Job Discussion Forums

[Sweetsee]

Hi Notallwhowander,

There is money to be made teaching here. It isn't what it used to be and I certainly wouldn't want to be trying to get an entry level position now. But if you are a hustler and not afraid of hard work it can be done, mate.

Enjoy your summer and the open spaces,
s

[notallwhowander]

Hey Fat C: Honduras 02-04.

[joncharles]

Hi,

If you are looking for an area with a huge foreign population try looking around the Tsukuba area. This is where the government has most of their research facilities and there are over 6,000 foriegn nationals in this area working on research or teaching at the universities or schools. Of course they have a few who are laborers as well. Tsukuba is about an hour away from Tokyo and about the same distance from Narita International Airport

I am currently working at a small chain named Bernard.. I enjoy it quite a bit. Although it is not for everyone, at least I have gotten more respect here than I did at NOVA. We also have about 8 weeks total of holidays. ECC has about the same though.

BTW, I spent a few days in Austin.. near the Capital Bldg. Nice place.

[ddarko34]

yo for climbing check rockclimbing.com and/or climbing.com. they did an issue on climbing in japan. supposedly a fast growing climbing community. japan's only good for bouldering and single to low-digit-multi-pitch. probably all bolted too, so leave the trad gear in a box at home. but that's what i heard. if i'm out there (i'm workin on my apps too), i'll def. shoot u a msg. maybe u can pioneer a gaijin climber's brigade by the time i get out there. and good luck! =)

[cevanne]

Bit of a late reply but, I am living in the Kinki region. In Osaka to be specific. I like Osaka, but I'm not a mountain climer If you want to be able to see the outdoors, don't move to Osaka. It's a pavement paradise. However, Kyoto, Nara, Kobe, etc... all of the areas around Osaka have quite a bit of nature and you can see mountains in all of these areas. I bet there are a few you could climb. The weather doesn't get too cold in the winter. Usually only a day or two where there is a little snow. It usually melts upon contact. But it is smokin hot in the summer in this region. Hot and humid, but maybe coming from Austin you won't mind the heat? It is pretty easy to train it in this area as well and it's pretty cheap to live and travel. Cheaper than the Tokyo region for sure. For example, even in Osaka, I can get to Kyoto in less than an hour for only 400 yen. There are also alot of gaijin in this region. Osaka has a large foreigner population and English signs are prevalent in all subways. It's not difficult to get around and most people can speak enough English for you to get by without knowing a word of Japanese. Sometimes its alot of gesticulating, but you can usually find someone who can figure out what you want. I work for ECC's competition - NOVA. They're not so bad. Their housing is a little expensive, but you can always move out and find your own place - as many people do. If you have a degree, they will probably hire you. They will sponsor practically anyone. The high season for hiring has passed, however, there are always new teachers coming in for NOVA as they hire year round and peoples contracts expire year round. They don't pay the most, but they don't pay the least either. You could probably save your $6000 on a NOVA salary as long as you don't party hard every night They also have about a million schools in Japan. Anyways, good luck finding work and deciding on your city!