Seeking English/Spanish teachers and translators for an NGO in Tokyo, Japan

Details

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  Description

  We are an NGO based in Tokyo, Japan, and we work to promote a culture of peace, human rights, sustainable development and respect for the environment.
  
  We pursue these goals through a chartered passenger ship which travels the world on voyages of peace. Many educational programs are conducted on board and participants gain a unique insight into the ports and the many issues faced in the countries we visit.
  
  We invite about 25-30 volunteers on each voyage. We generally have two different types of volunteer positions:
  
  1) Volunteer Interpreters: who have a high fluency in Japanese and who can interpret between Japanese/Chinese/Korean and English or between Japanese and Spanish.
  
  2) Volunteer Language Instructors: English Teachers or Spanish Teachers who have at least 18 months of full time teaching experience and are passionate about language and education.
  
  The Global English/Español Training Programme is Boat's English and Spanish school. On our voyages, this programme is run by international teams of passionate volunteer teachers who inspire our students to use language to make connections with people from all over the world.
  
  Applications are accepted on a rolling basis through the Website which you should consult for more detailed information.
  
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  Conditions of employment:
  This position is for enthusiastic, highly motivated, dynamic individuals with a minimum of 18 months of full-time teaching experience. Applicants should be highly advanced speakers of English or Spanish, although it is not necessary to be a 'native' or 'first language' speaker. Certification, graduate degrees and/or multi-language abilities are highly regarded, though not required. Please note: this is a volunteer position, but voyage expenses are covered (valued at approximately 1.7 million JPY or 15,300 USD).
  
  *For Spanish teachers: Please note that all teacher-related GET Programme administrative activities and correspondence are conducted in English. All application material, with the exception of actual Spanish-language lesson content, should be presented in English.
  
  **All successful applicants must be able to attend the pre-voyage orientation to be held in Tokyo roughly one week before the official departure date.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Teaching
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  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  You can study a ton of stuff onboard the ship from traditional Japanese board games to social dance, Salsa, Taichi, K-Pop Dancing, Yoga and more depending on the voyage and what is offered. Many volunteers decide to participate in an onboard family experience and/or Japanese language classes. Lots of chances to play sports together, run or workout in the gym, sing together, do exchange tours in ports, the list goes on and on!

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  Help

  The ship departs on round-the-world voyages three times per year and we need volunteers on every voyage.
  
  For the volunteer Interpreter:
  We are looking for volunteer interpreters who speak Japanese and also English, Korean, Chinese and/or Spanish. We require help with interpreting lectures and workshops onboard our cruise ship as it travels around the world visiting around 20 countries. You will also be asked to help out on tours in several of the ports that we visit.
  
  For the volunteer language Instructor:
  As a volunteer language instructor, your main role will be teaching both group and private lessons onboard to Japanese students. However, there are also open classes, opportunities to assist during in port programs where students use the language they learn on the boat, chances to organize language workshops, and more. Once you have completed your "duties" as a volunteer teacher, there are loads of opportunities to get involved and contribute to life on board. Maybe you could facilitate a workshop about cross-cultural communication, or you could lead a series of events about gender or development, or you could start a band with the ukulele you just picked up in Tahiti, or maybe just stare at the ocean for a while. You are only limited by your creativity (and the fact that there are only 24 hours in a day).

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  Languages spoken

  English: Fluent
  Spanish: Fluent
  Japanese: Fluent
  Korean: Fluent
  Chinese (Mandarin): Fluent

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  Accommodation

  Accommodation and 3+ meals per day are also provided. Cozy cabins await you on the ship. You usually share with 1-2 other volunteer(s). Each cabin has a private bathroom/shower, twin beds, desk, closets, etc. Most volunteers are pleasantly surprised. That being said, they aren't super spacious. But when you are surrounded by beautiful ocean and there is a boat full of events and people, the cabin is usually just a place to sleep at the end of the day or to recharge in a little bit with a nap, some book reading or a little movie watching.

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  What else ...

  Our head office is in Tokyo, but we are able to get in touch with people all around the world online.
  
  As a volunteer on the ship, you have the opportunity to contribute to and create meaningful experiences for your students and participants onboard and sometimes in ports of call. It's a busy and sometimes intense environment, but we also know that it is really meaningful and an unforgettable experience.
  
  For volunteer language instructors, other than helping out occasionally in port with exchanges or events, you will also have free time in ports to explore by yourself or with other teachers. We visit different ports on each voyage. Since the voyages end and begin in Japan, there is a majority of Japanese passengers onboard. Thus, there are lots of opportunities to learn about Japanese culture and learn/practice your Japanese as well. We also have smaller demographics of Chinese, Korean, Taiwanese, Singaporean, Malaysian and Hong Kong based passengers with a handful of other outside nationalities.
  
  After a few weeks onboard and when things have settled down, we usually organize volunteer Japanese classes for our instructors as well so they can learn or improve their Japanese. Of course, this is just an option and Japanese isn't a requirement to join the voyage (unless you want to be a volunteer interpreter). Meanwhile, people from other parts of the world join different sections of the voyage so there are also chances to meet people from all over the world.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  Hours expected

  Varies greatly, but usually 5+ hours per day most days throughout the voyage

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