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Sabine
Joined: 22 Dec 2004
Posts: 10
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 Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2004 11:14 am Post subject: Asian looking/Budget |
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Hello,
I am half Vietnamese and half European and I look Asian.
If I got offered a teaching job, would the way I look like matter to Japanese people?
Would I get accepted/feel integrated?
Another question:
Is a salary of 250,000 enough to live on?
Would I be able to send money home?
I don't smoke, I don't go out a lot, won't get a TV or land line and can cook at home.
Are restaurants very expensive? |
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PAULH
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 4672
Location: Western Japan
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| Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2004 12:26 pm Post subject: Re: Asian looking/Budget |
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| Sabine wrote: |
Hello,
I am half Vietnamese and half European and I look Asian.
If I got offered a teaching job, would the way I look like matter to Japanese people?
Would I get accepted/feel integrated?
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Sabine, there are two kinds of people in this world: Japanese and non-Japanese. Anyone who was not born in Japan is considered a "gaijin" and as such dont worry too much about what mixed blood you are. There are people of all ethnic persuasions here. Students here pay to hear native English from people who come from the US, Canada, Australia etc. If you look Asian/Japanese you may get some funny looks but as soon as you open your mouth they will hear and see you can speak English as a native speaker.
Employers who hire or not hire you based on your facial appearance and looks you don't want to work for anyway.
As for being integrated, I have lived here nearly 20 years, look as foreign as the day I arrived and people still ask me if I can eat natto and use chopsticks. Dont worry about trying to become Japanese becuase it wont happen. Just enjoy your privileged foreign status and dont worry about being accepted. You are a gaijin foreigner. No point trying to become something you cant but at the same time they will appreciate the effort you make to learn the language and customs. They wont expect you to learn to speak any Japanese or become more knowledgeable about Japan than they are, but they will still treat you as an outsider, no matter how long you live here.
Just be friendly and sociable, treat them as human beings and dont tie your self in knots about being accepted. Are Muslims and Turks born in Germany accepted? Same difference.
PS. Do you speak English with a foreign accent? It may be harder to get a job if English is not your first language and you have a 'foreign' accent when you speak English. Your looks wont be a problem but how you speak English and how much of an accent you have could be.
| Sabine wrote: |
Hello,
Another question:
Is a salary of 250,000 enough to live on?
Would I be able to send money home?
I don't smoke, I don't go out a lot, won't get a TV or land line and can cook at home.
Are restaurants very expensive? |
You can live on it, but its considered a minimum salary in Japan. Salaries have not gone up in 15 years. Expect to have about 50-60,000 yen left over every month after your basic expenses.
PS 250,000 is your gross monthly income and is the base salary your employer guarantees to immigration they will pay you. Once you take out income tax and rent you will have about 180,000 yen left over. Most teachers will supplement this with privates and part time work in addition to their main job.
How much do you need to send home? How much you can send will depend on your rent, spending habits, what you spend on going out etc.
Restaurants come in all shapes and sizes, anything from McDonalds to places where you will spend $50 for a meal. Average set meal at a restaurant will cost about 1000-1500 yen. Count on a weekends entertainment at a pub plus food and drinks costing 10,000 yen or 40,000 yen a month, out of a 250,000 yen salary. If you eat out a lot you wont save money but its possible to save if you eat at home and buy veges at bargain sales etc.
For an idea of living costs in Tokyo go to
http://www.pricechecktokyo.com |
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Sabine
Joined: 22 Dec 2004
Posts: 10
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| Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2004 2:01 pm Post subject: Interac |
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Thanks for the info.
Just one more question:
Have you heard anything about Interac?
What are they like to work for?
What is the job like? |
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Gordon
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 5309
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2004 2:04 pm Post subject: |
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| Use the search button on the top of this page and type Interac. You will see a number of posts which will answer your questions more thoroughly. |
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PAULH
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 4672
Location: Western Japan
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| Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2004 2:06 pm Post subject: Re: Interac |
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| Sabine wrote: |
Thanks for the info.
Just one more question:
Have you heard anything about Interac?
What are they like to work for?
What is the job like? |
I have heard of them though I dont know too much about current working conditions. They are a dispatch company that sends teachers to work in high schools and companies.
Are well known for paying 1/2 your salary 10 days late every month. Only they know why they do that (totally illegal of course). |
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homersimpson
Joined: 14 Feb 2003
Posts: 569
Location: Kagoshima
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| Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2004 2:13 pm Post subject: |
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| Are you sure, Paul? you referred to Interac as a school in one post and a dispatch company in another. Which is it? And they, "Are well known for paying 1/2 your salary 10 days late every month." Really? Who said? |
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homersimpson
Joined: 14 Feb 2003
Posts: 569
Location: Kagoshima
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| Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2004 2:43 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
For me to know and you to find out.
Threaten to get me kicked off as Moderator again like you did last time and I will kick ass. |
When did I threaten you? You are the only one making threats. |
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PAULH
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 4672
Location: Western Japan
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| Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2004 2:49 pm Post subject: |
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| PM has been sent. |
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