What is ETJ?

ETJ, or English Teachers in Japan, is a national support group for ALL teachers (both native and Japanese) working privately or within the Japanese Educational System.

It is noncommercial, free to join with no membership fees and open to anyone. Local groups are run entirely by volunteers. Funds collected throughout the year such as entrance fees for local meetings and the Expo are used to support local group activities in various ways. On the national level, ETJ aims to support teachers of all age ranges. Local groups, however, are concerned primarily with young learners (children through Junior High School) and most local events and workshops reflect this.

There are three local ETJ chapters in Kansai: Kobe, Kyoto and Osaka.

Each local group holds meetings about every two months, some which feature guest speakers that are held in well-known, central locations like the British Council in Osaka, the Kobe Regatta and Athletic Club (KRAC) in Kobe, or the Kyoto Prefectural International Center in Kyoto and which concentrate on topics considered important for teachers. Other workshops are more informal - often held in fellow members’ schools - which allow you to brainstorm and exchange ideas, teaching methods, problems in the classroom etc. with your peers.

Local meetings are strictly noncommercial, are open to all and we often find there are teachers from areas other than Kansai attending as well.

In addition to local meetings throughout the year, once a year in the fall ETJ hosts the largest ELT-related event in the region: the annual Kansai ETJ ELT Expo. This event brings together publishers, presenters, trainers and teachers from across the region and country for an entire day of workshops that cover the entire spectrum of ELT.

It's a great way to keep up to date with new methods and learn from your fellow teachers. Come along to either a local event or the Expo and see for yourself!