How has the huge earthquake of March 2011 affected the job situation?
If you are in Tokyo there has not been an easier time (in recent years) to get a teaching job than the months after the earthquake. Many foreigners either quit their jobs and went home, or decided not to renew their contracts. Others who were due to arrive in April decided not to come – the disaster happened very close to the end of the school year, so the timing was terrible for companies that recruit in April-March cycles. I’ve heard the word ‘Flyjin’ used to describe the people who left suddenly. Many ALT dispatch companies and eikaiwas have been left with severe shortages of teachers, so they have desperately been trying to recruit since. I’ve personally spoken to recruiters at four eikaiwa companies who have told me about their large teacher deficits, and I have heard via a friend that the same situation exists at one of the major ALT dispatch companies. Obviously to recruit a large number of extra teachers on top of their usual recruitment needs has been very difficult, and they
