First of all, I am in my first year of 2 years in a masters program for Early Childhood Education at University of Illinois at Chicago. It includes endorsements in early childhood special education and ESL. It is a program designed for students to be able to get their initial teaching license, if they're undergraduate degree wasn't in education (mine was anthropology). If it helps any, I actually studied abroad in Japan for an academic years, but I've lost most of my Japanese language skills.

So I realize that I have some time to go before then. I plan to work at least 2 years in the US after I graduate. So what I'm wanting advice on, is what I should do after those first 2 years of teaching here. Should I try a lower tier school in Japan first? Should I go to Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, or Taiwan first? If I were to do either of these options, how long do you think I'd have to work there to be competitive enough to get into a top tier school in Japan (like the American School)? Also I'm curious if it matters much if I switch between Special Education and Early Childhood, or should I just stick to one or the other.

I know this seems kind of naive, but basically I'm just wanting to start preparing now so that I can get accepted to a top tier in Japan some time in the future. So I'm really just wanting some basic advice on what steps I should take in order to become competitive enough to get a position like that. I should mention also that I absolutely loved my time in Japan, and know that that is where I want to be.

Thanks for any advice, I appreciate it.