Hearts Content, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
What I Did / What I Do
Full-time
RACHEL FLETCHER
“I am big on not having regrets.”
I’m an events manager at a winery in Lancefield.
I coordinate weddings and conferences, which involves liaising with clients, discussing details, planning and overseeing their events.
I wasn’t sure what to do after school; I moved around, doing hospitality and sales jobs. After Year 11, I worked at a supermarket, but soon realized there had to be more to life. That prompted me to go back to school to do year 12, and then university.
I chose Sociology as my major, and then Asian Studies and Japanese as my minor, because of my father’s influence. I discovered after a year that I didn’t like Sociology: it was impacting how I interacted with people, making me over-analytical rather than social I ended up making Japanese my major and dropping back to part-time study.
When I was 25, an opportunity arose to go and live in Japan. My dad had connections there and he knew someone who taught at a cram school that had a vacancy.
So I packed my bags, unsure what to expect, and moved to a rural town called Nakatsu. I was meant to teach basic conversational English, so I didn’t have to do any special training.
As it was a working holiday visa, I could only work 20 hours per week. I taught primary and high school kids in afterschool classes, then adult classes at night. Once I got to know the people, I started doing private lessons; teaching kindergarten-aged children by playing games with them in English. My Japanese also improved as a result.
I enjoyed teaching a great deal and was thinking of doing a teaching certificate after finishing my degree upon my return to Australia.
After a year and a half in Japan I returned home and resumed my studies at university.
Unfortunately, a year later, while working on a river cruise bartending, I hurt my lower back. For a whole year I was in terrible pain: I couldn’t work or study, movement of any kind was hard. This caused me to withdraw from a few of my degree subjects after the late withdrawal date, so they were marked as failed.
At the time, I didn’t realize the impact it would have on my future career decisions.
After rehabilitation, I finally finished my Bachelor of Arts Japanese degree and decided to go back to Japan via the Jet program. Jet is an exchange program between Japan and Australia, where you are employed by the local city council to teach in local schools.
I was assigned to a small fishing village called Yoboku, famous for its squid fishing. Driving into it for the first time was quite an experience. An unbelievable sight: squid drying on endless clothes lines all along the town seashore.
The council put me in as an assistant teacher in a junior high school. Unlike the first time, I was teaching real classes now, assisting the actual teacher, Asami. I enjoyed teaching and being part of the community so much, that I stayed for 3 years instead of one as intended
Working with Asami was amazing. She lived in America for a few years, so she had a different approach from most other teachers. She put a lot of emphasis on conversation and communicating.
While in most other schools Jets teachers were often considered to be class “clowns” who played games, I got to do structured teaching with a set curriculum. I spent a lot of time working with students one on one.
Apart from teaching at Yobuko Junior High, I also taught once a week at an island school. I caught a ferry each Tuesday to teach 15 kids there. It was such a rewarding and heart-felt experience to be welcomed and made part of their small island lifestyle.
You could only do the Jet program for 3 years. It worked out well for me: I enjoyed teaching, got to travel around Japan, and the pay was good, too. I was thinking of coming home at the end of the program, but then another chance opportunity presented itself: I met a lady who ran cram schools and needed a native speaker for an English program.
I jetted back to Australia for a month, got a sponsorship visa, and returned to start my new job in Katatsu, a small city not far from Yobuko.
I taught English at the school 3 days a week, and the other 3 days I drove to country towns and taught at affiliate schools.
While cram school is not compulsory, there is a lot more pressure on children in Japan. I learnt that if a kid was asleep in class, you don’t wake them up – they’ve probably been in school until 10-11 pm the night before.At the same time, however I did like how the education system promoted a lot of physical education, keeping the students active.
I loved teaching there and would have li
“I am big on not having regrets.”
I’m an events manager at a winery in Lancefield.
I coordinate weddings and conferences, which involves liaising with clients, discussing details, planning and overseeing their events.
I wasn’t sure what to do after school; I moved around, doing hospitality and sales jobs. After Year 11, I worked at a supermarket, but soon realized there had to be more to life. That prompted me to go back to school to do year 12, and then university.
I chose Sociology as my major, and then Asian Studies and Japanese as my minor, because of my father’s influence. I discovered after a year that I didn’t like Sociology: it was impacting how I interacted with people, making me over-analytical rather than social I ended up making Japanese my major and dropping back to part-time study.
When I was 25, an opportunity arose to go and live in Japan. My dad had connections there and he knew someone who taught at a cram school that had a vacancy.
So I packed my bags, unsure what to expect, and moved to a rural town called Nakatsu. I was meant to teach basic conversational English, so I didn’t have to do any special training.
As it was a working holiday visa, I could only work 20 hours per week. I taught primary and high school kids in afterschool classes, then adult classes at night. Once I got to know the people, I started doing private lessons; teaching kindergarten-aged children by playing games with them in English. My Japanese also improved as a result.
I enjoyed teaching a great deal and was thinking of doing a teaching certificate after finishing my degree upon my return to Australia.
After a year and a half in Japan I returned home and resumed my studies at university.
Unfortunately, a year later, while working on a river cruise bartending, I hurt my lower back. For a whole year I was in terrible pain: I couldn’t work or study, movement of any kind was hard. This caused me to withdraw from a few of my degree subjects after the late withdrawal date, so they were marked as failed.
At the time, I didn’t realize the impact it would have on my future career decisions.
After rehabilitation, I finally finished my Bachelor of Arts Japanese degree and decided to go back to Japan via the Jet program. Jet is an exchange program between Japan and Australia, where you are employed by the local city council to teach in local schools.
I was assigned to a small fishing village called Yoboku, famous for its squid fishing. Driving into it for the first time was quite an experience. An unbelievable sight: squid drying on endless clothes lines all along the town seashore.
The council put me in as an assistant teacher in a junior high school. Unlike the first time, I was teaching real classes now, assisting the actual teacher, Asami. I enjoyed teaching and being part of the community so much, that I stayed for 3 years instead of one as intended
Working with Asami was amazing. She lived in America for a few years, so she had a different approach from most other teachers. She put a lot of emphasis on conversation and communicating.
While in most other schools Jets teachers were often considered to be class “clowns” who played games, I got to do structured teaching with a set curriculum. I spent a lot of time working with students one on one.
Apart from teaching at Yobuko Junior High, I also taught once a week at an island school. I caught a ferry each Tuesday to teach 15 kids there. It was such a rewarding and heart-felt experience to be welcomed and made part of their small island lifestyle.
You could only do the Jet program for 3 years. It worked out well for me: I enjoyed teaching, got to travel around Japan, and the pay was good, too. I was thinking of coming home at the end of the program, but then another chance opportunity presented itself: I met a lady who ran cram schools and needed a native speaker for an English program.
I jetted back to Australia for a month, got a sponsorship visa, and returned to start my new job in Katatsu, a small city not far from Yobuko.
I taught English at the school 3 days a week, and the other 3 days I drove to country towns and taught at affiliate schools.
While cram school is not compulsory, there is a lot more pressure on children in Japan. I learnt that if a kid was asleep in class, you don’t wake them up – they’ve probably been in school until 10-11 pm the night before.At the same time, however I did like how the education system promoted a lot of physical education, keeping the students active.
I loved teaching there and would have li