Job Discussion Forums

[Brooke Pain]

Thank you so much rdb, I love kids, I have a big family with lots of little ones. That is great info, I have an interview with them in june so hopefully it goes well, surely with a passion for japan and kids i should be alright!

thanks for the positive feed back!

[JimDunlop2]

To echo what the others have written, indeed the type of person who comes onto Dave's to post/ask questions generally takes teaching English fairly seriously.

Among others, you will find a number of long-term posters here who are well in their 30s, 40s, or even higher, are professors at universities, and have families and children, many of whom may be your age (19) or older.

Look at it from this perspective. Imagine if your own father were an English professor at a university here, and you, wanting to follow in his footsteps, came along, looking for all the delicious icing but unwilling to bake the cake... All in the mean time, thinking it was going to be one long party. Throw in mention of a bit of X, all-night dance parties and a fiance, you can imagine how most fathers would respond if their daughter came home with such ideas.

Many of the posters here teach as a career choice, and not as a summer job to earn money for school. That's not to say that it's wrong to look at Japan as an option for doing just that, but do realize that many of us have seen posters like you come and go (every few months) and get frustrated when people don't take their jobs as seriously as they do.

As I've said to many others before -- start out by reading the stickies, check out some of the other ESL teaching websites, and determine whether or not it's for you. If you are only getting into it for the money and parties -- you may not make it past 3 months into your contract before you're on a plane back home...

[wolfman]

Well said, Jim. Your opinion on something, if I might ask. What do you feel is more important to an English teacher in Japan: the desire to teach English or a genuine interest in Japan?

[Gordon]

[canuck]

[wolfman]

[JimDunlop2]

[wolfman]

[Gordon]

I think because I like teaching and want it to be rewarding is a reason why I am unhappy at times here in Japan. Sometimes I feel like i am hitting my head up against a wall.
If it didn't have a uni job, I would have left Japan already. I do like Japan and it has been great for this period in my life (having children born here and going to kindergarten...)but professionally I feel like I need to move on and see something new.

[sidjameson]

Gordon, I have felt the same as you for sure, but have you considered finding a different university? I know you got them sweet 10k an hour privates going on:) but a new workplace could give you a whole new perspective. My university classes are full of hardworking, fun loving chatty students. When I give them a conversation they actually speak longer than I had planned. They constantly ask questions and there is always somebody who tries to answer if I throw out a question. I've taught other places where even if I was using my best material with fireworks thrown in they barely stopped looking at their cell phone long enough to notice, but the rewarding students are out there.

I understand the something new bit though.....anybody else look at the jobs page even though they know they couldnt face the language mill again, just to daydream of places new?

[Gordon]

Sid, I hear you. I know many of my students are near the bottom of the barrel as far as students go, but the thought of uprooting my family for another job in Japan that might be better is not worth it. I think when I leave this job, it will be for a new country. From where I live there are only about 2-3 other unis within driving distance so moving would be my only resort.

Yeah, I'd love chatty fun students right now, perhaps that is why I have privates, to teach some younger students who still have a bit of spunk in them.

[Glenski]

[Glenski]

JimDunlop wrote:

[24601]

Hi there Brooke.

As someone who has done an obscene amount of travelling and an even more obscene amount of drugs in my life (long time ago...) I felt compelled to give you a shoutout.

My first question is: What will your partner be doing on this trip? I ask this because in my experiences bringing my partner along on an overseas journey where I worked and they essentially lazed about the house was a great way to kill a relationship fast. All they wanted to do was party party party sightsee and go out which was great, except it was all on my earnings. I got resentful. And with prices in Japan, a single entry level salary is not going to support two happy go lucky party girls very well.

Okay now onto more fun things... X is not a good vacation drug, and especially not a first year conversation school teacher drug. I don't know if you've done it before but for the benefit of those who have not I will explain why. First of all, the come down is usually more than a day (because it's often cut with coke). You stay up all night and have X touchy feely emo moments, then finally crash around dawn. Often as late as noon. Then you wake up and your sleep is all off and the next day you wake and feel a bit better, and the third day you feel *in general better*. Note that as a first year teacher you'll rarely have two days in a row off together unless you're taking your vacations which some don't give until 6 months after you start.

On top of that, those days won't often be Saturdays or Sundays. So you're stuck doing X and going to work the next day? Let's say for fun you get Sunday off. So you go to the dance party saturday night, do some X. You're in a foreign country where you don't speak the language and the Japanese people aren't super keen as a culture on being touched. So you go home and chill out with your partner. You crash in the morning, wake around 4-5 pm, eat some miso soup and drink green tea, crash again around midnight, and have to be at work at 10am Monday morning. Ew. You're going to be seriously dragging ass all week.

On top of that... the part of your brain that X effects can often lead to you being quite depressed for a period of three weeks or so. It's a time to be quite gentle with oneself. ESPECIALLY if you have any previous issues with depression. Now does this sound like something you want to experience in a very foreign country? Also, the Japanese are very strict about drug laws. You're going to be seriously fecked if you get caught doing anything there, and sometimes that includes being western.

Now onto other things... since you mention dance parties and X it appears this may be a useful thing to mention... if you have any visible tattoos or piercings, no matter how cute and subtle, or hair dyed an unnatural colour, or a funky hair cut, you will have a hard time finding English teaching work (from what I have been told). It's a very conservative society. I mean come on, you have to wear pantyhose to work (I'm investing in an army of dress pants to avoid this problem myself). So anything fun or funky will be frowned on.

Also, coming from an interview I just had, they really expect you to work a lot, and be very serious. Now your age is going to give them pause first off. So in order to combat that, you've got to have the other balls in your court.

Now, think about all of that, and go forth, and have a wonderful time. It can be done. If you want to read about someone who likes to party and teach english, see http://www.englishteacherx.com and be sure to read his teaching on acid story. He's depraved and a king of debauchery, but he's also quite real and has put me into laughing fits on several occasions.

[Brooke Pain]

Hey thanks for that!

My partner is japanese so he will find a job pretty easy so im not to worried bout that, but I do understand the side effects of X and theyre not pretty so yeah your probably right!

Thanks for your honesty!