Job Discussion Forums

[womblingfree]

[taikibansei]

Crab has the right answers--anybody worried about returning needs to read his post carefully.

In my experience, the people who cannot make their time abroad work for them have other issues also. I've returned to the States successfully not once but twice--each time to a wonderful job I wouldn't have gotten without the Japanese experience. However, I didn't just sit on my butt while overseas either. I took advantage of every opportunity I had to build my resume in my desired field.

I'm now back in Japan working at another great job; indeed, I might stay here for good this time. However, by nature I take nothing for granted. Hence, I continue to maintain professional contacts back home, with resume-building and professional development remaining priorities as well. Do the same and you'll be fine.

[Like a Rolling Stone]

[womblingfree]

Is teaching in Japan a cop out?

Well if you are finally realising that your dream of becoming the worlds greatest actor/comedian/singer/photographer/film director/editor of Playboy/superhero/award winning author, journalist, poet, playwright/winner of American Idol/Big Brother contestant, etc, etc...will probably not happen this lifetime, then moving to Japan is 10,000% more exciting than getting a job in tele-sales/data-input/shop assisstant in some faceless suburb.

You can always do that when you go home

If I had a penny for every (insert unrealisitic career) I've met who are simply 'taking a year to travel', well, I'd be able to buy a PS3.

[thrifty]

If I had a pound for every skint TEFLer I have met I would be rich instead of a skint TEFLer.

[cornishmuppet]

It seems to me that this thread thrives on the requirement of having a decent (by that read 'well paid') job in order to call yourself successful.

While i might be going off the topic slightly i'd say that success can be seen as what you've achieved in life.

And i, in the last week, have played mallet golf three times, at a total cost of 1000 yen, and seen my PB go down by 20 shots. That, my friends, is an achievement.

And for those of you who think there are no career prospects in mallet golf, well, the uncle of one of my JTEs won 10 man in a competition the other day.

Had I never come to japan, i might never have discovered my true path in life, treading the fairways with mallet in hand.

Ave it.

[dove]

Brilliant reply, womblingfree. Don't people realize that there are so many ways to live a life? It's not all about 401K plans, Roth IRAs, mortgages, credit scores, and all the other things that consume people(especially Americans, and I am an American). I sincerely advise against living your life out of fear that some prospective employer might not find merit in your choice to live and work in Japan. That is giving up way too much power.

[shuize]

[nawlinsgurl]

[supervisor133]

As the above poster said, it's definitely not a copout. I went over to Japan after finishing my undergrad with the intention of doing a year and coming back to Australia to move into other areas. I found that I loved teaching and have been doing it for the last 6 years, ultimately landing a good job in a university here in my home country. The only thing to be wary of? Itchy feet! I got the burning need to hit the road once more hehe. You're still very young and I know that certainly in countries like Australia and NZ time spent travelling and experiencing other (esp. non-English speaking) cultures is regarded very highly by employers.

[mapraopenrai]

I have to agree with the part about doing what you want as early as possible. I came to Japan because I wanted to try living in a foreign country. I found out that I could actually teach in a foreign country from friends. After that, I actually waited a year to think about it while I studied a little Japanese. I thought about it because I didn't really know that I wanted to teach English....
Your students will ask you questions like, "what is your dream", and "why did you want to be a teacher". I always choke on the second one, because how do I tell them that it wasn't my dream to teach them English? It was a way to a means.
But.....I came here when I was 29, and I stayed a little too long. So 'not teaching only because I had no other choice' has kind of turned into, 'choices have become limited because I've been in Japan doing this too long, and now I'm 39'......
Do what you want, but do it while you're young.

[Squire22]

Is teaching in Japan a cop out? Interesting question with some interesting answers.
For me personally, if I had stayed at home in my then job and pursued a career working somewhere I didn't want to be - which I could very easily have done - then that would have been the cop out. Careers are only great if you're doing what you want to do, otherwise it's 9-5, 5 days a week somewhere you don't want to be, all for the sake of a career. Nice.

I'm doing what I want to do, living and working in another country, if I'd been too scared and needed the security, safety and comfort of a career in the future I would have felt like I'd cheated myself now. There are paths other than teaching that I would like to take in the future, many people change careers, training and certification is available to you. Whatever you want is there, depends on how far you're willing to go for it. I know in the future that I will probably have to do jobs I don't like so that I can do the things I want, be it new or further training, I've done it in the past so it doesn't worry me in the future.

There isn't much that can stop you. Go for what you want, not what you think you need.

[the big dog]

Its fun, its an experience and it will look good on the CV. I did it and returned to a top job back in the uk so don't stress about your career just yet. Do it, you are 23.

[illbeback]

SHOW ME SOMEONE WHO SAYS IT'S A COP OUT. I WILL SHOW THEM THEIR TEETH ON THE SIDEWALK