Is English Teaching in Japan a ‘McJob’?

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Today I saw an interesting article which argues the case of teaching in Japan as the ‘McJob of Asia’. The Merriam-Webster dictionary of course famously added the term ‘McJob‘ to its pages, which it defined as ‘a low-paying job that requires little skill and provides little opportunity for advancement’.

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Created by guyjin 42 weeks 6 days ago – Made popular 42 weeks 6 days ago
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Mr GT Chris said:

Right about the little opportunity for advancement, and the low pay. Wrong about requiring little skill. Of course, the point is that you will get hired regardless of your skill. However, there is a big difference in the quality of the teaching by a skilled and an unskilled teacher.

Anyway, even if you just "step off the boat", with a little support from your company and a bit of effort on your part, it's possible to continually raise the quality of your teaching. Of course, many teachers don't do this. Also, it can be difficult for outsiders (such as company management), and even students, to discern the difference in quality of teachers.

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42 weeks 6 days 8 hours 3 min ago.

guyjin said:

I don't disagree with you Chris. My point wasn't that teachers are all unskilled, or that they shouldn't aim to be better (and do). It was that this is often (usually?) not a requirement as far as the industry is concerned. There is certainly a huge difference in the effect of a quality teacher as opposed to a poor one.

In fact, that help makes the point about the McJob here. The fact that unskilled teachers are allowed to continue (and are even courted actively because they are cheaper) makes many teaching jobs McJobs.

42 weeks 6 days 3 hours 3 min ago.