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skineti
Joined: 26 Apr 2009
Posts: 4
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 Posted: Wed May 06, 2009 5:19 pm Post subject: Life teaching in Japan and after |
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Hello All,
I am new to posting in this forum as I have found TONS of information which has helped greatly in making my decision of teaching abroad, thank you very much.
Lately I have been considering making the effort to teach in Japan. One thing that I was unable to find was accounts of people who have taught or are teaching what the quality of their life is like. Not to be overly vague, I would like to know:
1. People's first impressions when they arrived to their respective schools
2. Outside of teaching is there a large ex-pat community that people tend to join
3. After completing completing successful contracts and returning home (if you have) what was the outlook taken on your career path
4. Different outlooks obtained
5. Do most people take housing located by their company or try to find something on their own (taking key deposit into account)
I have visited both Kyoto and Tokyo and understand the view taken of foreigners. A little about myself, 26 with a BA in psychology currently working as an operations manager with a decent salary. I am looking to make a change as I have heard nothing but great things from people I've met in the past who have done this.
One again thank you in advance for your help. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Wed May 06, 2009 9:45 pm Post subject: Re: Life teaching in Japan and after |
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| skineti wrote: |
| Lately I have been considering making the effort to teach in Japan. One thing that I was unable to find was accounts of people who have taught or are teaching what the quality of their life is like. |
Have you read any of the posts here or on other forums? People talk about it all the time. Many reports will be negative, though, because it is easy to vent with an anonymous username, and if things are going fine, there is usually no reason to post. Look for blogs on Japan, too. Good sources of info.
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Not to be overly vague, I would like to know:
1. People's first impressions when they arrived to their respective schools |
Do you realize how many possible replies there are to this question? It depends on a multitude of factors.
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| 2. Outside of teaching is there a large ex-pat community that people tend to join |
Gaijins tend to stick together for moral life support. There are plenty of us around, but the more rural you get, the fewer there are.
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| 3. After completing completing successful contracts and returning home (if you have) what was the outlook taken on your career path |
Most people on these forums have not gone "home".
Most newbies have degrees that are unrelated to teaching, and some didn't even have a career to start with. Answers are going to be hard to find, and it might help if you want to know about teaching-related careers or not.
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| 4. Different outlooks obtained |
I have no idea what this is supposed to mean, but my reply is to say that you are going to get so many replies that it will be meaningless.
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| 5. Do most people take housing located by their company or try to find something on their own (taking key deposit into account) |
The job market here has changed quite a bit in the past couple of years. JET Programme is hiring fewer teachers (down to about 5000 from 6000 earlier. Dispatch ALTs are growing in numbers. Eikaiwas are paring down. What all that means in terms of housing is this: JET and eikaiwas generally offer housing, so people usually take it. Otherwise, the costs of setting oneself up are enormous in most cases. I don't know about dispatch ALTs' situations, but I suspect that many/most are not offered housing. Will let others reply to that.
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| I have visited both Kyoto and Tokyo and understand the view taken of foreigners. |
What "view" is that?
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| A little about myself, 26 with a BA in psychology currently working as an operations manager with a decent salary. I am looking to make a change as I have heard nothing but great things from people I've met in the past who have done this. |
You have the "qualifications" that most newbies do -- a degree in an unrelated major and zero to little teaching experience. Be prepared for tons of competition, especially from those who are already established here. If you do have a WHV, then your advantage is being able to do PT work and to start immediately. Use that advantage, but bear in mind that you will be taxed 20% as a WHV holder. Eikaiwa and dispatch ALT work will be your main targets of opportunity.[/quote] |
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seklarwia
Joined: 20 Jan 2009
Posts: 1546
Location: Monkey onsen, Nagano
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| Posted: Wed May 06, 2009 10:25 pm Post subject: |
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As to housing in regards to dispatch, yes they do help you find housing. With Interac most are Leopalace places so initial start up costs are not as steep as setting up housing yourself in regular rental since there is no key money. You still have to pay some money up front in some cases but the majority will probably be for your first couple of months rent, so that you don't have to worry about that until your first paycheck.
Dispatch will not fork out for any start up costs though Interac does offer a couple of loans to help, which maybe required if they offer you a regular rental apartment which are normally empty shells that you have to completely fit out yourself.
Then there are those who are in extremely remote placements. One Interac ALT I met was going to an island off Tokyo (I'm not sure where exactly), but they were lucky in the housing department because they was supplied with BOE accomodation which was previously offered to the JETs. Their place is not only larger in comparison to most dispatch ALT apartments, but is pretty much ready to go and the rent is highly subsidised.
All in all, yes dispatch will help with finding housing, but the type of housing and the up front fees required depend case by case. |
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ripslyme
Joined: 29 Jan 2005
Posts: 481
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Thu May 07, 2009 5:51 am Post subject: Re: Life teaching in Japan and after |
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What the heck, I'll bite. I'll be talking about my new position as a full-time university instructor.
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| 1. People's first impressions when they arrived to their respective schools |
The pay is ok, the hours are good, and the students are great. There is quite a bit of bureaucracy to put up with, but so far so good.
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| 2. Outside of teaching is there a large ex-pat community that people tend to join |
That depends on your locale. I haven't bothered to go out and find the ex-pat community around here as I'm doing well with the locals. The ex-pats in this area are mostly JET and dispatch ALTs, with a few eikaiwa folks here and there.
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| 3. After completing completing successful contracts and returning home (if you have) what was the outlook taken on your career path |
I've lived in Japan before. After I went home last time to try and teach public schools there, I decided it was not for me and am now back in Japan. My current career choices are either try to get a tenured gig somewhere in Japan or return home and try to get a full-time gig teaching ESL at the community college level.
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| 4. Different outlooks obtained |
Having based my opinion of Japan on Japanese pop culture (movies and tv shows) prior to arrival, coming to live here was definitely a wake-up call.
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| 5. Do most people take housing located by their company or try to find something on their own (taking key deposit into account) |
I live in the university teachers' housing, pretty cheap monthly rent with no deposits or key money required. It's spacious and in a convenient location. I have no plans to move out of teachers' housing. |
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skineti
Joined: 26 Apr 2009
Posts: 4
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| Posted: Thu May 07, 2009 6:42 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks for the replies, I realized that my question was way too vague. I'm actually trying to see if I can find people's accounts of their time or blogs. I found a ton going through the China forum but can't seem to find too many on Japan. Would anyone be able to lead me in a good direction.
Thanks |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Fri May 08, 2009 2:01 am Post subject: |
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| skineti wrote: |
Thanks for the replies, I realized that my question was way too vague. I'm actually trying to see if I can find people's accounts of their time or blogs. I found a ton going through the China forum but can't seem to find too many on Japan. Would anyone be able to lead me in a good direction.
Thanks |
You must be kidding.
http://www.japanbloglist.com/ |
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skineti
Joined: 26 Apr 2009
Posts: 4
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| Posted: Fri May 08, 2009 3:37 pm Post subject: |
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[/quote]You must be kidding.[/quote]
Wow I suck. I couldn't find this for some reason, thanks for sparing your time. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Fri May 08, 2009 10:44 pm Post subject: |
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| skineti wrote: |
You must be kidding.
Wow I suck. I couldn't find this for some reason, thanks for sparing your time. |
No problem. Now, how about answering my earlier question?
You wrote: I have visited both Kyoto and Tokyo and understand the view taken of foreigners.
I asked: What "view" is that?
Last edited by Glenski on Sat May 09, 2009 9:08 am; edited 1 time in total |
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skineti
Joined: 26 Apr 2009
Posts: 4
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| Posted: Fri May 08, 2009 10:51 pm Post subject: |
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| The only reason I wrote that view on foreigners comments was because I saw a lost of post warning newbies such as myself that they might not be as open as I think. When I went everyone was completely friendly and I had no problems. I only wrote that to try to avoid some cynicism, guess that backfired |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Sat May 09, 2009 9:09 am Post subject: |
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| Well, if you have only visited and not actually lived or worked somewhere, I'm sure you can appreciate how one's views can be different from reality. |
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Vince
Joined: 05 May 2003
Posts: 559
Location: U.S.
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| Posted: Sun May 10, 2009 4:59 pm Post subject: Re: Life teaching in Japan and after |
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| skineti wrote: |
| 1. People's first impressions when they arrived to their respective schools |
I started at NOVA in 1997. Before that, I was in Japan for three years on military assignment, so I wasn't as wide-eyed when returning for the NOVA job. It was a new area to me, though, and it was a lot of fun discovering all the nice things in the towns where I lived and worked.
The job, on the other hand, wasn't what I expected. Teachers were crammed with students into tight cubicles for 40-50 minutes, and many of the students were painfully shy. Some lessons were like walking on eggshells. Most of the students were nice enough, and I think the atmosphere of the school (not much of which was under the teachers' control) had a lot to do with their reluctance to engage. Within a couple of months, I was visibly unsatisfied. Eight months into the assignment, I found a much better position at another conversation school. Back-to-back lessons were still grueling, but I felt like I had more dignity.
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| 2. Outside of teaching is there a large ex-pat community that people tend to join |
In Tokyo, there are plenty of foreigners from the English-speaking Western countries. I'm an introvert and mostly spent time with the friends I made at work. For those who want a large network and social scene, it's available in Kanto and presumably other urban areas.
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| 3. After completing completing successful contracts and returning home (if you have) what was the outlook taken on your career path |
My return to the US in 2004 was precarious for the first few months. It wasn't a great job market, and most of my resumes didn't even get a response. I had to take a stop-gap retail job. Six months after my return, I finally landed a good job with an investment company. After three years with that company, I accepted a related position at a university and am now doing a business certificate and am getting ready to start an MA. My years out of the country left me behind where I'd likely be had I stayed in the US, but I don't regret my time in Japan. In fact, I want to go back indefinitely. When I think of my long-term success, I think of it being in Japan.
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| 4. Different outlooks obtained |
That's a huge question, so I'll give just a few quick hits.
Living in another culture changed my view of my home country. Things that most of my compatriots consider par for the course don't hold as much sway (if any) with me. At the same time, learning about another culture helped me to better understand and appreciate the philosophy and boundaries of my home culture.
The Japanese execute most things with great attention to detail and quality. Having that example in mind, I'm not as likely to atrophy into the slipshod way in which too many things are done in my home country.
Creating a pleasant environment is important. Whether having the abundant shopping and culture of the city, or the restful neighborhood parks and horticulture of the countryside, it makes a tremendous difference in quality of life.
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| 5. Do most people take housing located by their company or try to find something on their own (taking key deposit into account) |
I don't know what most people do. I took company housing, but three months later moved into an apartment with my Japanese fiancee (we were engaged long before I returned to Japan).
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| I have visited both Kyoto and Tokyo and understand the view taken of foreigners. |
Visiting Japan and living there are two completely different experiences. A visit, just like the first several months of living in the country, are considered the honeymoon phase. I think the reality of Japanese attitudes (systemic as well as personal) toward foreigners bring most foreigners' honeymoon phase to an abrupt end. But, as I said above, there are many good things too. Ultimately, it's about learning how to blend your personal expression with being the most effective person you can be in Japan. Plenty of foreigners manage the experience without giving up their dignity. Difficult experiences will always happen, so be ready have a sense of humor about the small stuff.
Last edited by Vince on Mon May 11, 2009 12:33 am; edited 2 times in total |
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Apsara
Joined: 20 Sep 2005
Posts: 2142
Location: Tokyo, Japan
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| Posted: Sun May 10, 2009 11:41 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| I have visited both Kyoto and Tokyo and understand the view taken of foreigners. |
I agree with Vince here- recently with my mother visiting I spent time in Kyoto, the Fuji area and parts of Tokyo basically as a tourist, although I have actually lived in the Kanto area for 11 years. I found the interaction with the Japanese people running the shops and hotels etc. aimed at foreign tourists was quite different to what I am used to in my day to day life here. The great customer service you normally get here was missing a lot of the time and I had several occasions for example where people refused to speak to me in Japanese (my Japanese is pretty reasonable) and insisted on explaining things in broken English or with hand gestures, which caused a lot of confusion.
This is the same in many countries- if you go to Egypt for example, you are likely to end up thinking that most Egyptians are just out to overcharge foreigners and see them as walking wallets, whereas if you get the chance to meet ordinary Egyptians who have no contact with tourists normally you come away with quite a different impression.
Short answer is that there is not just one "view taken of foreigners" here- a lot depends on your own situation and attitude and who you associate with. |
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Lyrajean
Joined: 19 Jul 2006
Posts: 109
Location: going to Okinawa
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| Posted: Wed May 13, 2009 4:27 am Post subject: |
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| Apsara wrote: |
I found the interaction with the Japanese people running the shops and hotels etc. aimed at foreign tourists was quite different to what I am used to in my day to day life here. The great customer service you normally get here was missing a lot of the time and I had several occasions for example where people refused to speak to me in Japanese (my Japanese is pretty reasonable) and insisted on explaining things in broken English or with hand gestures, which caused a lot of confusion.
This is the same in many countries- if you go to Egypt for example, you are likely to end up thinking that most Egyptians are just out to overcharge foreigners and see them as walking wallets, whereas if you get the chance to meet ordinary Egyptians who have no contact with tourists normally you come away with quite a different impression.
Short answer is that there is not just one "view taken of foreigners" here- a lot depends on your own situation and attitude and who you associate with. |
I have had a similar experience here in Okinawa. Things are different. I'm next to the base and I assume most people who see me and don't know me assume I'm military. The give away that I'm not is often speaking Japanese. Then they ask me what I do and I tell them I teach English. Their faces light up and I think I get a much more positive reaction. Most of the military can't have this conversation to begin with as they only speak english.
Conversely, businesses that deal with foreigners on a regular basis see me as another wallet with money in it to be spent. The average income here is the lowest in Japan. And they view foreigners, esp. military as people with money.
The miltary is kind of seen as an onerous economic reality.
People here are much more open to foreigners of all types than the rumors I heard about Japan before I came. Of course the Okinawans are a minority culture themselves. |
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