Job Discussion Forums

[sethness]

english conversation school:

Get up at 10 twice a week for morning classes; otherwise snooze til noon.
Go to work between 2pm and 4pm; work til 9:15. Wish there were some people in Japan (other than bartenders and hostess girls) who have similarly vampiric schedules so I can get friends and get laid.
Enjoy 4 weeks' vacation per year, but these 4 weeks are placed during the lemming-rush seasons when all of Japan vacations, hence prices are 3x normal and availability of tickets and rooms are zilch.
It's a piece of lazy heaven.

normal Japanese office life:

Get up at 7am. commute surrounded by Japanese office workers stacked 10 deep in trains, buses and sidewalks.
Work inevitable overtime (ditto earlier posters' comments about endless overtime). Go home at some time between 7pm and 3am.
Come in on weekends.
Have the boss say that "there's a national holiday on Monday, so you're expected to compensate by working Saturday."
Listen to the boss explain that you get 10 "free days" that cover BOTH vacation AND sick-days-- compared to the 4 weeks of vacation that most English teachers get. Watch the boss steadily retreat from any sense of responsibility toward a permanent work force, while hiring more and more "hakkensha" temp workers for ever shortening terms, lower salaries, and heinous hours....in ever-increasingly important positions within the company. Laugh wickedly (practice muuuhahahahs in the mirror) at the thought of how the Japanese economy will eventually implode because of this greediness at the top and sheeplike/sleeplike quality in workers.
It's a piece of office-hell-on-a-stick.

[Precise]

That other job sounds like crap. Why didn't you stick to teaching?

[Yawarakaijin]

My typical day will either make you lament my situation or make you jealous. Most days I'm up at 6 am to be in the office by 8 am. I WORK until either 4:30 or 6:00. On any given day I teach about 3-4 hours. The rest is considered contact time. Basically hanging around the office chatting with the boys. Some days it is hard. Some days I feel as if I got very lucky.

After that it is off to the izakaya or my favourite bar which amazingly has La fin du monde on its beer list ( one of canada's best beers if I may say so )

After that it's just a matter of trying to figure out how to spend my now standard 3 day weekends. Nowadays I'm primarily worried about my girlfriend guilt tripping me into finding part time work on Fridays hehe. She's not too happy. Maybe I can make Fridays " Our Time ", think that will work?

[johanne]

Never let anyone guilt trip you into giving up free time. The more you can get the saner you will be. I get 2 months off in the summer and my husbands wants me to teach summer school for 3 weeks of it but there is no waaaaaay. Free time is life.

[Yawarakaijin]

Damn, we are just dating and she won't let me enjoy my day off. I cant imagine if we were actually married and If had 2 full months off. A few of my Japanese mates have just up and admitted that their wives push them to work as much as they possible. They have also hinted that not even having the get out of jail free gaijin card will get me out of this situation. Any married guys out there in this position? Slight thread hijack but I'm actually a little worried about how much I will have to give up after if I marry a Japanese girl.

Standard flame defence: I realize all women are unique and different and that every situation will vary but you have to admit you dont meet many Japanese guys who have 3-4 day weekends.

[dove]

If you get married, is your wife going to work? I try to be tolerant, but the people who work my nerves the most are the Japanese housewives WITHOUT children who don't work, who spend their husbands' money, indulging in frivolous hobbies while their man is busting his a-s at work. I think there is even a katakana name for them, young missus or something silly like that. Again, if there are children, I can see a parent not working. (note I said a "parent"; no reason a man can't take care of the kids while his wife works) Otherwise, I just couldn't be happy with a partner who wasn't working, at least part time. But each person is entitled to their own relationship choices....

[Gordon]

[Brooks]

My wife is schizo.
She wants me to make more money yet she wants me to come home no later than 7:00 p.m.
But she wants me to do more housework.

I stopped teaching privates (at least until Golden Week) since I am too busy with my high school club.

I wouldn't mind making more money since I pay so much in rent. I could use more money but I have no desire to moonlight anywhere.

Some Japanese women are frankly spoiled and act like princesses.
Make sure you don't marry a princess.

My wife said she could work full time but then I would have to do all the cleaning and cooking. I balked at that.

[Ichigo]

Let's see a typical day, huh?

I usually get up around 7.30-8.30am, get ready for the day, breakfast, check my e-mails etc.
Then I study Japanese for 1-2 hours. Get some food from the nearby supermarket, do my laundry, wash my dishes etc.
Prepare and eat lunch and then leave my appartment at around 1.30-1.40pm to be at work at 2pm.
There short meeting, then most of the time 1-2 hours preparing, 2-6 classes and then I can leave at 10pm (no dinner break in between, no non-work-related things in between allowed).

When I come home I check my emails again etc., watch Japanese tv (jdramas, variety shows), go to bed read some Japanese things and then fall asleep.


On my days off I either go to a bigger city to go shopping or I stay at home the whole day and try to study Japanese

[flyer]