Job Discussion Forums

[Sinner]

Hi ladies n gents,

Yet another newbie poster here.

I have been reading this forum for the last year as my degree (BSc in Computing) wound up. Now I am done, but won't be officially graduated till later in the year.

Have some questions for you all which I am sure have been answered a hundred times before.

Looking to come to Japan for 2 main reasons:

1. I want to go rural. Here in Aus there are essentially 0 employment opportunities outside the major population centres and I am sick of living in the smog. Currently I work 12 hour shifts in an operations centre for 38AUD/hr which is very good but would prefer a normal sleep cycle, less pollution and no highway noise at night.
2. I want to get out in the world.

Issues:

1. I am not white. Despite having grown up here in Australia and being a native speaker, my heritage is Iranian so there's black hair brown eyes and all those online ads which ask for a photo never respond back to the non-white-guy.
2. Through personal choice, I don't have a licence of any sort. Noticed lots of jobs are asking for an international drivers licence. Would prefer to bicycle or walk.
3. I have no formal teaching experience or qualification. No TEFL or TESOL or CELTA.
4. Can't speak a word of Japanese.

Anyway, I have done some exhaustive research on cost of living and which eikaiwas are good and which aren't and all the common newbie questions so won't pester you with that.

I live a pretty bohemian lifestyle and spend my leisure time reading and gardening so pretty sure I will be able to save cash. Happy to work for peanuts really, just so long as I can feed and clothe myself!

Ideally it would be awesome if I could teach kids how to use computers, but I have not seen any such job adverts. If anyone is working at a school and thinks they could use a computer teacher let me know! Have spent a couple of my young years employed in the academic sector and for government research so I am good at explaining digital things to your average academic who is half as smart as a 4 year old!

So wondering what you guys would advise I do? I would just jump in the deep end and go Sth Korea if the opportunities were rural like in Japan. I have been working and studying full time since I was 15 and have amassed a sizeable chunk of cash which could support me if I decide to just get on a plane to Osaka.

How can I get my foot in the door? If I go for my CELTA (if you are gonna do it, might as well do it right) now, it will be too late for this years starts and I still will have 0 experience aside from training. At least it would give me some time to learn Japanese?

It seems only Aclipse is hiring people like me and from what I understand their reputation isn't great. I would really appreciate a helping hand from someone here.

Looking forward to your sage and useful replies.

[JL]

I'll be a "returnee" to the market, so I'll let others address your chances and best bets, regarding the specifics on the ground, in Japan. But as for your heritage, I can offer these observations: It will be an issue for you at times, but not one which will prevent you from succeeding. A few weeks back, we had a Canadian gal of unspecified Asian descent, who had this same concern. As with her, I say to you to just put your best Australian foot forward. Be proud and confident that you are a native English speaker; if you're an Australian passport holder, trumpet your Australian citizenship, as well. (If you're solely an Iranian passport holder, you may have other issues... Iranians were exploited for cheap labor, to then just be made persona non grata by Japan, oh, about 15 years ago.)

Your hair and skin color, is your hair and skin color. You can't change that (well technically, I suppose you could. Heck, even I dye a few of my gray hairs, these days...And the Japanese, both males and females, have been tinting their raven black hair for a while, now. But actually, I recommend you don't do a thing. Your personality trumps hair color.) If you're well-groomed and well-dressed, it will go a long way. When I first came to Japan, the lead teacher at one of the schools in my company was a Brit of Indian descent. His skin was very dark. But he was a good looking man, and always impeccably dressed. He was very energetic and gregarious, and one of the most popular teachers in the entire company. Again, your personality, and your comportment are what will make or break you.
Good luck!

[JL]

P.S.:
Don't introduce yourself as "Sinner" at your interviews, though. Iconoclasm won't get you much, in Japan.

[Glenski]

1. Your appearance (non-white) will not matter much. Just don't say you are of Iranian descent. You are Australian. Period.

2. Your lack of any Japanese language or teaching-related background makes you about the same as most eikaiwa or JET programme applicants in terms of qualifications.

3. Want to teach computing skills here to anyone? Uh, figure that you will need some Japanese language. I'm in university and have taught in high school here. Kids surprised me by not knowing what I thought were common terms in English (like "reboot"), and computers (heads up major here!) don't have English for menu items and error messages.

4. You will need a degree or some official confirmation from your school that you will graduate soon, or you can't get a work visa. Since you are Aussie, you could get a working holiday visa anytime, though. Luckily for you, Aussies can renew twice for a total of 18 months.

My advice is to consider the WHV for teaching or IT jobs. Scour the ads and see what you can find. Newbies can't work solely PT on regular work visas because they don't sponsor the visa, but WHV holders can. Also, since you are going to graduate "later in the year", when is that? You could apply for the JET Programme, but you would have to wait until August of 2010 to be placed. I mention JET because it places ALTs usually in rural locations.

In any case, with the economy the way it is here, and the teaching market as flooded with teachers as it is, expect a lot of competition for whatever job you seek.

[flyer]

[Glenski]

He's grown up in Oz, so let's assume he has an Aussie accent, not an Iranian one.

As for not speaking Japanese, most newbies are in the same boat.

[David W]

If you don't like smog I think probably Japan isn't for you. I live in the country here in Japan and even a normal day here is like the worst smog day you'll ever see in Australia. It's not terrible by any means, certainly nothing like what I've seen coming out of parts of China but it ain't like Australia mate.

[Glenski]

David,
Where the heck in the countryside do you live? I've never had any problems with smog up here in Hokkaido.

[flyer]

yes, I am in Hokkaido and no smog problems here

very clean air, water etc

[David W]

[flyer]

I am not sure if Glenski has, but I have lived there for 4 months

have you been to Hokkaido?

[David W]

[Glenski]

David,
No, I have not been to Australia, but Hokkaido has very clean air, and it makes up a huge portion of Japan, so don't generalize so much.

And, it would be advisable not to call people delusional.

Have you ever been to Hokkaido?