Chapter 4: Getting the English Teacher job

Remembering how an interview went almost two decades ago is a challenge. I'm 40 now, and I'm pretty sure I've had over a hundred interviews in my entire career, not just as an English teacher, obviously. I've been a massage therapist, junior at a hair salon (one of my first jobs), wine and beer waitress, and all sorts. 

When I think about the application process and interview I had for the job as an ALT (assistant language teacher), my memories are fragmented and packaged in bits and bobs. For me, these moments are cut up into segments like a film reel, but I can just about make out the gist.

I'm going to call the school the Compass Schools, but that's not its real name. To conceal their identity, save face for many ALTs, who are my former workmates and friends, and avoid a public scandal, it's best I don't say the actual company's name. But what I can share is that the company recruits teachers from all over the world.

You can bet your bottom dollar that you probably know which one I'm talking about if you've ever researched English teaching companies or 'eikaiwas' in Japan. But, if I had to be honest with you about its reputation, the company wasn't always the best. 

When I applied for the role, I literally got my paper-form certificate from SOAS to verify that I was actually a person with knowledge of Japanese. It doesn't mean I was an expert, but one of my senseis (teachers) thought I deserved their signature of approval to go out into the world and speak to Japanese strangers.

I knew it was my only ticket to get a visa and stay in Japan for as long as possible. I didn't think about the future, my career, where I saw myself in 5 years' time. I had many friends at uni who were aspiring to work at KPMG and Accenture or wanted to become visual artists. On the other hand, I wanted to leave life in London for Japan. The land of the rising sun. The place that has sushi, a beautiful language, an intriguing mindset and philosophy. These were all the ideals I was in awe of or at least worshipped a bit too much. 

Nothing could change my mind. I was set to leave for Japan, and no one could stop me. And I was probably the first student after graduating from the language course to fly to Japan. Interesting, right? I had the worst marks throughout the year, yet I somehow had it wrapped in my head that I had so much more to prove.  

I didn't waste my time. It took roughly around two weeks, from me applying to getting an offer. I got an email response saying they wanted me to attend a face-to-face interview. The main criteria was a university degree, that wasn't the language course, but an actual undergraduate degree in any subject. Besides that, I didn't have any formal teaching training. I'd never taught anyone. I've never been a teacher. I've never been a tutor. I've never been a mentor!  I was so young at the time. I was still trying to figure myself out. I was trying to figure out my life. I was trying to figure out who I was. I didn't know what I was doing, but I was being reactive to the time. Go to Japan and become an English teacher. There was no other option for me. 

I briefly asked my classmate about his time at a competitor eikawa (English language school in Japan). 

Me: Do you need to have any experience to apply for the job?'

Classmate: (Laughing) Nah, are you kidding? It's so easy. It's better if you don't know any Japanese, so you can be more focused on teaching them all the English without knowing all the bad things they might be saying about you.

This didn't bother me so much. The idea of kids calling me names or calling me a bad teacher didn't worry me. He was right. If I didn't know Japanese I might be better off. The problem was I knew quite a lot of Japanese adjectives, so it would be a case of biting my tongue if one of the kids called me something bad.

He'd say, 'Just smile, and have fun teaching. These are kids, after all; they don't need to do an exam at the end of the year. They  need to do it as part of their curriculum, so be sure to make it as entertaining and memorable and you'll be fine.' This was great advice.

So, all I needed to focus on was:

1. Find my undergraduate degree certificate from 2006

2. Be able to prove that I can actually speak English fluently

3. Don't be afraid of speaking in front of a lot of kids in a classroom.

Sorted!

The idea of actually presenting, or being in front of a classroom didn't scare me either. I didn't realize how important public speaking was as a skill for professional careers, which I would later find very useful for any sales job. I pretty much captured and nailed it when I was an English teacher in Japan. It became fruitful later on in my professional and personal career.

I was suited and booted. I borrowed clothes from my mum . A blazer, some tight professional black trousers, flat shoes for the office and a white buttoned shirt. I washed my hair and didn't pile on the makeup. I was rushing as I always had a problem with being punctual as a uni student. This would become a problem later when I arrived in Japan. Punctuality is king in Japanese culture and I had to conform. I got the kick I deserved from my English teaching job, but I digress. I'll explain more later.

The interview was in London, in an office somewhere on Tottenham Court Road. I was tasked with actually doing a presentation and pretending that I was teaching three or four-year-old kids. I could teach anything as basic as animals, the alphabet, or numbers. I actually did some homework. I managed to make some cards that had the numbers on them, and I performed in front of a camera that was recording me. The person interviewing me was also an AET but a British guy. He let me have the room to myself after he had asked me a few questions. 

He asked me a couple of questions about why I wanted to go to Japan. I was personable and passionate when I responded. Most of the time, you're meant to prepare for an interview, but I came in with no idea what questions they would ask me. I was armed with my enthusiasm for a job in Japan. That was all I needed. He sensed my commitment. It made sense to them that I'd want to go to Japan to practice all the Japanese I had just spent learning after a year at SOAS. That was clearly enough for them to come back with feedback and offer me the job.

I guess the video recording was for the people at Compass schools in Japan. They probably wanted to see my level of experience,  confidence, and enthusiasm for teaching Japanese children. Something you should know about me is that I'm not afraid. I get this confidence and friendliness from my mum. She's very kind, generous and sociable. I get that love from my mum. I'm not scared to talk to strangers. I'm a very extroverted kind of person. I'm not afraid to be loud. Unfortunately, I can be too sociable sometimes, but in this instance, it was to my advantage to get the job offer. 

I really had the characteristics needed to be bold and out there. I wasn't ashamed of making a jerk of myself or clowning around. So I did it. It lasted for no more than one minute with me singing, 'A, B, C, D, E, F, G…' I might have danced a little, at one point. I love karaoke so much, so it was incredibly satisfying. 

When they called me to give me the glowing news, I was literally in my pajamas, half asleep. It was a very strange time. I remember the first time they called me was on a Friday, around eight in the morning. 

Compass Schools representative: Is it Mary?

Mary: Yes, I'm here. It's like early over here.

CSR: I'm sorry. It's Compass Schools. We are calling you from Japan, and it is 18:00. Sorry again.

We are just calling to let you know that we want to offer you a position in the Chiba prefecture.

(A Japanese prefecture is like a county or borough.)

We have schools in Chiba that are in desperate need of English teachers. 

Mary: I'm happy to hear the news, but I'm only interested in Tokyo or Yokohama. 

CSR: Unfortunately, we don't have any offerings in Yokohama or Tokyo right now.

I vouched for Yokohama (hard) because it's Japan's second-largest city and is only 20 minutes away from Tokyo if you take the fast train. I mean, who doesn't want to be in Tokyo? I was fascinated with the city, especially after the unforgettable experience I had after visiting my ex-boyfriend. 

I continued to be adamant. I did not want to be in Chiba, which is more than an hour away from Tokyo. I just wanted to be closer to the magical city of blended culture: tradition vs. cyberpunk. I was young and energetic. I could handle city life. I didn't want to waste my time commuting and traveling just to be in a place that I wanted to be in. And so I waited. 

After three months they gave me a call I wanted to hear. Again, calling me while it was a cold morning in England and the sun had barely come out of the clouds.

CSR: Mary, we have some news! 

Mary:  What's that? 

CSR: We have schools in Yokohama!

It was actually in Yokosuka, which is kind of within the area of Yokohama and known to have US military bases. (I didn't know at the time why that would be important later on.) I didn't mind so much because it was basically within the same area of Yokohama. It was absolutely fine for me. I was able to get to Tokyo in less than 40 minutes, so I didn't complain.

I got the contract through the post saying I would start in Yokohama. It wasn't a complicated process. I was offered around £19,000 (GBP) a year, which, to be fair, at the time, was amazing and sufficient for Tokyo living. 

In London, I lived with my mom. I didn't have to worry about rent, but it was much more affordable in Japan. For me, having at least £1000 (GDP) every month was okay. I somehow made it work. In 2007, it was $2 to one pound. Japan was one of the frontiers of the Asian economies. There was no recession. Japan was doing incredibly well in terms of growth, domestic product, profits, retail shopping, and tech businesses.

I remember being able to go out a lot, and I didn't have to worry so much about running out of money. I would go out almost every single day, and I was able to afford to pay for all my travel expenses, my fashion shopping, eating out, and all the extracurricular activities I did on the weekend. 

I never found myself in a situation where I was running out of money, and Compass Schools always paid me on time as well. They even helped me set up a bank account, and I had health insurance, which was really important for foreigners wanting to work in Japan,

I literally just had a certificate that said that I had a contract, and then I had to give my passport to the Embassy of Japan to get my visa approved. As soon as I got my passport approved, pretty much a couple of days after that, I booked my flight to Japan. I also started researching accommodation in Yokosuka. 

I was gone around mid-May because I remember starting the job a week after I arrived. I had already accumulated so many assistant English teacher friends, and 20 people came to my birthday, which was when I turned 24.

Time flies when you are just focused on a mission, when you spend so much time focusing on working hard, on practicing one thing. In my case, it was perfecting my Japanese. Next thing you know, I didn't have to wait very long for me to get that 'OK' to say, 'You can come to Japan now!'

I have no regrets to this day. I have no regrets that I went to Japan by myself, leaving my friends and family for a life-changing experience that I would treasure for a lifetime.

Please note: Names and places have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals and organisations