Levels of Fluency

[AlfredAndy]

Hi everybody,

I have been looking into a few job offers to see what English teacher requirements are. A lot of times a certain level of fluency is requested for a job. I was wondering how you would define conversational fluency. Is there a standardized test I could take, or would it be mainly judged through interviews?

Thanks,

Andy

[untmdsprt]

Are you referring to English fluency or Japanese fluency?

Teaching English in Japan basically requires you to have a BS or 4 year university degree, any field, native English speaker in most cases, and basic to none Japanese ability. Having a teaching certificate may be requested in some cases.

As far as having a Japanese ability, most places WON'T help you find a place to live so you'll have to do everything on your own. Also if you want to teach small children, the teachers will rarely speak English and leave everything up to you. You will have to be able to speak Japanese to these people.

[AlfredAndy]

Hi, untmdsprt

In this case I'm referring to a level of fluency in Japanese language. A lot of the jobs I see only require a basic level of Japanese fluency, native english speaker, and a 4 year degree (TESOL certification preferred). Some of the higher salary jobs require a conversational level of fluency in Japanese. I am a native speaker, have the 4 year degree, a TESOL certification, and some experience tutoring ESL at a college level. The only thing I'm not sure about is what most Japanese companies would consider a conversational level. On basic subjects I can easily express my opinions and ideas in Japanese, but sometimes with more complicated topics I slow down and need to look up some of the vocabulary.

I guess a better question would be... Has anybody applied for a job with a conversational fluency requirement, and how were you assessed for the reqiurement?

Thanks,

Andy

[untmdsprt]

Most of the non-teaching jobs require an N2 level. English teaching jobs are looked at as you're the native speaker and heaven forbid you can actually communicate in Japanese.

I suggest taking the JLPT at the level you're comfortable with to put something else on your resume. Regardless of the job, you'll need Japanese for your daily life. I've found the more important matters like doctors, immigration office, etc. really could care less about English and expect you to speak Japanese to them.