Law, engineering, medicine, science — for decades, these are the degrees that impress family, friends, and employers.
Then there are the degrees that make others a little doubtful of your skills, despite being just as intellectually demanding as all the above.
Take Japanese Studies, for example.
Many are exposed to Japanese culture through its popular media. Edmunds is one of them. Source: Lois Edmunds
‘I loved my Japanese Studies degree’
Lois Edmunds has always had a fond interest in Japanese culture.
From being exposed to Japanese media like Pokémon to Nintendo’s Animal Crossing as a kid to attending Comic Con and the Japanese Matsuri London – the UK’s biggest annual festival of Japanese culture and food – her interest in it only grew the older she got.
“I paid extortionate amounts for Japanese books and magazines in London whenever I got the chance; I wanted to study Japanese in sixth form but it wasn’t an option at that time,” says Edmunds.
The good news was that when it was time to pursue her university studies, Edmunds knew what it had to be – a BA in Japanese Studies at Oxford Brookes University.
“Everyone is curious, artistic, and inquisitive because they are interested in their subject, which you won’t find that easily in other courses,” she says.
Completing your schooling years can feel like climbing a mountain…only to realise that there are more mountains to climb even after you graduate. Source: Lois Edmunds
But if Edmunds only had one bad thing to say about her Japanese Studies degree, her answer is that it was “quite difficult” to get a job.
“Because even if you’ve got a good level of Japanese language skills, you’re kind of at the same level as a bilingual person, but you don’t have any other skills on top of that,” she says.
Luckily, as a native English speaker, that was one of her key skills for showcasing her employability to the local British job market.
A 2019 study found Japanese to be the eighth most in-demand second language sought by employers. It was also the second Asian language on the list, right behind Chinese.
Even luckier still, Edmunds’s university, Oxford Brookes University, had companies come by near the students’ graduation to advertise career prospects. One of the companies that approached the Japanese Studies students was the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme.
Fast forward to today, Edmunds has spent the past four years working as an Assistant Language Teacher with the JET Programme, teaching English in Japan to children in grades one to six.
We spoke to Edmunds about what pursuing Japanese Studies was like, her experience with the JET Programme, and the insights she gained if anyone were to follow in her footsteps.
Edmunds (top row, second from left) pursued her BA in Japanese Studies at Oxford Brookes University. She also spent a year abroad at Aichi Shukutoku University. Source: Lois Edmunds
Tell us about your experience with Japanese Studies.
It was divided into language and culture modules. Some topics were older, like Japanese religion and history, and the others were more modern, like anime and manga. One module looked at Japanese movies and how the classical Japanese style has progressed.
The third year was the year abroad, and I chose Aichi Shukutoku University. There, I specifically remember these cultural classes, like flower arranging and calligraphy, which didn’t help much with the Japanese language ability, but in terms of cultural understanding, it was really cool. And I’ve always been quite an artistic person, so seeing that kind of artistic side of Japan was good.
In the last year of Japanese Studies, we had a really good translation class, which we all wished were in our first year because it was so good learning syntax and word order. There was also a religion module that was really interesting because the teacher we had was hilarious. That was his passion, and he could recite things in his sleep, which made it interesting for us.
Be prepared to tackle not one, not two, but three alphabets when you learn Japanese. Source: Lois Edmunds
What was the hardest part about Japanese Studies?
I think most people would say the same – the hardest part of Japanese Studies is studying Japanese. I don’t think it really sunk into any of us on the programme that Japanese is the hardest language for English speakers to learn.
Japanese has three alphabets: Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji. The first two are not too difficult to learn – Japanese kids know these two systems by the age of seven – but Kanji is a different story.
Imagine the thickness of an English dictionary. Now, envision the same book, but in Japanese. That is the amount of Kanji to learn – over 50,000 kanji works! It takes years to master, and even Japanese people have trouble remembering how to write the most basic characters. It is a big commitment that I think people should carefully consider when taking up this language.
Learning a language requires consistency, learning little-by-little everyday, reviewing words every week, looking at a wide variety of sources — books, movies, texts, magazines, grammar textbooks, essays, anything you can get your hands on. It’s also equally spending time on listening, speaking, reading, and writing, building up your skills in all four areas takes a lot of effort – so much that I think it would surprise most people.
You have to rewire how you think, which took much longer than four years to get used to. Even now, you have to look at things from different angles to try and get around it.
You’ve been part of the JET Programme for four years now. What has your experience been like so far?
Before coming here, I’d been on all the Discord forums, asking, ‘How’s your experience on the JET Programme? I’m going soon, I’m really nervous. Do you have any advice?’, which is what most people do.
Everybody says the same thing: every situation is different. It depends on where you go, who you teach, and where you’re living. So, my experience with the JET Programme is completely different from that of somebody who is even in the next town.
Even within my town, my school is very busy. I teach and support around 22 classes a week. 20 is usually the maximum for most places, but many schools do a lot under that and have a lot more downtime. So you could be in a busy school like mine, or you could be in a school where you have three classes a week.
In those schools, a lot of people have much better relationships with the teachers because they’re a bit less busy, whereas in my school, we get to enjoy a lot more time with the kids, but everybody’s super busy; there are pros and cons to both environments.
So when people ask for advice, it really depends, because you don’t want to give them the wrong impression. That’s something I would stress about being on the JET Programme – you really have to wait until you get there, which is a terrifying scenario.
No two experiences within the JET Programme are the same, so best be prepared for anything! Source: Lois Edmunds
For me, the experience has been really fun, and I say that in a shocked way because I don’t have younger siblings, nor do I have much experience with young kids.
When I joined the JET Programme, I knew I’d teach kids, but I didn’t think about my interaction with younger people in general, and it’s been eye-opening to see how they develop.
As an educator, I can remember what I was like in sixth grade, and now I’m teaching kids who are that age, and I’m thinking of my experience versus theirs. It’s even weirder because I met the current sixth-grade students I’m teaching when they were only in their second grade, so I’m now seeing almost their whole time in elementary school.
Edmunds (middle) joined the JET Programme soon after completing her BA in Japanese Studies. Source: Lois Edmunds
What are the common misconceptions people have about being on the JET Programme?
I think a lot of people assume that in the JET Programme, you’ll teach for a couple of hours in the morning and then have loads of time to study Japanese in the afternoon.
But you get here and realise that you’re not supposed to study Japanese at work because you’re at work. Now you’re like, oh, that does make sense. You are working at a job at the end of the day. So, if you expect it to be like a working holiday or a continuation of your year abroad, then I think you might be in for a rude awakening.
But on the note of studying Japanese while you’re here, I have noticed that as you integrate into a Japanese work environment, you do pick up a lot of things without even realising.
Our computers and internal communication systems are all in Japanese. Most mornings, you’ll have a morning meeting with all the teachers, and it’s conducted in Japanese too. So, if people are put off by not being able to study Japanese here, you kind of can, as long as you keep an ear out.
Then, there’s the part about teaching English. It’s less about teaching the language and more about dealing with classroom management and being able to speak with the kids and teach them effectively.
You have to think about pacing, saying words they would understand, framing things in a very visible way, and making it easy for them to grasp the meaning.
For example, with the younger kids, I will teach them feelings like happy, sad, and tired by showing them gestures and visual cues of what those things mean because they can’t read or say any of the words – it’s gibberish to them at that age.
Teaching English in Japan might not have been something Edmunds had even considered when she was still studying, but it’s a decision she hasn’t regretted since. Source: Lois Edmunds
Tell us about your favourite part of teaching English in Japan.
It’s fascinating teaching these kids, and hearing what small tidbits they know of the world is hilarious.
I get a lot of opportunities to showcase my culture and British things. Earlier today, I was teaching the first grade for the first time, and I was telling them about England because they didn’t know what it was. They think it’s a place in America. So I showed them Winnie the Pooh and Paddington Bear, and they’re like, ‘Oh, I know that. I know that character.’ And I’m telling them that they’re from England, they’re from my country.
A latte art of Shaun from “Shaun the Sheep,” a British stop-motion animated silent children’s television series. Source: Lois Edmunds
I gain a sense of pride and nervousness to be one of the first non-Japanese people they meet, and I get to help open their eyes to the rest of the world.
They ask me, “Why do you have curly hair?” because a lot of them have never even met someone with naturally curly hair. Yes, they’ve seen videos from abroad, and they know the world map, but engaging with international cultures through their English teachers is a massive step in their development as people. And being able to shape that experience by teaching them from such an early age is extremely rewarding.
I often talk to my adult Japanese friends who love to reminisce about their times with their Assistant Language Teachers and their fond memories from their school days. It massively impacted their view of other cultures and interest in the outside world.
So, if making a positive impact is something you’re interested in, teaching might be just what you’re looking for.
Pursuing your passions can lead to a life-changing experience – just ask Edmunds. Source: Lois Edmunds
Any tips for a successful JET Programme application?
The application is a long and gruelling process.
It’s probably the biggest chunk of paperwork you’ll ever do in your life – it’s pretty much what all of us would talk about whenever we’re applying back in the day, though I’m pretty sure a lot of that is just to weed people out.
If you’re not prepared to do all that paperwork, you won’t make it far in Japan. They have a very bureaucratic system, so if you can’t get your documents in order, maybe Japan is not the right place for you.
Another piece of advice is that the programme wants people who will stick out the duration of their contract. They want people who are personable, who kids can enjoy being around, and who can survive in an environment very different from their home country. I think these are probably the key things that they would look for in a candidate.
Edmunds is now based in Osaka, a city that effortlessly blends traditional and popular culture. Source: Lois Edmunds.
But despite the gruelling application process, the JET Programme has been a wonderful experience, most – if not all – of my coworkers gush about their time in the programme.
I graduated during COVID-19 when the borders were shut. I waited over a year, had to go through extra medical forms and checks, mountains of paperwork as regulations and rules changed left, right and centre, sending off much more paperwork than the average JET applicant, and I’d do it a thousand times over. I’ve had an amazing time.
My childhood interests, my Japanese Studies degree, and the painstaking crawl of learning Japanese have accumulated into a great life here in Osaka. Yes, I have no idea where I will go next, but I will continue to stay true to myself. I’d encourage anyone with an interest in Japan to give the JET Programme a go; the application is tough, but the reward could be life-changing.
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