Interview
Marc Helgesen
Marc Helgesen is a professor in the Department of Intercultural Studies at Miyagi
Gakuin Women's College, Sendai. He's taught in Japan since 1982 and is an author of
many ELT books including the 'English Firsthand' series, 'Office File', 'Travel File'
(Longman ELT) and the 'Active Listening' series (Cambridge University Press).
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On Japan
ELT: What brought you to Japan?
MH: Like so many people, I didn't plan on teaching EFL, I sort of happened into it. I was teaching
adult education/reading in a prison in the US. I started working with the Hispanics who didn't
speak English. That created the need to go to grad school to find out about ESL. Prison wasn't
some place you want to spend your whole life -- not a totally original observation -- so after
getting my degree I decided a couple years abroad would be good. That was 18 years ago!
At the time, the places that were hiring were Spain (interesting but I had mostly been working
with Hispanics so I wanted something different), Saudi Arabia (didn't strike me as a place I'd
want to spend a lot of time) and Japan. So I sort of ended up here by default. But that was 1982
and I've been here ever since so obviously I love it.
What advice would you give to prospective teachers thinking of teaching in Japan?
Go for it. You won't know until you try. Of course, if people are hired from abroad, they don't
know much about school they're getting into, but if you happen to be at one you don't like, it
is a lot easier to find a better job once you're here. I would also say to teachers who
have done a TESL degree to expect a lot of what you learned in school to have very little
connection with reality, especially if you were trained for ESL rather than EFL. Expect to
learn as you go.
How does working in the Japanese university system compare with those of other countries
you have worked in?
I really can't compare as I didn't work in university in the States. I would like to say, however,
that there seems to be an impression that all gaijin get screwed in Japanese universities. It just
isn't true. At my school, back when there was talk of getting rid of the long-term foreigners, we
organized. We consulted a good labor lawyer (never had to do any legal action -- just got advice)
and negotiated with the school. Now we have five foreigners with tenure. I'd suggest that teachers
in schools where there are problems shouldn't just scream and shout, they should organize.
On Japanese Students
It is generally acknowledged that the level of English proficiency among Japanese -- despite
the amount of money spent on EFL in the country – is below average compared to other
countries. What are your views on this?
This is really complex. Most people blame the usual suspects: exam system, an unwillingness to risk,
funky Mombusho books, untrained foreign teachers, etc. However, those same things are true in a lot
of other countries like Korea and Taiwan where the level of English is significantly higher. I think
a few things come into play:
In terms of learning English, the Japanese economy developed too fast for its own good. From the 1970s
onwards there was a huge influx of gaijin. So, in university, we had sort of a ghettoization of oral
English. It was assumed that NESTs (Native English Speaking Teachers) did speaking/listening classes
and Non-NESTs did all the other classes in Japanese. This not only robs the students of a lot of input
and good models of English, it creates the feeling that most Japanese really can't learn to speak
English -- which is absurd.
What about the economy? In the rest of Asia, there is a very strong incentive to learn English. It
really is a key to a better job. The TOEIC is almost a religion in some places. In Japan, unless you
are targeting a foreign company, having good English isn't that important. Indeed, someone with good
English in a company might well get pegged as "the translator" and move out of any kind of
upward, responsible track.
How do you compare Japanese students with those of other nationalities you have taught?
One of the real strengths they have is a really solid background of vocabulary and grammar. So I
think we need to start by 'activating' what they have. If we treat learners as true beginners, we
are wasting all they have accomplished. That's why the traditional P-P-P syllabus (Presentation,
Practice, Production) is inappropriate. In addition to it being linear and not reflecting how SLA
(Second Language Acquisition) actually works.
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