[HUE]

As of October, 2007, I would stay out of Japan for the next few months to one year. A major English school chain with 50% of the market closed (NOVA), flooding Japan with upwards of 5000 English teachers. A lot of companies, both English-related and outside the industry, have been wading through applications. My company has been getting more than fifteen a day, and a friend of mine in the headhunting business has been getting twice that number on average.

What does this all mean? Although it's too soon to tell, it's definitely an employer's market at this point. If you don't have a lot of experience, or a lot of qualifications, then I think Korea and China offer much better opportunities for the teacher/ traveler looking for a few years overseas. To put this into perspective: I've been teaching for ten years here, and I wouldn't bet on landing a job myself if I chose to enter the market.