Job Discussion Forums

Kaysera103 · Joined: 05 Feb 2005 Posts: 8 Location: Canada

I am a Canadian studying TESL and minoring in INTL Studies. I have considered applying to the JET program or teaching here in some other facet once my degree is completed. Is anyone willing to share their experiences with me? What challenges have you faced and how have you dealt with them?
Thanks
Kay

PAULH · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 4672 Location: Western Japan

J. · Joined: 03 May 2003 Posts: 327

Most of the "problems" I've had which I talked about in the "sexual harassment" thread, and I recommend you take a look at that one, were in my earlier years here.

There is a pervasive sexist climate here, and the "traditional" view of the family often is the norm, though I hear that is changing pretty fast with the younger generation. By traditional, I mean the old standard "guy working all hours, woman raising the kids and managing the household, finances, and kids' education" style. There's an acceptance by most women that it is okay to quit work when they get married or get pregnant and work at home from that point on. Along with that, less promotions for women in business and women deferring to men a lot in some situations. However, the younger women are speaking up, I hear, and many are delaying or indefinitely postponing marriage or having children as they experience the freedom that having their own income and time to do what they like, brings. The society seems to be in a period of changing fast.

In the "old style" company, and still in many around here, women work very hard and do a lot of the work that the men don't like (like answering phones and dealing with customers) yet can be stuck in the same position with small increments in pay for their whole working life, while men working beside them move into management fairly quickly and get a lot more money. In one company I've been told of, the men take lots of smoke breaks, all go out to lunch or for drinks with the boss and make all the decisions about what will happen in the company, which directly affect the women's work and then them tell them about it after the fact. Because the women are the ones actually doing the work that's being decided upon these decisions are often seen by them as impractical and ill-founded but since they have little say, will have to be implemented at least in some measure, adding extra work to their busy schedules.

Sometimes only female staff have to do the daily office cleaning or tea and coffee making and serving to guests. In most banks I've seen there are lots of women tellers and men are never at the counters , only behind the desks in the back.

If your main focus is on teaching, then I suppose it depends on where you are working, but in general, as a woman, you will need to be aware that you will be seen as more "exploitable" and probably a less serious worker whether that means a presumed willingness to take on more work for less pay, being valued for the degree of decorativeness and smilingness that you bring to the workplace, or a presumed susceptibility to ( some) bosses advances or comments, and in my experience, a presumed fairly inexaustable degree of patience and sweetness, which few of us really possess.

In the case of the woman that PaulH is reporting, I would recommend she check out about joining the general union, try posting to the communityinjapan Yahoo Group website for help and advice, or try to get a lawyer and sue the guy. Sexual harassment is against the law but she needs some people on her side to try and get this stopped.

nicyvesweet · Joined: 21 Dec 2004 Posts: 90

Sheep-Goats · Joined: 16 Apr 2004 Posts: 527

PAULH · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 4672 Location: Western Japan

You might also want to look at the Gwendolyn Gallagher case which was a case of a woman working full time at a university for 15 years and suddenly fired becuase she wasnt 'fresh' enough, her Japanese husband was a professor at the same university and they felt she didnt need to work because of her husbanc.

20 years working in Japan and they felt as an American she was no longer qualified to teach students about American and foreign culture. She took the dismissal case to the High Court but lost on appeal.

http://www.debito.org/activistspage.html#ninkisei

Mishark · Joined: 17 Nov 2004 Posts: 28 Location: Osaka

A friend of mine on the JET program just told me a couple of weeks ago that she and some of the other female JETS in her area had problems not with their bosses, but with their students.

I don't know if this could be considered typical teenage misbehaviour or not but I found this to be somewhat unpleasant.

Apparently, in the classroom the male students would insinuate or ask the female JETS if they performed certain sexual acts. They would get the point across using a mix of very broken English and hand/body movement. My friend said that they definitely got the point across and the JETS had no support from the Japanese teacher. They just had to ignore it and continue teaching.