Timing in Teaching Jobs

[ewraught]

So, I like teaching and my job is okay, but I am looking to climb the ladder so to speak. Like most education gigs out here my contract will expire at the end of March and my visa shortly after that. I've put a few irons in the fire of course, however, I'm wondering if more lucrative jobs will show up at another time, as people may flake or be fired and new things open up. Presumably this is the most competitive time of the year, no? Do I hang on for a couple of months and get a new visa and see what develops or go for broke now?

[AssKissinger]

English teaching jobs open up all the time but it's only common sense to not quit your present job until you find something better. Be careful cause there's a lot of BULLSHIT out there. If your job is 'okay' it's better than 90% of the shit out there.

[Big Booger]

basically to up the ante, get more education. With a master's you can teach at a Uni here.. or so I've been told. And the pay is quite a bit better than eikaiwa..

Take a look in classifieds.. hunt around.. but the average seems to huddle near 250000 and 300000 yen a month... with perks ranging from free rent to free transportation...

Good luck.

[ewraught]

Thanks for the word so far. Indeed, my job is okay, but I'm not enamored with my location (fuji). So, I guess technically the job is not the problem, though I would like to get something a little more prestigious. Is my experience slugging it out in a juku going to help or hurt me in this regard? In terms of the other stuff, what scores more juice, Japanese proficiency or a post grad degree? Granted I'm miles away from either, but I'm curious as to which way to best expend my academic energies in the mean time. And in terms of BS, are recruiters feeding me a line or since their income depends on placing me are they sincere in there claims that they will find me work in Tokyo? Thanks all...

[devicenull]

Eh, looks like I am going this route too, at least for a while when I come back again to Beijing after the semester is over. Got a nice job offer at XinDongFang. Starts at 400kuai an hour, so, $50ish. 90 minute classes, 2-3 classes a day. Not to difficult to make $40-50k a year, which is about 10 times more than you need to live comfortably here. I would be stupid not to do it :P

[Ptyx]

I'm far from being a specialist about the job market in eikawa, or in japan for what's worth. The only thing i know is that it's a pain in the ass to get a visa here.
Quit your job now and you'll have two months to get a new job that can sponsor you for a visa (very different from just a job) before getting thrown out the country.
Get your new visa first and you'll have a whole year to find another job.

[ewraught]

Out of cuirosity devicenull, how does one score a gig in a cosmo city in the middle kingdom? I see work like crazy in less glamorous spots, like Canton and what have you but the Shanghai and Beijing post seem to have eluded me. Where are the leads or do you need to be on the ground? Yeah Ptyx, the visa thing is a big concern and if I can score a half year contract that would be cool, but if I can only sign another year won't I be stuck in fuji and in the same situation in 2006? Is there a way around this?

[devicenull]

Out of cuirosity devicenull, how does one score a gig in a cosmo city in the middle kingdom? I see work like crazy in less glamorous spots, like Canton and what have you but the Shanghai and Beijing post seem to have eluded me. Where are the leads or do you need to be on the ground? Yeah Ptyx, the visa thing is a big concern and if I can score a half year contract that would be cool, but if I can only sign another year won't I be stuck in fuji and in the same situation in 2006? Is there a way around this?

C'mon, rule number 1 about China here... personal contacts are everything. I met an American at random on the street, we hit it off and are good friends. He works at xindongfang and introduced me to his boss. His boss likes me and the fact that my Chinese is not crap, she offered me a job next time I come back. Make contacts, nurture the contacts, maintain the contacts. Thanks to this, I can get visas that Americans should not be able to get and if I want to work legally, I know people who can get my visa changed in country for cheap with no fuss. About 1000kuai and I can change my L-60day into a Z multiyear multientry in under a week before I actually have the job.

[Ptyx]

if I can only sign another year won't I be stuck in fuji and in the same situation in 2006? Is there a way around this?

I think it all depends of your employer. It's my understanding that you keep your visa whatever happens to the job that got it for you in the first place.
You might want to investigate this though.
After you got your visa get fired or work out a deal with your employer if he's the kind you can talk to.
As i said previously i have no idea of eikawa practice whatsoever. I know that the visa can become a problem even if you're sponsored by a legit japanese company.
I believe there's a lot of people here that have done this. Getting an easy visa via an eikawa and then moving on to another job or another eikawa. Unfortunately i'm not a native english speaker so i had to find another way. If i could have been hired in a big eikawa when i got here i would have done it without thinking even if it's a job that i don't want to do.
The pay is kinda nice for the workload and getting a visa is a breeze.
Then again, I might be biased over this cause i'm in the middle of the fantastic world of visa madness. If you can avoid going there you should, because it's a world of frustration and uncertainty.

[AssKissinger]

In terms of the other stuff, what scores more juice, Japanese proficiency or a post grad degree?

For teaching English a I'd say a Master's or a Ph.D. But on the other hand you can learn to speak JPN basically for free just by hitting the books and practicing with people here. Minus the the student loans, working here and trying your best to learn Japanese to pump up your employability probably makes the most sense finacially especially if you're determined to live in Japan long term. Learning to speak and read is hard as Hell, though.

And in terms of BS, are recruiters feeding me a line or since their income depends on placing me are they sincere in there claims that they will find me work in Tokyo?

If they're ALT dispatch guys they can't promise shit without BOE approval so be careful. Some may have deals already worked out with BOEs but a lot of these BULLSHIT jokers don't. It's in their interest to string you along because they get a cut of you do get signed on but they don't lose didley if you don't. Plus, the BOE are making their decisions right now. At this point it should be just crossing t's and dotting i's for the jobs coming in April. Like I said before, if you feel like your job's 'okay' don't jump ship unless you're totally sure the next deal is for real and better.