Job Discussion Forums

MattElz · Joined: 07 Jan 2004 Posts: 92 Location: New York, NY, USA

Just curious what different people have done after finishing their contracts with Nova, teaching in Japan with one of the Big 4 in general.

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

I worked at another language school for 2 and a half years and then worked part time at a university.

Wolf · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 1245 Location: Middle Earth

foster · Joined: 07 Feb 2003 Posts: 485 Location: Honkers, SARS

Got far away from NOVA! Very Happy

I moved to Hong Kong to teach in a proper high school, not the McDonald's Cookie Cutter of Nova.

joncharles · Joined: 09 Apr 2004 Posts: 132 Location: Beijing

I started to work at another company but the school owner decided I was too old for his needs.. so now I am back home trying to get back to Japan so I can get to the Monday Night Club at Mattari's again

MattElz · Joined: 07 Jan 2004 Posts: 92 Location: New York, NY, USA

What about non-teaching positions, back in your home countries, even?

Wolf · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 1245 Location: Middle Earth

Non teaching positions for foreigners in Japan?

If you're Japanse is phenomenal and you're feeling lucky, I saw translator jobs advertised back in the day.

Oh, my God. I just remembered a job application I made about a year ago and dug out an old cover letter. I applied for a job with these guys. Shocked

They wanted a native English speaker on staff to do writing, etc. I didn't get the job, but hey, somebody did. Wow, my life would have been different if I had gotten that job.

I knew a couple of people who made their living off radio work. But their Japanese was really good, and I didn't get the impression that they started of as Eikaiwa teachers.

One guy in Nagoya started up a computer shop/service of some sort.

And then there are the usual professional suspects; journalists, businessmen, etc.

And the guys that own the gaijin bars.

Can't help you about back home, though.

soylentgreen23 · Joined: 09 Apr 2004 Posts: 5 Location: England

I worked for GEOS for six months and then travelled around Europe for a month. I spent a little while looking for a graduate-level appointment somewhere (I studied hard for three years to get a degree in Physics which I have still to put to use), and finally gave up in November and got a job working for Currys.

It's quite ironic that I work for an electronics company, having spent time in Japan. We're still behind the Far East; it's only just now that we're beginning to get widescreen laptops in, and most of our computers are pretty much the ugly beige boxes they always were. The computers I saw in Japan blew my mind - widescreen, glowing neon panels on the front of the box, an mp3-supported track display there too.

By the way, does anyone know if extended warranties are big business in Japan? I would have thought not; I'm only asking because, really, that's what I'm paid to do here, and it would be nice to compare.

Brooker · Joined: 02 May 2004 Posts: 3 Location: Seattle, Washington

After teaching at Nova for 15 months I returned home, and after a lot of job hunting, I got a job at a TV station as a master control operator. I have some work experience and majored in broadcast production in college. Now I'm thinking about going back to Asia.