Job Discussion Forums

[Gregor]

I've always been a drifter, and I have always liked the lifestyle. It never gave me a moment's grief.
Now I'm married, though, and I'd sort of like to settle down somewhere. Make a home. I don't know whether it's my old age, my wife's preference, or what. But that's where I am now. If I hadn't met my wife, I would have gone on drifting until I dropped dead, I suppose. I wasn't looking for a wife at ALL. Not even a girlfriend. Didn't even WANT one.
That's when stuff like that happens, though, isn't it?

[Perpetual Traveller]

[gaijinalways]

I like that drifter's comments. My wife called me a ronin one time in an arguement, and I was pleased! Nothing wrong with triveling (travel living), but having a wife who wants to settle down does make you think more about retirement.

My wife and I thinking of going somewhere else as she doesn't like her employment chances in Japan (age and experience are major issues here), but she also likes living abroad (lived abroad in London for 10 years before I met her). Of course, where you can legally work and live is a major consideration, so we are considering Hawaii which with my American passport makes it easy to move there, it's not too far from japan by air, and an added benefit is my wife can easily use her Japanese language skills here as well.

We'd like to live in Europe, but the opportunities are slim as neither of us has an EU passport, works for a large corporation that would transfer us there or has an highly in-demand skill that would cause an employer to hire one of us over a native citizen or EU nation citizen.

So to answer the question, it's up in the air now, but could be anytime from a year or so or until we retire.

[Gordon]

gaijinalways,
Your wife doesn't like her employment chances in Japan and she is Japanese? Can't see how she'd get "decent" jobs easier anywhere else. I think most jobs that require Japanese language abilities in Western countries would be in the tourism industry and those jobs aren't exactly high paying ones. Just my opinion, but I'd like to hear what you have to say.

[gaijinalways]

MY wife is looking to work in a Japanese school and do translation work (she has done both here in Japan). They have a lot of age limits in Japan, and it's more difficult to do some businesses here. And we would also like to maybe do a B&B business in the Hawaii as well.

[Gregor]

I can back up gaijinalways and his wife, based on my experience in China.

We're going to the U.S. (but maintaining our residence in China for the purposes of my getting a Chinese Green Card in another three years). My wife is not "old," but at 32, and with no formal education beyond high school, she's pretty well screwed as far as making a living.
But she's very much an entrepreneur. She's got a (largely illegal) home catering business going, and she has just sold that business for five thousand kuai. She's an amazing chef (though, again, untrained), and a hell of a manager of people and she has a good head for business. We're going to the U.S. because Chinese laws make it all but impossible for her (with her American husband) to get anything going here, legally.
And she can't find a decent salary. Experience counts for nothing at any decently-paying international hotel or restaurant jobs (most of her experience is managing local hotels, restaurants and sleazy KTV clubs). You have to have degrees up the yin-yang to get a flippin' interview here.
And even THEN, you have to be young. It's all about youth. My wife is stunningly beautiful, so all I can think is that either I can't see that she really DOES look old and unattractive (which I find difficult to believe, but it's possible - I've sen some ugly wives of expats here), or (more likely, I think) employers prefer to have young people who have less confidence and experience and are therefore less likely to lip-off and call them out for bad behavior.
In the U.S. she can show her stuff and let her personality and abilities show and be hired on the strength of that.
She can, too. The U.S. has some messed up laws and policies, but with regards to ageism and sexism and so on, the laws and the CULTURE have dictated in her favor. She is very good at what she does. Given an interview and the opportunity to strut her stuff, she'll find a job in no time, worst case scenario. More likely, she'll be able to charm investors into giving her money for her own place. Something that would never happen under the current laws, system and culture in China.

[Jizzo T. Clown]

[Gregor]

[Spinoza]

[JZer]

Jizzo T. Clown, and at least in the U.S. you always get a hot shower. Even living in a shitty apartment as a grad student I always had a hot shower. Now in Korea I never know whether my water tank will heat up or not.

[sheeba]

Saturday Morning .Possibly for good

If It was not for my health problems in China who knows how long I would have stayed .

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

I may be back in Canada next August, but I don't know how long I'll be there. If the job situation is bad then I"ll be leaving again, hopefully for a job in Japan beginning in April.

Of course it's possible that I'll find a job here in Japan starting August, and in that case I won't be back in Canada (except possibly for a visit- I won't have been there for three years when I finish my current contract) for a long, long while.

[younggeorge]

[sheeba]

Thanks George .I hope so too. I am leaving a girlfriend here and a job .As much as people say the NHS in the UK is terrible at least I will be talking to people on the same wavelength as me and perhaps the environment will clear up my problem and make me decide that the UK is really not such a bad place to live.

[younggeorge]