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turfy
Joined: 24 Jan 2009
Posts: 2
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 Posted: Fri Feb 06, 2009 1:00 am Post subject: Recession bites Eikawa |
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"one's chances diminish after 39.." GRRRR....Some things about Japan really get on my nerves!!! I do think the Japanese could learn so much more than just English from Britain, where it is illegal to discriminate on a job applicant's age.
I'm in a bad mood because the end of my contract is coming up, and I think my employer - a mom 'n pop small-scale suburbun eikawa/ juku in Tokyo - is not going to renew my contract. I've been in Japan for 1 year. Gave up a rewarding, satisfying career in London, as my wife wanted to return to Japan.
I was very happy to find an Eikawa walking distance from our apartment...I'd just done a tefl / CELTA before coming here, so not a proper teacher, but being 40 years old I had a lot of real-life work experience, which was transferable. Incidentally, the teacher I took over from was Indian, she was here because her husband was working in Tokyo (bank IT stuff ) the school were just relieved that she was able to be legally employed - ethnicity; strong Indian accent didn't matter to them. It's only 150,000 Yen a month, but it's just 20 hours a week only, so it's been a good way to learn about teaching. But now it seems like the school is going to sub divide my 20 hours amongst the Japanese teachers of English. Or the school is going to close down completely.
My school has not been increasing enrolments. I think because lessons seem expensive and potential students are very worried about their own jobs and financial stability. Stopping private English education seems a quick way for the Japanese to save a substantial regular outlay. More Japanese now are learning English from NHK tv programmes, and the accompanying books they can buy. Or doing "language exchange" which is free and popular here in Tokyo. Although I see a lot of advertising for the big schools - every train carriage seems to have Gaba, or ECC in it - I wonder how they can balance the books, as I don't see increasing enrolments, from what my contacts in the field have told me. |
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cafebleu
Joined: 10 Feb 2003
Posts: 404
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| Posted: Fri Feb 06, 2009 7:28 am Post subject: Turfy - you've got more options than most! |
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 Why stay working for people who don't appreciate you when you have a Japanese wife which gives you much more flexibility with visas?
Use your position to get privates and make it into a school type situation, make about 230,000 or even less per month, declare your income to the tax office and hey presto you've got the making of your own school! Even if you didn't have a Japanese wife you could sponsor yourself by this method.
You don't need an employer to sponsor you if you can string together a number of part time jobs or private students as long as you make about 200,000 yen or so a month. With a Japanese spouse you've got even more flexibility.
Teach people out of your apartment/house - you don't need a licence. Start handing out self made promotional material. You could end up with your own school that way - it's how many people start and they don't have the benefit of a J spouse which smoothes the way. Why so serious? |
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elkarlo
Joined: 08 Dec 2008
Posts: 240
Location: Maryland
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| Posted: Fri Feb 06, 2009 4:19 pm Post subject: |
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| Glenski wrote: |
Are there really more people these days wanting to go to Japan and teach? Hard to say. Yes, I've seen that site. Been scouring sites for useful information for over a decade now, and I visit half a dozen sites or so every day.
If there really are more people applying, then it only makes mathematical sense that more would be rejected just because the number of JET positions is either fixed or is diminishing. Thanks for your clairification, though.
I, too, would like to know the success rate and total number of applicants for JET, but I suspect JET will never divulge those figures, and that they vary depending on country. I've seen people in the know write that JET requirements are rigid in some cases but not in others. One person wrote that they were on the selection panel, and even though they thought one applicant was woefully in adequate for the job in many ways, the Japanese panelist(s) overrode them and hired the person just "because he is so cute" or something like that. Sigh.
Yes, of course one's chances diminish after 39, but they aren't zero. Junior high kids respond better overall to younger teachers anyway. I wonder if our resident poster Cthulhu can respond to this. I seem to recall seeing him write that not only is JET hoping to get people with more teaching experience these days, but they are also hiring more and more of the over 40 group (although I suspect those numbers are very low percent increases). |
Don't take this as an insult. But H%LL YES many nerds want to go Japan something fierce. How old are you, and where are you from? If you are a bit older you may not understand the depths of the anime craze. Which has made many a Weeabu wanting to go to Japan, and many saying they'll do anything to get there. So I'm sure JET gets buried by applicants.
I have heard the same stories as well. A Japanese board memeber overrides the others opinions.
At my Interac interview, I was the only not awkward person there. I can actually seem and act normally. The other guys were pretty hard to hold a normal conversation with. I bet the JET interviews are like that too. With most being the weirdos, and can't explain their goals on any level.
That's your area I have no idea what JET is doing with the over 40 crowd. Wonder how it'll change. As a 40yo will not accept the same conditions as a 22/23 yp. Just saying. |
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Dipso
Joined: 28 Apr 2004
Posts: 194
Location: England
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| Posted: Fri Feb 06, 2009 5:11 pm Post subject: |
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| elkarlo wrote: |
On the JET site it says after 39 the chances for being accepted diminish.
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JET has actually put the age limit up. When I was a JET a few years back, the upper age limit was 35. The vast majority of JET ALTs are fresh from university. I believe the reason for this is that JET is supposed to be about youth... I was 31 when I became a JET and almost 10 years older than most of the other ALTs. |
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elkarlo
Joined: 08 Dec 2008
Posts: 240
Location: Maryland
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| Posted: Fri Feb 06, 2009 6:10 pm Post subject: |
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| Dipso wrote: |
| elkarlo wrote: |
On the JET site it says after 39 the chances for being accepted diminish.
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JET has actually put the age limit up. When I was a JET a few years back, the upper age limit was 35. The vast majority of JET ALTs are fresh from university. I believe the reason for this is that JET is supposed to be about youth... I was 31 when I became a JET and almost 10 years older than most of the other ALTs. |
It does seem as though they are upping the age. But really how many older folks are going to go JET? Being 40 many have wife+kids or what have you. They'd really need a bit of a better salary, as well as being able to send their kids to school. So I wonder how many more people does raising the age limit from 35-40 will bring in?
I'm going to be 27 soon. So I too will be the old man to the other ALTs. Hopefully they will see my wisdom and treat me like their sempai=) |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Fri Feb 06, 2009 10:29 pm Post subject: |
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| elkarlo wrote: |
| Don't take this as an insult. But H%LL YES many nerds want to go Japan something fierce. How old are you, and where are you from? If you are a bit older you may not understand the depths of the anime craze. Which has made many a Weeabu wanting to go to Japan, and many saying they'll do anything to get there. So I'm sure JET gets buried by applicants. |
My question was not whether many people or many nerds want to come here. It was whether more people than before, nerd and non-nerd, are applying. Thanks for your remarks, though. And, yes, as you may have figured, I am quite older than the nerdy anime crowd. I got into this at 40-ish. |
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JL
Joined: 26 Oct 2008
Posts: 241
Location: Las Vegas, NV USA
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GambateBingBangBOOM
Joined: 04 Nov 2003
Posts: 2021
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2009 8:26 am Post subject: |
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| elkarlo wrote: |
| Don't take this as an insult. But H%LL YES many nerds want to go Japan something fierce. How old are you, and where are you from? If you are a bit older you may not understand the depths of the anime craze. Which has made many a Weeabu wanting to go to Japan, and many saying they'll do anything to get there. So I'm sure JET gets buried by applicants. |
It's true that JET gets buried by applicants. it's also true that there are very few anime/manga nerds amongst them... because they get weeded out during the application process. The goal is to send people to represent their respective countries (and the city or area from which they came), and to many people (especially the former JETs in the interview panel) that means weeding out anime freaks. Sorry. But it's true. Most of the anime freaks work for eikaiwa schools. |
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steki47
Joined: 20 Apr 2008
Posts: 1029
Location: BFE Inaka
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| Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2009 12:38 pm Post subject: |
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| GambateBingBangBOOM wrote: |
| Most of the anime freaks work for eikaiwa schools. |
So what kind of freaks work for JET? Martial arts nuts, feminist missionary types, eh? |
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elkarlo
Joined: 08 Dec 2008
Posts: 240
Location: Maryland
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| Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2009 4:56 am Post subject: |
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| Glenski wrote: |
| elkarlo wrote: |
| Don't take this as an insult. But H%LL YES many nerds want to go Japan something fierce. How old are you, and where are you from? If you are a bit older you may not understand the depths of the anime craze. Which has made many a Weeabu wanting to go to Japan, and many saying they'll do anything to get there. So I'm sure JET gets buried by applicants. |
My question was not whether many people or many nerds want to come here. It was whether more people than before, nerd and non-nerd, are applying. Thanks for your remarks, though. And, yes, as you may have figured, I am quite older than the nerdy anime crowd. I got into this at 40-ish. |
Haha ok, well I am not sure how many actually apply. But many people express interest in applying. Much more so than in 2002 when I first got interested. To be honest I have no idea. But I doubt that Anime being so popular is not having some affect.
So what kind of Japanese nerds were there 20 years ago? Samarai wanaabes? |
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elkarlo
Joined: 08 Dec 2008
Posts: 240
Location: Maryland
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| Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2009 5:47 am Post subject: |
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| GambateBingBangBOOM wrote: |
| elkarlo wrote: |
| Don't take this as an insult. But H%LL YES many nerds want to go Japan something fierce. How old are you, and where are you from? If you are a bit older you may not understand the depths of the anime craze. Which has made many a Weeabu wanting to go to Japan, and many saying they'll do anything to get there. So I'm sure JET gets buried by applicants. |
It's true that JET gets buried by applicants. it's also true that there are very few anime/manga nerds amongst them... because they get weeded out during the application process. The goal is to send people to represent their respective countries (and the city or area from which they came), and to many people (especially the former JETs in the interview panel) that means weeding out anime freaks. Sorry. But it's true. Most of the anime freaks work for eikaiwa schools. |
I see. I wonder if any JET board member sifter and weeded out the anime nerd applications here? I just figured with the barrage that some slipped through. |
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prlester
Joined: 08 Jan 2005
Posts: 92
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| Posted: Thu Feb 26, 2009 5:41 am Post subject: |
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| GambateBingBangBOOM wrote: |
| elkarlo wrote: |
| Don't take this as an insult. But H%LL YES many nerds want to go Japan something fierce. How old are you, and where are you from? If you are a bit older you may not understand the depths of the anime craze. Which has made many a Weeabu wanting to go to Japan, and many saying they'll do anything to get there. So I'm sure JET gets buried by applicants. |
It's true that JET gets buried by applicants. it's also true that there are very few anime/manga nerds amongst them... because they get weeded out during the application process. The goal is to send people to represent their respective countries (and the city or area from which they came), and to many people (especially the former JETs in the interview panel) that means weeding out anime freaks. Sorry. But it's true. Most of the anime freaks work for eikaiwa schools. |
That's true, JET definitely has the coolest ALTs in Japan, hands down. They also have the free time to do it. Anyone should look into their AJET chapter to hook up with the fun. |
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flyer
Joined: 16 May 2003
Posts: 539
Location: Sapporo Japan
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| Posted: Thu Feb 26, 2009 8:10 am Post subject: |
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| Glenski wrote: |
Yes, of course one's chances diminish after 39, but they aren't zero. Junior high kids respond better overall to younger teachers anyway. |
Who says Junior high kids respond better overall to younger teachers anyway????
what ....!?????
where did you get that from?
its not so much the age but the kind of teacher, the effort etc, |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Thu Feb 26, 2009 8:45 am Post subject: |
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| Would you like the research report I read that from? PM me, and I'll try to dig that up, flyer. |
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elkarlo
Joined: 08 Dec 2008
Posts: 240
Location: Maryland
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| Posted: Thu Feb 26, 2009 2:12 pm Post subject: |
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| prlester wrote: |
| GambateBingBangBOOM wrote: |
| elkarlo wrote: |
| Don't take this as an insult. But H%LL YES many nerds want to go Japan something fierce. How old are you, and where are you from? If you are a bit older you may not understand the depths of the anime craze. Which has made many a Weeabu wanting to go to Japan, and many saying they'll do anything to get there. So I'm sure JET gets buried by applicants. |
It's true that JET gets buried by applicants. it's also true that there are very few anime/manga nerds amongst them... because they get weeded out during the application process. The goal is to send people to represent their respective countries (and the city or area from which they came), and to many people (especially the former JETs in the interview panel) that means weeding out anime freaks. Sorry. But it's true. Most of the anime freaks work for eikaiwa schools. |
That's true, JET definitely has the coolest ALTs in Japan, hands down. They also have the free time to do it. Anyone should look into their AJET chapter to hook up with the fun. |
How goes being a JET? Did you get yourself a decent location? Free time? What do you do with it? |
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