Job Discussion Forums

[flyer]

[TokyoLiz]

Ah, you lucky guys who fit into shoes here! I'm a petite woman, but I have real-sized feet. To get shoes that fit, I either have to go to specialty shops or ask someone to send a pair from home. I pay a premium for footwear my size

However, clothes here are a delight! For me, nearly everything fits well. No more monkey-armed shirts and sweaters!

Folks, whisky isn't whisky unless the water it's made from came out of a Scottish or Irish bog (according to my Scots-Irish grandfather). I can't drink the cheap stuff they make here. But shochu is delicious, as is the beer.

Nearly all the food here is great. The only thing that disappoints is the osushi, which is sometimes not as tasty as home. I tell my Japanese colleagues to visit Vancouver to sample the seafood there.

Like Yawarakaijin, I'm a transplant from Terminal City, Vancouver, Canada. I find rent is much more reasonable here. On Vancouver's colourful East Side , a one bedroom apartment in my 30 year old building, ground floor, B&E artist's easy target, goes for $800. Here I pay $600 just outside of Tokyo for a nearly new second floor loft apartment. As long as I'm diligent about locking up, i have no need to worry about safety.

No junkies! I think I saw junkies once in Yokohama years ago.

[tcatsninfan]

I don't live in Japan (yet) but, given all the doom and gloom talk on this forum, I thought I'd chime in here and share the details of my current situation.

I graduated college in 2006 with a degree in English and almost immediately landed a VERY nice job. I was making more than almost anyone else I knew (including my parents) and it was the first job I had. It was an easy desk job, too, so it wasn't like it was stressful or anything either. It required me to use my brain and everyone treated me very well.

Then, in 2008, I was laid off and the industry I worked in was severely affected. I applied for 10-15 jobs a week but it took me 10 months to find a new job.

My current job (I've been there a year now) is the exact opposite of my old one. I get paid barely above minimum wage, literally about half of what I used to make, and yet I do 3-4 times more work than what I used to.

Everyone else that works there is only there because they were fired from another job...it's sort of the last place people get employed before they die or retire. I'm the youngest person there by 20 years. But, as I said, everyone else got there because of bad situations previously, so the supervisors lump us all together and assume every one of us can't sharpen a pencil.

I work with a state unemployment agency, so every day I deal with drug addicts, deadbeats, and people who are trying to abuse the unemployment system and take free handouts from the government until the end of time (I'm referring to all the extensions).

There's a program in the office that we use to try to get people into short-term training, stuff like EMT training and Welding. The only problem is that the jobs aren't there. So every day I talk to people who sacrificed a lot and went to school and got training...only to find out it isn't worth anything once they finished.

We all work on a temporary, contractual basis, so every year our contracts have to go up for review and for the past few years the agency has been shrinking. Each time we go up for review, about 20-30% of us get laid off. The others get to keep their jobs and wait around for next year's review. To make it clear, the people getting laid off aren't even the screwups...they're just the unlucky ones.

So here I am wishing I could roll back the clock to 2 years ago when I had an amazing job. A lot of the people I knew there won't keep in touch with me...I think it's because seeing me reminds them of just how precarious their own situation is.

I've continued applying for other jobs, even entry level type things that don't require half the expertise of my previous job, but I haven't gotten any interviews in all this time.

People tell me I should feel lucky to have a job, and I guess to a certain degree I do, but overall I'm very unhappy that things have turned out this way.

So then I come on this forum (and others) where people talk about how bad the situation in Japan is. I just can't take it seriously. I don't get mad about it or anything, I just know that the situation in Japan isn't as bad as some people think it is.

Yes, there have been incidents, like when Nova shut down without telling anyone and left all those teachers stranded. And I know there are employers trying to rip people off and only pay 150,000 yen/month or some other paltry amount.

But still, think about it:

1. You're in an interesting country (whatever else, no one can deny it's not interesting)
2. You're gaining valuable experience as a teacher than can translate into long-term career prospects
3. You're learning a different language, possibly with the chance of becoming a translator if you wanted to pursue it, or at least some kind of liason type position that aids communication between Eastern and Western businesses
4. You're able to save some money every month, which is more than I can say for myself right now (unless you live somewhere in Tokyo and that sort of thing)

I know Japan is no picnic. I know a foreigner will always be an outsider, and I know their job market has been affected too. I know all of Japan isn't as exciting as Tokyo or as scenic as Kyoto.

Even still, I can't help but feel like the benefits far outweigh whatever negative situations there are. I hope to move there as soon as I can--though that'll probably be next year--and be an active, cheerful member of this forum.

[PO1]

I'd say 99 percent of the people who post here love Japan. I love Japan. I left Japan for some reasons and now I'm going back. My girlfriend lives there. People are generally friendly. There's nice scenery and lots to do in the cities.

Some people get crappy offers or crappy locations. Such is the gamble you make.

I'm not a EFL insider or claim to know about the industry beyond what I've experienced. NOVA and GEOS both with bankrupt, leaving thousands of teachers without jobs. Some went back to their home countries and others looked elsewhere to work.

I'm one of the biggest proponents of staying positive in job searching. Especially in Japan. When I first came to this forum, some people said the market is flooded, my credentials are standard, etc. I kept pushing through after a couple of failed interviews and managed to land another job in Japan. Is it a great job? I don't know. Is it better than anything I could be doing in America? I don't know. Will I get to keep the job? I don't know.

Japan is a wonderful place, but the reason there is so much doom and gloom is because people are being realistic. Sometimes they err on the cynical side. The economy sucks all over the world. Does that mean there are no jobs to be found in Japan? No. It means competition is stiffer than before.

I think if you have good credentials, a positive attitude, stay flexible, and keep trying, something will come through eventually.

Put yourself out there, apply, and see what happens. Will you get a job? I don't know. But it's worth a shot!

[steki47]

[flyer]

Thanks tcatsninfan for that interesting and very honest post

sort of points some things into perspective

good luck

[Vince]

Some of these might apply more to Tokyo than elsewhere in Japan:

- excellent public transportation
- great customer service
- wide availability of high quality goods
- places like Ameyoko where one can get luxury goods at a discount
- well stocked convenience stores
- can pay most bills at a convenience store
- the food
- Akihabara (I'm a bit of a computer hardware nut)
- kotatsu
- cafes everywhere
- Mosburger
- self-service bento places like Origin Bento (that kabocha salad was good)
- the generally pleasant atmosphere of most neighborhoods

See, this is why I've watched Lost in Translation only once - it makes me miss Japan tremendously, and I spend the next couple of days bummed. Oh well, as my Japanese colleague said to me on my last day teaching in Japan: "of all the foreigners I've seen come and go, you'll be back."

[elliot79]

I want to say thank you for this thread , I'll be moving to Japan next week and the postives help decrease the nerves.

[Sweetsee]

1. police don't patrol traffic here
2. no panhandlers
3. people generally let you be

[flyer]

[robertokun]

Onsen are fantastic.

[jnanagirl]

+ yes, onsen (thanks for the reminder)
+ the absolute beauty of the countryside
+ traveling through inaka by slow train, relaxing while enjoying the beauty
+ deep tubs, as many have mentioned
+ the utter sweetness of 12 year old "first-graders" in inaka schools - they saved my life, truly......
+ living in an old neighborhood where everything was made of wood
+ the smell of said neighborhood: wet wood, green moss, green tea, fish and smoke....
+ the anomaly of being paid with a fat wad of cash each month, and the safety in that
+ walking the streets of my inaka town in complete safety, even at night
+ the numerous old wooden temples and shrines within walking distance of my apaato
+ the holy "mountain" I could climb each day and view from apaato window
+ the comfort of living on tatami mats
+ my japanese squat toilet - really. Imagine the strength in my legs when I left Japan
+ the deep kindness of some of the people

[jnanagirl]

oh - and one more memorable positive -

the intrepid little 4 year old who lived nearby, who called me "Auntie" from the moment we met, as naturally as he did all of his other "Aunties" in our immediate neighborhood, though I was the only non-Japanese.

[sideways_gun]

[baki]

Here are my positives on Japan:

+ Public transportation system is awesome, every trip was filled with interesting people
+ English signs in most places, now that's foreigner friendly! You don't see Japanese or Arabic signs in Australia do you?
+ Vending machine everywhere, too easy
+ Super Autobac is like being a kid in Charlie's chocolate factory
+ Awesome food, especially 100 yen sushi, add beer and there is nothing better on a Friday night
+ Walks and parks that's friendly enough to jog or cycle
+ Ito Yokado and regular grocery shopping (not that expensive if you know where to look)
+ Uniqlo
+ Doke Hote
+ Mount Fuji, spectacular on a good day
+ Amazing phones (at the time I was there)

I guess if electronics is your thing then Akihabara is the place to go. While I've bought a few things there I could only visit the place as the lights and extensiveness of the place makes my eyes hurt.