Live in Japan....Teach English

[subskull]

I'm trying to decide if I want to do this. Has anyone done this or know anyone who has/is. I've been doing alot of reading over the last couple of weeks and so far it sounds like it'd be pretty cool. Still though, this is a huge decision to make, but I'm thinking even If I go and end up not liking it, that's still gotta look good on a resume.

Right now Japan is at an interesting point in history. Japan's kata-ized culture (more traditional) is being influenced more and more by Western culture & ideals. The end result being younger generations are butting heads with the older folks. This seems exciting as well as a little scary.

I have also read that Japan in general treats foreigners (especially instructors) very well and regard them with high esteem.

The company is called AEON Corp, btw.

 

[minxnim]

most people i know said it was *ok* but a lot of my friends couldn't hack it. they got lonely and homesick. it depends on how independent you are.

 

[mindspell]

Depends on how you like it there too. I have a cousin that spent two years teaching french there and loved it. He is finishing up school right now to go back.

As for the high esteem thing you have to give the respect back unless they will hate you. My cousin told me that it is not a good idea to step on any toes because the response would be a lot quicker than it would appear to.

 

[xfer]

two of my friends did this and lived in Japan for 4 years--they both just got back (one of them brought a Korean bride home! I guess she had been living there or something).

both of them loved it and made me wish I had done it. you absolutely MUST exploit it for travel opportunities--both of them, separately, travelled all over the western Pacific Rim, and saw Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Korea, etc etc.

it's funny, the Japanese treated them with a huge amount of awe and deference, especially because they got assigned to remote towns in out-of-the-way prefectures and were the only white people there. Damion has a lot of stories about how the people in his town--mayor, police, citizens--would track his every movement to make sure he wasn't going to the local strip bar. he also said some aspects of the culture were very frustrating, like when children would be literally torturing each other and he would try to stop it and the administrators would stop him--the bullying culture is huge and accepted.

 

[subskull]

I'm ultra-independent, basically king of the loaners and I don't think I'd get homesick since I don't have many friends. Another thing that somewhat worries me though is the density of their population. That would probably take some getting used to. When I'm at lunch somewhere and there's more than a couple of people in front of me I start daydreaming about nuclear holocaust.

 

[Firedwarf]

First I thought you were talking a band called "Live in Japan" with an album called "Teach English."

 

[subskull]

 

[goatschool]

i know two people who are doing this. one just left and i haven't heard much opinion.

the other is a lonely metal guy who i would call hermetic and misanthropic. he seems to love being there, now, but he conveyed to me that the first few weeks of orientation were horrendous. he said the australian people were awful, and overall there was a feeling of patriotism and comraderie amongst the non-asians, as if it were some sort of 'tour-of-duty'.

if i'm understanding him correctly (i don't converse with this person all that much), he isn't currently happy with his co-workers (not sure if he means westerners or natives), as he is fully aware of slight cultural references and i'm thinking that he is feeling 'judged' by his appearance and ethics (long hair, tough workout regiment, etc).

basically i get the impression that you have to be fully stoked on the idea of japan.

 

[xfer]

you should meet the king of the borrowers, who posts here under the name "FuSoYa".

 

[goatschool]

mia is going to piss all over our unholy graves

 

[chupe666]

i'd just say that if it's something you're really interested in, NOW would be the time to do it- before you have a significant other or family.

a friend of mine was just talking last night about moving to Poland (he's originally from there) for a year to work. not necessarily to translate/teach, but just experience the different society.

 

[xfer]

i want to move to Poland in about two years.

 

[Kitty Star]

I am planning on doing this sort of program while I finish my degree in Kyoto. From all of the research I have done and from all of the people I have talked to it is a wonderful opportunity. I haven't spoken with anybody so far who hasn't loved it wholeheartedly.

 

[Baliset]

my cousin taught english over there and loved it so much that he married a japanese girl and lives over there now. so i guess it depends on the person.

 

[lizard]

i'd just say that if it's something you're really interested in, NOW would be the time to do it- before you have a significant other or family.

truer words never spoken. I realize Asia is a completely different fish than Europe (at least in Europe, we euro-americans have some commonality) but going there when I was 17-19 was a huge thing in my life and I learned alot, and had experiences I might never have otherwise gotten. but Asia, just the breadth and scope of the different cultures would be amazing.

 

[xfer]

think of all the shitty dishes made with fishguts you've never gotten to sample here in the boring vanilla ol' U.S. of A.!

 

[lizard]

well the diet thing would suck but you could go down to the islands where they still worship american planes from WWII and wear hollow sticks on their tallywackers.

 

[lizard]

excuse me, they worship wicker replicas of the planes.

 

[inkybmistro]

I think that would be really exciting. But I don't think I could do it for more than a couple years.

 

[xfer]

dude CARGO CULTS are probably one of the coolest things i've ever heard of!