Job Discussion Forums

[homersimpson]

For those of you working in a private high school or junior high, what is your level of proficiency in Japanese? I suppose it would vary greatly depending on the school, but if some of you could comment on your speaking/reading/writing ability as it pertains to your job (and how you secured it), I would appreciate it.

[Glenski]

homer,

I'll answer for the sake of myself and my foreign co-workers. I'll just use numbers to label them.

1. Intermediate speaking, low reading/writing.
Began job as part-timer, heard about job through ad in The Japan Times. After first year, switched to full-time.
2. Intermediate speaking, low reading/writing.
Began job as part-timer, heard about opening through a friend. Still part-timer after 3 years.
3. Intermediate speaking, low reading/writing.
Began job as a part-timer, heard about opening through a current staff member when someone else resigned early. Still a part-timer after 4 years.
4. High intermediate speaking, beginner level reading/writing.
Began job as a full-timer, heard about opening through ad in The Japan Times. Still FT worker after 2 years.
5. Advanced speaking, high intermediate reading/writing.
Began job as full-timer. Still FT after 4 years.

We all attend half a dozen meetings a week (or more), and practically all of them are conducted in Japanese, including written agendas and other handouts. Most of us ask Japanese co-workers to help interpret during or after the meetings. And, 99% of all emails are in Japanese. Things would go much smoother with better language skills, obviously, but at this point, the school isn't too concerned about our weaknesses.

How about you, homer?

[homersimpson]

Glenski,
Thanks for the info. Currently I'm working at a junior high school.
I'm Intermediate speaking, low reading/writing. (I read an embarassingly low number of kanji at the moment; 250 to be exact). Hiragana and katakana are no problem.