Options for a Credentialed English Teacher

[vanityfair]

Perhaps I am tired and cannot do a search effectively online, or I am simply exhausted from working for free as a student teacher.
Currently I am on track for completing my teaching credential in California (English single subject) and will be finished by May (I finish my TPA 4 in April). Through my program I have worked with ELL students and taught English in both Junior High and High Schools for one year so far. (Also substitute experience for half a year prior to it and currently have another half year experience in K-8 teaching at an after school institution in English).
-Currently finding a job in California is slim pickings and very depressing. Likewise, I hope for a new change in pace and setting. I am considering Japan as a possible relocation for a new setting (due to the fact I have some Japanese language proficiency). I suppose the JET program isn't an ideal choice so what would be ideal for someone in my situation?

Thanks for reading!

(I am just having difficulty in determining my options, so I would like to hear from someone with more expertise and insight).

[KansaiBen]

Keep in mind teaching English to native speakers and teaching EFL to Japanese in Japan are two different things. Here you are teaching the actual language, not using English as a mode of instruction.

You need only a BA degree to get an entry level English teaching job. You would be more interested in international schools or perhaps at a private high school, both of which require some experience.

JET will get your foot in the door so i wouldn't rule it out completely.

-Currently finding a job in California is slim pickings and very depressing. Likewise, I hope for a new change in pace and setting. I am considering Japan as a possible relocation for a new setting (due to the fact I have some Japanese language proficiency). I suppose the JET program isn't an ideal choice so what would be ideal for someone in my situation?

Thanks for reading!

(I am just having difficulty in determining my options, so I would like to hear from someone with more expertise and insight).

[Glenski]

Actually, in my opinion JET would be a very enlightening experience for you. You don't have any teaching experience now, I believe, so even though you are credentialed, you will not find work in international schools here. You need 2 years of experience for that.

JET will place you as an ALT, so you have to get used to being the flunky under a Japanese teacher of English (JTE), and the experience itself varies considerably, from being a human tape recorder drone to practically running the class yourself. The up side, in my mind, is that you would get to see firsthand how a public school operates on a daily basis. You would most likely get placed in a rural area and probably at more than one school, which can make consistency in lessons weak at best, but you'd have more than one school's experience. JET takes applications only once a year, and you have plenty of time to prepare for that. Down side is, you won't get placed until August 2013.

Other options are entry level work in eikaiwa or as an ALT for a dispatch agency (not the kind of place held in highest regard, but still placing you in a public school like JET does).

Basically, if you aren't here to interview, you'll have to contend only with the big eikaiwas that recruit overseas, so keep that in mind, too. A handful of smaller places will do a Skype interview instead, but that has its limitations.

[vallient]

JET has become more and more competitive with more recent graduates turning to overseas employment. That said, I think they would be a great option for you. They pay well, offer a lot of support and the work is actually pretty easy. You would be building experience (that won't be recognized by anyone in the international school circuit). Another option is teaching ESOL through a private language school some of the big ones are GABA, NOVA, AEON, GEOS, etc. They do interviews during the year all over the USA. Another option is this site or one like Dave's ESL Cafe, and just looking for a smaller ALT school position. Pay has dropped over the years, the average going rate is about 200k\. You pretty much pay all your own expenses in the process.