A Day in the Life

Tom Anderson

University Teacher

January 2005

Q. First of all, can you give us a brief description of your main area of employment and how you got into this field?
In my nearly twenty years in Japan, I've taught in almost every English teaching situation that exists, from small group lessons with children who are still babes in arms to a group of grannies that took me under their wing. I worked for an eikaiwa school in Kochi for a year in the early eighties and have taught in the Kanto area since 1985.

About ten years ago, after talking to various friends and acquaintances who were teaching university classes, I decided to make the switch myself. I had noted that Senmon Gakko enrollments were declining, and so I began looking for university work after accepting a "golden parachute" from the large senmon gakko where I worked in Tokyo. I had already completed my M. Ed in TESOL at Temple University Japan.

I liked the concept of freedom in curriculum design, textbook choice, etc which most of the part-time university teachers I talked to enjoyed. Through interviews at a JALT conference in Matsuyama and recommendations by a friend who was the president of the Tokyo JALT chapter, I was able to get part-time work at a number of universities. Ten years later I can say that I'm glad I made the switch.

Q. What kind of people do you work with?
I'd say that, for the most part, I work with friendly folk who are eager to make improvements to their classes and teaching and who are very supportive. Certainly at Tokai University the community of teachers is one of the reasons I've stayed on. I've given them some good ideas and in return gained some myself.

Q. What would you say are the main requirements to succeed in this field?
I think that patience and flexibility are absolutely essential to success in teaching university students. It isn't easy to balance being firm and being fair but it's very important. The ability to encourage students and to also scaffold activities (to give them a procedural structure) is also important. My students have told me recently that I make an effort to find out what they're thinking which I also believe is important.

Q. Describe a typical working day.

• 6:00 a.m. Get up, get dressed, walk dog
• 6:30 a.m. Breakfast
• 6:50 a.m. Leave house, catch train
• 8:40 a.m. Arrive at university. Sign in, drink coffee, chat with colleagues, get tape recorder, head to class
• 9:20 a.m. Speaking class-warmup activity, communication lines, other activities
• 10:50 a.m. End of period. Head over to main building
• 11:00 a.m. Spare period and lunch. Chat with colleagues, grade papers, check prep work for afternoon classes, get tape recorder, etc.
• 1:25 p.m. Begin Speaking class
• 2:55 p.m. Finish Speaking class, head back to teachers' room
• 3:20-4:40 p.m. Teach Writing class
• 6:30 p.m. Arrive home and take dog for evening walk.

Q. Do you see yourself staying in this field or perhaps making a move in the future?
I have no doubt that I will remain in this field. I am content and enjoy what I do very much.

The object of this interview series is to capture a typical day in the life of people working in various English teaching-related fields. This includes teachers of students at all levels, school owners, publishers and so on. It is hoped that this will give interesting and useful insight into the various aspects of ELT for those who may be thinking of getting into teaching or making a career move.

If you think others would be interested in your job situation, please .

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