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Angels
Joined: 23 May 2009
Posts: 6
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 Posted: Tue May 26, 2009 5:28 pm Post subject: |
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| I apologize but like I said, as a newbie I don't know other than what I read about. I was very surprised to see this which is why I had to bring it up. I would prefer a bowl I could rest on but I'm sure I could work with a squating one. The hole in the ground with footpads just sounds an aweful lot like the out houses, or portable toilets here that I refuse to use. Maybe it's just my imagination or something but I can just imagine something crawling out of hole mid-effort, and that just creeps me out. Sorry, I didn't mean to make this into a discussion about toilets. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Tue May 26, 2009 9:29 pm Post subject: |
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| Angels wrote: |
| At the moment I don't want to make teaching my career; I'd rather only teach for a few years at the most (but a minimum of at least one). |
With a flooded market, employers may take that attitude accordingly and put you in the "B pile". Keep that in mind.
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| When I say University, I mean something like a college, and like I said before, I would actually prefer a smaller middle or high school, because I think teaching this group would be more rewarding, in a non-monetary way. What exactly do you mean by 'main stream schools'? Is that like a public school? |
I mean kindergarten to high school, whether public or private. ALTs are usually put in public schools. Direct hires are more common in private schools (I was in a private JHS/SHS for 4 years, and only at the end were there any PTers there.)
Re: certification
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| If it's not necessary, or more importantly, they don't care, is there really any merits to getting one then? I don't see the praticality in getting certification in something that would cost over $1,000.00 and then have it 'not matter'. Since, at the moment, I am not planning on making teaching my career, it would seem a waste to get one and then not have a good use for it. |
A valid point. You have to consider 2 things, I think.
1. Do you really think you'll be in the game only a year or 2? Many people say that but change and stay longer.
2. How comfortable do you feel right now in making a lesson plan from total scratch, presenting it to students with a minimum of teacher talk time, dealing with shy Japanese students so that they are the ones who talk 80% of the time, troubleshooting a lesson plan that has failed after 10 minutes into the lesson, etc.? All of these things will happen on a regular basis, and if you don't have any foundation in EFL theory, it can only make things worse. So, it's not necessarily that the employers will see the certs as necessary or valid; it's whether the teacher does for their own sake.
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| I do have purpose in wanting to go specifically to Japan. I want to learn about the culture, the language, and the people first hand (but my reasons are not specifically limited to those things). I know there have been problems with newbies thinking of teaching abroad like a giant field trip, but I don't see it like that since I'm very work and business oriented, and I hardly ever go out. In short, I'm boring - so I won't be going out to clubs (I don't even do this in the US so I can't imagine doing it in Japan), doing excessive shopping, or seeing a lot of the tourist sites. I'm the kind of person that goes straight to work from home, and back making no pit stops along the way. |
Interesting. How do you plan to "learn about the culture, the language, and the people first hand" if you stay at home all the time?
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| Aside from that, I just think it would be really enjoyable to teach kids english as a foreign language. So a small school in the countryside teaching would be just fine for me |
That's a good attitude. Just realize a few things. These are not meant to push you away, but to keep things in perspective:
A) Rural areas may never have seen a foreigner, yes, even in 2009. That may mean you are the object of many stares. This can be uncomfortable to some.
B) In smaller rural towns, you may be the only foreigner. How are you in a world totally isolated from others?
C) Being a rare foreigner also makes you the object of gossip and speculation. You will probably be known by far more people than you know, and your comings and goings will likely be talked about behind your back. Kinda hard to miss one of us, especially if we look that different from the typical Japanese.
D) Language. Rural areas are good for immersion, but how good is your Japanese now, and just how disciplined are you to study on your own? Problems can arise due to the isolation in this regard.
E) More on isolation. You may be fairly far from the nearest conveniences of city life. Are you prepared for that?
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I think I would like that very much since I live in a 'country' state myself, and I really enjoy nature. I would just really want them to have toilets and not the holes in the ground with footpads.  |
I see the tongue-in-cheek humor here, but bear in mind that those squat toilets are ever-present in Japan, even in downtown Tokyo, so get used to the idea, especially if you go to the countryside. |
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Cool Teacher
Joined: 18 May 2009
Posts: 930
Location: Here, There and Everywhere! :D
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| Posted: Tue May 26, 2009 11:31 pm Post subject: |
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Holy Jeepers!  Now were talking about toilets? 
Well, if I may give my tuppence worth  I think toilets in Japan aren't that tricky if you've been to any other places in Asia. I went to Southeast Asia and South Korea and the toilets in Cambodia....
Even in South Korea in the pubs they were pretty bad, somtimes really poor condition nad no locks on the door
In Japan one thing you can be sure is they are CLEAN  Maybe you might have to use the ones where you crouth down but in most office buildings there are Western ones as well as Japanese style. I can be about 1000 percent sure that your toilet in your house will be sit down style and if you are lucky you might have a warm seat to sit on!!!!  In fact, some of the toilets in Japan are BETTER than you will be used to, Public toilets are usually looked after more than the horrible things you find in UK train stations, shopping centres etc etc... which are scary and there are many which have B-days and heated seats (great for winter days!!!!  So, don't fear! In the countryside maybe you might have to use the crouth ones in public places but not in homes I don;t think and even those ones are not just holes inthe ground. |
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Angels
Joined: 23 May 2009
Posts: 6
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| Posted: Wed May 27, 2009 3:26 am Post subject: |
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| With a flooded market, employers may take that attitude accordingly and put you in the "B pile". Keep that in mind. |
Point taken, but when I think of a career, I think of 10 or 20 years down the road. If they were to ask me where do I see myself in the future, I speak of the up coming, short term years and not that far down the road. This is all tentative though, as I am still planning out what exactly I want to do to.
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| 1. Do you really think you'll be in the game only a year or 2? Many people say that but change and stay longer. |
I honestly can't really say. I know that is the minimum of what I want to do, and whether I want to continue or not would largely depend on how much I enjoy it, I guess. Like I said, I'm just planning right now. Just because I am not planning on staying for 20 years doesn't mean I am opposed to the idea, if that make sense.
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| 2. How comfortable do you feel right now in making a lesson plan from total scratch, presenting it to students with a minimum of teacher talk time, dealing with shy Japanese students so that they are the ones who talk 80% of the time, troubleshooting a lesson plan that has failed after 10 minutes into the lesson, etc.? All of these things will happen on a regular basis, and if you don't have any foundation in EFL theory, it can only make things worse. So, it's not necessarily that the employers will see the certs as necessary or valid; it's whether the teacher does for their own sake. |
Well as far as lesson plans goes, wouldn't that depend on what I am and am not allowed to do? I don't know if this would be any different in Japan versus the United States. I was thinking of lessons that is less based on paperwork and more on just enjoying English and having fun. I think the best way to learn something is to actually enjoy what you are doing, so you get students to engage themselves more into lessons. For instance, if there was a lesson on food (random example), instead of just speaking about it, or showing a picture, I would rather bring in the food and eat it. Or, instead of just the normal introductions, maybe have a day set aside for show and tell, and have the students bring something that they think represents them and explain why, in English. I don't know if a more 'hands on' approach would fly in Japan, so I suppose it just really depends. If I'm forced to use a more paperwork approach to lessons, then I will, but I still think the most important thing is to somehow get students interested in English. As far as shy students, I'm sure most people feel uneasy speaking a foreign language when they aren't used to it so I would start by making mandatory speeches. Not really long ones, but like a 2-3 minute little blurb and have everyone say something (like what is your favorite animal and why? who is your favorite singer? if you could have one wish what would it be? etc). The more they get used to speaking, the easier it will come to them. Hopefully, knowing that everyone else has to go through the same thing will make them feel a bit better about speaking as well. Of course, it really just depends on each individual student, and I would do my best to adjust my teaching methods to help all of them. If a lesson plan doesn't work, I would more than likely have a backup plan. I say this because that is the kind of person I am in general - I like to have multiple contingency plans to make a cushion for myself incase something doesn't pan out the way I would have wanted it to.
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| Interesting. How do you plan to "learn about the culture, the language, and the people first hand" if you stay at home all the time? |
Er, by living there? Don't get me wrong, going out a site seeing does sound like fun and something that would certainly help broaden my horizons, but I think I can learn equally as much, if not more from just doing day to day things, and interacting with locals. I think that by going to certain tourist spots and areas I can get a general idea of culture and life, but I can only get the reverse side of the coin from locals. There are only so many things a brochure and tour guide can tell you. I think the experience itself will teach me mountains more than any vacation package could.
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| These are not meant to push you away, but to keep things in perspective: |
You may not believe it to be so, but I have a very good perspective on being a foreigner, because no matter where I go, I've always been one. I said previously that my mother is filipino and I live in the 'country'. Well to be more specific, my mom is filipino and my dad is scott/irish, and I live in South Carolina. You cannot get more country/red neck/all-american than SC. I grew up being the only non-white, non-black kid in my county, aside from my brother. If you weren't african american, you were blond haired, and blue eyed. When they were taking racial surveys we were the only one under the 'other' catagory.
I'm use to people staring, people asking (often rude) questions, being the only one of 'my kind', people talking about me behind my back, to my face, etc.; about how weird I am because I'm different and the food I eat is different, I look different, I act/think different from them, and oh how I can go on and on about the people here who have a severe case of "the frog in the well" syndrome. Even when I go back to the Philipines to visit I don't look like my cousins or anyone there because I'm too tall and too pale in comparison to them. I assure you, there is nothing that can phase me, and I'm very thick skinned. Being a foreigner doesn't bother me, because no matter where I go, even home, I've always been viewed as one.
As far as language goes, I know very little right now, but once commited somewhere I would study very hard. I think I would have some difficulty with writing, and learning all the different kanji, but if I needed to, I would ask for assistance. Maybe that could even be another lesson, having my students teach me Japanese, using English?
Isolation from conviences don't bother me. Just from my past experiences I can do with TV, Air Conditioning, a car, just to name a few things. The only thing I would have a hard time giving up is heating, and a comfortable toilet. I would prefer a warmer area of Japan, no snow in the winter. Any suggestions? If there is a great place close by the beach and is warm or mild year round that would be wonderful, but I would assume places such as these are also high ranking for newbies? I don't mind humidity or rain either.
I think I may have given you guys the wrong impression. I am not opposed to squating, or squating toilets. I've had to do so before when I had visited the Philipines. However, I would not like to have to squat constantly for the year or two, or more I am there. If the home toilet is a regular, sit down bowl, then I am fine with that, even if the rest are squating toilets. I just had a concern because when I was looking up information, one of the sites stated that rural areas would have, literally, a hole in the ground with two footpads by the side of it. No bowl- no minitature toilet you hover over, just a hole. I don't know if I'm allowed to post links to that site, but that is what they specifically said. Like I said before, I would have just assumed Japan has regular toilets, and would have probably chalked up a low-rise toilet to them generally being shorter than americans, rather than thinking you are supposed to squat.
And here is where info starts to contradict. Another user has said the squat toilets are less noticeable, while Glenski says they are very common. Well in anycase as long as I have access to one western toilet somewhere, I'll be ok. I think this has probably gotten blown out of proportion now.
Edit: woaaah, really long post. sorry about that. |
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Apsara
Joined: 20 Sep 2005
Posts: 2142
Location: Tokyo, Japan
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| Posted: Wed May 27, 2009 3:41 am Post subject: |
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Just to put that topic to rest, I can assure you you won't have a hole in the ground with footpads in your residence- I don't know where that person you mentioned lives, but it is very far from the norm, and would be as rare as a long-drop toilet in a home in the US in this day and age (is that what you guys call them as well?). Not something you need to be concerned about. I have only seen one apartment in my years here that had a squat toilet, and the building was around 40 years old, which is also pretty unlikely in your case.
Squat toilets are certainly around, often in train stations and even upmarket department stores, so they are not rare, as Glenski says, but their numbers are decreasing and there is almost always a choice of western or squat style. |
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David W
Joined: 17 Jan 2003
Posts: 457
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Wed May 27, 2009 5:44 am Post subject: |
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| There's definitely long-drops out there in the inaka. Watch out for your keys and sunglasses. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Wed May 27, 2009 7:48 am Post subject: |
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| Angels wrote: |
| Quote: |
| With a flooded market, employers may take that attitude accordingly and put you in the "B pile". Keep that in mind. |
Point taken, but when I think of a career, I think of 10 or 20 years down the road. If they were to ask me where do I see myself in the future, I speak of the up coming, short term years and not that far down the road. This is all tentative though, as I am still planning out what exactly I want to do to. |
Bear in mind that this is pretty close to being one of the very questions employers will ask.
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Me:
2. How comfortable do you feel right now in making a lesson plan from total scratch, presenting it to students with a minimum of teacher talk time, dealing with shy Japanese students so that they are the ones who talk 80% of the time, troubleshooting a lesson plan that has failed after 10 minutes into the lesson, etc.?
Angels:
Well as far as lesson plans goes, wouldn't that depend on what I am and am not allowed to do? |
As I tried to explain, you are going to find some employers that spoon-feed you with a teaching format, textbook, etc. What are you going to do if that is not the case? What are you going to do even if it is the case (that is, how will you feel trying to prepare)? Please realize that "training" here is extremely minimal and barely intended to do more than show you how to open the textbook. You're still largely going to be on your own. How do you feel about that now?
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| I don't know if this would be any different in Japan versus the United States. |
Trust me. It is!
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| I was thinking of lessons that is less based on paperwork and more on just enjoying English and having fun. |
That is part of the concept of eikaiwa and many ALT lessons, but what you think will work may not. My question is, what are you going to do when they don't? Rhetorical question, I know, but you have to understand (and it's clear that you don't) what Japanese students are like.
1) Many don't have enough English ability to understand you.
2) Most never get homework.
3) They are extremely shy about using English orally.
4) They don't come to eikaiwa always to learn English, and if you end up an ALT, you are going to have to follow the lead of a Japanese teacher of English in a group of 30-40 kids who are unmotivated in studying.
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| I think the best way to learn something is to actually enjoy what you are doing, so you get students to engage themselves more into lessons. |
Oh, I totally agree, but certification will help you to develop this line of thinking into actual practice.
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| If I'm forced to use a more paperwork approach to lessons, then I will, but I still think the most important thing is to somehow get students interested in English. |
People have been debating how to do this for decades, and they have PhDs and years of experience. If they had found solutions, the English education system here wouldn't be in half the mess it's in.
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| As far as shy students, I'm sure most people feel uneasy speaking a foreign language when they aren't used to it so I would start by making mandatory speeches. |
Nope. Won't work. Not most of the time, anyway. You assume too much.
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| Of course, it really just depends on each individual student, and I would do my best to adjust my teaching methods to help all of them. |
But you don't have teaching methods, not from professional training, do you? The country is filled with eikaiwa instructors, and most have zero experience or training. Eikaiwa teachers have a bad image here for those reasons and others.
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Me: How do you plan to "learn about the culture, the language, and the people first hand" if you stay at home all the time?
Angels:
Er, by living there? |
Osmosis doesn't work.
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| Don't get me wrong, going out a site seeing does sound like fun and something that would certainly help broaden my horizons, but I think I can learn equally as much, if not more from just doing day to day things, and interacting with locals. |
But you wrote earlier:
I hardly ever go out. In short, I'm boring - so I won't be going out to clubs (I don't even do this in the US so I can't imagine doing it in Japan), doing excessive shopping, or seeing a lot of the tourist sites. I'm the kind of person that goes straight to work from home, and back making no pit stops along the way.
That's why I wrote what I did.
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| Maybe that could even be another lesson, having my students teach me Japanese, using English? |
Uh, don't try to get your students to help you in class. That's not why you're hired. And, some employers (many, actually) have clauses in their contracts prohibiting contact between you outside the school.
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| You may not believe it to be so, but I have a very good perspective on being a foreigner, because no matter where I go, I've always been one. |
I'd say you have a good handle on that, but only in the American culture and in an English-only environment. Try to see it from the side of living in Japan -- little to no English used around you, no friends/family to lean on, etc. It's similar but not the same, and it's one of the biggest problems posed by culture shock. Just try to be prepared.
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| The only thing I would have a hard time giving up is heating, and a comfortable toilet. |
Heating could be a problem. Kyoto winters are damp, so the cold is felt more strongly. Up here in Hokkaido, winter temps are lower, and even so, many places don't have proper insulation. You may not have a choice in where you are placed, so you might not get what you want and have to deal with cold. Moreover, heaters here are space heaters in many/most cases, not central heating. Inefficient, but ubiquitous.
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| I would prefer a warmer area of Japan, no snow in the winter. Any suggestions? If there is a great place close by the beach and is warm or mild year round that would be wonderful, but I would assume places such as these are also high ranking for newbies? I don't mind humidity or rain either. |
Okinawa is one of the most popular locales requested, and it has the lowest standard of living and fewest jobs. Think elsewhere. "Rain" could be the typhoons that hit several times a year. Read up on them.
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| Like I said before, I would have just assumed Japan has regular toilets, and would have probably chalked up a low-rise toilet to them generally being shorter than americans, rather than thinking you are supposed to squat. |
Employers who offer housing, especially in the countryside, find apartments in the cheapest areas. You may have a squat toilet in your home. What are you going to tell an employer? On the other hand, there are "covers" that you can buy to rest on top of them and serve as quasi-regular toilet seats so you don't have to squat.
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| And here is where info starts to contradict. Another user has said the squat toilets are less noticeable, while Glenski says they are very common. |
Depends on location and size of apartment. I'm not saying they are common everywhere. I'm warning you that you might have to face them. Public toilets will most certainly have more squat types than you could imagine! |
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Apsara
Joined: 20 Sep 2005
Posts: 2142
Location: Tokyo, Japan
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| Posted: Wed May 27, 2009 8:10 am Post subject: |
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| Maybe that could even be another lesson, having my students teach me Japanese, using English? |
Be careful with this kind of thing if you end up at an eikaiwa. I have heard of students complaining about this kind of thing as they then think they are wasting their money- they want to be "taught", and do not realise that trying to explain Japanese grammar might help with their English.
Pretty much all of mainland Japan has snow at some point in winter, even southern Kyushu- somewhere like Tokyo may only get a couple of light falls some years, but I've never seen a winter entirely without snow. Coastal Shizuoka prefecture is supposed to have the mildest winters in Japan and the Pacific coast gets far less snow than the Japan Sea coast generally speaking.
Okinawa of course doesn't get snowed on, but as Glenski says isn't an easy place to get a job- if it were I would be heading there myself now- I spent 5 days on one of the islands in the prefecture last week and it was just beautiful. |
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eiyosus
Joined: 07 Mar 2006
Posts: 22
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| Posted: Thu May 28, 2009 10:42 am Post subject: |
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| Just thought I'd let you know that I've been living here for three years and have only used a squat toilet once. And that was an emergency They're pretty easy to avoid. |
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