No membership fee

There is no fee for being a member of ETJ. There is usually a fee for attending an event to cover the costs of that event. One of the reasons for having no fee is to make ETJ as accessible as possible to busy teachers who may have little time to take full advantage of being an ETJ member. Another is that we would like the benefits of ETJ to be available to as many teachers as possible. A third reason is that it makes the admin much simpler - the organizers of ETJ are also busy teachers!

 

Indefinite membership

Once you join ETJ, you are a member for an indefinite period of time. However, if a card or letter that is sent to you is returned, you will be removed from the list of members. This is because many non-Japanese teachers go overseas without notifying us. So please let us know when you change your address.

 

Discussion lists and e-mails

If you provide your e-mail address when you join ETJ, you will automatically become a member of the ETJ Yahoo discussion group and receive an e-mail newsletter from Language Teaching Professionals about twice a month. You can unsubscribe from either of these at any time.

 

In addition, there are other ETJ lists that you can choose to join. There is a Yahoo group for sharing classroom activities, a group for school owners and those teaching privately at home, and a group for discussing life in Japan. There is also a Linkedin group where commercial messages can be posted, and some of the regional ETJ groups also have e-mail discussion groups or a list where you can get information on local events.

 

Workshops

There are regional ETJ groups in many areas of Japan and most of these groups arrange workshops for teachers in the area. If you would like to attend or give a presentation in a local workshop, please contact your local ETJ coordinator.

 

Expos

There are ETJ Expos in Sendai, Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, Hiroshima and Fukuoka from October to December each year. This is when many ETJ members gather to attend presentations, look at displays of teaching materials, and socialize with each other. As a member of ETJ, you can also give a presentation at your local Expo.

 

Publications

There are two on-line publications published by Language Teaching Professionals for ETJ, 'Snakes and Ladders' for teachers of children, and the 'ETJ Journal' for teachers of teenagers and adults. As a member of ETJ, you can submit articles to be published. Both publications are officially recognised and can be included in resumés.

 

Teacher training

There are teacher training courses arranged by or on behalf of ETJ. You will be notified when there is a training course in your area.