Preparation for Teaching in Japan

Konbanwa everyone!

This year I’ll be applying to teach in English in Japan and I’ve been trying to do as much as I can to enhance my application. I’m currently learning Japanese, working as well as doing a Degree and volunteering on the side. I wanted to get some teaching experience as this would be great to have on my CV and would hopefully go in my favour when I apply.

I came across Beanstalk, a national charity that recruits volunteers to help children who are struggling with their reading and applied straight away. I absolutely adore reading. I always have and I’m sure I always will. I was lucky that I had a very supportive family during school who helped me, and my parents are avid readers too so there were always hundreds of books in the house. I’ve never had the experience of struggling with reading because English was always my strongest subject but I hate thinking how frustrated the children who are falling behind would feel. Language and reading is such an important part of our lives, and after working in a bookshop and hearing so many children use that horrendous phrase ‘I don’t like reading’, I’d love to build up their confidence and show them that reading is really enjoyable!

I’d never been to Newton Aycliffe before, which was where my training was held, but the journey there was lovely. It was horribly painful getting up super duper early but I really enjoy early morning train journeys, especially going past a field of sheep, which always brightens up my morning. I live in a really grey, building-heavy town which I can’t stand, so it’s always a complete breath of fresh air (literally) to me to go somewhere more rural.

I finished my training today and will be assigned my school soon so I can actually start! I’m quite nervous as I teach the same three children for a year but this should give me a chance to get to know them well and hopefully make a real difference to them. I was so pleased when I was given my little certificate and badge it was ridiculous, but I’m already so excited to start.

I’m hoping that it’ll also give me a lot of valuable experience for teaching in Japan, so I can communicate properly and be able to help people whose first language isn’t English.

Anyway, that’s enough of my rambling.
Wish me luck for my first day!
♥