Which is best english teaching program?

[Glenski]

I am currently very interested in teaching English in Japan, but I am very scared that if I go, I will possibly regret it and go back home.

Why?

I do not wish to teach in Canada, only Japan, so if that were the case, I would only have a BA which won't get me a job anymore. What did you guys do to avoid this?

Avoid what? Any bachelor's degree is sufficient to get a work visa here. Any major.

I am interested in teaching in one of the "conversation" schools like NOVA, AEON, etc. Is it possible to pursue a career with them, and if not why?

Avoid NOVA at the moment. They are in serious legal and financial straits. As for the other places, it is unlikely that you can make a career at any one place like that. In many cases, promotion is dismal if not rare. In other cases, you can make some money with a promotion, but it is essentially considered a dead end occupation as far as a career move goes. It's one of the few ways to get your foot in the door, so use it, learn, and move up and onward.

Also, I am only a senior in High School, so do you think NOVA, AEON and the other competitors will still be around in another 5 years once I graduate?

NOVA is iffy at the moment, but many of the others will still be around. You should really be looking at the JET Programme instead. More money, paid airfare, better working hours, etc. Again, this is not a lifetime career (5 years max), so have plans to do something later.

Finally, is the income that you receive in a program like NOVA enough to adequately live there, possibly for many years?

Of course it is "adequate" enough. They wouldn't pay you less than it costs to live here. But you also have to consider a few things:
1) If you spend money wildly, you won't be able to save. Same back home, though, isn't it? However, living in an alluring, exotic land often clouds people's judgment until it's too late.

2) Living in a bigger city will have the likelihood of burning a hole in your account faster than in the smaller towns. Depends on what you do, of course (like travel from small town to the big city often for fun).

3) Depends on what sort of living arrangement you have. Plenty of ways to save money here, but it takes a while to find them out. Do a search for the "cheapskates" thread I started on the ESL Cafe discussion forum to see some of them.

4) If you end up getting married and having kids, that'll certainly burn a hole in your pocketbook!

 

[Mike Cash]

Wishing to make a long-term career out of teaching at one of the conversation mills is akin to wishing to make a long-term career out of working the deep fry at McDonalds.

 

[Mars Man]

Wishing to make a long-term career out of teaching at one of the conversation mills is akin to wishing to make a long-term career out of working the deep fry at McDonalds.

Which is why I man the salad station at Royal Host ! It's a little higher up on the fast-food scale, has a bit better pay--in some ways--and though I still deal with oil, it's more edible, cooler, and 'mode' than the frying pit !!

 

[Mike Cash]

Which is why I man the salad station at Royal Host ! It's a little higher up on the fast-food scale, has a bit better pay--in some ways--and though I still deal with oil, it's more edible, cooler, and 'mode' than the frying pit !!

Not to mention fewer pimples resulting from having a fine patina of grease on your face all day.

 

[yakiniku]

I hear that the JET program is really good. It's sponsered by the Japanese government as an effort to bridge the cultural divide between the US and Japan.... Unfortunately it's also very competitive. They turned me down for an interview this past January

On the contrary, I've heard many bad things about AEON... namely, how they treat their employees and clients.

I don't really know anything else about the other schools.

 

[Glenski]

Why dredge up a 6-year-old post?

 

[Mike Cash]

Were you five years late for your interview like you are for this thread?