority being Japanese but we are fortunate to have some international students from other ethnic groups as well.
Ota city is a medium sized industrial yet international city two hours north of Tokyo. Ota city has a population of approxinately 220,000 people and a moderate climate with an average temperature of 34 in the summer to -3 in winter. It has a very international feel to it. Oizumi, our neighboring town, has one of the largest Brasilian populations in all of Japan. Ota city itself, has one of the largest Asian communities outside of Tokyo. This means that, the restaurant selection is quite spectacular, including Chinese, French, Italian, Indian, Brasilian, Peruvian, Philipino etc..
Located on the kanto plain, Gunma prefecture and Ota city offer a unique mixture of country and city life. A one hour and a half train journey will take you into the centre of Tokyo. And a short drive away is a shinkansen (bullet train) station, which connects our citizens to beautiful cities, such as Kyoto, Nara, Osaka and Hiroshima. On the other hand, within Gunma are some of the most beautiful mountain ranges in Japan, with some of the best skiing areas, outside Hokkaido. Gunma also has extremely popular sightseeing areas well known for its temples and hot springs. About one hour north of Ota, is Minakami, which is an extremly popular area to experience top grade white water rafting, canyoning, hiking and other outdoor sports.
Overall, Gunma prefecture and Ota city have a little bit of something for everyone. Please come and experience our unique way of life.
We provide all teachers with a furnished apartment, if necessary. The rent and bills, however, are the responsibility of the teacher. The rent is usually between 40,000 and 50,000 yen per month but there is also a 3,000 yen monthly surcharge for part- reimbursement of the initial key money (start-up non refundable fee) paid by the school to the real estate company on the teacher's behalf. Therefore, the rent total is usually between 45-50,000 yen per month, which is still quite low compared to cities such as Tokyo. In Tokyo, apartments are not usually provided and the initial start-up cost for an apartment can equal 200,000 - 300,000yen (roughly $2-3000 and up) which of course is non-refundable.
OES provides the basic furnishings in the apartment, such as a refrigerator, washing machine, air conditioner, cooking range, and a few basic kitchen utensils. Extra things such as TVs, DVD players, microwaves etc are not provided by OES but in many cases can be purchased from the leaving teacher and/or are left in the apartment by previous teachers. OES employs between 12-15 full time teachers and often, senior teachers are a wealth of knowledge for new teachers about how to acquire various things at a cheaper cost.
There are some standard requirements which we must ask of all our teachers.
Teachers of English in Japan are required to have a valid work visa.
Teachers can apply for a working holiday visa from the Japanese Embassy in your respective country. Please contact the closest Japanese Embassy for information about documents and applications.
If you don't have a working holiday visa, OES can sponsor a 1 year working visa for the teacher. This company sponsored visa is valid for as long as the teacher continues working for OES.
According to Japanese law, English schools in Japan may only sponsor visas for those candidates who have a university degree or equivalent from their respective countries. The original degree (not a copy) must be provided in order for the application to be complete. It will, of course, be returned when the application is approved. Once the certificate has been received by OES and the contract for employment is signed, the forms are submitted to the immigration office in Japan. The processing time takes 60-70 days. After the work visa is completed, it will be sent to the prospective teacher's home address before his or her departure for Japan.
Link: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.
Teaching in Japan requires a particular disposition and personality type. You need to be outgoing, conversational, presentable, good with children, adaptive to life in a very different culture, polite and patient. You will be expected to teach students of all ages and levels, from kindergarten to company classes, from beginners to returnees. Knowledge of your own and other countries is essential as you will be asked many questions. Former experience is not required, nor is a TESL or other language teaching qualification, however it is looked upon favorably when choosing the right candidate to work at OES. But of course, we are more than willing to consider and accept people without any teaching qualifications if they fit the other criteria. Knowledge of Japan or Japanese is not required, and students and friends will be more than willing to help you and show you around. However, being able to speak a little Japanese is very advantageous in adapting to life in Japan and will count heavily in your favor.
If you are interested and want to find out more, we can be contacted at the following:
By mail at:
Ota English School
1303 Iida-cho,Ota-shi,Gunma-ken
373-0851 Japan
By e-mail: oes.japan@gmail.com
By phone at: (81)-276-47-0671
By fax at: (81)-276-48-1724
*Japan's country code is "81".
*If you are calling from inside Japan, dial 0276-47-0671.
