What’s it like to teach English in Japan? An Interview with Laura Escher (FSU 2023)

Laura Escher, a 2023 FSU alumna, spent the last year teaching English in Japan with the JET Program. As an International Affairs major with a concentration in Economics and minor in French language, Escher took several history courses to round out her knowledge on Japan. She took classes with Dr. Annika Culver and Dr. Huaqing Shi.

Escher became interested in Japan at around sixteen years old in high school. She was drawn to the country through pop culture elements like manga, anime, art, and movies. Escher began to ask herself: What is Japan as a country like? What is its culture like? This set her on a course to explore all things Japanese. At FSU, she took Japanese language and history courses. She also researched how to work in Japan after her undergraduate degree and decided that the JET Program was her best bet. She applied in November 2022 and started teaching at Koyo High School in Okinawa in October 2023.

While most of JET’s participants join the program in August, Escher was part of the second cohort travelling to Japan in October. “There were thirty of us at the Orientation meeting in Tokyo. But I was the only one going to Okinawa.”

How easy was it to settle in?

The first couple of months were hard, but then it became better. I came out of a structured collegiate environment with organizations to join and activities to do all the time. In Okinawa, I discovered that I had more time on my hands. It took me a while to figure out what to do during the first few months. Jet lag did not help either!

The high school I am working at has two other Assistant Language Teachers, Natsuki who teaches Chinese, and Josh from Britain who teaches English with me. I did not have a car for the first month here, and Okinawa is a very car-based island. Once I bought a car, I started making more connections. I play tennis twice weekly with local Okinawans near downtown Naha and some of the other language teachers. I hang out with them a lot!

Initially, I had to handle a lot of bureaucracy when I started living and working in Japan. The school I am at is accustomed to having ALTs as staff members. The past ALTs put together an orientation Google document with information about the school, the town, the island, and Japan as a whole. That helped me enormously to understand how things worked.

What does your job look like?

My main task is to give the students exposure to a native speaker, and the lessons are usually taught in English. I facilitate conversations in English and correct grammar regularly. I provide the American side of learning English, while Josh brings the British side to the table. When it comes to my other roles in the classroom, it depends on the head teacher you are team-teaching with.

Usually, we assist the main teachers with the lessons that they have planned. However, we are occasionally asked to plan and lead a class ourselves on a specific topic. There are also moments when we get to suggest projects and that is always fun! I have been able to host a Pen Pal Project with Dr. Culver and her class on Japanese history. The American and Japanese students across both classes wrote to each other. They each got a glimpse into life of their assigned partner, specifically about life in an American university and at an Okinawan high school. I’m currently working on a Music Preferences and English Learning Survey to give students across all three grade levels. I am also creating a Directions Relay Race Game for the first-year students to practice their directions vocabulary.

Did you have any background in teaching before you went to Japan? 

Only in as far as I had been a Freshmen Interest Group leader at FSU. For that, I had to make lesson plans, schedule how much time a specific activity might need, and learn how to arrange for speakers to come to my class. I did not study education in my undergraduate degree. This is my first experience with teaching in a more formal sense of the word.

What are your students like?

The students at my high school are kind, funny, and engaged. The school is very focused on academics and most of the students expect to go on to university. They are interested in and excited about learning English. The school day is a long one. Early morning classes start at 7:30am. With clubs and after-school activities, students might still be here until 7pm. The school year starts in April and ends in mid-March. School is closed for a couple of weeks between the academic years. There is a four-week holiday in August and a couple of weeks in December. That’s it. There are more school days here per year than in America.

What has surprised you the most about your stay so far? 

The most surprising thing for me was that Okinawan culture is quite different from mainland culture. I had done some research on the history of this island before it became part of Japan. I was also aware of the ongoing American military presence. Okinawans are more laid back than other Japanese. For example, they created a local variant on aloha shirts called “Kariyushi Wear,” which means ‘harmony.’ These shirts can be worn to work and are considered formal wear. That’s very different to the dress culture on the Japanese mainland. For example, the ALTs in Tokyo have to wear business suits to work.

This more laid-back attitude is visible in other areas too, like etiquette and social hierarchies. People are very friendly here, willing to talk to you, and life is lived a bit slower. People are moving to Okinawa from the mainland because they want to live a more stress-free life.

What advice would you give to people who are thinking about teaching English in Japan?

Plan early. Be sure you want to do it. You should know the ‘why and what.’ You need to understand why you want to go, what will it add to your life, and what you will bring to the program.

Then, start studying the language. Technically, on the application form it says you don’t need any Japanese language experience, but knowing just a little bit will help in day-to-day interactions. When buying something in a grocery store, it helps if you know how to ask for a bag or if you can pay in cash or card!

You don’t have to start planning at sixteen years old like I did, but you need to put things in place step by step. I thought about what I could learn before I went to college, and I started after-school Japanese language lessons in my junior year in high school. Then, I took Japanese classes at FSU and talked to my teachers about my plan. I also did the Global Citizenship Certificate at FSU and that really helped me be more open to other cultures. I often went to the Global Café and International Coffee Hour events on Fridays to meet people from other countries. I also worked with the Office of National Fellowships on campus on my application materials and their feedback was very helpful.

Lastly, I would warn against believing that Japan is exactly like how it is pictured in anime or movies. With the JET Program, it is very likely that you will be placed in the inaka, or countryside—the majority of ALTs are not placed in big cities like Tokyo or Osaka. It is important to realize that being an ALT with the JET Program is a real job and not a vacation or study abroad experience.

What’s coming up next?

I am planning on going to graduate school. I want to study Applied Economics. I am hoping that eventually I can find a job that allows me to combine my interest in economics with my passion for music. I am a musician too. I love arts, culture, and foreign languages. Most of all, I love getting to know people from different backgrounds. If I can combine all of that with Applied Economics – that would be my dream job!

Final thoughts?

I think that JET is a great way to come to Japan. It is also a positive first job experience. It provides healthy exposure to working in a structured environment. When there is downtime, you get to explore your environment, study Japanese, or you can even take courses of your own to further your education. The JET Program also offers professional development opportunities such as providing a grant to earn your Teaching English as a Foreign Language certificate.

No two JET experiences are the same. The mantra of JET Program participants is “ESID,” or “Every Situation is Different.” Every school, teacher, and student are different. Flexibility and a willingness to learn are absolutely essential to surviving in the JET Program. You can be more of the teacher or more of an assistant depending on how much responsibility the school gives you. I know some ALTs at other schools who must conduct classes themselves and create all of their own original material. Depending on the work environment you are placed in, your experience can vary widely.

If you have been selected, make sure you go out and explore the area where you are staying. Try new things. Eat new food. Talk to people. Take up a new hobby. Even if your knowledge of Japanese isn’t great, you have to go out and push past any fears you might have. This is a year of your life – you should live it.