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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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 Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2010 12:48 pm Post subject: Re: Is it worth it? |
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| Sour Grape wrote: |
| For me the prospect of spending my working life largely in a classroom rather than an office is worth the reduced salary. |
After having worked in 2 companies in the U.S. where 1 suffered a bankruptcy (and I lived through its recovery, only to have a shriveled up mass of a company left over) and where the other had 6 reorganizations of a 35-person department in 4 years (and I never once had a promotion because the reorganization constantly put the new managers in a "let's start at square one" frame of mind), I came to Japan and took a job with a 50% cut in pay.
I'm making far more than my original now. It can be done. |
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Sour Grape
Joined: 10 May 2005
Posts: 241
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| Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2010 1:17 pm Post subject: |
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I'm happy for you (sounds sarcastic but is sincere). I too am making far more than I did when first I arrived in Japan.
I still think it's fair to say the EFT isn't exactly the first job that springs to mind when people consider which jobs will bring the mega bucks in. But for me, a good living from the classroom beats a big pay packet earned in an office every time. |
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Dark Machine
Joined: 30 Oct 2010
Posts: 24
Location: Liverpool, UK
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| Posted: Wed Nov 17, 2010 7:48 pm Post subject: |
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First post and it's thread necromancy! Not a promising start but I'd just like to express my thanks to the people who posted in this thread for passively giving me encouragement, and to the board as a whole for helping me research things about working in Japan.
I, like the OP, have quickly fallen into some despair since graduating from University here in the UK. Graduate employment is very slow, even for those of us with a 2.1 degree (East Asian Studies from Sheffield University).
Having been a bit of a Japanophile since I was 7 years old (late night encounter with Ghost in the Shell on the Sci-Fi channel) I went to University to study East Asia and I've studied Japanese on and off during University (I'm at a basic level I'd say). I wanted to go to Japan to see something different, fulfill a personal aim of living in one of my favourite countries and discovering if I could 'hack it' on the other side of the world. I took my CELTA (with some funding from mum) and looked into jobs abroad with a focus on Japan first. I have however, been saddened and discouraged by the constant news of there being no jobs in Japan, or in most of East Asia as a whole because of the global slowdown, I guess I was very naive thinking it would be any easier getting a job elsewhere in the world if it was hard here. And so I've been feeling that I've been wasting all my time, should bite the bullet and try for any corporate job I can here leaving what ifs to what ifs.
This thread however, has re-enforced my belief that I can make it if I commit myself and work hard at it. Thanks for helping me see past the black cloud of difficulties which is affecting every developed economy and jobs market in the world looking at things objectively. You're all a great resource of information! And I just wanted to say thanks!  |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Wed Nov 17, 2010 9:49 pm Post subject: |
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| Dark Machine wrote: |
| I have however, been saddened and discouraged by the constant news of there being no jobs in Japan |
Who says there are no jobs here? We are just saying it has recently become very competitive.
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| I guess I was very naive thinking it would be any easier getting a job elsewhere in the world if it was hard here. |
It used to be quite easy to land teaching jobs here in Japan. Recent turns of events (2 bankruptcies, notably) and the declining economy have changed that.
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| And so I've been feeling that I've been wasting all my time, should bite the bullet and try for any corporate job I can here leaving what ifs to what ifs. |
That's entirely up to you. Give us a few more particulars about what you want, what you offer, and when/where you would like to teach here, and we'll be able to give you a better assessment. |
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Dark Machine
Joined: 30 Oct 2010
Posts: 24
Location: Liverpool, UK
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| Posted: Thu Nov 18, 2010 1:38 am Post subject: |
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| Glenski wrote: |
| Who says there are no jobs here? We are just saying it has recently become very competitive. |
I didn't mean it in the completely literal sense, just that things seem as bad/worse in the work market over there as they are here. Companies going bust, few hiring new grads, that kind of thing. I know that there are jobs, I just had my confidence knocked when I thought about having to compete with more experienced people (like yourself for example  )
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| It used to be quite easy to land teaching jobs here in Japan. Recent turns of events (2 bankruptcies, notably) and the declining economy have changed that. |
Yeah like I said I'd been reading up on all the crap that's been happening through my last year of Uni.
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| That's entirely up to you. Give us a few more particulars about what you want, what you offer, and when/where you would like to teach here, and we'll be able to give you a better assessment. |
What I want? Well I'd like to be able to do some teaching in Japan/Far East, to gain both experience of 'real world work' (as in actually working with people, having clients, being part of a team etc. all my previous work was either assisting research or in bars) that uses my CELTA qualification (which was hard work but fun to get) and to experience Japan. By the last point, I don't mean going out all the time, getting drunk, hitting on Japanese girls, taking off to sightsee every other week and stuff. I mean just living day to day life and doing a job, you know, the mundane normal kinda thing. I'd like to work for a decent school that won't shaft me (at least not too badly...) and do 10-12 months to see how I feel. If I like it, I'll try and make my way as best I can, like some of you have, if I don't, I'll 'go home and be a family man' as Guile from Street Fighter said. My uncle is part of a law firm in London, he reckons I could get a job there or in a similar place if I applied around, so I guess I'd do that.
As for place, well to be honest I don't mind really, rural I suppose would be good as it might force me to speak Japanese (or be crushingly lonely forever!) and I tend to pick up languages easily in a native setting (did with French and Spanish, though I know they're somewhat easier languages). Yeah I guess that's what I'd like, ideally.
As for when, well sometime next year would be good, I'm thinking around February-late April ideally. I've saved a decent amount of money up (around �1500 so far) so that should give me enough time to save more.
And what do I offer? Well I'm a new graduate, so I have only the experience from my CELTA course which I did straight after my Undergrad Thesis and Finals. So I guess I can cope with stress and hard work when I need to. I lived alone away from home in a different city for University, so I'm adaptable and able to look after myself as long as someone explains basic 'how to's' to me. I'm energetic, never taught kids but I think I could do that well, I enjoy sport a great deal, the dream job I'd have is to be an ALT where I could get involved with the school's Soccer and Baseball clubs, or maybe help with English club or something like that. I don't mind being a tape recorder if that's what people want, but I enjoy doing my own lessons. The ALT jobs attract me because it's regular 9-5 hours (supposedly lol) but the eikaiwa jobs give you more control and maybe more 'personal' relationships with your students (i.e. you are able to build a better rapport and see results from your work easier). |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Thu Nov 18, 2010 4:28 am Post subject: |
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| Dark Machine wrote: |
| What I want? Well I'd like to be able to do some teaching in Japan/Far East |
Stop here. What kind of teaching? There are the entry level jobs of ALT and conversation school ("eikaiwa" in Japan), and then there are the jobs for people with experience, especially that within Japan.
In other words, how would you be willing to start out, and what is your goal down the road at this time?
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| , to gain both experience of 'real world work' (as in actually working with people, having clients, being part of a team etc. all my previous work was either assisting research or in bars) that uses my CELTA qualification (which was hard work but fun to get) |
Any teaching job will give you those things. Sometimes "real world work" is boring or tiresome. Many managers have no credentials at all other than 2 years under their belts working at the place previously as an entry level teacher. Not a lot of team spirit going on there, IMO.
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| I'd like to work for a decent school that won't shaft me (at least not too badly...) and do 10-12 months to see how I feel. If I like it, I'll try and make my way as best I can, like some of you have, if I don't, I'll 'go home and be a family man' |
I think most newcomers end up doing exactly this.
Rural jobs abound in the JET programme. Look it up ASAP, as application deadlines for next year are due soon, depending on the country.
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| As for when, well sometime next year would be good, I'm thinking around February-late April ideally. |
The academic year, even for eikaiwas, begins in April here. So, job hunting in Feb and March is usually the time when most ads come out.
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| And what do I offer? Well I'm a new graduate, so I have only the experience from my CELTA course which I did straight after my Undergrad Thesis and Finals. So I guess I can cope with stress and hard work when I need to. I lived alone away from home in a different city for University, so I'm adaptable and able to look after myself as long as someone explains basic 'how to's' to me. I'm energetic, never taught kids but I think I could do that well, I enjoy sport a great deal, the dream job I'd have is to be an ALT where I could get involved with the school's Soccer and Baseball clubs, or maybe help with English club or something like that. I don't mind being a tape recorder if that's what people want, but I enjoy doing my own lessons. The ALT jobs attract me because it's regular 9-5 hours (supposedly lol) but the eikaiwa jobs give you more control and maybe more 'personal' relationships with your students (i.e. you are able to build a better rapport and see results from your work easier). |
This is not a bad way to represent yourself at an interview. |
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Dark Machine
Joined: 30 Oct 2010
Posts: 24
Location: Liverpool, UK
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| Posted: Thu Nov 18, 2010 4:54 am Post subject: |
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| Glenski wrote: |
| Rural jobs abound in the JET programme. Look it up ASAP, as application deadlines for next year are due soon, depending on the country. |
Yeah I've done an app for the JET, just tuning my personal statement (statement of intent in the US?) and have to photocopy everything. I'd like to get on it, but I have grave doubts because I have chronic gastro reflux. This may well be completely cured by the time I would come to leave on JET by surgery (I'm in an NHS queue right now, it would take 2 weeks to recover totally from the operation) but I still had to put it down on the app, and I doubt they'd take me instead of some other guy with a totally clean bill of health. Reflux isn't debilitating in any way, just persoanlly annoying and rather disgusting. But there's plenty of people with clean health that are applying too, and the only way I could explain my situation in any detail would be at an interview, which I think I'll be discounted from due to the reflux.
I'd like to ask a general question. If I apply to a language group/school like James' or ECC (I know they're different) by sending a photo, CV and cover letter, and get no response at all within 5 days, should I just assume they're not interested? I assume that would be the case, but wasn't sure if places were just slow or had certain times when they checked for apps. Thanks for the tip about applying in March, I'll keep reading and studying then. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Thu Nov 18, 2010 8:11 am Post subject: |
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| Dark Machine wrote: |
| I have grave doubts because I have chronic gastro reflux. This may well be completely cured by the time I would come to leave on JET by surgery (I'm in an NHS queue right now, it would take 2 weeks to recover totally from the operation) but I still had to put it down on the app, and I doubt they'd take me instead of some other guy with a totally clean bill of health. Reflux isn't debilitating in any way, just persoanlly annoying and rather disgusting. But there's plenty of people with clean health that are applying too, and the only way I could explain my situation in any detail would be at an interview, which I think I'll be discounted from due to the reflux. |
Just be concerned about getting to the interview in the first place.
| Quote: |
| I'd like to ask a general question. If I apply to a language group/school like James' or ECC (I know they're different) by sending a photo, CV and cover letter, and get no response at all within 5 days, should I just assume they're not interested? |
No. Five days is a short time. Give them at least a couple of weeks. |
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