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brat
Joined: 19 Jul 2005
Posts: 3
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 Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2005 9:15 pm Post subject: Questions to ask at interviews |
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Hi everyone,
I have interviews coming up with ECC and Nova Group later this week, and I�m wondering about what kinds of questions I should be asking. I want to be knowledgeable enough to make sound decisions about schools, before I go. Based on some of the information I�ve read here, I�ve come up with the following list:
-cost of insurance/what is covered (this is more for Nova, to see whether they�ll tell me that I have to get private insurance, when they�re supposed to pay)?
-to what extent is racism a problem for foreigners, particularly non-white foreigners?
-would it be possible to get contact information for current teachers?
-Will I be taxed in Japan or my home country?
-Can I have a sense of how much rent will cost?
My aim in going to Japan is to fulfill three primary goals: pay down my debt, take a step back from life and gain some perspective and be in a position to do at least some traveling (even if it�s just short trips within Japan). Given these three goals, does anyone else have any suggestions for questions that I should ask, that can�t be found on the school�s website? Is there anything I should look out for in general?
I�m also wondering if anyone who has lived in Japan (Tokyo or Osaka) can give me an idea of how much they had left after rent, cell phone and utilities. I�d like to do some quick calculations to determine if I�ll be able to save some money for travel, make my minimum student loan payments at home, and still have money to engage in at least some debauchery  .
PS any suggestions about how to prepare for the interviews? |
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wintersweet
Joined: 18 Jan 2005
Posts: 345
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
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| Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2005 9:54 pm Post subject: my two cents |
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You will probably only make the interviewers extremely uncomfortable if you ask them about racism. Even if they try to give you an honest answer, I doubt you'll get anything useful from it. I definitely would not ask that question.
The answer to the tax question is probably on this board and on your home tax office's website. I'd skip that too--it makes you sound like you haven't done your research. |
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PAULH
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 4672
Location: Western Japan
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| Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2005 11:33 pm Post subject: Re: Questions to ask at interviews |
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| brat wrote: |
H-cost of insurance/what is covered (this is more for Nova, to see whether they�ll tell me that I have to get private insurance, when they�re supposed to pay)?
? |
They are supposed to pay but at the moment dont pay for Social Health Insurance. their tactic is to reduce your pay by 30,000 yen a month to afford your premiums. this is illegal. You are supposed to ask to be enrolled, some her say you are supposed to be enrolled automatically but this is still being negotiated by the unions. Its a clear shade of grey at the moment.
National health premiums are about 2,500 a month in the first year and JMA, NOVA's insurance is 6,000 yen a month
| brat wrote: |
H-to what extent is racism a problem for foreigners, particularly non-white foreigners?
-? |
What exactly do you mean by racism? Not being allowed into shops? Being called racist names?
There are two kinds of people in japan, Japanese and non-Japanese. Becuase of the history, Chinese and Koreans and other minority groups are discriminated against, far mor than those from foreign countries. Japan officialdom has many racist and discriminatory policies. I have found most Japanese to not have any racist or xenophobic tendencies. Dont forget they are also hiring you becuase you are a foreigner and non-japanese, which in itself is a positive discrimination in favor of foreigners. Calling your employer racist (or evn implying it) when applying for a job wont make you many friends here. Keep your opinions to yourself until you get hired. There are people in Japan with far worse problems than you.
| brat wrote: |
I�m also wondering if anyone who has lived in Japan (Tokyo or Osaka) can give me an idea of how much they had left after rent, cell phone and utilities. I�d like to do some quick calculations to determine if I�ll be able to save some money for travel, make my minimum student loan payments at home, and still have money to engage in at least some debauchery .
? |
Rent in Osaka depends on where you live and the size of your apartment. NOVA apartments are 70,000 a month per person for a shared apartment. Get a cheaper apartment, live in a gaijin house you can probably save on rent somewhere.
Utilities (gas water electricity) anything from 10-20,000 yen a month. Cellphone depends on usage, up to 10,000 a month if you use the internet and email. Going out clubbing etc is expensive in Osaka and you can easily spend 10,000 yen or $100 in a weekend. thats $400 a month or 1/5 of your salary. Not much left for paying down debt here. (PS the more you pay back of your loan is like puting the money in the bank and collecting interest as its money in interest you dont have to pay later on)
Get rid of the loan and then go out and party.
Glenski has a rough guide and usually says that half a NOVA salary will go on expenses and you can save half. thats about 120,000 a month. You will find though that with dailiy living, newpapers, video rental, buying a pizza, it will go quickly. What you save depends on what you spend your money on everymonth and only you know what your spending habits are like. How often do you go out for example? Travel in japan will burn a hole in your pocket. A Shinkansen bullet train one way to Tokyo from Osaka is $100.
My advice to you is work out how much you need to pay back, what you can afford e.g. 10-20,000 a month. Take it out of your paycheck when you get it and put it in separate account or send it home. Take out your utilities and then budget the rest. pay yourself first before paying other people in the form of rent and utilities and beer money. Maybe you can set up a citibank account and send money home that way. NOVA pays its salaries only into a Japanese bank account though.
| brat wrote: |
| any suggestions about how to prepare for the interviews? |
No hard and fast rules. A cardinal rule is NOT to be critical or accusatory in an interview, whatever you have heard about NOVA. there are 20 guys waiting in line to take your place and you will easily go to the bottom of thr list if you appear 'high maintenance'. Got a problem, with NOVA? Join a union and fight the company through appropriate channels. Bringing it up at an interview you are piss-ing at windmills.
Dont mention the anti-socialisation policy (or implicitly criticise it, there are ways around it). Dont mention if you cant date or socialise with students. You are there to work, not look for a girlfriend.
Dont mention its drug policy. No one has been tested in japan since 1995
You can ask about career at NOVA but dont start acting like a manager before you have got hired. Learn to walk before you can run. There are better jobs in japan than being a management lackey at NOVA.
You can ask about giving notice or quitting policies. There is an 80% chance you wont complete a year long contract and almost all staff are replaced within 2 years. They wont miss you but give adequate notice and dont inconvenience the office ladies who make your schedule.
You can ask about teaching schedule, days off, holidays, what happens if you get sick etc. dress code (for men its collar and tie, though i think you can take your jacket off in summer).
Dont be negative, as they are looking for positive, friendly cheerfull people who can teach students (and hopefully keep them coming back) . Not glass-half-empty types who whinge and complain. If you want to complain buy yourself a dog or a punching bag. |
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denise
Joined: 23 Apr 2003
Posts: 3419
Location: finally home-ish
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| Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2005 11:52 pm Post subject: |
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Regarding the racism question--I agree that it�s not such a good idea to ask it, but you can twist it around a little bit and possibly get some information about how well you can expect to integrate. Try asking what activities in the city or community other teachers have gotten involved in. I ask this during every interview (in every country), not so much to get a sense of the level of racism, but just to know what sort of hobbies foreigners tend to get involved in.
d |
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brat
Joined: 19 Jul 2005
Posts: 3
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| Posted: Wed Aug 03, 2005 12:40 am Post subject: |
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First of all, thanks a lot for the comments. As a note, I wouldn't have phrased the racism question as blunt as I put it in my original post, those were just quick notes for myself... Regardless, it's probably best not to bring up the racism question in the interview, but rather in a discussion forum.
Just to clarify the racism question, particularly this comment:
"I have found most Japanese to not have any racist or xenophobic tendencies. Dont forget they are also hiring you becuase you are a foreigner and non-japanese, which in itself is a positive discrimination in favor of foreigners. Calling your employer racist (or evn implying it) when applying for a job wont make you many friends here. Keep your opinions to yourself until you get hired. There are people in Japan with far worse problems than you. "
I'm more concerned about the country, not the employer. One of the reason I ask is because a friend of mine, who taught in Taiwan, found that people there were somewhat racist. Then again, she was in a small town. Obviously Taiwan isn't Japan, but I thought I'd better get a sense of whether or not I'll face weird reactions, comments or mistreatment, for example when trying to get service. I'm also curious about what response I might get from students, since people don't necessarily see me as the born and raised North American that I am; they see me as East Indian. I am curious about whether or not this will have an impact on my credibility as an English teacher, and am also curious about how Indian nationals are treated in Japan.
I don't think my being hired would constitute reverse discrimination. I would be hired because I speak fluent english and display certain skills, not because I was born in another country or am of a different race. It is simply not the same thing. Maybe I'm misinterpreting your tone (and I apologize if I am), but I felt that your comment was a little hostile. I didn't say anything about whether or not I would have worse problems than anyone in Japan and I certainly didn't say I had any opinion on the matter. I wanted other people's thoughts, so you really could have left it at "I have found most Japanese to not have any racist or xenophobic tendencies."
Anyway, thanks very much PaulH for all the information you gave me. It is quite valuable. In regards the loan, it's too large to pay off in less than a few years, so my goal is to send home an amount equivalent to twice my minimum payment. Good suggestions about sending that money home first and then playing with the rest. I was curious about whether I'd be living hand to mouth if I did this and it seems as though I probably won't be. |
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PAULH
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 4672
Location: Western Japan
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| Posted: Wed Aug 03, 2005 1:38 am Post subject: |
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| brat wrote: |
I don't think my being hired would constitute reverse discrimination. I would be hired because I speak fluent english and display certain skills, not because I was born in another country or am of a different race. It is simply not the same thing. . |
No they dont actively hire Indian people but they prefer people who are not japanese or 'look' japanese. Officially NOVA is color blind when it comes to hiring and they do hire Asians and blacks as well as Indian people.
I didnt want to sound hostile and Im sure you have had your own experiences, but the paper is full of articles about Chinese and Koreans, even ones born and bred here, suffering discrimination and racism. You have the North Korean problem which is a very sensitive issue here and currently bad relations with China. Chinese and japanese are not very fond of each other.
I have no idea what its like for Indian people. I have met a few here and there are many who own businesses. Because of the Islam thing and terrorism there is a lot of suspicion about 'brown skin' foreigners. When I came in the 90's it was Iranians selling phone card in yoyogi park.
Generally speaking, South Americans, Filipinos, Thais Malaysians get all the dirty jobs here KKK (Kitanai (dirty) Kiken (dangerous) and Kitsui (hard) and many are brought to work here by the yakuza. People wont be rude to your face, and maybe speak about you in Japanese nehind your back (not everyone but some will even disparage white people) Korea is even more xenophobic and racist than japan. If you are a middle class guy with a degree, respectable teaching job it should be OK.
There is probably not much you can do about it, you cant legislate peoples attitudes, they will think what they want to think. On the surface you are just another 'gaijin' or foreigner. Its a level playing field for all forieigners here, but some ethnic groups experience more problems than others. Remember this is not multicultural Britain or the US. Its an island country with an ethnically homogenous (99%) group.
| brat wrote: |
| I'm more concerned about the country, not the employer. One of the reason I ask is because a friend of mine, who taught in Taiwan, found that people there were somewhat racist. Then again, she was in a small town. Obviously Taiwan isn't Japan, but I thought I'd better get a sense of whether or not I'll face weird reactions, comments or mistreatment, for example when trying to get service. I'm also curious about what response I might get from students, since people don't necessarily see me as the born and raised North American that I am; they see me as East Indian. I am curious about whether or not this will have an impact on my credibility as an English teacher, and am also curious about how Indian nationals are treated in Japan. . |
I have never been in taiwan but I read stories about people in rural China. In any country you get your share of rednecks and racists and people who are threatened by foreigners. The governor of tokyo is a racist xenophone. The rightwing militants are racist as well. Mostly they are all bark and no bite and the average japanese will not be a card carrying nationalist. treat them as youd expect to be treated. Mind you you should visit the China forum one day there are a lot of redneck racist foreigners living there, taking their money but dont have much nice to say about Chinese people.
Some places up north bar foreigners and its illegal of course but so are many parts of the US. Its only 30 years ago you had segregated bathrooms in the US. Dont forget 99.)% of this country are one ethnic group and are not used to dealing with foreigners.
http://www.debito.org/roguesgallery.html
| brat wrote: |
Fi I don't think my being hired would constitute reverse discrimination. I would be hired because I speak fluent english and display certain skills, not because I was born in another country or am of a different race. It is simply not the same thing. Maybe I'm misinterpreting your tone (and I apologize if I am), but I felt that your comment was a little hostile. I didn't say anything about whether or not I would have worse problems than anyone in Japan and I certainly didn't say I had any opinion on the matter. I wanted other people's thoughts, so you really could have left it at "I have found most Japanese to not have any racist or xenophobic tendencies."
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You implicitly assume Japanese think english speakers only come in vanilla. in japan you have blacks, asians, hispanics, south americans, filipinos, Africans teaching english. Being Indian is nothing special. As long as you speak English and dont have a thick accent you wont have any problems at the big schools. Some employers may want a white face but you dont want to work for them anyway if superficalities is all they care about. I have lived here a long time and have not experienced too many problems. Again im not non-white and Im sure they deal with it in their own way. I did know some Asian students at my university and some did comment they found it difficult to make close friends. lots of acquaintances perhaps but sometimes its hard, even for me to break though that barrier, and even harder if not impossible if you dont speak the language. Your social circle will be your workmates, English speaking Japanese and casual acquaintances you meet along the way. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Wed Aug 03, 2005 2:35 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| Glenski has a rough guide and usually says that half a NOVA salary will go on expenses and you can save half. |
Not exactly.
On a standard salary for eikaiwas (250,000 yen/month), if you don't share an apartment, you should expect to burn half of that every month for basic needs, yes.
However, saving the rest is not possible. People have to do more than spend on basic necessities. They make long distance calls, buy magazines or newspapers, rent videos/DVDs, go out on dates, go to museums, etc. And, there are always emergencies that cost money, from a damaged shirt to a broken arm. I usually state that if one manages his money reasonably, one can have 70,000 to 100,000 of that second half of the salary left over. For the original poster, take out your loan payments from that and see what you have left.
Write me if you have questions about the details on this.
[email protected] |
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