Job Discussion Forums

elliewelliesj · Joined: 06 Jan 2006 Posts: 65

Hey

does anyone have any tips or advice or suggestions?

I am hoping to get to Japan to teach for at least a year...with my boyfriend who is a teacher too. We have just done 6 mths in Ecuador.

I have been applying to all the big schools having done some research online etc... and have various interviews in the pipeline. However then when i start looking on teacher forums, i keep seeing bad things about all theses places... are we teachers just cynical and bitter and never happy? and only ever post topics when we want to moan? or is it really true? and if so - where is good to apply?

Thanks

SeasonedVet · Joined: 28 Aug 2006 Posts: 236 Location: Japan

I read loads of Negative stuff on these boards before I came to Japan. It didn't stop me from coming. I actually worked at a school that gets alot of bad comments on this board. It turns out that the situation depended on which branch of the school or who the manager was etc. But people forgot to mention that..

I read post after post of people saying "Never Never work there" Well I did and it wasn't as bad as they were making it.

Now don't get me wrong, Some of the comments are Spot On. Some People had a bad experience and just say hey forget that school never work there.

There are posts on here about good and bad schools. There is a black list of schools somewhere.
Search this site.
Other posters after me may have the specifics.

take it easy.

PAULH · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 4672 Location: Western Japan

PAULH · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 4672 Location: Western Japan

Speed · Joined: 04 Jul 2003 Posts: 152 Location: Shikoku Land

For what its worth, elliewelliesj (man, that`s hard to pronounce!)

I`ve had mostly good experiences here in Japan.

I read some of the negativity on many of the forums, but then go to work and I end up feeling a lot better about things.

callmesim · Joined: 27 Oct 2005 Posts: 279 Location: London, UK

Exactly what everyone else said. It's like the old saying - if someone gets good service at a restaurant they'll tell 3 people. If they get bad service they tell 10.

I work for ECC and most of my gripes are aimed at the job itself (teaching English - discovered it's not for me) and Japan (I have issues with some things that are considered 'acceptable') but when it comes to how ECC treat its staff, I can't really complain. Low hours (30 a week in the schools and that's 30 a week. Don't believe the "ah yes... but what about the magic hidden hours?! " cause there are none), nearly 50 days holiday a year (sadly most are fixed) and 99% are in the major centers (Osaka/Kyoto/Kobe, Tokyo, Nagoya).

A lot of complaints about the big school on here are often speculative anyway. "Well, I once heard that..... and if they do that now, they might now..... be careful because they now have the right to ...... etc."

Come on over! If you don't like it, you can always go back. Smile

elliewelliesj · Joined: 06 Jan 2006 Posts: 65

Thanks guys - feel a lot better now! I thought it was the case but you know when you have spent loads of time filling out application forms, and reading till you bust and then just have a moment of why am i doing this again!!! but I really want to get to Japan and that is the main reason for applying - so will carry on and see what happens eh?

Cheers x

kevinyam · Joined: 02 Mar 2005 Posts: 31

really depends why you're coming. If you love teaching then you might feel very stifled in the big chain eikawas like NOVA, ECC, etc. If you are coming primarily to experience Japan, then you're fine. Fact of the matter is eikawa jobs are easy, carry very little stress, and generally provide you with enough time to travel. Also, if you're not happy with the job, once you get here, give them a months notice and go find something else.

womblingfree · Joined: 04 Mar 2006 Posts: 826

elliewelliesj · Joined: 06 Jan 2006 Posts: 65

Thanks so much everyone - have cheered up now! have had a few offers and so will probably be on my way in November... then will see what happens! Am back to being excited now!

cafebleu · Joined: 10 Feb 2003 Posts: 404

Elliewelliesj - don't take what you read on J forums too seriously (there are some absolute garbage ones out there) but take them seriously enough. The eslcafe is one you can take seriously enough.

Don't feel threatened by different perspectives - a lot of posters air out their schools/employers/the Japanese/other foreigners but that's life. Life has problems, life in Japan can be problematic and places like the cafe give great info but also provide a forum for posters to be honest.

I never worked for a chain school but I heard first-hand in Japan the sorts of things we read about on the cafe. Some people seem unreasonable or too hard but I think that's their experience. You can take it with sacks of salt if it sounds too exaggerated but it's that person's right to express what they believe is their experience. So don't worry about that kind of info because some other posters will come up with different ways of looking at the same thing.

Working for other places isn't plain sailing. I never worked for the chain schools but in my first year in Japan (I'm not there anymore) I worked for a relatively small eikaiwa (English conversation school).

I was put through the mill by a shockingly incompetent and financially greedy Japanese manager (she was in partnership with a foreigner) who held us to ransom. Pay rises for less and less work taken out of my salary, broken contracts, unreasonable demands on me etc. Guess what?

I stayed on in Japan! I finished my contract and moved on to other employers. I met my now husband in Japan (he's Chinese) and we both stayed here for some time but left because we don't and won't accept negative aspects of the Japanese system and way of life. But we have marvellous J friends - they visit us and we visit them - and have a lot of great memories.

I've been amused by an odd (ball) poster on here who has flamed me and followed me around because they can't handle some of my observations on Japan's negative side but ta da .................................. Japan has a negative side.

Like every place and situation in life. You don't need in any way to feel threatened by some of the bad news about living and working in Japan because that's life. Not all sweetness and light.

Read all you can about the places you've applied to and read as much about Japan as you can. Go there and experience it for yourself. You've got some great experience under your belt living and working in South America - and the challenges and negative aspects are just part of the one package. Same as Japan. Go for it! Good luck!