Amity Teachers

I think one of the obstacles that I had to overcome was learning how to teach students in a group lesson in which the students had different learning levels. If there’s a student that has been at Amity for two or three years in the same class as a student who just started learning at Amity, it’s very challenging to teach them in a group and meet the needs of each student. Learning how to modify the lesson to not only have that class flow smoothly but also have each student learn at the same time was very challenging. Now I’ve learned how to create lessons plans for these types of classes and have fun at that same time. It has become not only fun for the students but fun for me as well.

When asked about Amity by a potential applicant, I always like to stress how well Amity understands teaching children. Amity has a unique teaching style that acknowledges kids’ drive to have fun, while also providing a challenging atmosphere to help them learn in an enjoyable but constructive way. What this means as a teacher is, that not only do I get to see my students succeed at learning English, but it also makes my job a lot of fun as well. Unlike other English teaching programs in Japan, Amity teachers have a very close relationship with our students. Instead of being just a teacher’s assistant, primarily used for pronunciation, we are the only teacher in the classroom and get to reap all the benefits (and difficulties) of teaching. Like any teaching job, Amity requires a lot of work, but the payout is immense. Still Amity understands the challenges and does a great job at making sure that the teachers have all the resources, training, and support to make sure Amity continues to be one of the top English schools for children in Japan.

My obstacles were never directly with Amity – it was with my own perceptions on business culture. Coming from the west, we often see many things as “common sense”; however, I quickly realized that Japanese “common sense” is on occasion very different from Western “common sense”. I try to work on this by being as culturally sensitive as possible and asking a lot of questions. If there is something that gets occasionally lost in translation, I have found a good sense of humor will remedy almost any situation.

Expect it to be a lot of work. Working for Amity is not a vacation job and shouldn’t be treated as such. It is a strong company with many expectations of its teachers. Going in with that mindset, you can always have fun at work, but it is still work. The workplace will always be as fun or strained as you make it, and with a proper mindset and attitude, it will be a great place to work.

Since moving to Japan and working for Amity, I can now see how established Amity is at providing great English lessons for their students. The students are eager to learn English and have fun doing so in a friendly environment. Their eagerness makes my role as a teacher equally as fun, as well as rewarding, especially when I can see the results. My decision to work for Amity was based on the fact that you teach and work with a variety of students of all ages – from babies to adults. Teaching this diverse age range always makes my days at Amity varied and exciting. It’s never boring!