Job Discussion Forums

[bluetortilla]

I recently went to China for nearly three years; taught at a university in GZ for three years and loved it. Wanted to stay but hit a bump in the road and, as a permanent resident of Japan, came back to Japan.
I've had nothing but trouble here, have been unable to find a job of any value, I speak and read Japanese fluently (JLPT 1) but no one seems to care at all, I have long experience as a test tutor (trying to focus on TOEIC) but could not find any place to teach; in short, despite having decades of experience and many credentials, I was not even able to get low-level 1000 yen an hour job, much less a 'prestigious' job like an ALT!
And today I got stopped by the cops while I was simply walking down the street. They said they were 'profiling' the neighborhood for foreigners (I'm a U.S. whitey), and that's 'why' they stopped me. They asked me where I worked, asked for my resident card and phone number, why I was in Japan (I have permanent residency duh), and if I knew any other foreigners around in the area. I told them I was unemployed (which is mostly true) as I didn't want to mention any private lessons (though they are perfectly legal) and one cop laughed out loud with a 'that figures' look on his face and said, 'Taihen desu ne!'.
Is any of this even legal??
I came here with 10,000 USD to get started and a year later I'm down to my last 1000. I can't wait to get back to China, where I found a job within a week of looking. This place (Fukuoka) is a c••p hole.

[Pitarou]

I'm really sorry to hear that. After all that effort to learn Japanese, you'd have thought you'd have earned a modicum of respect.

Wishing you every success in your future endeavours.

[bluetortilla]

[Mr. Leafy]

Sorry to hear that. Ever since I left four years ago I've toyed with the idea of going back but the job situation looks horrible. Non-entry level jobs now are paying the same or less than I got as a newbie 20 years ago. Good luck in China.

[mitsui]

Yep, you might think you would get respect but the opposite is true.

After 40 it gets tough.
I got rejected from Kanagawa University for being too old.
Younger teachers are preferred since they get paid less and put up with more.
The more Japanese you learn, the more you can be criticised for, in such a fault-finding culture.

I plan on leaving next year.

The yen is weak. You can make money in China. I know a teacher (4 who left his family in Tokyo and works outside Shanghai.

[Shakey]

[mitsui]

Some do.
Yokohama City University doesn't care about age.
Asia University, Tokai University, and Kansai Gaidai, as well.
Many teachers work part-time so then they can get work, regardless of age.

[Shakey]

[bluetortilla]

[bluetortilla]

Two hours later- just an update.
The police who stopped me the other day just came to my apartment. They wanted to 'check if I was doing OK.' And to double check that I was 'American' (though they didn't ask for i.d.).

It seems to me that this is just harassment.

This place is getting creepier all the time. I kind of feel like the police can come back anytime they want and search my house or whatever (all they'll find is some pasta and cans of sardines). Can't wait to leave.

[mitsui]

People who seem to thrive here seem to not be honest,
and can act fake. British and Australians are better at it than me.

I am from New York and I cannot fake it.
So some people are going to dislike me since I am "too American" or too honest. It doesn't matter how good my Japanese gets as I am just a gaijin.

This culture has enough people who mentally live in a small town and are judgmental and gossip.
They are not ready for the 21st century and really want to go backward.
Being racist or xenophobic is not seen as a character flaw.

When I lived in Morocco, Poland or Russia I never felt this.
Japan is just a club and we can't even be an honorary member.


I think some bigger cities are worse: Tokyo, Nagoya, and maybe Fukuoka.

[mitsui]

I can say what I heard from a friend who went to a church in Kanagawa.
The females were nice but the minister pretended to not notice him.
Why? His color?

Pathetic. If you are Christian, you have to be friendly and not shun people because they have a different color than you.

[bluetortilla]

[Maitoshi]

[dove]

Sometimes I miss Japan and think about returning (I still have 7 months on my work visa). But then I think about why I left and i know that I have most likely closed that chapter. I found myself hating the passive aggression and the fear of what other's think. It got to me. Like when one of my supervisors told me about teacher evaluations from students: "We don't really pay much attention to them because most students just check the 'average' box. Even if they loved your class, they probably wouldn't check the highest category. it would make them appear too emotional and that is something Japanese people avoid." Or "Don't tell your students you are taking a day off to go to a hot spring. Lie and tell them you are going to a training workshop. Otherwise, they might think you aren't serious about your job." All this worrying about what people MIGHT think just got to me and I had to get out.
Lack of sympathy/empathy from other foreigners also go to me. Why is it that when foreigners in Japan get together it's suspect-- a foreign bubble? But in other countries it's maintaining traditions, culture and it's part of the mosaic? And the oneupmanship--ranging from "I know more kanji than you" to "I have more Japanese friends than you' to "I do rice-planting every year so I know the real Japan" also got to me.
But I still love my friends there and I love traditional things like moon viewing.