Opportunities for Students of Japanese After Bennington College

In the first half of the session, Ms. Osawa will talk about three important elements for students to think about while preparing for the real world after Bennington. She is going to 1) introduce the types of careers that are available for students who have a deep knowledge in Japanese language and culture, 2) explain the skills that companies seek in their job candidates, and 3) describe how to find jobs that fit students’ interests.  

In the last half of the session, Ms. Scott will talk about the JET program, which is a teaching exchange program managed by the Japanese government. After graduating from Bennington, she taught English to elementary and middle school students in Japan through the JET program. Ms. Scott will share her experiences of going through the JET program application process and advice on how to prepare for teaching jobs overseas.  

Naomi Osawa is CEO & Global Career Counselor at New York Career Academy, Inc. Naomi has helped more than 20,000 English-Japanese bilinguals (mainly college students & young professionals) throughout her career. Her company is a NY-based consulting firm that specializes in global education and career development connecting Japan and the U.S. The company offers services such as study abroad counseling, career counseling, and many individually tailored global-scale projects for companies and education organizations. 

Alex Scott graduated from Bennington College in 2013. After college, she moved to Japan to teach English through the JET Program. In 2015, Alex returned to the states to get her Masters of Arts in Teaching from Brandeis University. She taught 6th grade at Williamstown Elementary School for four years before becoming the school’s librarian this year. She enjoys reading, writing, and cooking in her spare time.

Zoom link to join.