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canuck
Joined: 11 May 2003
Posts: 1921
Location: Japan
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 Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2006 1:42 am Post subject: |
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| Like a Rolling Stone wrote: |
only pricks use the word "utilize" when they should use the word "use". You want to be used then you are a prostitute. Have fun in your next careeer of being prostitute.  |
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=utilize
| dictionary.com wrote: |
| Usage Note: A number of critics have remarked that utilize is an unnecessary substitute for use. It is true that many occurrences of utilize could be replaced by use with no loss to anything but pretentiousness, for example, in sentences such as They utilized questionable methods in their analysis or We hope that many commuters will continue to utilize mass transit after the bridge has reopened. But utilize can mean �to find a profitable or practical use for.� Thus the sentence The teachers were unable to use the new computers might mean only that the teachers were unable to operate the computers, whereas The teachers were unable to utilize the new computers suggests that the teachers could not find ways to employ the computers in instruction. |
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dove
Joined: 01 Oct 2003
Posts: 271
Location: USA/Japan
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| Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2006 6:31 am Post subject: |
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Just out of curiosity: Did anyone besides Rolling Stone get all bent out shape because I used the word "utilize"?
I don't know about my future career as a prostitute (I am still shaking my head at that one). But Rolling Stone's comment reminded of a past job I had. I was working at a restaurant and a customer actually complained that the ice cream was too cold.... High- maintenance and sour people: just shake your head and dismiss. |
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Apsara
Joined: 20 Sep 2005
Posts: 2142
Location: Tokyo, Japan
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| Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2006 7:28 am Post subject: |
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 No Sweetsee, I'm a yoga instructor. Nine or so 75 or 90 minute lessons a week is full time for us- physically it's hard to do any more. I'm getting up when hostesses are getting home- about 5 am.
I have no problems with the word utilise either- and I accept both US and UK spelling... |
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Deicide
Joined: 29 Jul 2006
Posts: 1005
Location: Caput Imperii Americani
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| Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2006 9:34 am Post subject: Well... |
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| Apsara wrote: |
No Sweetsee, I'm a yoga instructor. Nine or so 75 or 90 minute lessons a week is full time for us- physically it's hard to do any more. I'm getting up when hostesses are getting home- about 5 am.
I have no problems with the word utilise either- and I accept both US and UK spelling... |
I think his schtick was the context...utilise truly does have a uniform application for non-living things, in particular mechanical things and a few abstracts as well, i.e. utilise a work force (though composed of humans). So I think his issue was one of proper semantics (that would be my objection at least). I need some yoga...I am too inflexible...no splits for me...  |
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GambateBingBangBOOM
Joined: 04 Nov 2003
Posts: 2021
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2006 2:15 pm Post subject: |
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| Glenski wrote: |
| JET hours are Monday to Friday, roughly 9 to 4. |
The standard contract is actually 8:30 to 4:15, but a lot of people pretty much have to be at their school by 8:10 and stay until 4:30.
| Glenski wrote: |
JET arranges your visa. (It's not a Humanities Specialist visa, though, so you can't use it for anything except JET.)
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It's an instructor visa. You can use it to continue to teach in Japan, at schools, not at eikaiwas. I know several people who left JET to go immediately to private (jr or sr) high schools, and it was mostly because of their instructor visa (plus Japanese level- a lot of JETs end up with much better Japanese levels than eikaiwa instructors, because they are in a rural setting and are forced to use it all the time).
| Quote: |
JET provides supplemental training throughout the year (I don't know the details.) |
Generally speaking, it's crap. The training usually consists of workshops given by other JETs, who likely also have no other experience or training in teaching English. So it's the blind leading the blind. But then, that sort of mirrors the way that Japanese teachers are taught- a short practicum or two in which they recieve comments like "should make better use of the board" which help by saying what that teacher thought was wrong, and generally zero in the way of what was right. Also, the teacher might be someone who was in their shoes less than a year ago (all this JTE stuff is according to new JTEs that I've talked to). The JET training is my own experience.
| Quote: |
| Some would consider the vacation days better with JET. |
When your Board of Education doesn't just say no whenever you ask for vacation, it is good. |
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Sweetsee
Joined: 11 Jun 2004
Posts: 2302
Location: ) is everything
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| Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2006 3:16 am Post subject: |
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| Good on you Aspara, much healthier! |
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gaijinalways
Joined: 29 Nov 2005
Posts: 2279
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| Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2006 11:57 am Post subject: |
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| I've also heard that the JET schools vary greatly in the amount of extracurricular activities that they give their JET assistants. Some JETS have complained about having very few weekends free as well as having to attend othe week night activities, all gratis for the schools (unpaid). |
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kevinyam
Joined: 02 Mar 2005
Posts: 31
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| Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 9:14 am Post subject: |
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For me it's really this simple. If I had to choose between a JET position near a big city and a NOVA position near the same big city, I would choose JET. But if it's between getting stuck out in the sticks in the middle of nowhere with JET and teaching at a NOVA in Tokyo, I honestly don't care about the extra vacation days or 25 000 yen more or so a month extra, I would slowly go insane.
I've talked to enough JETs who enjoyed teaching out in the middle of nowhere and living in a decent sized house, but it wouldn't be for me. |
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TokyoLiz
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 1548
Location: Tokyo, Japan
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| Posted: Wed Sep 13, 2006 1:51 am Post subject: |
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JET in the sticks could be good for you for a number of reasons - nowhere to waste your yen, no English bubble so you're forced to learn Japanese, likely a more sedate pace of living, and possibly a great culture and language learning experience if you have spouse and children in tow (some JETs have kids, and I've met a few single parents, too!). You may have more opportunity to take part in traditional Japanese activities - traditional arts (ikebana, martial arts, glassblowing), performing arts (taiko, dance, etc), agriculture (one JET ALT I met had his own rice paddy), volunteering.
I learned glass blowing, performed dance in a festival, did occasional ikebana and tea ceremony, volunteered at fundraisers for disabled people, and hung out at Buddhist Sunday school with my students. I felt really plugged in to the culture and language.
For some, rural ALT jobs may be a good fit.
The GEOS teacher in my neighbourhood worked really long hours, dreaded dressing in a suit every morning, didn't learn much Japanese (hard when all your contact time at work is English), had very few holidays and didn't have much of a chance to explore the area. She did get time to learn kickboxing and ikebana, GEOS provided some Japanese language instruction, had a nice local boyfriend met through the eikaiwa, and a large social network of English speaking people. |
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kevinyam
Joined: 02 Mar 2005
Posts: 31
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| Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2006 10:52 am Post subject: |
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| I'm sure for some country living is great and I agree it would probably help one's Japanese, however it just wouldn't be for me. I was either going to be placed in a big city or I wasn't going to come. Simple as that. JET couldn't guarantee it so I didn't even bother applying with them. |
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