Is teaching in countryside THIS bad?

[Gaijin0000]

Hi, I am thinking about teaching English in Japan, however the only job offers I have received so far are from schools based in the countryside.

In doing research on some of the schools, I have only read negative reviews from former teachers. This is one such review, which paints a pretty bleak picture of teaching conditions in rural Japan.

Gunma (http://whenartemisfalls.blogspot.com/2010/03/theres-man-goin-round-in-this-town.html)

What do you think? Was this blog being overly hostile, or is this the standard contract for schools outside the cities.

Thanks!!!

[Behan]

What do you think? Was this blog being overly hostile, or is this the standard contract for schools outside the cities.
Thanks!!!

I once worked in a six-day-a-week juku sweat shop so I can believe this story.

Nova was famous for putting three instructors in an apartment and getting rent from all of them that was probably double what the locals were paying.

Don't go to work for them! You can definitely find somewhere that exploits you less.

[sillygirl]

We used to call Gunma the salt mines...where disgraced Nova teachers were sent.

I had wicked fun in Tochigi!

[sublight]

There are definitely better schools throughout Japan (even in Gunma prefecture), but what he describes sounds very much like what my first school was like (in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Pref.). They pulled many similar stunts, and were basically taking advantage of Japan newbies who didn't know any better.

As a rule of thumb, to get hired by a decent school, you have to come to Japan first. There are a good number of foreigners already here (who've proven they can adapt to Japan well enough to show up in person for an interview), and given a choice, most schools will prefer to hire one of them than take a chance on someone unseen who may suffer a culture shock meltdown their first week (especially if the school has had to waste several weeks getting a visa approved) Schools that hire directly from overseas (like my first school and Nova, both of which are now closed) often do so because none of the local gaijin will work with them.

On the plus side, no matter how much the boss may bluster and threaten, they have no legal recourse to force you keep working there. If you get a one-year visa (the minimum duration), you're entitled to stay in Japan for a full year, even if you change jobs, get fired, or simply quit your job on the first day and never work again. And no matter what your boss says (and many of them say this) he has no pull with the immigration department and cannot cause your renewal application to be rejected if you leave him for a new job.

[Typhoon]

Okay, so don't go to Gunma.

According to your fellow Canuck,

it's not so great in the city either (http://www.nowtoronto.com/news/story.cfm?content=174146)

The JET route may be the way to go, if you can arrange it.

Anyways, the Golden Age of making one's fortune by teaching English in Japan is ancient history now.

[james]

Okay, so don't go to Gunma.

According to your fellow Canuck,

it's not so great in the city either (http://www.nowtoronto.com/news/story.cfm?content=174146)

The JET route may be the way to go, if you can arrange it.

Anyways, the Golden Age of making one's fortune by teaching English in Japan is ancient history now.

being a canuck, out in the countryside and teaching english (working for myself) and dealing with a sharp decline over the last few years i thought i'd chime in. i expect next year to be brutal.

inaka is most certainly not for everyone but there are certainly benefits. it takes a certain personality type to manage out here (read: borderline insane / hermit). like anywhere, there are reputable places, and places that are less so.

benefits include, in my experience, more space, a cleaner environment, friendlier people, safety country ;), fewer crows and overall lower cost of living. if your goal is to save money, there's the added "benefit" of any decent watering hole being far enough away to make it not worth your while most of the time. so instead of pissing away your earnings, you can put them away.

on the downside, it can be every bit as inconvenient as it is picturesque. if you get a hankering for mcdicks or pizza or whatever, it's a minimum hour drive from where i am. buying damn near anything usually means ordering online. there's no anonymity. anyone under the age of 50 is considered "young". there may be fewer people your age to hang out with.

an old pic of my school, out in inaka:

http://www.fuckedgaijin.com/forums/images/vbimghost/14144ba8e49af0640.jpg

[Yokohammer]

being a canuck, out in the countryside and teaching english (working for myself) and dealing with a sharp decline over the last few years i thought i'd chime in. i expect next year to be brutal.
What's behind the sharp decline? Is it an economy thing, declining population in the area, or are people just less interested in learning English?

I suppose it could be all of the above, but it does seem that as Japan's relationship with the rest of the world changes people are seeing less advantage in learning English, even though the ability to communicate is actually becoming more important for survival and success in the international community.

What's your take on the situation?

[dimwit]

What's behind the sharp decline? Is it an economy thing, declining population in the area, or are people just less interested in learning English?

I suppose it could be all of the above, but it does seem that as Japan's relationship with the rest of the world changes people are seeing less advantage in learning English, even though the ability to communicate is actually becoming more important for survival and success in the international community.

What's your take on the situation?


Economic decline is more of a Tokyo/Osaka concern as there has never been much industry out here other than farming. Population declines in virtually every prefecture west of Nagoya is the big problem. To give you an example the population of Ehime dropped by 8000 people between 2007 and 2008 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Japanese_prefectures_by_population) but at the same time the prefectural capital city of Matsuyama grew by about 5000. So the rest of the prefecture actually saw a decline of about 13,000 people out of a population of 900,000. To put things in prespective, Ehime is not anywhere in as dire straits as of some of the smaller prefectures such as Kochi, or Shimane.

Lack of interest has never been a big problem in my experience. I think some students are a lot more wary after getting screwed over by NOVA a few years back but even that memory is fading. Personally my business has been up over the past two years and if the first three months of 2010 are anything to go by, it will be one of my best years ever.

[james]

What's behind the sharp decline? Is it an economy thing, declining population in the area, or are people just less interested in learning English?

I suppose it could be all of the above, but it does seem that as Japan's relationship with the rest of the world changes people are seeing less advantage in learning English, even though the ability to communicate is actually becoming more important for survival and success in the international community.

What's your take on the situation?

it is, as you said, a combination of factors but i attribute it mostly to the first two. where we are, it's a very annuated populace and senior citizens probably outnumber children 4 to 1. we've seen a decline in population from a little over 9000 people to just over 7000 in the time i've been here. young people graduate high school and for the most part have no incentive to come back and every incentive not to, so there's a dearth of fertility.

i have every reason to believe the economy is also a factor. it's a farming village but there is also a base of manufacturing and textiles since land is comparatively cheaper out here and and a niche of specialized crafts. if someone gets laid off or has their hours reduced, that translates into reduced or non-enrolment for me, since typically eating and shelter take priority over learning english.

a lot of my decline is my long-time established student base graduating and moving on with very little new enrolment coming in. my second school (a place i rent), about a 40 minute drive away is a few months away from net break-even after several years but also facing a net outflow next month. depending what happens after break-even, i may close it down as it's certainly not worth my time to make enough simply to pay the rent. i've got better things to do than work for the landlord.

my main school, which i own, pictured above, i may renovate by putting in a full/unit bathroom and if i can get enrolment up over the next couple years, rent it to someone to take over for me for a while or simply do a straight rental. there's a kitchenette and loft space upstairs that would be large enough for a bedroom for a bachelor or a couple of students from one of the nearby post-secondaries. yours truly here would be exploring other options, quite possibly back in canada though other things may be on the table.

[Yokohammer]

Thanks Dimwit and James.

Looks as though the ups and downs are somewhat location dependent. That's interesting. I thought it would be more of a general trend (of course two samples is not exactly a survey, but they'll do in a pinch). I wish I could provide another sample, but I'm not in the English Ed business so I can't.

I was wondering if the somewhat less than honorable business practices of some of the schools might have something to do with it, as implied by Dimwit. Pedophile ETs sure as heck won't help to elevate the industry's image either.

Anyway, James, I hope your prediction turns out to be false and you have a bumper year.

[dimwit]

Thanks Dimwit and James.

Looks as though the ups and downs are somewhat location dependent. That's interesting. I thought it would be more of a general trend (of course two samples is not exactly a survey, but they'll do in a pinch). I wish I could provide another sample, but I'm not in the English Ed business so I can't.

I was wondering if the somewhat less than honorable business practices of some of the schools might have something to do with it, as implied by Dimwit. Pedophile ETs sure as heck won't help to elevate the industry's image either.

Anyway, James, I hope your prediction turns out to be false and you have a bumper year.

I think the difference between James' situation is that I am living in a city of about 500,000 and he is living in a town of about 7,000. The size of Matsuyama and the fact that it is a prefectural capital means you have universities and decent jobs for graduating students. The result is much less of a brain drain and larger proportion of the population able to afford the luxury of English lessons.

[omae mona]

Pedophile ETs sure as heck won't help to elevate the industry's image either.


http://www.fuckedgaijin.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=3585&stc=1&d=1269438436

[MrUltimateGaijin]

and he is living in a town of about 7,000.


how many FGs are living in towns that small??? And most of the locals would be geriatric..

[waruta]

how many FGs are living in towns that small??? And most of the locals would be geriatric..

ババフェチかもよ。。。 :inlove:

[FG Lurker]

ババフェチかもよ。。。 :inlove:
:rofl:

[james]

how many FGs are living in towns that small??? And most of the locals would be geriatric..

there are a few of us, though for a while i was very close to being the foreigner. and yes, most of the locals, by far, are geriatric.

[Yokohammer]

I think the difference between James' situation is that I am living in a city of about 500,000 and he is living in a town of about 7,000.
Ah, I see ... 7,000 is small. That's a challenging demographic right from the git-go.

I'm in a town of about 35,700, which is a good size for living because all the necessary facilities are here, but I wouldn't consider it fertile ground for an English language business (despite the fact that I've been asked to teach a few times). I'm one of about three caucasians living here, but there are many Chinese and Filipino residents (mostly women), and it seems that a few of the latter are teaching English privately and at some of the small local juku. That's the extent of it.

Another reason there's not much English language education here is that we're a short 30-minute train ride (or drive) from Sendai, which is a city of over a million that is famous for its universities and other educational facilities, so anyone serious about learning will simply commute.

So it would seem that location really is critical, ne?

[Gaijin0000]

Pedophile ETs sure as heck won't help to elevate the industry's image either.

Thanks to everyone for your insight. I think I will pass on GLC (http://whenartemisfalls.blogspot.com/2010/03/theres-man-goin-round-in-this-town.html) and look for a school with a better rep.

However, at the risk of going off topic, I am confused about the quote above. Based on my knowledge of Japanese culture, is it not the Japanese who are the real pedophiles?

[Greji]

".....and yes, most of the locals, by far, are geriatric....."

Geriatric compared to what?
:confused:

[james]

Geriatric compared to what?
:confused:

compared to me ;)

[Greji]

compared to me ;)

They might be whippersnappers compared to me as a resident geezer. Ahhh, best make that as a resident perverted geezer....
:cool:

[FG Lurker]

They might be whippersnappers compared to me as a resident geezer. Ahhh, best make that as a resident perverted geezer....
:cool:
I suspect many of the residents around James' place are even older than FG's resident perverted geezer...

[james]

I suspect many of the residents around James' place are even older than FG's resident perverted geezer...

we have quite a few centenarians and there are a few guys in their early 90s who are still legally licenced to drive. my view on that is anyone older than a 3-door touring model t ford shouldn't be driving.