Job Discussion Forums

PAULH · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 4672 Location: Western Japan

Fellow University Instructor,

During the spring and summer of 2004, the University Teachers Union conducted a nationwide survey of employment conditions at universities throughout Japan. The focus was on foreign nationals. We hope the results will help strengthen our case during negotiations with government ministries to improve conditions for all university instructors, full and part-time, foreign and Japanese. Thank you to all those who contributed.

You can download a copy at the UTU website

http://www.utu-japan.org/

Gordon · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 5309 Location: Japan

That was an interesting survey. I would have liked to have participated in it, oh well. I wish they would have asked about salary, would have been good to see what the range is.

I think it is good for people to read if they are interested in being a university teacher here, not as wonderful as many people think.

Just coming back from the JALT conference, I see more and more that job instabilty is the number 1 problem for uni. teachers. 3 years and you're out is no way to live.

PAULH · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 4672 Location: Western Japan

PAULH · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 4672 Location: Western Japan

Have you seen the university salary scale on Debito's site? Its a bit out of date (1997) but it gives you an idea of salaries depending on age and status etc.

Gordon · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 5309 Location: Japan

No I haven't, do you have a link?

Yeah, a few grey hairs, could be your dissertation too.

PAULH · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 4672 Location: Western Japan

Gordon · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 5309 Location: Japan

Thanks, I remember reading that article a long time ago. I wish he could have said how he got those numbers and how many schools he looked at.
I certainly have seen lower salaries than the ones he mentioned as "lowest salaries", in fact I see it on the 21st of every month.

taikibansei · Joined: 14 Sep 2004 Posts: 811 Location: Japan

Did anybody else catch the recent article in the Sankei Shinbun which cited an extensive study of Japanese reading/writing abilities in Japanese college students? Among other things, the study apparently found that 6% of national university students, 20% of private university students, and 35% of tanki/2-year college students read Japanese at or below the junior high school level. Also, my favorite quote from the article: "A significant number of Japanese nationals at these universities tested lower than foreign exchange students in overall Japanese language skills."

This article highlights a frustrating, though rarely discussed, element to teaching English reading/writing skills at the university-level--what do you do when your students have only basic literacy in their native language? Each semester, I would have a number of encounters with students who could not write complete, grammatically correct, sentences in Japanese, let alone paragraphs in English. Worse, I'd meet Japanese students who couldn't understand the Japanese definitions in their English-Japanese dictionaries...making explaining any difficult terms I used even more challenging.

I have the article (in Japanese only...sorry), so pm me if you want a copy.