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Solar Strength
Joined: 12 Jul 2005
Posts: 557
Location: Bangkok, Thailand
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 Posted: Wed Sep 04, 2013 12:12 pm Post subject: |
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| mitsui wrote: |
But the reality is that there are more jobs in Tokyo, with higher pay.
There are far fewer jobs in Osaka, and this place tends to need teachers.
Sure there are better places to work, if you could get a better position.
Another disadvantage I think is that the classes are scheduled from Monday through Friday.
At many universities, teachers just teach four days a week. |
Also, most university teaching positions for gaijin are deteriorating. It's a well known fact that there is no future in teaching EFL at Japanese universities. |
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louissenn
Joined: 02 Sep 2013
Posts: 11
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| Posted: Wed Sep 04, 2013 3:46 pm Post subject: |
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The bottom line is that it's a good stepping stone university job, which is what I used it for. That said, when I was there, there were teachers who had been there for nearly a decade (perhaps more now!), so it can be a place where people feel a certain level of security, which is pretty rare these days.
It's worth remembering that I mentioned that the pay can increment 50k/month year-on-year (if your evaluations are very good), but even then you still won't be near most other uni salaries, and the free housing is hardly a compensation (at least for me it wasn't, some people love it). I forgot to add that there's a $4,000 research fund per year, which comes in handy.
Just to reiterate - it shouldn't be thought of as an 'Osaka' university - it's miles away from Osaka. It's just in Osaka-fu. You certainly will not feel as though you are living in Osaka in any way (and in the campus housing you won't even feel as though you're living in Japan!). And yes, they do struggle to recruit, so as a consequence they often end up with some very strange people (even for Japan). |
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mitsui
Joined: 10 Jun 2007
Posts: 1562
Location: Kawasaki
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| Posted: Thu Sep 05, 2013 1:19 am Post subject: |
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I have heard of teachers there who did 5 years, had to leave then started again on a new 5 year contract.
5 days a week is a lot, but that is what I do in Tokyo.
4 days a week is normal and people that have 3 days a week must have tenure.
People that teach 4 days a week are able to work at another school one day a week, and then increase their salary.
The fifth day is considered the research day.
I guess Kansai Gaidai teachers would have to do research during their vacations.
I just get 30,000 for research currently, so 400,000 yen is a lot.
If they want better teachers pay should be raised but they just want to cut costs. |
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louissenn
Joined: 02 Sep 2013
Posts: 11
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| Posted: Thu Sep 05, 2013 2:36 am Post subject: |
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| mitsui wrote: |
I have heard of teachers there who did 5 years, had to leave then started again on a new 5 year contract.
5 days a week is a lot, but that is what I do in Tokyo.
4 days a week is normal and people that have 3 days a week must have tenure.
People that teach 4 days a week are able to work at another school one day a week, and then increase their salary.
The fifth day is considered the research day.
I guess Kansai Gaidai teachers would have to do research during their vacations.
I just get 30,000 for research currently, so 400,000 yen is a lot.
If they want better teachers pay should be raised but they just want to cut costs. |
I didn't stay for the full 5 years, but my understanding is that you're correct, a period of 'gardening leave' is the norm (or it was, my information is several years old and things change all the time at Gaidai). I think I'm also right in saying that your salary drops back down to what it was at entry level. I guess by that time many teachers feel comfortable in the job, have established families, friends, connections in the local area, and don't want to leave, which is understandable, but exploitative on the part of Gaidai.
There are some teachers at Gaidai who do a lot of research, some that don't, and some that just show their classes videos. It's not a work environment conducive to research, really, but there are some very dedicated teachers there (as well as the freaks). I think Gaidai believes it offers a good deal with the housing thrown in, but as I said that's a matter for debate. |
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mitsui
Joined: 10 Jun 2007
Posts: 1562
Location: Kawasaki
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| Posted: Thu Sep 05, 2013 3:24 am Post subject: |
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I see there are two campuses, the main one and another which is not near a train station.
That commute must be bad, then.
I haven`t seen them advertise so I didn`t know they were looking for teachers. |
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Solar Strength
Joined: 12 Jul 2005
Posts: 557
Location: Bangkok, Thailand
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| Posted: Thu Sep 05, 2013 6:16 am Post subject: |
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| louissenn wrote: |
The bottom line is that it's a good stepping stone university job, which is what I used it for. That said, when I was there, there were teachers who had been there for nearly a decade (perhaps more now!), so it can be a place where people feel a certain level of security, which is pretty rare these days.
It's worth remembering that I mentioned that the pay can increment 50k/month year-on-year (if your evaluations are very good), but even then you still won't be near most other uni salaries, and the free housing is hardly a compensation (at least for me it wasn't, some people love it). I forgot to add that there's a $4,000 research fund per year, which comes in handy.
Just to reiterate - it shouldn't be thought of as an 'Osaka' university - it's miles away from Osaka. It's just in Osaka-fu. You certainly will not feel as though you are living in Osaka in any way (and in the campus housing you won't even feel as though you're living in Japan!). And yes, they do struggle to recruit, so as a consequence they often end up with some very strange people (even for Japan). |
Interesting and some good information about the area and people at this school. 400,000 Yen a year for research budget, per teacher? That's a lot, isn't it? Or is this normal? The poster above says he gets 30,000 Yen a year which is not a lot of money.
Out of curiosity, I went and found their department website and all I can say is WOW! they have a huge foreign faculty. There must be about 100 native English speaking EFL teachers there. That's a massive foreign teaching staff even if it is a foreign language and culture university.
Here's the link:
http://www.kansaigaidai.ac.jp/contents/academics/international/faculty.html
Housing doesn't turn me on either. I would rather receive an extra 100,000 Yen a month in salary than stay in a gaijin ghetto on campus. Gee, seeing your colleagues and students every day and then going home and seeing them doesn't turn me on at all. I assume there are a lot of people who would rather not live on campus with other teachers.
I also looked Hirakata up on Google Maps. Yeah, it's not in Osaka city at all. It took me a while but I found both campuses and the one mentioned above that is even more rurally located would be a pain in the ass to get to. Even the one closest to the station is in the middle of nowhere. I imagine there isn't much to do if one is living on campus. Not much around there.
Is it better than no job? Yes. But I wouldn't apply to work there. Not unless it was like 6 Million ~ 7 Million Yen a year and 5 or 6 classes over 3 or 4 days. Then maybe I'd be able to tolerate the place. |
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louissenn
Joined: 02 Sep 2013
Posts: 11
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| Posted: Thu Sep 05, 2013 1:45 pm Post subject: |
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| Solar Strength wrote: |
Interesting and some good information about the area and people at this school. 400,000 Yen a year for research budget, per teacher? That's a lot, isn't it? Or is this normal? The poster above says he gets 30,000 Yen a year which is not a lot of money.
Out of curiosity, I went and found their department website and all I can say is WOW! they have a huge foreign faculty. There must be about 100 native English speaking EFL teachers there. That's a massive foreign teaching staff even if it is a foreign language and culture university.
Here's the link:
http://www.kansaigaidai.ac.jp/contents/academics/international/faculty.html
Housing doesn't turn me on either. I would rather receive an extra 100,000 Yen a month in salary than stay in a gaijin ghetto on campus. Gee, seeing your colleagues and students every day and then going home and seeing them doesn't turn me on at all. I assume there are a lot of people who would rather not live on campus with other teachers.
I also looked Hirakata up on Google Maps. Yeah, it's not in Osaka city at all. It took me a while but I found both campuses and the one mentioned above that is even more rurally located would be a pain in the ass to get to. Even the one closest to the station is in the middle of nowhere. I imagine there isn't much to do if one is living on campus. Not much around there.
Is it better than no job? Yes. But I wouldn't apply to work there. Not unless it was like 6 Million ~ 7 Million Yen a year and 5 or 6 classes over 3 or 4 days. Then maybe I'd be able to tolerate the place. |
Research fund is per teacher, can be used for computers, conferences, materials, books, etc. The only weird thing is that you have to return all the stuff you buy when you leave.
I didn't like living on campus, as did lots of others who would have preferred the option of the stipend. However, this misses the point, as Gaidai does lots of overseas hires, and for those teachers there's absolutely no start up costs (Gaidai even pays for flights). This didn't apply to me as I was already living in Japan, but just remembering my start up costs back in the day makes this a good deal under such circumstances. So maybe things do even themselves if things like this are taken into consideration.
Yeah, it's a big faculty and looks like it's gotten even bigger!
Hirakata sucks, and is actually geographically closer to Kyoto. The second campus, Hotani, is deep in the middle of nowhere, but it suits some people. |
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rxk22
Joined: 19 May 2010
Posts: 1629
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| Posted: Fri Sep 06, 2013 2:00 am Post subject: |
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| Hirakata isn't that bad. You are pretty close to Kyoto. Heck you can bike to Kyoto and come back on the same day. Also Hirakat does have some shopping, and since it is a semi-college town, does have some night life. Not a lot,but some. Also there is a shopping building there, 51 or something like that. Basically a bunch of dept stores in one tallish building |
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cloud_pleaser
Joined: 29 Aug 2012
Posts: 83
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| Posted: Fri Sep 06, 2013 5:32 am Post subject: |
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I was a student at Kansai Gaidai back in 2008/2009 and I must say it was one of the happiest times of my life. I didn't mind the location, it was not downtown Osaka but the commute wasn't unbearable. I didn't have a problem with Hirakata, but then again I like quiet, unassuming places. I was equidistant from both Kyoto and Osaka and spent many a contented afternoon walking along Kyoto's leafy boulevards or a gritty Tsuruhashi backstreet.
I didn't know there were many positions open at Japanese universities. Perhaps when my master's is finally complete I'll give it a shot |
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louissenn
Joined: 02 Sep 2013
Posts: 11
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| Posted: Fri Sep 06, 2013 2:40 pm Post subject: |
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| rxk22 wrote: |
| Hirakata isn't that bad. You are pretty close to Kyoto. Heck you can bike to Kyoto and come back on the same day. Also Hirakat does have some shopping, and since it is a semi-college town, does have some night life. Not a lot,but some. Also there is a shopping building there, 51 or something like that. Basically a bunch of dept stores in one tallish building |
Point being that on this thread it was stated that Gaidai is in Osaka, which is misleading. Anyone applying for a job there should be aware that Hirakata is a suburban town, and if you live there it is nothing like living in Kyoto or Osaka. Indeed, the campuses are located away from the center of Hirakata itself, and the facilities nearby are limited but adequate for Nakamiya and virtually non-existent in Hotani. This is the the sort of information potential job applicants need. In my opinion Hirakata sucks, while Kyoto and Osaka are wonderful, but that's irrelevant as you won't be actually living in either place, and where you actually live, as oppose to places you can travel to in your free time, are completely separate issues. You could, for example, be in Sapporo in 3 hours, but so what? |
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louissenn
Joined: 02 Sep 2013
Posts: 11
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| Posted: Fri Sep 06, 2013 2:56 pm Post subject: |
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| cloud_pleaser wrote: |
I didn't know there were many positions open at Japanese universities. Perhaps when my master's is finally complete I'll give it a shot |
There isn't and what there is has lots of competition from people with years of experience and multiple qualifications. Gaidai is one of the easier places to get into as they don't generally require Japanese proficiency, publications, and presentations. It all depends upon which positions they need filling at the time and how desperate they are. They do, however, still require several years of experience, preferably teaching adults. You won't just walk into a job there post-masters. They do reject a lot of unsuitable applicants. |
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Solar Strength
Joined: 12 Jul 2005
Posts: 557
Location: Bangkok, Thailand
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| Posted: Sat Sep 07, 2013 4:30 am Post subject: |
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| louissenn wrote: |
| cloud_pleaser wrote: |
I didn't know there were many positions open at Japanese universities. Perhaps when my master's is finally complete I'll give it a shot |
There isn't and what there is has lots of competition from people with years of experience and multiple qualifications. Gaidai is one of the easier places to get into as they don't generally require Japanese proficiency, publications, and presentations. It all depends upon which positions they need filling at the time and how desperate they are. They do, however, still require several years of experience, preferably teaching adults. You won't just walk into a job there post-masters. They do reject a lot of unsuitable applicants. |
Agreed. I don't know how cloud_pleaser came to the conclusion that there were many university jobs in Japan. In general, I think even a contract university teaching position is difficult to get these days. Forget about a tenured position! That would be akin to winning the lottery, in my opinion. In addition to being qualified, you'd need a whole lot of luck, I think.
But, at Kansai Gaidai University it seems from looking at their roster of foreign TEFL staff, they would have to hire massive numbers of teachers every year or two to replace those that are finishing their 4th or 5th years on non-renewable contracts.
So from that perspective, maybe this particular school would be a good place for a newbie to apply to.
louissenn,
Don't you think it's counterproductive for them to waste so much time and money in interviewing and hiring new gaijin teachers every year? They have so many teachers working there that you think that they'd want to avoid the hiring process if at all possible.
Or maybe they actually save money in the long run by not offering permanent positions to gaijin with all that would entail in benefits and raises, promotions, etc.
Hey, I looked at the map for that area a few times and I can see what you mean about it being between Osaka and Kyoto, but if you go to Google Maps and even on street view, those campuses are in the middle of nowhere! Especially that one further from the station. The campus in Hirokata is clearly not in Osaka, either. The area is not interesting or convenient at all.
That said, maybe a teacher with a family would do okay there. Single and younger teachers would not like the location.
What I find truly interesting is the different views that we have on the location and how we all perceive it differently - e.g., convenience of the area, the difficulty of the hill, the location or accessibility to Kyoto and Osaka. For some it sucks! For others, it was great and they enjoyed the leafy streets and solitude.
Get 8 people to look at something and you'll get 8 different opinions. |
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louissenn
Joined: 02 Sep 2013
Posts: 11
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| Posted: Sat Sep 07, 2013 8:59 am Post subject: |
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| Solar Strength wrote: |
Don't you think it's counterproductive for them to waste so much time and money in interviewing and hiring new gaijin teachers every year? They have so many teachers working there that you think that they'd want to avoid the hiring process if at all possible.
Or maybe they actually save money in the long run by not offering permanent positions to gaijin with all that would entail in benefits and raises, promotions, etc.
Hey, I looked at the map for that area a few times and I can see what you mean about it being between Osaka and Kyoto, but if you go to Google Maps and even on street view, those campuses are in the middle of nowhere! Especially that one further from the station. The campus in Hirokata is clearly not in Osaka, either. The area is not interesting or convenient at all.
That said, maybe a teacher with a family would do okay there. Single and younger teachers would not like the location.
What I find truly interesting is the different views that we have on the location and how we all perceive it differently - e.g., convenience of the area, the difficulty of the hill, the location or accessibility to Kyoto and Osaka. For some it sucks! For others, it was great and they enjoyed the leafy streets and solitude.
Get 8 people to look at something and you'll get 8 different opinions. |
Well, as I mentioned before, Gaidai does re-hire after the 5 year period, but inserts a period of gardening leave, and when the teacher returns they are back to their staring salary. And that, really, is what these employment caps are all about - money - and because Japanese universities can get away with it. Gaidai's no different in this sense, but it does at least allow the option for those who want to stay, albeit on reduced terms. There were a few tenured foreign teachers at Gaidai, but I have no idea about the terms of their contracts.
As to my opinion on whether Gaidai or other universities could save themselves and all concerned a whole heap of stress and inconvenience by taking a more logical approach to the hiring process, I have long since bothered worrying about. It is what it has become due to the downturn in the late 80s/early 90s, and because the universities saw an excuse to cut corners. This is not something limited to Japan, it's happening everywhere including the US. Getting tenure back home requires the equivalent of academic rockstar status.
I'm also minded to say that foreign teachers hardly cover themselves in glory by some of their behavior. The things that happened at Gaidai while I was there were pretty outrageous by any standard, yet once you've taught in Asia for a while, unacceptable behavior by teachers increasingly becomes the norm. So it's possible to see why university administrations would want to keep their foreign teachers on tight leashes. An unfortunately high percentage are mad dogs.
As for the perception of the area, all I can say is that I've been in Japan for over a decade, traveled the length and breadth of it, and Hirakata is just part of the unremarkable Japanese hinterland. The other posters who lived in the area on this thread came as exchange students, so I'm guessing that they were young, it was a their first experience in Japan, a girl was involved, and the world took on a rosy hue that reality could not penetrate. Take it from and old, grizzled hand who's been around the block - it sucks. The leafy streets and solitude are in Kyoto, not Hirakata. Hirakata offers drab streets, average izakayas, run-of-the mill shopping, and a collection of the usual girly bars near the station. It also has a highway running through it that connects Kyoto and Osaka, which only adds the despondent ambience of the place. I cannot recall a single teacher speaking fondly about Hirakata, and this despite many being very happy in the accommodation (mainly those with young families) and enjoying their jobs. In fact, I cannot even remember my students speaking highly of it, they all went out in Osaka (where most of them commute from). |
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cloud_pleaser
Joined: 29 Aug 2012
Posts: 83
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| Posted: Sat Sep 07, 2013 10:01 am Post subject: |
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| louissenn wrote: |
| cloud_pleaser wrote: |
I didn't know there were many positions open at Japanese universities. Perhaps when my master's is finally complete I'll give it a shot |
There isn't and what there is has lots of competition from people with years of experience and multiple qualifications. Gaidai is one of the easier places to get into as they don't generally require Japanese proficiency, publications, and presentations. It all depends upon which positions they need filling at the time and how desperate they are. They do, however, still require several years of experience, preferably teaching adults. You won't just walk into a job there post-masters. They do reject a lot of unsuitable applicants. |
I suspected as much.
I usually like living in quieter, out-of-the way places though, which are usually less competitive for things like universities... I think.
I have several years of experience teaching adults actually. I know it's not something I should set my heart on, but I'd be willing to at least try to get a position like that. |
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louissenn
Joined: 02 Sep 2013
Posts: 11
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| Posted: Sat Sep 07, 2013 10:54 am Post subject: |
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| cloud_pleaser wrote: |
I suspected as much.
I usually like living in quieter, out-of-the way places though, which are usually less competitive for things like universities... I think.
I have several years of experience teaching adults actually. I know it's not something I should set my heart on, but I'd be willing to at least try to get a position like that. |
Well, with that and, I presume, your Japanese language ability, it may not be such an unrealistic ambition. You're right in thinking that universities in less popular/populated locales have less competition for jobs than the obvious places. Worth a shot. Good luck! |
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