|
Job Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Around the World!"
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
PUCK
Joined: 17 Jun 2006
Posts: 20
Location: Tokyo
|
 Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 2:16 am Post subject: |
 |
|
| Quote: |
| Is there work to be had, especially in Tokyo? I have never EVER said otherwise, yet PUCK makes it seem that I have. Be very careful of what he tells you, and especially careful of what he DOESN'T tell you. He says you'll be in good shape, but that depends on what time of year you come and how you interview. He says you can get a plethora of classes (like him, working 6-7 days a week), but he doesn't say how much of a strain it is to work that many days, how to find the jobs (especially the private lessons for a newbie), how to KEEP the private lessons, and how to keep your sanity in a foreign land where you are visiting for the FIRST time (while he was here before) while you work 8 hours a day in one job and try to supplement with others (not to mention how to fit all that in). |
I think we should call him Mr. P (for pessimist)!
First he greases one school Shane (for which I am guessing he has never worked). Now, that's a real classy thing to do. Like most of his posts, he has so much to say about places, schools, and other issues he has either never worked for or at or knows far less about than a lot of people who have experience. I am sure there are hundreds of people who read his posts about various institutions and laugh!
If I were moving to Tokyo, I would rather get info. from someone living in Tokyo. If I were going to work for Shane, I would rather get info. from someone working there, or who has worked there. And so on...
His comment above:
| Quote: |
| He says you'll be in good shape, but that depends on what time of year you come and how you interview. He says you can get a plethora of classes (like him, working 6-7 days a week), but he doesn't say how much of a strain it is to work that many days, how to find the jobs (especially the private lessons for a newbie), how to KEEP the private lessons, and how to keep your sanity in a foreign land where you are visiting for the FIRST time (while he was here before) while you work 8 hours a day in one job and try to supplement with others (not to mention how to fit all that in). |
It only shows how little he knows. There are loads of classes, and yes, it isn't too difficult to make your own schedule and choose which days you want to work and which days you want off. And no, it isn't necessarily anymore of a strain to teach part-time 5,6, or 7 days a week depending on who you are and what your schedule is. For someone like him, however, we know the answer. A 20-minute walk is probably taxing. I assume this by the way he posts about how tough everything is. Furthermore, he obviously doesn't know the Tokyo market and how people get jobs here. When applying for a majority of part-time jobs here, the interview is usually just a formality. F/T jobs are often quite different. He doesn't know this but insists he knows all about trhe interview process. Finally, he seems to think that without a Masters degree, you can't get a niversity job unless you have hoards and hoards of experience. Again, he has never set foot on any of the campuses where most teachers work, including myself. Many of my co-teachers do not have Masters degrees.
I think I will re-state my original post. If you come to Tokyo and have a full-time job / visa, you'll be able to quickly find more and more work that pays reasonable. You can make a good living. No, you don't have to work 14 hours a day, 7 days a week unless you want to. You can still make a good living. And heck, if you want, you could always supplement your income like Paul H does by doing those phony Christian weddings on weekends and pretending your a minister!
Networking alone can land you loads of positions. Again, some posters don't know so they post their own pessimistic thoughts to discourage people and scare them off. I haven't been in this country that long. If I didn't have time left on my original visa when I returned to Japan, the company I took a job with would have sponsored me.
Another thing he doesn't know is that some companies will sponsor your visa even if it is not a "full-time" job. As long as they can provide you with enough hours / income, they are legally able to do so, and often will.
Thanks again G for all of your newbie bashing. |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
Sweetsee
Joined: 11 Jun 2004
Posts: 2302
Location: ) is everything
|
| Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 8:25 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Round-trip. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
MrMojoRisin
Joined: 17 Aug 2004
Posts: 22
Location: Manchester, UK
|
| Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 6:44 pm Post subject: |
|
|
thanks for your contributions, especially from the funny folks. i never realised i'd cause a war of words, but well unfortunately it seems too common on this forum. 
overall i think i'll just have to follow the same road as people with no qualification or experience and go for something like NOVA.
you hear good and bad things about everything so I guess it all depends on individual experiences...everyone has a different story.
I'm in no rush so I'll pursue it further and see what happens. Something like the british council would be good - altho they don't appear to be hiring right now. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
dove
Joined: 01 Oct 2003
Posts: 271
Location: USA/Japan
|
| Posted: Fri Aug 11, 2006 2:53 am Post subject: |
|
|
This thread really hits home the fact that everyone's experience is different. That's the great thing about working and living in Japan: you can create the kind of life you want here. I think it would be interesting to hear about some of the lives we are creating, the good parts and the bad parts.
As for myself, I've chosen not to pursue too many part time jobs or private lessons that make me run around from place to place. I used to do that when my goals were paying off bills and saving money to make the move to the next place. Now I live 5 minutes on foot from my school, I have 3 private-lesson students who come to my kitchen, I save a reasonable amount of money ($US 1,500) each month, and right now that's enough for me. I decided to have a life here in Japan. I decided to cook my own meals, to take hikes in the countryside, to grow herbs on my balcony, to study Japanese (and Portuguese), to live....not just work. But I like the idea that I could dive into lots of part-time work if I wanted to. Again, Japan gives me the opportunity to work a lot if I so choose. Right now I don't.
Please tell about your choices in Japan. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
PUCK
Joined: 17 Jun 2006
Posts: 20
Location: Tokyo
|
| Posted: Fri Aug 11, 2006 5:48 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: |
| you can create the kind of life you want here. I think it would be interesting to hear about some of the lives we are creating, the good parts and the bad parts. But I like the idea that I could dive into lots of part-time work if I wanted to. Again, Japan gives me the opportunity to work a lot if I so choose. Right now I don't. Please tell about your choices in Japan. |
Dove, you've made some really good points. Some people would never believe it, though. The Glenski-type characters think that you have to move your way up the hierarchy ladder step by step, from "entry-level" (as he calls it) to better-paying positions.
If you are intelligent and have the right attitude, it doesn't matter if you have a masters degree, a law degree, or a degree in nose-picking, or no degree at all. You can do well in Japan. The opportunities are here. Sure, there's a time frame where you'll have to gain some knowledge of the system here and make some contacts. However, if you're intelligent, you can speed up that process a lot.
Certainly the market and the economy is nothing like it was back in the 80s and early 90s. However, there is still a demand for good teachers. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
|
| Posted: Fri Aug 11, 2006 2:33 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: |
| Dove, you've made some really good points. Some people would never believe it, though. The Glenski-type characters think that you have to move your way up the hierarchy ladder step by step, from "entry-level" (as he calls it) to better-paying positions. |
No, everyone should start out at the top of the heap, like you did, right? Or have you forgotten your first entry level job, not to mention who got you back into Japan and gave you advice on rising up the ladder of your success? Or the countless emails you wrote bragging about how your "better-paying position" was this month compared to last month. I guess you have. Or did you just materialize in Japan with a success story?
| Quote: |
| Sure, there's a time frame where you'll have to gain some knowledge of the system here and make some contacts. However, if you're intelligent, you can speed up that process a lot. |
Ah, don't we call this "time frame" moving one's way up a ladder? You contradict yourself again.
Dove,
Sounds like you and PUCK have quite different lifestyles. You are here for a little money and a lot of happiness, while he is here only for money.
You asked about "choices in Japan". There are as many choices as there are individuals. One can live an extravagant lifestyle and spend every penny one makes, one can work like a dog to make loads of money, one can also work hard and have plenty of fun and friends, etc.
The market in Japan is in a state of flux, so making choices requires people to understand that, as well as to understand what they want out of life and how to get it.
1. A couple of years ago saw a change in the eikaiwas such that they began using the legal loopholes to avoid making copayments into full-time teachers' health insurance and pension plans.
2. From then on, you also didn't usually have to leave Japan to finalize your work visa paperwork.
3. Dispatch agencies have invaded the turf and done a lot of damage to an already weak industry, by hiring teachers and providing little to no benefits and by dumping them short of the end of a contract only to tell them they didn't complete one so they didn't deserve a benefit (bonus).
4. Universities have begun to farm out full-time positions now, instead of just PT ones, to dispatch agencies and even to some eikaiwas! What does this say for the quality of the teachers, when they were otherwise looking for people with experience in Japan, a minimum of a master's degree in a specific field, and research publications?
5. Many eikaiwas have folded, and many in the last couple of years have begun offering far lower salaries than ever in the past 2 decades. Some offer 40-hour weeks for 170,000 yen/month, a pittance and barely subsistence wages considering there has been no previous change to the 250,000 yen/month salaries. Yet, desperate teachers continue to take such jobs and help the industry to lower the standards of pay.
6. I've been on these boards since 1997 and in the past year or two I've seen more people than ever asking how to get a job with no degree and no experience. Most of them are vehemently insistent that there must be a way, and they usually storm out mad and are never heard from again. Why is it that we see such a population of people seemingly growing?
So, a person's choice can be dictated soley by greed, or by some sense of personal satisfaction (whether in home life or a career or both), or by what the market has in store. And, some are content to just drift through life a little until they eventually discover something they feel is the right choice to make. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
PUCK
Joined: 17 Jun 2006
Posts: 20
Location: Tokyo
|
| Posted: Sat Aug 12, 2006 4:00 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: |
| No, everyone should start out at the top of the heap, like you did, right? Or have you forgotten your first entry level job, not to mention who got you back into Japan and gave you advice on rising up the ladder of your success? Or the countless emails you wrote bragging about how your "better-paying position" was this month compared to last month. I guess you have. Or did you just materialize in Japan with a success story? |
ARE YOU TRYING TO IMPLY THAT YOU HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH MY RETURNING TO JAPAN AND FINDING QUALITY WORK?!!! Glenski, I'll give you credit for a lot of things, but you ain't gonna take it for helping me!
| Quote: |
| Ah, don't we call this "time frame" moving one's way up a ladder? You contradict yourself again. |
And no, to answer your question, I do not call it "moving up the ladder." It is simply learning how the system works here and using it to your advantage. Believe it or not, there are hundreds, probably thousands of teachers here that have better jobs than you. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
king kakipi
Joined: 16 Feb 2004
Posts: 353
Location: Australia
|
| Posted: Sat Aug 12, 2006 9:47 am Post subject: |
|
|
| After recent events, I change my answer from 'aeroplane' to 'cruise ship'...... |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Sweetsee
Joined: 11 Jun 2004
Posts: 2302
Location: ) is everything
|
| Posted: Sun Aug 13, 2006 1:35 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Get here with $4000 and hit the road running. What happens depends on you. It's working for me after 17 years, oh yeah actually started all over 6 years ago. So, yeah.
But why here Mojo?
Enjoy,
s |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
This page is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling.
Contact Dave's ESL Cafe
Copyright © 2018 Dave Sperling. All Rights Reserved.
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
