Job Discussion Forums

[geekpie]

Ok, I've been a long time lurker on here (i don't live in japan, so don't have much to post about). I've had the idea in my head of living in japan since about '05. At the time I had a sh***y call centre job in the uk, and I had come over to tokyo for a week to poke about and fell in love with the place the previous year. The next couple of years I went back 3-4 times as money would permit, and still loved the place. I realised I needed a degree to go over so got back into college and then uni and I'm now 18 months off graduating, and still have this walter mitty dream of of teaching english during the week and catching a train to tokyo on weekends. Read up on here and dave's occasionally. Now I'm at a bit of a crossroads:

1)It's taken me so long to get into uni etc etc (2005-2012) that in this time the industry has gone into collapse. Typical. Long term employment prospects...hmm

2) Wages seem p**s poor for the investment of money and time in my degree-�25000 and 3years plus a year of college for sub 250k a month- I used to earn more when I didn't have a degree. Actually, I have more money with my student loan and 9 hours of work a week- wtf? Maybe I could earn extra money with privates or sell things via ebay etc, but it seems as though if I were to stay there long term I'd be hard up for the rest of my days. In the recession though I couldn't say if I would actually be able to get anything better, if at all though.

3) Integration- the japanese don't seem very fond of encouraging immigrants. Fingerprinting and seperate queues at the airport, gaijin card checks in the street et al. It seems like it would be very tricky to ever get credit for a car, loan or mortgage. I would never be accepted in Japan no longer how long I stayed there-look at how people of korean descent, even second or third generation settlers are treated there. They have a massive problem looming with their greying population but it seems they'd rather literally die out than open themselves to immigration.

4) Career progression- doesn't seem like there is any. Teach at eikaiwa on 1 year contract. Rinse. Repeat. Ok, some people have university tenure but these are mostly non renewable fixed term. I don't see myself becoming a professor in all honesty. Also it seems like once I hit a certain age work will become increasingly hard to get, so poverty rears it's head again. I can't see myself becoming a fluent japanese speaker anytime soon either.

5) Loneliness- I'm sure people do have social circles, but a part of me also fears ending up in the deep inaka not seeing an english speaking soul for weeks on end, particularly with JET- although the programme seems ultra competitive nowadays and on the verge of closing anyhow.

Don't get me wrong, teaching english in japan is still a dream that I'd love to achieve, just I'm not sure whether I'm overdue a reality check. I'd be extremely bored and depressed spending the rest of my days in the UK, and my career prospects here don't look great (english and creative writing joint honour, should have thought that one through :p). Right now Eikaiwa for me seems like buying a ferrari on a caretakers wage; owning the car of your dreams but sleeping on the back seat to make the payments....

[timothypfox]

I think you are busy talking yourself out of it before you. Even though I was only over there 3 years myself working (1995-1997), I still consider it one of the highlights of my life and have considered returning. Because there have been so many English teachers in the 10 years since I worked there I have found a more matter of fact acceptance of foreigners being there.

England and the US have just as many stop and searches in the guise of protecting people from terrorism with stop and searches. I don't know if I was lucky or a good student of Japanese culture, but I was never stop to show ID, and THERE are separate lines for Americans and non-Americans to enter the US along with fingertprinting.

If I were you given that your fresh out of college, try it a year. Even if it isn't great for a long term career, it might be an experience you will never foreget or regret if you are over there only a year or two.

[seklarwia]

[Apsara]

[Glenski]

[seklarwia]

[rich45]

[Never Ceased To Be Amazed]

I agree. Out of the constantly loathing/"OMG, I can't believe this is my new nirvana, spend 6 months in the ME and see how welcome you are there. Try to date one of the locals...but before you do, make sure that yer will is up-to-date...

NCTBA (It's good to see that there's still someone with their head half-screwed-on straight in ol' Yamato...)

[saloc]

You do seem to be talking yourself out of it a bit. FWIW here is my story:
I had good career prospects in the UK but left right at the beginning of that career, thinking I might spend a year in Japan and then try and pick up my career where I left off. I never went back.

I have worked in eikaiwa, university and junior high schools. Eikaiwa, for me was by far the most interesting and motivating, and while I appreciate this is not always the case, was also the most financially rewarding. Maybe I was lucky. Anyway, I have been here more than 12 years now - I only teach privately and probably earn as much as I would have been earning in The UK at this stage in my career. Maybe not, but it wouldn't be a huge difference. I have a mortgage, I got a credit card at the first attempt and have never once been stopped and asked for my alien card. Of course, you hear all the horror stories and there is truth in them, but, you know, you can make things work out pretty well here. If you enjoy teaching and put a bit of effort into it, it can be a viable career option long-term. It's not easy make it a success, but no career is. You just have to treat it like a job as you would anywhere else - aim to improve, aim to succeed and don't view it as a stop-gap job while you think of what else you can do. That's half the battle won right there.

If you really want to live in Japan, then come, but try and be a little more optimistic. Best of luck, whatever you decide.

[slodziak]

[Cool Teacher]

Don't be a wuss! Come to Japan!

[ssjup81]

I haven�t been here too long. I�ve only been here for about six months, so I don�t have as much experience as most of the others here. I can say this, though; I think for some of the negative experiences some may experience (such as being carded) may depend on the actual area one lives in. For my entire time here, so far, and even when in Mito for that short while before coming up here to Yamagata, I was never treated disrespectfully nor was I ever asked for my Gaijin Card. My feelings are a bit mixed, though, on some things, where I do ask, �Is it worth it?� I notice I tend to feel this way whenever I disagree with maybe a teaching method (but I felt this way back home too) or something dealing with the Japanese Education system or if I am used in the �human tape recorder� way, which is usually the case whenever I�m with the third-year junior-high-school students since their classes mostly involve a lot of writing, so there isn�t much I can do for them since the majority is translating English into Japanese, and of course, I�m nowhere near fluent in Japanese to be of much help in this particular regard. That aside, I have my good days and my bad days, but it�d be the same if I were back home (I�m from the US, btw), but if I help even just one student to grow more interested in studying outside of class, I feel that it is. I�m also lucky because I am allowed input and am also allowed to come up with ideas for the classes, of course I must get said teacher�s permission before doing so, though...

As for loneliness, well, I�m an odd one, as I like being by myself, so the solitude doesn�t bother me at all (I�ve been like this ever since I was a kid, and can�t help but wonder if I�m this way because I grew up as an only-child), and imo, it�s difficult to feel completely lonesome when you have things like internet and e-mail and Skype and Facebook, etc., as a way to keep in touch with people. You can even toss in message boards and forums if one can go as far as that. I talk to my family through Skype quite frequently along with friends from back home.

As for the area of Japan you end up in, you could always join local clubs and get to know the people of the area (both Japanese and non-Japanese, I feel). I have a friend around here who goes out for karaoke a lot with the mother of one the students who attends the school I�m working at. I met the mother of said student over the summer when I was invited to karaoke with my friend. It was loads of fun. My friend is also learning calligraphy and has a Japanese boyfriend now (so she practices her Japanese a lot more now). Another person I know of joined a Kyuudo(弓道) club in central Yamagata as he�s always had a strong liking of archery and grew up practicing archery (he�s from the US too). Another person I know of (from New Zealand) works out at the local gym and has made friends through there too.

Wherever you end up, seems you should be able to find some activity to join in on or some people to hang around with. For me, I�m planning on joining a dance class, as I know the woman who runs it and her family has been very kind to me. This past Saturday, I was invited to stay over at her home for the night. Like back home, I just feel that you should be able to find anything if you try and just adapt to your surroundings. .

It hasn�t been a year yet for me, and I guess I�m still in the honeymoon phase, but I really like the people around me and this area in particular climate wise (let�s see if I�ll be singing the same tune once winter comes). The area for me is a bit ideal, as it�s a bit suburban, and everything I truly need is within walking distance (the train stop near me is about a 15 � 20-minute walk as is the supermarket, but the 24-hour conbini is about 5 minutes away).

Hm, as for job progression, imo, and only because of how I am currently, I don�t see much opportunity there, but of course it�s not impossible, as others have pointed out. One just has to work hard to achieve that goal and, of course, it always helps to have a bit of luck on your side. If you truly do want to teach in Japan (meaning not as an ALT), then just do all that�s required for you to do so, which I�m sure Glenski mentioned. I would love to literally teach English here (mainly because of the private lessons I do and the positive effects from them), but, I feel that I have a lot to learn before I can even attempt such a thing. For one, maybe try for my TEFL certification again (was actually working on it last year, but due to an unexpected life & death, week-long hospital visit, had to drop the course) and rack up more experience and learn more about the system here in general.

Like I said, maybe I am still in the honeymoon phase and maybe I�m seeing everything currently through rose-colored glasses, but I feel that every situation is different (ESID), definitely and I�m sure there are a lot factors involved whenever someone does have a negative experience (like someone doing something foolish in the past and ruining it for those who come after). IMO, though, the experience will probably be what you make of it, and I7m sure that goes for most anyplace in a general sense.

Sorry for the long post. Welp, break is over and I have to get going.

[Mr_Monkey]

From where I stand, if you went to university for the purpose of obtaining a teaching visa for Japan, it would seem a total waste of time if you didn't go. Moreover, the degree will stand you in good stead in the future anyway, even if you don't stay in Japan long-term. It's a mistake to simply view it as a gatekeeper qualification for entry to Japan; in that regard, it's a total waste of money.

Career prospects in Japan develop as you live and work there. It looks sucky from the outside, but get some experience under your belt and create a good impression with your employers and your private clients, and the prospects will improve - from what I understand, Japanese teaching organisations don't really consider experience outside of Japan to be experience.

As for integration - so what if the Japanese consider you foreign and don't seem like changing their attitudes ? You are foreign!

[OneJoelFifty]

What are you waiting for, get your ass to Japan. You've committed to a degree to make it possible, so take that last step. Obviously you might want to make this post again in a year when you start looking for positions for when you graduate, but assuming that there hasn't been some big disaster you should just head over and get a job. Or get a job before you head over.

I think you're thinking too much about the long term. Apparently it is possible to forge a proper career in teaching out here, but it doesn't have to be a case of all or nothing. You already know that you love Tokyo and getting a job within easy reach of the city should not be too difficult. Just get your foot in the door, enjoy the experience for all its worth in the short term and keep the longer term in mind. If you end up heading home after a year then so what? I can't see how this would be a negative experience for you.

[Sour Grape]