Well, I have been in Japan now for a little over a week. I’m sorry for not posting earlier everyone, but getting internet here is harder than you’d think. But what’s even more difficult is finding time.

I have started teaching classes in one of the big eikaiwa branches in Yokohama - the training is intense and in this particular eikaiwa (although it’s probably the case for all of them), you’ll be actually teaching complete classes by the end of your training period.

The textbooks you are provided with are the basis for your lessons, although I have already had one student that didn’t bring in the book, spoke randomly in Japanese, and just spent the class chatting with me about Australia and what I liked about Japan, hehe.

The level of English that these people can speak will amaze you. Even if they only took classes in junior high school, you can actually have a conversation with students (and most Japanese people in general), even if there is a lot of gesturing and sound effects involved. Even higher than their ability to speak the language is their ability to read it. All this, combined with the textbook, makes teaching relatively easy.

It can also be very enjoyable. Students pay quite a lot of money to go to an eikaiwa and study English. They want to be there, so you have their full attention (which might not be the case in a high school, for example) and quite often they will be keen to contribute to the discussion - something that isn’t really encouraged in the education system.

The Japanese also have a great sense of humour (look at the commercials!) so the lessons can be a real riot.

Maybe it’s just beginner’s luck, or maybe it’s just how the way things work in metropolitan Tokyo/Yokohama, but I’m having a great time here. I’m hoping I won’t jinx myself and be completely jaded in 6 months time, but so far, all is looking great.

Apologies in advance for posting rarely, but I’ll only be getting internet in my apartment in 5 weeks time (and that’s another story). Once I have 50Mbps ADSL goodness, you’ll be hearing from me daily, I promise!

The eikaiwa I’m working for has finally told me where in Japan I’ll be located: the Minami Ward (Minami-ku) of Yokohama. I’ll be living in an apartment leased by the eikaiwa, which means no up front costs and rent deducted from my salary, which is great, financially. However, if I’ll be working in Tokyo city (I won’t know for sure until I arrive and do orientation) that means I’m going to have a long train commute. The eikaiwa claim that no one will have to travel more than an hour to get to work but
a) I’m not sure I trust them, and
b) I don’t want to stand, breathing in people’s armpits for 2 hours each day.

If that’s the case then I’ll probably consider moving out into a gaijin house somewhere closer to where I work.

The apartments are meant to be furnished, but I think there’ll still be a few things I’ll need to buy on my arrival. For starters: a rice cooker. All the apartments are said to have cutlery, crockery and basic items for cooking on your gas top stove. But there’s no mention of rice cookers! And I want to try out some of the rice cooker recipes around!

I’ll also need to set up an internet connection, which may cost even more if there’s no telephone line in the apartment.

Hairdryer, portable media player for the long commutes, mobile phone, stereo system with mp3 support, USB key, external DVD burner for my laptop…..

I’m looking forward to shopping in Akihabara!

17 days to go…

EDIT: Unfortunately I deleted the original post, so this is a rewrite from memory. I don’t think I’ve left any information out. Sorry for the inconvenience.

CASH!

You’ll need quite a lot of cash on you when you arrive in Japan so you can survive to see your first paycheck. Eikaiwa won’t pay you for your month’s work until the next month. Personally, I think this is to avoid people taking a week’s salary and running away to get a better job. You will need at least ¥120,000 but that might not be enough, depending on the accomodation you’ll have.

Eikaiwa often lease out apartments to their teachers and don’t require upfront rent or key money. Some will require a deposit (which is like a bond) which is refunded if you can meet all the rules and leave the apartment in the same condition as you arrived. These apartments are fairly well furnished and rent is automatically deducted from your salary, so these are an easy way to start life in Japan.

Privately owned apartments, on the other hand, aren’t so flexible. You will need to pay up to two months’ rent in advance, a deposit which is usually 1-2 months’ worth of rent and finally, if you live in Tokyo, you’ll have to pay what is called “key money”. This can be yet another 2 months’ worth of rent and isn’t refundable. In some cases key money can be negotiated or not payable at all, but as a newcomer to Japan, you might not too successful swaying your landlord.

Alternatively, you may be in a gaijin house, which is essentially a boarding house for foreigners. These will require a deposit and sometimes rent up-front. The rent can be slightly higher than a private apartment but they are basically furnished and might have some bonuses like free internet and cable TV.

In the above two cases, you may need closer to ¥240,000. It is best to take this money in Yen cash or travellers cheques in Yen currency. Travellers cheques are hard for banks to exchange in any other currency, although you may be able to change the cheques as soon as you touch down in Japan.

Using credit cards may prove frustrating until you settle down. This is because not all ATMs accept international credit cards. The ones that do only exist in large cities. So, make sure you have cash to live on when yuo touch down. Yes, this means that you’ll be carrying around large quantities of money. Get used to it, it happens in Japan all the time. Just as well there’s a low crime rate, eh?

The rest of your money will be spent on food and groceries for your first month to six weeks, a rail pass, a mobile phone, the items you forgot to pack or couldn’t carry, and so on. You will probably be living to a very tight budget in your first few months, but it is possible to survive. Obviously, the more you take with you, the easier the living.

Even though I’ll be an eikaiwa sensei (conversation teacher) I’ll still be making use of a textbook supplied by the eikaiwa company in my lessons. Textbooks can be a great way to supplement your lesson, but don’t feel the need to bring huge books of your own from home. Apart from the fact that they’re heavy, pretty much everything you’ll need is already in Japan, and provided by your eikaiwa.

Firstly, these textbooks aren’t standard textbooks. They’re designed to stimulate conversation, being primarily made up of pictures and lines of conversation. The textbooks give a starting point to create roleplays, to walk the students through typical conversations, and lets them practise their vocabulary by describing pictures and scenarios. They are NOT designed to teach English grammar, because this is taught extensively in schools and universities. The conversation classes are designed to put into vocal practice what the students have learned throught their education. The textbooks supplied by eikaiwa (both prescribed and others) supplement this.

In fact, the only English grammar textbook you may need is for yourself! It’s not uncommon for a Japanese student to correct their native-speaking teacher on points of grammar. That’s how high the emphasis is in schools. Still, eikaiwa will often have grammar textbooks in their resource libraries so there’s no need to bring your own from home, but it is recommended to brush up on grammar before you leave.

If you tutor or if you don’t work for an eikaiwa, standard textbooks from home probably won’t help you teach. What you may want to consider bringing are items like photo albums, scrapbooks, magazines - even take-away menus from your local restaurants. Items with images or clearly ordered information are much more interesting for your student to look at and learn from, and like the eikaiwa designed textbooks, can be used to stimulate conversation and roleplays.

These rules may only apply to Australians, but could be similar in your own country. Although, I have heard rumours of Americans being able to do whatever they liked, visa-wise, and the Japanese being very happy to let them do so. At any rate, double check with the Japanese Embassy or Consulate in your home country.

Firstly, working holiday visas and work visas are only valid for 6 months, but you can extend them. The Australian working holiday visa can be extended for a maximum 18 months. The work visa can be extended until you are considered too old, which from memory is 42. Feel free to correct me on that. Also, you may be able to change from a working holiday visa to a full blown work visa while you are in Japan, so long as you meet the requirements. Work visas will require “sponsorship” from your eikaiwa - that is, they state that they will be your employer.

You’ll have to reapply for the visa yourself at a local ward office, the eikaiwa can’t do it for you, although they will give you information on where to go and how to do it. They’ll also be a referral to call if the local ward office has problems with your application.

Also important to remember are re-entry permits. If you go on a holiday outside of Japan during your stay, you’ll need to apply for a re-entry permit to make sure you can use the visa you have to re-enter Japan. Otherwise, you’ll get stamped witha tourist visa on re-entry, your work visa will be null and void, and you cannot work again. Bummer. Re-entry permits cost between ¥3000 and ¥6000.

It’s a lot of legal info to take in, but it’s best to avoid major problems. Because, sometimes even big eikaiwa like Nova can’t save you.

Links:
Nova’s website has some visa information but it’s not very comprehensive

I am not a morning person. I am very much nocturnal. So after staying up til 4am watching Peace Maker Kurogane, I was not amused when my mobile reminded me at 8am that I had to attend a compulsory “pre-departure seminar” in a little under an hour’s time.

It wasn’t that terrible really, but like I said, I’m not a morning person. Those of you like me will know all the unsaid frustration and general crankiness I went through.

They covered the stuff you’d expect them to cover - what will happen once you arrive in Japan, what life is like in Japan, some expenses that you can expect to have, what to bring and what not to bring. None of it was particularly news to me, I had either heard it all before from the eikaiwa or researched it on my own. The only really beneficial part of the whole seminar was the video shown of an actual class taking place. After watching what was done in that class, I felt a lot more confident that I could do the job myself.

Interestingly enough, the level of the students you can get is deceptively high! This video showed 3 young Japanese adults who could answer questions fairly well, could give creative and impromptu role play performances and who I think I could work very well with in a class. It seemed to me like these students had mid to high levels of English skills, but according to the eikaiwa’s ranking system, they were on second bottom level! It was such an immense relief hearing that. I think I should be okay in the classroom :D

What was mildly annoying about the day was the woman brought out to speak about life in Japan, because she really couldn’t tell us much.
What’s the food like?
I can’t really judge, I’m a vegetarian.
Is it worth bringing over my computer/laptop?
I can’t really say, I didn’t do it myself, I bought a second hand one there.
Is it easy to connect to the Internet?
I don’t know, I didn’t try it myself.
How about my mobile phone? Will it work there?
I’m not really sure (note: another hired teacher told me that it would work so long as it was a triband phone)

Geez.

I still can’t get decent information on how to get internet in my apartment in Japan, and this is frustrating. I don’t fancy being internet-less over there. My main concern is that there may not be a telephone line in the apartment, so I may have to try to get some “mobile broadband” card which is only new technology in Australia, although I’m sure it’s been in Japan for years.

Anyway, despite most of the seminar being pointless, I’m glad I went to see that video of a class in action. Plus, all the photos and video footage of Japan made me want to be there right now. I suspect those pictures are what draw in prospective teachers the most, heh.

This post will be an ongoing work in progress, because I’m sure I’ll learn more about just how much is needed in your first month in Japan as I actually go through that first month.

Firstly, though, I should mention costs you may experience in your home country while you are overseas. I have a few of them, unfortunately. You have two options when you leave: you can sell all your wordly belongings minus the suitcase or two full you’ll take with you to Japan. Or, more likely if you plan on staying only a year, you can leave your belongings somewhere safe. If you have a nice friend or family member to look after your things, great! Just be sure to catalogue your items and get the babysitter something nice as a thankyou gift.

If you don’t have someone lovely to help you out, you’ll have consider secure storage. This can vary in price depending on how big a space you require and whether you want additional insurance on your belongings (recommended). I’ve been quoted on a space 2m x 2m x 2m at $150 per calendar month. Keep in mind that is an Australian quote. I’ve had to cull a lot of my belongings to fit into that space, too. My poor DVD collevction was sold at less than half what I bought it for *sob* and most of my electronics are gone too.

Other things you may need to pay for (and therefore need to budget for) while you are in Japan include: car registration and insurance (you never know if may tree land on your car while you’re gone!), loan repayments, your mortgage (if you have one), home security and so on. If you want to return to your life in your home country just as you left it, you may be paying two sets of monthly expenses. One for your life in Japan, and one to maintain your life at home.

If you want your family and friends to be able to contact you easily and cheaply while you’re gone, you can introduce them to the internet! But it’s possible that you won’t have easy access to the internet while in Japan, or your family and friends don’t have internet access at home. In that case, a mobile (or cell) phone will help you out. Many providers will set up a system where people in your home country can call your mobile phone in Japan for the same cost as if you were still at home. The difference would be payable by you in Japan. Quite often though, if anyone in Japan rang your mobile, they would pay for a call to your home country, even though you and your mobile is in Japan! It’s an expensive system and not efficient if you want to be contactable by people in Japan, but it can provide ease of mind to your family and friends back home. Just make sure that they don’t call you evertime they have a flat tyre or when the pet budgie dies.

Alternatively, if you have the internet in Japan but your family and friends don’t, you can set up a Skype In account. For a fixed annual fee (30 Euro at time of publishing), Skype will set up a phone number in your home area. Whenever somebody calls it (for the cost of a local call, presuming they are in the same area code) then you can answer the call at your computer in Japan. If you’re not at your computer, the caller can leave a voicemail message.

Next time, I’ll post about the things you’ll have to pay for in Japan before you start receiving your salary.

About a week after I made the initial application for the eikaiwa job, I got a phone call for an interview. Be there at 10.30am sharp, in the city.

I managed to get there at 10.45am.

Ooooh, how the Japanese lady at the reception desk looked down on me! Even though I was the one standing up…

Lesson #1: DO NOT ARRIVE LATE! The Japanese revere punctuality and the people who’ll be interviewing you will have at least lived in Japan for many years, if they aren’t Japanese themselves.

Fortunately I didn’t miss much, there was only a session explaining everything that was already on the website. It was almost pointless except for the interesting personal stories that the staff shared. You could also ask them questions that you couldn’t easily ask a website. The information session was basically a reiteration of “Please read this information before continuing”. Like I said before, eikaiwa like to cover themselves.

After the info session we had to sit a grammar test. I don’t think I had any problems with it but anyone who wasn’t particularly brilliant in their English classes may want to brush up a bit before they sit this.

Next was a one-on-one interview. It involved going over what you had written in your original application (eg: reasons for wanting to live in Japan) as well some very fast paced questions. That was interesting. You were asked a question that you had to answer within three seconds and using no more than 2 or 3 words. It’s to get you to say the first thing that comes to your mind, rather than a speech you had constructed earlier. Some of the questions I was asked were “How would your friends describe you?” and “What kind of people don’t you like?”. As you can see, they’re definitely questions you hope you have good honest answers for.

Finally there was a roleplay session. The interviewer was one of your Japanese students and you were teaching him or her just like you would in Japan. There was a textbook passage to read, then you had to make up questions about the passage to ensure the student had understood what they had read. You also had to field questions about definitions or scenarios in the passage.

The roleplaying was an eye opener. It made me realise that I’ll be on my toes all the time during classes. It doesn’t really compare with the homestay conversation classes I did a few weeks ago, but that was still worthwhile because it taught me how I would need to prepare for classes.

But after having described the interview process like that, I have to say that probably isn’t so hard to pass. I say this because a friend of mine who applied online but then decided against going to Japan was called up again 3 months after he turned them down, to ask if he would reconsider. It seems this eikaiwa need a lot of teachers for September (I think because it’s the start of the new school year then). Edit: Apparently the Japanese school year starts in April. So I have no idea why teachers are in such high demand in September.

So I guess the interview was really to make sure that you spoke fluent English and weren’t dribbling or shouting “Monkeys!” randomly.

Kinda depressing, after all the stress I went through waiting for a response.

Ah well.

I haven’t posted in a while. Gomen nasai! But in all honesty nothing has happened since I last posted, and it’s not likely that anything will happen for another month. But today I thought I’d go back in time a bit, to my initial application process. This might not be exactly how it goes for all eikaiwa, but it does seem like pretty standard stuff that you can expect to do yourself.

I applied online, and judging from the response that I received, that was a strange thing to do. It seems most applications are received at career fairs at universities or even from employment classifieds. But going directly to their website and applying online? They’ll always remember you for it!

The form requires you to fill out pretty standard stuff - it also asks for a resume with references, so have one prepared. Then it gets into the specifics. The eikaiwa like you to know what you’re getting into. There were many “Please read this information before continuing” messages, that explain things like salaries, class size and structures, what the eikaiwa will help you with and what you have to do on your own (and so on and so forth). These eikaiwa like to make sure that their butts are covered, so that no nasty legal preceedings can happen. They can always point and say “But this is what you signed up for, remember?”.

You’ll also get asked somewhat personal questions about why you want to work in Japan. Now, I don’t know about you, but is there ever a really innocent answer to that question? Sure, you can generalise and say “To experience Japanese culture” but I suspect what most people mean is that they’re otaku freaks (like myself) and want to live a real-life anime lifestyle, preferably in Akihabara. Or worse, they want some Japanese man/lady action because they can’t get any from any race at home. Similarly, “To try living in a foreign country” translates into “My parents/friends/ex-spouses want the money back that I loaned from them several years ago but I blew it on alcohol and gambling and need to get away”.

Cynical? Moi?

So, I filled up my application with gushes about Japan’s unique culture (although I kinda let on my fangirl side by mentioning “pop-culture” quite extensively) and history and how I’ve been learning Japanese for years (read: 5 months) and would like to try my hand at living there. Lots of lies, but like I previously mentioned, you’ll have to do quite a bit of lying in this job.

The embarrassing bit was when they questioned me further in the interview about the reasons I had put down for wanting to teach in Japan. I had to repeat the same bollocks face to face. Lucky for me, I do bollocks well.

Anyway, that was the written application wrap-up. I’ll talk about the interview process in the next post.

Just a short post today, because not much has happened and this is why:

Everything has been paid for, all papers have been filled out, all visas have been issued….now I must wait for the eikaiwa to tell me what’s next.

And I won’t hear from them until about three weeks before I leave (which, remember, is in September).

I can deal with the overpriced flights and with the convenient insurance that serves only to make them more profits. I can deal with their administration fee and the allegedly crappy conditions I’ll be forced to work under. I can deal with being given accomodation that’s far from my work and probably overpriced.

But WHY must I wait until three weeks before I leave before finding out where in Japan I’ll be living and working? They’ve been given 3 months notice!

Bah! Bureaucracy.