Career Development Strategies for Japanese Immigrant Teachers‪.‬

Introduction Career development theories provide useful ways of explaining and understanding career development. These understandings, which help practitioners work with clients in career guidance, are not static. Thus, the theoretical tenets of traditional career development theories that include a focus on 'individualism, the centrality of work, the presumption of affluence, freedom of choice and equal opportunities' (Arthur, 2006, pp. 58-59), have been challenged over time. Critics have noted that these theories were developed in a social context of a stable world, not the recent chaotic, unpredictable and unstable employment context (Savickas, 2003). Furthermore, critics have argued that some career development theories fail to account for contextual influences including gender, religion, socioeconomic status and ethnicity (Arthur & McMahon, 2005). Such criticisms have led to the emergence of new understandings and new practices for career practitioners.