Job Discussion Forums

[JimDunlop2]

The trend in recent years in the diagnosis and treatment of attention deficit has been very counter-revolutionary. There has been a backlash of professionals and semi-professionals complaining about mis-diagnoses and over-medication (especially of children) and the trend has been towards wholistic treatments and non-medicative lifestyle changes... But even in spite of that, there are still many cases where a good dose of ritalin is still exactly what's called for (in my opinion). However, having said that, it behooves us to ensure that a proper diganosis of ADD has been made in the first place -- and not just some family doctor who will agree with everything you say.

Unfortunately, when you come to Japan, the complete inverse is true of everything we know. Here, ADD/ADHD are almost completely UNDIAGNOSED, because there is very little knowledge on the subject.

I often have conversations with an elementary school kocho-sensei who is on a city-wide council on special education and he openly admits that they are YEARS behind their Western counterparts in areas of diagnosis and treatment.

BTW, for any kind of legitimate diagnosis, it takes MUCH more than just a trip to the family doctor. Seriously, it takes several trips to a psychologist, an MD, (quite often a psychiatrist) and a number of diagnostic tests that almost always include a properly administered and recognized IQ test, as well as other tasks specifically aimed at making a differential diagnosis. The entire process, from the time the first appoinment is made, to the time you walk in for your last appointment to hear the results of the tests can easily take upwards of one or two months.

It's unfortunate that some university kids can actually go to a family doctor and say they got ADD (and even more shameful that the doctor gives it to them, and TWICE as shameful are the university profs who fall for it)... But that's no different than the jerk who parks in the handicapped space at the supermarket because he's "handicapped" (he's got a speech impediment)....

[kdynamic]

[cafebleu]

Let's get back to XMiler's inability to obtain a teaching gig with the recruiters he's mentioned soon - it would make the contributors to this thread start addressing the topic again.

(I would like to add my two yen's worth, however, and say that all these conditions/syndromes/pathologies/illusions/diagnoses/misdiagnoses etc are all highly subjective and contentious matters. For me, psychology has a place in all our lives but psychobabble whereby we or others are quick to 'make a diagnosis' based on ours and others' highly subjective opinions about what we/they are 'suffering from' leads to oceans of excuse making and the abuse of not only medication but goodwill.)

XMiler - irrespective of what you want to be the case, the reality is: you have been rejected by the major recruiters of teachers in Japan. That is a failure to an extent - yes. Don't fool yourself - you were not successful again and again. You did not pass their interviewing standards and you were not suitable for them.

However, in other words you failed to meet the sometimes-set-in-their ways, unyielding criteria and the sometimes irrational criteria that these recruiters have for selecting their teachers. This is not an absolute failure - it just means you are not suitable according to their opinion to teach their students. That is their right - to choose teachers they feel will be able to communicate effectively with their customers.

In any job interview, the applicant whose mind wanders or who seems inadequate to the task of answering the questions put to them is not going to be successful.

Why should they be? You really need to recognise that is a weakness of yours and it is up to you to make a change there - by consulting those references to interviewing that another poster pointed out.

You also need to recognise that somebody who cannot pay attention or answer satisfactorily in an interview for a teaching position in Japan (and other countries) is unsuited to the task of teaching. Teaching is about communication and the applicant who cannot concentrate for an interview is hardly likely to survive the demands of English conversation schools in Japan.

Judging by what you said about your reasons for wanting to get a job in Japan, you have no idea about the demands of the work you would be employed to do. Teaching in Japan is not easy - don't listen to the nonsense of the gung ho males who boast about their conquests and how they were doing this and that in class - everything but teaching apparently.

Or the notion that because you weren't a teacher in your home country then it must be easy to teach in Japan. It's not - and given some of the hours I used to work and which I believe are far from unusual in Japan, the fact you couldn't pay attention in interviews bodes very harshly for you. Try being a consistently alert and sensitive communicator after 6 hour shifts with only a 10 minute break snatched in between - I don't think you could.

You need to focus on something else. Sorry if I sound harsh.

[callmesim]

[the big dog]

Don't be a loser. Get a grip, kick yourself up the arse and sort yourself out. You say that you go into an interview thinking ' I know I am not a good teacher' WTF. You got to kid yourself first, then kidding others is easier.

[poof]

If your problem is with interviews, have you considered first trying to get a teaching job in a country which in many positions have no interview? Korea, for example, must be the easiest country to get into for teaching. Being right next door to Japan, you would get an opportunity to visit Japan while in Korea.

If you really think you have some problem with interviews, but cannot identify it, and want to work through it, howabout having some honest friends go through a mock interview with you and assessing your skills? Alternatively, an official interview workshop sounds a good idea.

If you have ADD, perhaps you should consult with your doctor and find out what you can do to help yourself.

[wyclef32]

Despite what many might say, it is entirely possible to fail all the interviews for the overseas recruiters and still get a job in Japan.
Sure enough, immigration is cracking down on visa applications inside Japan but it can still be done.
On the other hand, you can reapply to many of those (an you did not mention Interac...).

[GabeKessel]

I was looking for a job in Japan once, so I decided to play the number's game. I got a list of all the colleges there and also, private schools. This was in the pre-Web times. I picked up a book called "The World of Learning": most libraries in the US have it as a reference book, and most big university libraries in Japan have it, too. I also got a book ( I think it was "Jobs in Japan"- a bit outdated now) with addresses of language schools. Then, I sent out 180 resumes with handwritten cover letters. I got about 20 responses and landed a job very quickly after that.

I did it while I was inside Japan, though. It should, I 'd guess, work from the outside of Japan, as well.

Seems like the places you have described are very competitive. I have never succeeded with such in-the-limelight agencies so I don't bother. I would play the numbers game.

I always do, and I always get jobs. Everywhere.

I was in BKK and just picked up the phone book and got names of schools and colleges and their addresses ( sans postal codes, but they still got there).

This method works like magic. I guess now most places have emails and faxes, but I would combine emailing and mass snail mailing. This will ensure a job.

And virtually no one can lose if he/she sends out 1000 resumes.

[red dog]