Job Discussion Forums

[Sheep-Goats]

I have a number of hurdles against my doing exactly what I want to do as far as teaching in Japan goes and would appreciate an assesment. Sorry for making you type everything out again, Paul (and Gelenski).



In the interest of keeping things brief, here's what I want to gain in the near future:

• University exeprience/contacts
  
• Japanese ability
  
• Savings of at least 200 USD a month without becoming a bowl of ramen and going out (in a semi-conservative fashion) about once a weekend.

In my favor (to varying degrees, I know):

• BA English, CELTA, 1.5 years experience, one year of which is at University level here in Thailand.
  
• Interest in the academic side of EFL, publishing, etc. General academic background.
  
• 24 years old. No hunchback -- but neither blonde nor female.

Against me:

• Savings of only 30,000-40,000 baht come end of October (~700 to 900 USD).
  
• Desire to align my contract time in Japan with graduate school scheduling in the states, so as to avoid quitting mid contract (I would want to be back in the states on the first of August come 2005 or 2006). To align my schdule with school in America I would be most interested in short term contracts (to find a better posistion sooner if the current one turns sour) but would also be open to oddball long-term contracts -- 1 year 8 months or whatever.
  
• Due to advice on this board and from other teachers here in Thailand, I would only feel comfortable going to Kobe or Tokyo at this point.
  
• I'm currently outside of the country.

Any chances of arranging something (other than through Westgate)? What are the odds of finding somewhere that'll be able to assist me (or offer deferred payment) on flights and housing?

Again, thanks for any info.

[Glenski]

Nicely laid out description, Sheep. Sadly, you are not in a very good position for immediate work here unless you resign in the middle of a contract. Nobody else that I know of hires for less than a year except Westgate. If anyone else knows of someone, it'll probably be either a sudden opening due to a teacher leaving in the middle of a contract, or an extremely rare outfit that doesn't advertise widely. As for employers who help you to defer payments on flights and housing, there is always NOVA, who is willing to loan you 120,000 yen. You will therefore have a fairly meager income for that time (and with a conservative nightlife and no sightseeing or student loans to pay offf, you'd have about 30,000 to 50,000 yen/month to pay for everything in life except the basics of rent, utilities (included in NOVA's 70,000 yen/month rent, phone, and insurance). So, if you have student loans, want to sightsee, want to rent a video, buy a magazine, eat a candy bar, make a photocopy, develop film, etc., or have to pay for emergency medical care, that would cut into such money for those three months. Moreover, I think NOVA doesn't hire from Thailand, so you'd have to return to the States just to be eligible for an interview here. Strange, but I believe this is the case.

Your savings at this point make it quite dubious for you to just pull up stakes in Thailand and come here to job hunt, and that is pretty much what it is going to take, unless you return to the States.

My suggestion is to do just that. Go back to the USA, get as much training or experience as possible that will benefit you here before your 2005 school year begins, then work hard at your graduate studies and continue planning and preparing for work and life here. Don't skimp on the preparations for life part. It's not a bowl of cherries for foreigners, and it is certainly not for everyone. Start on your Japanese, if nothing else.

Send me an email, and I will give you a list of pluses and minuses that I made about Japan.

[Gordon]

The only schools that I can think of that might offer you a shorter term contract would be a small school. If you came on a one year contract, they might renew your contract for less than a year if you are an exceptional teacher. They are more flexible and may make exeptions.

Savings of $200 would not be difficult at all on a standard contract of 250,000 y/month.

The fact that you don't have very much money does limit your options as it is not enough for a flight and 4-6 weeks of survival in Japan. An employer may loan you some money, but this is not standard for most schools.

[Rice Paddy Daddy]

[Glenski]

Rice Paddy Daddy,

Thanks for clarifying my statement. I was not sure if that applied to working holiday visa holders or not.

[PAULH]

[Sheep-Goats]

That's better news than I was expecting -- one of the main reasons I'm skiddish about Thailand right is simply because I haven't been able to save any money here over the past three months or so (I've worked here longer than that, but had a three month vacation between terms where I spent most of what I'd saved up to that point, only to find that the second-term's overtime opportunities had vaporized).

I'd love to get back to graduate school as soon as I can, but I want to get an MFA before a MA TESOL, and this means (since I don't have the money to pay for one and will therefore only be able to consider programs that offer grants or assistantships) that I'm looking at pretty narrow odds and can't be sure of going to any particular school for the moment.

Thanks again, folks.