Ardle Blog is the comedic rantings of Hiroshima-based Englishman Andy Lightfoot: musician, layabout, former podcaster, photographer, couch philosopher and all-round old git. It is the blogging arm of the most fabulous ardle.net website, which you should be visiting as often as possible.
Andy,
I recently stumbled upon your A-Bomb City podcast while trying to learn more about the shakuhachi, and I discovered “Episode 38.” I’ve been hooked to the show since and I’m slowly working my way up your list of 50 episodes. Thanks for the hilarious and intelligent entertainment!
I just graduated from university in the U.S. as a music major and, being drawn to new sounds and to Japanese culture, I would love to travel to Japan to learn more about the traditional instruments. I was wondering if you could explain more specifically how you ended up in Japan? I know you teach English there but did you first need to get a degree in English? Did you know much about the Japanese language before you made the move? Can you recommend any programs that allow for people to travel to Japan to teach English?
Thank you for the help. Great job on the show!
By: Austn on August 6, 2008
at 1:44 pm
Hi, thanks for the nice comments about the podcast – it’s good to know that folks are still finding it and getting something out of it.
How did I end up in Japan? Well, I’d got a TEFL teaching certificate (this is a British qualification for teaching English to foreigners) and was intent on furthering my travels in the world by teaching English. I was living in Germany and tried English teaching there, but it wasn’t financially viable.
Someone told me that it was easy to get work in Japan, and as I’d never been to Asia, this sounded like a good idea. I found a job advertisement in the UK newspaper The Guardian for a teaching job at a conversation school in Hiroshima, applied, and got it. Place turned out to be a nightmare, but it was a foot in the door. Been here ever since!
To work as a teacher in Japan you need a bachelor’s degree (BA or BSc). The subject doesn’t matter – anything will do! The TEFL certificate I mentioned above is useful, but not a requisite.
I came to Japan at very short notice (ah, the folly of youth!) so I had absolutely no knowledge of the Japanese language before going. I still don’t have much!
There’s one very good programme the Japanese government runs to recruit young people to act as English-teaching assistants in high schools. It’s called the JET programme, and I believe it’s open to citizens of the USA, Canada, UK, Australia and New Zealand. It’s good pay, but you may end up in some rural backwater, which is not to everyone’s taste. Anyway, it’s a good way to get into the country.
Hope this is of some help!
Cheers,
Andy.
By: The Central Scrutinizer on August 6, 2008
at 6:58 pm
Hi,
This is the “Dave” side of the show responding.
Thanks for the feedback! Glad you’re enjoying the show! I have no idea how we managed to put together fifty of them!
I had no knowledge of the Japanese language before I got a job here. With a university degree under your belt you can get a teaching qualification quite easily; I don’t think having a degree in music will hinder you.
You don’t need to know any Japanese to survive in Japan for years on end – look at Andy! (Turn the lights off first.)
Good luck, and best wishes,
David H
By: David Hurley on August 15, 2008
at 1:56 am
Oh, aye, someone’s let the riff-raff in…
By: The Central Scrutinizer on August 15, 2008
at 2:14 am