Thomas, Japan
My name is Thomas Entwistle, an EFL teacher in Nagoya, Japan. My EFL journey started in 2010 when I completed my TESOL course in Golders Green, London. At that time, my intention was to do the course and then rekindle my post-university backpacking adventures, only this time armed with an accredited teaching certificate. However, towards the end of the CERT TESOL the assistant director of the centre approached me to ask if I’d like to pick up some classes.
Cutting my ESL teeth at a busy language school in North London, with learners from every corner of the world and with experienced and supportive colleagues, gave me a fantastic grounding in the profession. The idea to travel and teach never went away, but the notion of making a career in EFL became stronger. Around 2012, the British Government decided to make it extremely difficult for learners from outside the EU to obtain visas. As a result, I lost lots of classes, so I again started looking abroad for my next step.
After applying to various language schools in various contexts, I was offered a place at one of the major language school chains in Japan. Japan is obviously a very different place to London, but the biggest change was the teaching. I went from teaching multilingual groups of mostly 20-somethings to a mix of monolingual business classes and Young Learners. It was a real baptism of fire but my experience from London proved invaluable.
Most ESL teachers in Japan do not hold a CELTA or TESOL but, as I did, this meant I could pick up part-time jobs with the British Council. After delivering a few evening TBL and IELTS courses with the British Council I was encouraged by my line manager to apply for a position in a new collaborative project between the British Council and a local private university.
So, in 2017 I changed once again. The biggest challenge in this context is helping Japanese learners transition from high school to university and help them to become more autonomous learners. Since 2017, I have completed my Cambridge DELTA and MA in TESOL, however, the ESL industry looks to have a rocky future in Japan due to societal pressures like the falling birth rate.
So my advice for readers starting their EFL / ESL journey is to be flexible, acquire varied experience and continue to develop professionally – as you never know what may be next.
