Job Discussion Forums

im_not_a_violentdrunk · Joined: 18 May 2012 Posts: 59

Glenski, Thanks for clearly showing me both sides of the coin. Perhaps a bit more background on my situation will help to explain why I am predisposed to take Kionon and Cool Teacher's train of thought on this issue. I said that I have been trying for jobs in sales/marketing back home. That is not through any particular passion for those jobs, rather due to the fact that the majority of entry/graduate level positions back home are in these fields.
To say one has learned what business is like in Japan is trying to pull the wool over the employer's eye I wouldn't say that this is what I'd be trying to do at all. If the employer had a knowledge of the elkaiwa industry then fine, I admit I would probably present my answers in a slightly different light. But it's down to me to explain what I gained from any experience and it can only be held in a positive light to what I am doing at the moment. At home I've sent off at least 600 job applications in the last 10 months with at least 400 specifically tailored cover letters. I've been to about 40 interviews at considerable cost to my own person and listened intently to any feedback I've been given. I've also spoken to and been taken on by a number of recruitment agencies. Many if not all come back to the same point, lack of experience in being in a subservient employee-Boss relationship in any field. Many have suggested bar work, again there is a wealth of young unemployed people with bar experience to pick from for the bars at home-I have tried and it's not happening. I lived in Saudi Arabia for the past 13 years, so I'm sure that you can appreciate that Bar openings were rather thin on the ground Laughing

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1.) By relationship I simply mean interaction, how many can I get to be interested and how many can I actually teach something. This rolls onto questions 2+3 that you have written. No I don't know what they are like,the input of people such as yourself is endlessly helpful in this regard. What you tell me doesn't surprise too much and I was never expecting to go over there and have a "coach carter/Dead poets society moment", but I'm sure in every class of 15, there may be one or two students who are borderline interested? The challenge to do what I could with them would be rewarding enough.
4.)Again all the points you raise are invaluable to me as I don't know the situation, It was definitely my fault for trying to relate the experience to sales/marketing. That's not what I'm hoping to gain from teaching in Japan, I was asking your opinions on whether it was at all relatable, like Cool Teacher observed [color=orangeI put this because it seems the OP is worried about teaching abroad being negative.
said in whether][/color]
Even if I had been working these past ten months instead of job hunting, I would have wanted to come to Japan to teach, and Indeed I may well have done it straight away (parental pressure dictated that I look for a job, indeed justifying teaching in Japan to my parents has been a struggle-so more than bullshitting potential employers-for me it's convincing my parents it isn't a waste of time) I dont think it will be, I think I could take away a lot from the experience and a year of experience (in my personal circumstances) will be invaluable. More importantly I feel it would be much harder to explain a year gap once I've started a career than before I have at all. It is something I have had my heart set on doing for a long time.
People might actually see a lot of work experience in a negative way, too, that you can't focus or keep a job. Don't forget that I can definately understand what you're getting at here, but as Kionon so kindly ( Razz

) pointed out OP has no work experience. None. Zilch. Nada. Rei. Thanks for bringing all those internships to my attention and I'll certainly give them a close look and consideration, but hopefully this post will help you to see where I'm coming from with my desire to stick to teaching? Thank you so much for your thoughts though, they are making sure that I do a thorough and proper job of any plan in Japan Very Happy

im_not_a_violentdrunk · Joined: 18 May 2012 Posts: 59

Kionon, Thanks again for your thoughts, I hope you can see where they have been incorporated into my post to Glenski. Regardless of what/how/where I go next, it looks like joining these forums was the first right step I've made,hopefully there's more to come Very Happy

Again thanks to all of you, who are obviously busy and passionate people who are taking the time to help others. Very Happy

Cool Teacher · Posted: Sun May 27, 2012 1:38 pm Post subject:

im_not_a_violentdrunk · Joined: 18 May 2012 Posts: 59

Thanks for the kind words Cool Teacher, hopefully everything turns out well Very Happy

I hope you don't mind me asking you a few questions
1.)Are you teaching in Japan at the moment, if so where and how long have you been there?
2.)How many different places have you been to in Japan, where would be your ideal city/town to teach?
3.) How did you become an ESL teacher?
Thanks in advance Cool

im_not_a_violentdrunk · Joined: 18 May 2012 Posts: 59

So, just to update everyone on my situation/decisions. I'm looking to do a celta course in Chiang Mai which will be finished by July30th (ish!). After which I will fly to Japan to start looking for jobs (having already, by that time spent time looking at job postings online).
I have some questions which I hope you'll consider helping me with also.
I have read elsewhere in the forums that $5000, is the recommended amount to have in your account when travelling out to Japan without a job offer.
With this in mind, 1.)would you recommend staying in a hostel until I have found a job or just staying in an apartment?
2.)Where in Japan would be a good place to look at that time(around august). Unfortunately the search option in the forum isn't working for me and I can't find many recent posts describing the pros and cons of various places. Thanks everyone Smile

Kionon · Posted: Mon May 28, 2012 1:05 am Post subject:

im_not_a_violentdrunk · Joined: 18 May 2012 Posts: 59

Kionon, I'm slightly confused, you say more , but isn't 500,000 yen $4000? If somebody who knows the lay of the land takes $6000, wouldn't you recommend slightly more for a newbie? ( a second reading of your post suggests that that is exactly what you are saying-and just outlining your experiences-Nevertheless it's always better to check! Embarassed

I guess I would agree with what your saying about hostels, I just thought perhaps whilst I'm still looking for jobs, that staying a hostel might help with initial language/getting by difficulties (by having other foreigners with me). I will be looking and applying while in thailand, but I guess it would be easier to attend interviews and stuff when I have feet on the ground in Japan? Is tokyo similar at all to bangkok? I like cities london, DC,Windhoek (out of the major capitals that I've been to). But is it prohibitively expensive? When you say start in tokyo and branch out, do you mean once I have a better understanding of the geography of Japan? Do you think I can apply for jobs and put the fact that I'm in Thailand and studying towards a CELTA? or should I just say I have one, or leave it out altogether until (and if) I pass and get one? Sorry, a lot of questions and you've already been so helpful!

Kionon · Posted: Mon May 28, 2012 2:07 am Post subject:

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

Kionon · Posted: Mon May 28, 2012 3:49 am Post subject:

Fair enough, Glenski. I should have included more information. However, I was presuming he would start looking for jobs before leaving Thailand, and only come if he had no other choice...

Cool Teacher · Posted: Mon May 28, 2012 4:54 am Post subject:

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

Kionon · Posted: Mon May 28, 2012 10:25 am Post subject:

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

Kionon · Posted: Mon May 28, 2012 3:05 pm Post subject:

Common knowledge is not total knowledge. I'm not sure if you're trying to prevent OP from misconstruing what I am saying or if, despite the fact you always say this is the land of case by case, you're saying that what've said is counterfactual, which it isn't.

I've been through the application, interview, and hiring process several times now. While I've not held many different positions in Japan because I've a good track record of picking places to stay, most notably in my first position, which I was at for three years, I think my experience may be closer to OP's than yours is at this point. You've so much time in Japan, that you're thinking what I describe is not common, but it is, especially with entry level positions. It might be a small percentage of the total jobs posted on all the various sites, but you'd still be sending out like twenty or thirty applications. Barely got through ten this time around.

Of the five positions I was in negotiation with, only one asked for a face to face interview. The other four realised I was out of the country temporarily, and I was offered those positions over Skype. Likewise, I was offered my first position after a similar interview process. I think that this sort of thing is changing, and I think we're going to see it more and more common as time goes on.

Common knowledge needs to catch up with technology...

Yes, Academic years begin in April, but that doesn't mean all the positions nation-wide are filled. Quite the opposite. Now, I *did* get my first position because someone who was hired for April up and left, but this is not the case with my current position. My point is simply that there are enough good jobs if you cast a wide net, even today! My experiences are not really the exception anymore. I saw three teachers bail on my employer in Kyoto. None of them had good reason to do so.