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Celeste
Joined: 17 Jan 2003
Posts: 814
Location: Fukuoka City, Japan
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 Posted: Fri Mar 19, 2004 11:25 am Post subject: Re: Let me address... |
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| kovac wrote: |
Celeste � Yes, yes lest we forget, your parents and oh lordy those that came from that bedrock of good old fashioned nose to the grind Teachers�yes�back in tham there days Teachers shore had a hard time, layin those railroad tracks, pickin cotton, under that hot southern sun, holy heck not like those US or Uk teachers�.sittin sunning themselves on the porch with their fancy ways, suppin that home made lemonade�end of the day�.As teachers I don�t think we should have to lead such a crummy lifestyle�.Canadaian, UK, Australain, or American,�.I�m sorry for being sarcastic, ( I just liked the slavery metaphor�heck I�m an English teacher�.forgive me) my primary goal here is to study Japanese, and regrettably I have no opportunities for it whatsoever
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Okay cranky boots, rant away! Really, you do sound like you have hit a nasty culture shock bump.  You are not alone. Try not to let yourself feel so isolated. Network with others in your situation. Misery does love company, after all. I also think that you need to focus on your Japanese studies more. Here in Fukuoka, there are a few communty centres that do free Japanese lessons for immigrants. These classes are also a great opportunity to network with non-efl people. The gaijin that you will meet in this sort of group don't usually speak English.
You are right, teachers in all countries have it rougher than they should. When I mentioned that the salary here was more of a draw for teachers from Canada than from other countries, I was referring to the lower exchange rate compared to the USA and UK.
Feel free to pm me if you need a safe haven for ranting. |
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TokyoLiz
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 1548
Location: Tokyo, Japan
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| Posted: Sat Mar 20, 2004 11:44 am Post subject: I'm busy but happy |
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I got to thinking about the schedule I'm on...Any given Tuesday, this is my life...
Up at 530, on the train by 621. Because I leave so early I always get a seat. Snooze, scribble in diary, eat breakfast (sorry salaryman for my crumbs) or mark essays.
725 Arrive in The Heart of Tokyo, as Al Quaeda opperatives like to call it, sit in Starbucks for 15 minutes of mental health, walk over to the school, scramble together the materials I need for the day's classes (lessons were prepped Monday), teach 3 lessons in the morning, try to evade super genki juniors who want to hang out and talk and interrupt my lunch, field grammar questions from my colleagues, then two more lessons in the afternoon, usually of the junior high conversation variety.
300 Hokkago, after school, coach English Step Test hopefulls, cuss out some senior who plagiarized her lit essay (the International staff are the Plagiarism Police), research on the Internet, prep tomorrow's classes , mark some essays, and try to catch my breath...
500 Hop on the subway an hour to get to MY lesson. Every Tuesday night. Post lesson, hang out, drink, eat with the other students, then maybe around 1000 get on the train to ride an hour south to home base.
Blunder in the door, slap together the next day's lunch if I can manage it and then off to la la land, my head firmly nestled in my buckwheat pillow.
Weekends? Dojo, tea ceremony, cricket in the park on sunny days, irresponsible but rare drinking episodes. A lot of biking on the flat with a mountain bike. Hey, it's Kanto plain. |
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sidjameson
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 629
Location: osaka
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| Posted: Sun Mar 21, 2004 6:41 am Post subject: |
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I feel that the mistake that the OP has commited has been to compare TEFL teaching with a regular career. Dynamic, which actually by his posts I would guess the OP is, 30 something graduates in western countries would laugh at what a TEFLER considers good money. $30,000 a year IS NOT GOOD MONEY for a 30 year old graduate from a good university with a good degree and ambition. And by 35 it is peanuts.
The thing is TEFL teachers are usually not those kind of people. They would be the office workers, librarians, dare I say even the teachers of their own country. Comparing salaries now and Japan suddenly seems a better place. The higher cost of living in Japan is more than compensated for, in my opinion, by the lower taxes.
Now take this further and admit that a good proportion of TEFL teachers, including myself are the failures(in the career sense) of their country of origin and that $30,000 a year is probably the most they've ever earned. Add a few privates, a six day week, the custom, long learnt of living on a modest income-how many teachers have cars? and $30,000 is good, anything over the 40k mark is more than enough for them to realize that they could never hope to earn anything like it ever again.
OP you jumped into the wrong pool. We are the experts, if nothing else, we are the supremely qualified at finding those ponds, you know the ones where even the smallest fish can feel like the king of the jungle.
The trick with it is to only compare yourself with what is in your pond. Never, I repeat never, look at the sky.  |
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TokyoLiz
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 1548
Location: Tokyo, Japan
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| Posted: Mon Mar 22, 2004 12:29 am Post subject: It ain't all about money |
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sidjameson wrote
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| Now take this further and admit that a good proportion of TEFL teachers, including myself are the failures(in the career sense) of their country of origin and that $30,000 a year is probably the most they've ever earned. |
I think it's rather harsh to call these itinerant teachers "failures". If you think a person who makes the jump to another country, picks up another language and way of life, maybe a cultural treasure (tea ceremony, traditional dance, etc.), a spouse, and gains a great deal of experience in the field of TEFL is a failure, then I'm rather sad.
The salary here compared to my homecountry is great - TESOL teachers in international day schools in my home town probably earn no more than Can$2,500 from their main job. Most of my colleagues in Vancouver worked part time in the evenings and or picked up private tutoring.
Here, I can potentially earn $35,000. I'm already nearly there.
On top of that, I like working with teenaged students better than the jaded college-age kids I taught in Vancouver ESL schools. The only situation that beats what I'm doing now in the high school is the time that I taught newcomers - immigrant students - in Canada. Those people are super-motivated, open-minded and earnest. Unfortunately for Canadian TESOL teachers, the government has chopped a lot of the programs that were aimed at newcomers, and it is increasingly difficult to get into these kinds of programs. The average wage of the TESOL teacher in Canada, has, I believe, dropped considerably in the last 10 years.
Money is important, but I've got to weigh the job satisfaction here when I think about the salary expectations. |
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vash3000
Joined: 13 Nov 2003
Posts: 56
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| Posted: Mon Mar 22, 2004 2:38 am Post subject: |
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Well, yes, everything that has been said is true.
But...
I have a date this weekend with a snappy little DJ, and it`s put a nice bounce in my step.
You can cut costs to a minimum, save 10-20K, and still, every so often, devour a small basket of strawberries, whipped creme and -if the V3K has any say in the matter- nymph flesh.
Try it, good for the soul.
Best,
V.
(and stop smoking, it`s bad for you) |
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TokyoLiz
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 1548
Location: Tokyo, Japan
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| Posted: Mon Mar 22, 2004 3:06 am Post subject: |
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| Vash, you can have your nymph flesh. I prefer my economy-size sumo with two huge hands like slabs of katsuo. |
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vash3000
Joined: 13 Nov 2003
Posts: 56
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| Posted: Mon Mar 22, 2004 3:57 am Post subject: |
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Vash, you can have your nymph flesh.
Oh...I`m not above sharing.
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azarashi sushi
Joined: 23 Jan 2003
Posts: 562
Location: Shinjuku
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| Posted: Mon Mar 22, 2004 4:27 am Post subject: |
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Congratulations Vash on finding happiness in Gunma!
Just wondering, is the snappy little DJ a Gunma-ite, or someone you met on your weekend in Roppongi? |
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vash3000
Joined: 13 Nov 2003
Posts: 56
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| Posted: Mon Mar 22, 2004 7:58 am Post subject: |
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Hey Azarashi!
Wonder of wonders, she`s a Gumnamite!
That said, it`s all touch and go at the moment (pun intended), but at the very least, I now have a nice memory from Gunma.
I still dream of living in Tokyo, but from what I can tell...the start up costs would wipe out my meager savings (500K), and then some.
Mind you, If she crushes my heart, I`ll seriously have to re-evaluate things.
Man cannot live off bread alone.
Cheers!
V. |
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