Saturday, January 31, 2009
Term Limits
We had another one of those meetings yesterday that started well after school ended and ran for hours. It was productive and we talked a lot about the upcoming school year, both in Hana Town and the next town over, but by the time I got home I was exhausted. This has been one of the most draining weeks I've had and next week looks similarly stacked.
There is something that came up yesterday that I really wanted to write about, as it is an interesting addendum to the stuff I was talking about in my last post. One of my supervisors was at last night's meeting and we talked about general life stuff. She casually asked me, as so many other Japanese people do, if I planned to stay in Hana Town "for a long time" (the Japanese word she used was zutto). I'm never sure how to best answer this question but I was quick to point out that my time on JET is finite, so there would come I time when I would have to leave. She then told me that even though the JET Programme only allows for so many renewals, it would be possible to maintain my position with the town beyond the arbitrary cut-off point that JET adheres to. While I had heard talk of this from other JETs, this was the first time someone at my Board of Education ever brought it up, making it seem less like a "maybe you might be able to stay" statement and more like a "we want you here, please stay" request.
The notion that my JET tenure was finite had been looming over nearly all of my decisions for the past year or so. I knew I wanted this job and I was proud of having earned it after working so hard, so it felt silly to walk away from it before the formal end arrived. But now I'm hearing serious talk about there being no end, at least not a predetermined one, and that changes everything. My issues concerning how long I really want to be an English teacher are not magically erased by this news, but this is nevertheless a major change concerning my future job prospects. Suddenly there is no looming axe, no forced move, no mandatory job search or decision whether or not to return to America. I could, in theory, remain where I am for many years to come.
All of this begs the question: is this "good" news? My first instinct, rather rationally, is to say "You bet your ass it is." With thousands of people losing their jobs every week out there in the world, I have every right to be thankful that my own job appears secure for a longer stretch of time than I previously believed. On the other hand, I am a guy who doesn't handle change well, even when change is the most preferable option on the table. I spent six years working in the post office even though I knew it was the worst job imaginable after a matter of months. I stayed because the money was good and I didn't have anything better to do. My only way out was to walk away cold and go back to school. Here in Japan, I don't have those kinds of objections to teaching English but once again, the money is good and I don't have anything better to do. Do I have the courage to walk away again and try something else, to take a chance like I did in 2004, in order to improve my quality of life? Maybe a deadline was important to keeping me honest about what I want in life.
Either way, this is not the kind of news that demands immediate action. It is a big deal, yes, but I'm still going to work on Monday and I'm still hoping to get that contract extension I requested. But like little DJ, this news will only get bigger as time goes on. Am I prepared to deal with the consequences? I have no idea.
つづく...(Click here to read more)
There is something that came up yesterday that I really wanted to write about, as it is an interesting addendum to the stuff I was talking about in my last post. One of my supervisors was at last night's meeting and we talked about general life stuff. She casually asked me, as so many other Japanese people do, if I planned to stay in Hana Town "for a long time" (the Japanese word she used was zutto). I'm never sure how to best answer this question but I was quick to point out that my time on JET is finite, so there would come I time when I would have to leave. She then told me that even though the JET Programme only allows for so many renewals, it would be possible to maintain my position with the town beyond the arbitrary cut-off point that JET adheres to. While I had heard talk of this from other JETs, this was the first time someone at my Board of Education ever brought it up, making it seem less like a "maybe you might be able to stay" statement and more like a "we want you here, please stay" request.
The notion that my JET tenure was finite had been looming over nearly all of my decisions for the past year or so. I knew I wanted this job and I was proud of having earned it after working so hard, so it felt silly to walk away from it before the formal end arrived. But now I'm hearing serious talk about there being no end, at least not a predetermined one, and that changes everything. My issues concerning how long I really want to be an English teacher are not magically erased by this news, but this is nevertheless a major change concerning my future job prospects. Suddenly there is no looming axe, no forced move, no mandatory job search or decision whether or not to return to America. I could, in theory, remain where I am for many years to come.
All of this begs the question: is this "good" news? My first instinct, rather rationally, is to say "You bet your ass it is." With thousands of people losing their jobs every week out there in the world, I have every right to be thankful that my own job appears secure for a longer stretch of time than I previously believed. On the other hand, I am a guy who doesn't handle change well, even when change is the most preferable option on the table. I spent six years working in the post office even though I knew it was the worst job imaginable after a matter of months. I stayed because the money was good and I didn't have anything better to do. My only way out was to walk away cold and go back to school. Here in Japan, I don't have those kinds of objections to teaching English but once again, the money is good and I don't have anything better to do. Do I have the courage to walk away again and try something else, to take a chance like I did in 2004, in order to improve my quality of life? Maybe a deadline was important to keeping me honest about what I want in life.
Either way, this is not the kind of news that demands immediate action. It is a big deal, yes, but I'm still going to work on Monday and I'm still hoping to get that contract extension I requested. But like little DJ, this news will only get bigger as time goes on. Am I prepared to deal with the consequences? I have no idea.
Labels: Japan, JET, job hunting, predicting the future
つづく...(Click here to read more)
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
CHANGE: no I can't
I know you college types are just starting to get back to class but at the elementary school level we are up and running at full speed by now. While you knowledge-hungry elitists are just getting back from vacations, maybe shopping for textbooks or reviewing your latest syllabi (syllabuses?), these kids have long since returned to school and their all-too-brief winter break is already a distant memory. Of course, I say that as I sit in an empty classroom in the middle of a day when I have no classes to teach, so some teachers are busier than others. As English is surely the black sheep of subjects here in Japan, I will have a few more days of adjustment before anyone notices that I am, in fact, here to teach children as opposed to sit in the office and type quietly on my laptop.
I'm exaggerating, of course. Some schools had me start working with students on the very first day of classes back on January 9th. Other schools, such as where I am currently sitting, prefer to let the individual teachers sign up for English classes, thereby guaranteeing periods of extreme idleness at the start and end of the semester while everyone tries to squeeze their lessons with me into the middle. So while I had no classes last Tuesday or today, I have five next Tuesday and again the Tuesday after that. It's frustrating, but then I remind myself that they don't do it out of spite, they do it because they simply don't care. I'll take negligence over hate any day.
It is in the midst of this odd period that I filed my request for an extension of my contract. The hiring and placement process for the JET Programme is so incredibly long that my Board of Ed needs to know almost six months beforehand whether or not I intend to renew my contract or not. The renewal forms are distributed three months prior to that in case people are hoping for transfers which take even longer. Hence the first steps in renewing or ending a JET Programme-brokered contract take place in October, only two months after newbies arrive and only one month after classes start.
As stressed and anxious as I was in my first year, I knew this job and life in Japan was what I wanted so I didn't hesitate in re-signing. This year I actually had time to reflect on how my job has changed (nearly entirely for the better) and think about what I want to achieve next year. Factor in a forthcoming baby and the craptastic job market both here and in the States (two big reasons not to start passing out resumes this summer) and I felt pretty comfortable submitting my request yesterday.
If I have one major reservation it is not knowing what might change in April when the new school year starts. Last year it brought about some serious shifts of personnel, including new principals at every single school that I visit. Later that month it was decided that I would stop going to the tiny mountain school in favor of increased classes at other, slightly larger schools. Again, looking back I would say that almost everything that changed was for the better, but I cannot reasonably assume that I will be as fortunate this April.
There's also the unknown element of a new ALT coming to Hana Town. The JET who currently works in the middle schools around here (and that one tiny mountain school) is at the end of his tenure. While they could still potentially offer him some kind of new contract, odds are he will move on and they will request a new ALT. This will obviously have implications for my job, but how drastic they are I couldn't possibly say. Will my current rotation of schools remain the same? Will I be asked to help out at the middle school level, or will he be asked to cover more elementary school lessons? Will he flake out and quit after six weeks, tarnishing my reputation in the process?
Even bigger, will there be a new ALT coming at all? As the number of students in Hana Town continues to dwindle, there might be drastic changes on the horizon. I just learned today that this school, the largest one I teach at, will have half the usual number of incoming first graders in April. Other schools are similarly expecting smaller student bodies: one school is graduating eighteen sixth graders but is getting only eight new students. Another is graduating ten and is unlikely to welcome more than two or three new children, maybe less. Someone might just decide to spread my schedule thin across more schools and forgo the expense of hiring, importing, and then paying the monthly salary of a whole new foreigner.
But that's all speculative and unfounded guesswork. The bottom line is that I came here after years of work and they seem to like me, so I'm staying. Other potential employment issues may come up in 2009, but I hope to remain in Hana Town through at least July of next year with addition renewals possible. At the very least, I can take great comfort in knowing that by the time I wake up tomorrow, this asshole will be out of a job. Here's hoping his replacement doesn't flake out and quit after six weeks either.
つづく...(Click here to read more)
I'm exaggerating, of course. Some schools had me start working with students on the very first day of classes back on January 9th. Other schools, such as where I am currently sitting, prefer to let the individual teachers sign up for English classes, thereby guaranteeing periods of extreme idleness at the start and end of the semester while everyone tries to squeeze their lessons with me into the middle. So while I had no classes last Tuesday or today, I have five next Tuesday and again the Tuesday after that. It's frustrating, but then I remind myself that they don't do it out of spite, they do it because they simply don't care. I'll take negligence over hate any day.
It is in the midst of this odd period that I filed my request for an extension of my contract. The hiring and placement process for the JET Programme is so incredibly long that my Board of Ed needs to know almost six months beforehand whether or not I intend to renew my contract or not. The renewal forms are distributed three months prior to that in case people are hoping for transfers which take even longer. Hence the first steps in renewing or ending a JET Programme-brokered contract take place in October, only two months after newbies arrive and only one month after classes start.
As stressed and anxious as I was in my first year, I knew this job and life in Japan was what I wanted so I didn't hesitate in re-signing. This year I actually had time to reflect on how my job has changed (nearly entirely for the better) and think about what I want to achieve next year. Factor in a forthcoming baby and the craptastic job market both here and in the States (two big reasons not to start passing out resumes this summer) and I felt pretty comfortable submitting my request yesterday.
If I have one major reservation it is not knowing what might change in April when the new school year starts. Last year it brought about some serious shifts of personnel, including new principals at every single school that I visit. Later that month it was decided that I would stop going to the tiny mountain school in favor of increased classes at other, slightly larger schools. Again, looking back I would say that almost everything that changed was for the better, but I cannot reasonably assume that I will be as fortunate this April.
There's also the unknown element of a new ALT coming to Hana Town. The JET who currently works in the middle schools around here (and that one tiny mountain school) is at the end of his tenure. While they could still potentially offer him some kind of new contract, odds are he will move on and they will request a new ALT. This will obviously have implications for my job, but how drastic they are I couldn't possibly say. Will my current rotation of schools remain the same? Will I be asked to help out at the middle school level, or will he be asked to cover more elementary school lessons? Will he flake out and quit after six weeks, tarnishing my reputation in the process?
Even bigger, will there be a new ALT coming at all? As the number of students in Hana Town continues to dwindle, there might be drastic changes on the horizon. I just learned today that this school, the largest one I teach at, will have half the usual number of incoming first graders in April. Other schools are similarly expecting smaller student bodies: one school is graduating eighteen sixth graders but is getting only eight new students. Another is graduating ten and is unlikely to welcome more than two or three new children, maybe less. Someone might just decide to spread my schedule thin across more schools and forgo the expense of hiring, importing, and then paying the monthly salary of a whole new foreigner.
But that's all speculative and unfounded guesswork. The bottom line is that I came here after years of work and they seem to like me, so I'm staying. Other potential employment issues may come up in 2009, but I hope to remain in Hana Town through at least July of next year with addition renewals possible. At the very least, I can take great comfort in knowing that by the time I wake up tomorrow, this asshole will be out of a job. Here's hoping his replacement doesn't flake out and quit after six weeks either.
Labels: frustration, Japan, JET, job hunting, politics, predicting the future, teaching
つづく...(Click here to read more)
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Security = Satisfaction?
Last week was a very enjoyable if completely uneventful vacation. We didn't do much to commemorate the holiday aside from a few day trips to visit Mako's parents and spend time with family. This week I've returned to "work" but only in the loosest possible sense of the word. I don't dare complain about my lack of responsibilities or feelings of superfluousness though. From the increasingly grim headlines I read everyday, I feel like I should really take a moment and thank the glorious-yet-potentially-imaginary deity that I even have a job.
I live in a world somewhat isolated from the global economic crisis and I've been here for my entire adult life. Years ago, when I realized college wasn't going to work, I earned a living through bottom-feeder part-time jobs. Operating a cash register, providing tech support over the phone, even working in the movie theater (which I loved) - all of these jobs were "secure" in that they were low paying with a high turnover rate, ensuring that nobody stuck around long enough to become an expensive liability to the company. I made friends at each of these places but nobody felt much of an impact when I left and I'm sure I was easily (and quickly) replaced at no significant loss. It's counter-intuitive, but I was so expendable that I never worried about being let go.
Then came my tenure at the post office and that's about as steady as work can get. Stamp prices may go up and volume may go down but no matter what, people are always going to need to send things through the mail and the USPS is always going to have more than enough employees to handle that mail. The job security and unchanging daily grind was so strong that each day became the same as the last. It was like that time the Enterprise got caught in that time loop and kept exploding...or Groundhog Day if you're not as geeky as I am. I still felt expendable but I knew I would never be let go because they never let anybody go, not even those who were incompetent or a danger to others. I didn't take comfort in that feeling at all; rather, I felt like I was worthless.
Now I'm living in Japan and teaching English purely because I happen to have a native grasp on the subject, which puts me in an extremely beneficial situation. There simply aren't enough people like me around to fill all the positions Japanese schools have to offer and that's precisely the reason I was "imported" in the first place. I am replacable, yes, but not in any practical way because bringing in someone new is prohibitively expensive. That level of security, coupled with the general sense of satisfaction that I "matter" because I'm a teacher, makes this job quite possibly the most rewarding one I've ever held.
Taking all of the above into account, I find it ironic that my idle thoughts often wander towards leaving this job and trying to find something that is even more rewarding. As it turns out, the notion that this job ranks so high on the "satisfying" scale when compared to my other jobs isn't enough to convince me that this is something I want to do for years to come. That's because my earlier jobs were totally crappy, frankly. To use a crude metaphor, just because Paris Hilton is more attractive than Rosie O'Donnell doesn't make her a contender for Earth's Most Beautiful Woman. She simply doesn't look like shit.
All of this came to my mind this afternoon when I read about the closure of EGM and the layoffs of most of the writers and online personalities that I came to embrace via the magazine's online portal, 1up.com. Here are a bunch of people doing something that strikes me as extremely enjoyable, even enviable, who are now out of work and looking at a very limited range of future employment options. Journalism in general and criticism (especially video game criticism) in particular is a dwindling field. Newspapers and magazines are drying up as people increasingly turn towards television and the Internet. Meanwhile, here I sit in a concrete bunker of an elementary school earning a very generous salary (paid in robust Yen no less) gaining experience in a field that will never, ever go away and dreaming about finding work as a games journalist.
Obviously, I have a lot to think about over the next few years. Teaching English isn't going anywhere but this particular job that I've got has a time limit, and with a baby on the way I've got to choose my moves very carefully to ensure little Daniel Jr. doesn't grow up lacking anything he needs. Writing in my spare time is one thing but at this stage it is damn near irresponsible to fantasize about making a living with it. However, how long can I really expect to date Paris Hilton without dreaming about...I don't know...Scarlett Johansson?
つづく...(Click here to read more)
I live in a world somewhat isolated from the global economic crisis and I've been here for my entire adult life. Years ago, when I realized college wasn't going to work, I earned a living through bottom-feeder part-time jobs. Operating a cash register, providing tech support over the phone, even working in the movie theater (which I loved) - all of these jobs were "secure" in that they were low paying with a high turnover rate, ensuring that nobody stuck around long enough to become an expensive liability to the company. I made friends at each of these places but nobody felt much of an impact when I left and I'm sure I was easily (and quickly) replaced at no significant loss. It's counter-intuitive, but I was so expendable that I never worried about being let go.
Then came my tenure at the post office and that's about as steady as work can get. Stamp prices may go up and volume may go down but no matter what, people are always going to need to send things through the mail and the USPS is always going to have more than enough employees to handle that mail. The job security and unchanging daily grind was so strong that each day became the same as the last. It was like that time the Enterprise got caught in that time loop and kept exploding...or Groundhog Day if you're not as geeky as I am. I still felt expendable but I knew I would never be let go because they never let anybody go, not even those who were incompetent or a danger to others. I didn't take comfort in that feeling at all; rather, I felt like I was worthless.
Now I'm living in Japan and teaching English purely because I happen to have a native grasp on the subject, which puts me in an extremely beneficial situation. There simply aren't enough people like me around to fill all the positions Japanese schools have to offer and that's precisely the reason I was "imported" in the first place. I am replacable, yes, but not in any practical way because bringing in someone new is prohibitively expensive. That level of security, coupled with the general sense of satisfaction that I "matter" because I'm a teacher, makes this job quite possibly the most rewarding one I've ever held.
Taking all of the above into account, I find it ironic that my idle thoughts often wander towards leaving this job and trying to find something that is even more rewarding. As it turns out, the notion that this job ranks so high on the "satisfying" scale when compared to my other jobs isn't enough to convince me that this is something I want to do for years to come. That's because my earlier jobs were totally crappy, frankly. To use a crude metaphor, just because Paris Hilton is more attractive than Rosie O'Donnell doesn't make her a contender for Earth's Most Beautiful Woman. She simply doesn't look like shit.
All of this came to my mind this afternoon when I read about the closure of EGM and the layoffs of most of the writers and online personalities that I came to embrace via the magazine's online portal, 1up.com. Here are a bunch of people doing something that strikes me as extremely enjoyable, even enviable, who are now out of work and looking at a very limited range of future employment options. Journalism in general and criticism (especially video game criticism) in particular is a dwindling field. Newspapers and magazines are drying up as people increasingly turn towards television and the Internet. Meanwhile, here I sit in a concrete bunker of an elementary school earning a very generous salary (paid in robust Yen no less) gaining experience in a field that will never, ever go away and dreaming about finding work as a games journalist.
Obviously, I have a lot to think about over the next few years. Teaching English isn't going anywhere but this particular job that I've got has a time limit, and with a baby on the way I've got to choose my moves very carefully to ensure little Daniel Jr. doesn't grow up lacking anything he needs. Writing in my spare time is one thing but at this stage it is damn near irresponsible to fantasize about making a living with it. However, how long can I really expect to date Paris Hilton without dreaming about...I don't know...Scarlett Johansson?
Labels: Japan, JET, job hunting, postal service, predicting the future, teaching, Write or Die
つづく...(Click here to read more)
