Job Discussion Forums

[2toke]

I am currently considering coming to Japan to teach English, but I have a question. Is being overweight a big strike against me? I know that a lot of job postings list "Good Health" as a qualification, but that is a little non-specific. I have always been a big man, but I wouldn't say that I am completely unhealthy. I hike, bike, swim, and otherwise enjoy the outdoors and would consider myself to be in in pretty good health. The fact remains, however, that I am overweight. Is this going to be an issue?

[Celeste]

I was overweight when I came to Japan, and I came with the JET programme. Since having been running after elementary school students for 8 months, I have laost a lot of weight. There are some overweight foreign teachers around. I think that the employers are worried about you getting sick a lot and leaving the school stuck looking for a sub at the last minute, or getting really sick and having to quit your job. While I won't say that looks don't matter, I will say that a sparkling personality goes a very long way here.

[ruggedtoast]

How overweight are you? If youre just a bit fat then probably not. If youre really huge then yes, it could affect your employment opportunities.

Small ekaiwas tend to have the most entrenched views about what a western teacher is supposed to look like, their hair style, jewellery etc, and how old they should be.

If youre a massive sweating goliath then theyll probably assume that youll scare their students and wont want to hire you.

As always in Japan, all the above prejudices apply more to men than to women.

The novas and shanes are more enlightened though and wont care what you like though as long as youre warm and breathing and youre not too large to fit into their cubicle classrooms (similarly the students wont care either as long as you teach ok, its just that the "japanese boss" isnt the most open minded of animals sometimes.)

[Lucy Snow]

When I was in Japan, there was a teacher in our area who weighed around 300 pounds, and had no problem getting jobs. But he had what I think Celeste would describe as a "sparkling personality," so that may have been why he was hired. (BTW--Celeste is absolutely right about how important the personality thing is.)

If you're severely overweight, you will encounted tactless people who will talk about you behind your back or ask you stupid questions. Just let it roll off of you.

[2toke]

Thanks for the info. I am a male, if that does matter, and in terms of how overweight I am, think somewhere between John Belushi and Chris Farley. 6'1" and around 325 or so. I have been told that I carry it well, though.

As for the health issues, I did have some knee problems, but it has been surgically repaired and is pretty much 100%. I don't get sick very much, either.

I don't know if you would say that I had a "bubbly" personality, but I think I have a pretty damn good sense of humor and I tend to laugh and make others laugh as much as possible. The one thing that I am sure of is that I am a great teacher. I have been teaching kids for over 5 years now, and am dedicating my life to theater for children. I hope that comes across and is more worthwhile than my physical appearance. Thanks again for the responses!

[cafebleu]

As has been said, don`t worry too much about your weight. I am thin and I once went to an elementary school event where there was another foreigner who was fat. All the kids gravitated towards him - they were delighted to see this great big genial guy in the room.

If you have a good personality, you might even find your weight to be more of a plus than a minus if you are a guy. I don`t agree with the view that as far as expectations of men and women go, men are going to find it a little harder. Women here ARE expected to look a certain way and although women such as Celeste say she was overweight when she came to Japan, she was working through a program such as JET. If you are a woman looking for work through your own efforts, you will find it harder to get a job if you are fat once the employer sees you in person.

The only fat woman I know who got a job in Japan through her own efforts didn`t submit a photo (and even then a head and shoulders shot can tell the employer nothing about the applicant`s weight) and she didn`t have a personal interview. Only on the phone and in any case her boss didn`t care about her appearance - only about her resume, which is great.

But be assured that it will be easier for you as a man and if you can play up your weight positively with a bright personality, kids will love you. Adults won`t care - a kind and decent man means a lot more to Japanese people than a thin Adonis who doesn`t give a damn about his class and who is going through the motions.

[Dean T]

Im 6 ft 3 and 125 kilograms , i didnt have a problem

[R]

If that's you in your photograph, I would worry more about the hairiness and large ears putting potential employers off.