I did not know how they would react. Several I had seen around town but avoided. Our Kaicho and his wife among them. I did not know how they would react to this news as it was a year and at the time I shared it with them. Their only concern was my well being. Good men, all.
I agree. Isolation is depressing. Nothing a few burgers, belly dancers, and brews can't fix. Trust me. I have given better medical advice than about 99% of all doctors in Japan.
It was sad to read this but so heartwarming to know how the Matsuri group truly care about you. Hopefully you will find even deeper and more meaningful friendships from this and that guy who seems to want to help you find work could be a great asset. Most of my life I have found jobs through just knowing people. I almost never had to formally apply for a job. People know my skill sets and will match them up with other people they know who need them. And my success rate is very high. Usually after being introduced, it tends to be an informal chat where I get to understand what is required and then agree on the terms. I hope that happens in your case. It might even lead to different kinds of work. Last year was the best year I had since the madness began in terms of income and in fact if I calculate my earnings on a daily basis, the rate of pay was about 3 times more than I ever earned before. This was simply due to just knowing someone who knew someone else who needed a reliable guy in this part of the world on a call out basis. In fact I never even had an interview or met the boss of the company. It was all done via a WhatsApp exchange. Make full use of the contacts you have, not in a selfish way but just so they know your situation and I’m sure all kinds of positive things will come from this new dynamic.
With the possible exception of one individual, I never met any non Japanese from a Western country that came to Japan with the intention to stay more than a few years at the longest. But yes, anyone wanting to work even for just one contract period will find a very different reality than I experienced when I first came across the pond.
I am not worrying about money yet, heavy on the yet. I still have the refund from my private pension that once I get all my grades and the test book for next school year completed I can find the paper work needed to apply for. That will help a lot. But getting my stuff back to the States and starting over will require a lot of money that I do not have and not likely to be able to raise within the next year.
You bring up a very interesting phenomenon. Same in Hong Kong - I barely met any westerner at the time and even less so now, who didn’t view Hong Kong as just a temporary place to make money and have a good time. Many held senior positions here and had a standard of living that most people in their home country would be envious of. There are a few who have property back home and in retirement I guess they can spend so many months in each place. For me, there was never an intention to go back and it might not even be a realistic option now. I don’t have property there, hate the cold dark winters, have a different diet and largely adopted the culture here. One thing I have over most expats (even those born here) is language. My Cantonese is not perfect but good enough to fool someone over the phone and good enough to be able to hold my own in most situations. I can also read Chinese which has been a huge asset even in Japan where I can at least guess at the meaning of what’s on a menu and far more easily remember place names etc. even if the pronunciation in Japanese is totally different. Even more so in Mainland China where my Mandarin is pretty poor but the written language is very similar. For me I would find it easier to move to another Asian country and start again than to go back to the UK. If Hong Kong had stayed as it was pre-1997, I would truly say this is my home for life and it probably will be. But as HK becomes increasingly mainland orientated I no longer have the strong sense of belonging. The good thing is that there are very few people like me and I will probably be able to stay under the radar and be viewed as an aging relic rather than a threat to the future of HK.
That is precisely how I got into teaching at universities, and, well, most every job I had since leaving the conversation school that brought me over. One of my students at that school taught at a medical school and thought college students would benefit from my instruction. He was friends with the head of the English department and put a word in for me. When a teacher left mid school year, I was asked to take over the class. Within a couple of years, I was teaching two more classes, these elective courses.
After the director who hired me retired, her replacement set up our simulated patient (SP) program and got us trained in the basics of being a SP. I was farmed out to other schools as both a SP and to train others as a SP. workshops and conferences too. This led to many opportunities until she left for another school and her replacement was not interested in the SP program. It is a shadow of what it once was and far from what it could have been. But, it still led to positions at other med schools. The medical English community in Japan is small and most of us know many of the others in it.
The panic destroyed this network for me. Getting thrown off campus of a nursing for refusing to wear a mask of a school where a big wig of that community works will do that. Who knew? Thankfully, one strand of that network remained and it led to classes at my newest med school. That is what is keeping me afloat at present. Barely afloat, but afloat.
Besides the destruction of my networks, covid destroyed my personal networks too for much the same reasons, there is the issue of my education level. It was always the case that a Master’s degree was a requirement, but with so few with one available, they made due with me. I am one of the very few I have met teaching at this level in Japan without a Master’s. The jobs available are now fewer than those who are looking for them. The med school I taught at for 21 years used to have 12 teachers, 7 native English speakers and 5 Japanese teachers two of whom were full time. Next school year we will have 5. Two are native English speakers and 3 Japanese, 2 of whom are full time. The first year class is 10% larger than it was when we had 12 teachers. Class sizes are obviously much larger than in the past.
The school wants more native English teachers, which make the adherence to the rule that teachers have to retire at 65 all the more absurd as they are letting a teacher go for that reason at the end of this school year. We old timers are on the old pay system and it pays well for each class but not enough classes to earn a living.the new pay school is insultingly low. Can earn more serving tables in Roppongi, not an exaggeration, but to teach at university they require a Master’s AND years of experience. One school I applied to after the biggest part of the madness calmed down quickly responded that I had all that they were looking for and they believed we would be a good match, however,as I lacked a Master’s degree they could not even grant me an interview. Now, even if I did land a new job, it is likely that the pay would be low.
Advertised on. The train are AI English conversation partners for like ¥800 a month. I get paid ¥7000 an hour at my current lowest paying position. Can’t compete.
I have looked into other lines of work but lack any other marketable skills. I have become the person I had no respect for when I first arrived, a Western Man with Japanese’s wife and kids and years of living in country yet with abysmal ability in the local language. Never even close to fluent, my competency in Japanese was far greater when I returned to Japan in 2000. What recruiters for English Conversation Schools do not tell you is that native English teachers are forbidden to use Japanese at work. They sell an English only environment and do not want prospective students to walk in and hear native English speakers using Japanese. That is what led to meeting the preexwife. We were language exchange partners.
Now, is the current biggest problem, Scheduling. Once the new school year starts up, I’ll have classes M-F, YEAH! First time since the panic that this has been true. However, I currently have only 5 or six hours of work a work, depending on the week, until the week of April 20-24. Not many short term jobs to fill the gap. Worse, while I have class 5 days a week starting in April, two of those days are only half days and are only for the first semester. I will have two days a week of no gainful employment next Fall semester. No income during holiday periods from all but two employers and we have long holiday periods in Japan. This problem is not new and had been the biggest one until the panic. In 2018 I had finally filled my entire schedule such that I taught over 30 hours each week during the university school year and was able to fill in much of the time off during breaks with classes at the maid cafe. Earning big money for the two years before they pulled the rug out from under me with covid.
To give an idea of the dire job market for non Japanese engaged in anything other than manual labor, since the panic, for the first ever have I known long time foreign residents return to their homelands. I know two,both of whom were here for decades, like myself. One married and with children, who are Japanese and still here. Just two, but my time in country stretches back over 30 years and in all that time, no one I knew he remained more than a couple of years ever returned. Suddenly two people I know personally did with me looking to follow.
My former colleague who was force retired is looking at homelessness. He no longer earns enough to be able to rent an apartment and his savings is now gone. He once owned a second home and a motorcycle. But 6 years of this foolishness with covid and the AI replacements for us it ushered in and he is flat broke.
As always; you give some very valid points as to why things don’t look at all promising. But even in such a rigid society as Japan, knowing the right people might still open doors that would be closed to most other foreigners and while it’s important to be realistic, you should remain optimistic. After all, not all that long ago you didn’t even expect to have the level of work you currently have. You are also fortunate to have lived through one of the best periods of time in modern history. Just think what even the highest qualified fresh graduate has to look forward to today if they wanted to start a life in Japan, even assuming they succeeded in landing the perfect job. The Japan you knew and loved, no longer exists and has been replaced by a very poor substitute. Here in Hong Kong it’s hardly any better. And as far as qualifications go, I don’t have a single degree to my name, let alone a masters. I barely scraped through kindergarten and yet, one way or another, a lucky break always came along when I needed it. Last year was good for me, but this year I am staring into an empty void once again. I have absolutely no idea where the next dollar will come from and strangely, it’s not even something I spend much time pondering on right now. And, as well as being far less qualified than you, I’m also a good couple of years older. Of course, our situations don’t come close to comparison in so many ways and that’s not my intention but just want to know you’re not alone and that good things can still happen to good people.
Glad you connected with Matsuri men. Isolation is depressing, and from what you relate they respect you.
I did not know how they would react. Several I had seen around town but avoided. Our Kaicho and his wife among them. I did not know how they would react to this news as it was a year and at the time I shared it with them. Their only concern was my well being. Good men, all.
I agree. Isolation is depressing. Nothing a few burgers, belly dancers, and brews can't fix. Trust me. I have given better medical advice than about 99% of all doctors in Japan.
It was sad to read this but so heartwarming to know how the Matsuri group truly care about you. Hopefully you will find even deeper and more meaningful friendships from this and that guy who seems to want to help you find work could be a great asset. Most of my life I have found jobs through just knowing people. I almost never had to formally apply for a job. People know my skill sets and will match them up with other people they know who need them. And my success rate is very high. Usually after being introduced, it tends to be an informal chat where I get to understand what is required and then agree on the terms. I hope that happens in your case. It might even lead to different kinds of work. Last year was the best year I had since the madness began in terms of income and in fact if I calculate my earnings on a daily basis, the rate of pay was about 3 times more than I ever earned before. This was simply due to just knowing someone who knew someone else who needed a reliable guy in this part of the world on a call out basis. In fact I never even had an interview or met the boss of the company. It was all done via a WhatsApp exchange. Make full use of the contacts you have, not in a selfish way but just so they know your situation and I’m sure all kinds of positive things will come from this new dynamic.
With the possible exception of one individual, I never met any non Japanese from a Western country that came to Japan with the intention to stay more than a few years at the longest. But yes, anyone wanting to work even for just one contract period will find a very different reality than I experienced when I first came across the pond.
I am not worrying about money yet, heavy on the yet. I still have the refund from my private pension that once I get all my grades and the test book for next school year completed I can find the paper work needed to apply for. That will help a lot. But getting my stuff back to the States and starting over will require a lot of money that I do not have and not likely to be able to raise within the next year.
You bring up a very interesting phenomenon. Same in Hong Kong - I barely met any westerner at the time and even less so now, who didn’t view Hong Kong as just a temporary place to make money and have a good time. Many held senior positions here and had a standard of living that most people in their home country would be envious of. There are a few who have property back home and in retirement I guess they can spend so many months in each place. For me, there was never an intention to go back and it might not even be a realistic option now. I don’t have property there, hate the cold dark winters, have a different diet and largely adopted the culture here. One thing I have over most expats (even those born here) is language. My Cantonese is not perfect but good enough to fool someone over the phone and good enough to be able to hold my own in most situations. I can also read Chinese which has been a huge asset even in Japan where I can at least guess at the meaning of what’s on a menu and far more easily remember place names etc. even if the pronunciation in Japanese is totally different. Even more so in Mainland China where my Mandarin is pretty poor but the written language is very similar. For me I would find it easier to move to another Asian country and start again than to go back to the UK. If Hong Kong had stayed as it was pre-1997, I would truly say this is my home for life and it probably will be. But as HK becomes increasingly mainland orientated I no longer have the strong sense of belonging. The good thing is that there are very few people like me and I will probably be able to stay under the radar and be viewed as an aging relic rather than a threat to the future of HK.
That is precisely how I got into teaching at universities, and, well, most every job I had since leaving the conversation school that brought me over. One of my students at that school taught at a medical school and thought college students would benefit from my instruction. He was friends with the head of the English department and put a word in for me. When a teacher left mid school year, I was asked to take over the class. Within a couple of years, I was teaching two more classes, these elective courses.
After the director who hired me retired, her replacement set up our simulated patient (SP) program and got us trained in the basics of being a SP. I was farmed out to other schools as both a SP and to train others as a SP. workshops and conferences too. This led to many opportunities until she left for another school and her replacement was not interested in the SP program. It is a shadow of what it once was and far from what it could have been. But, it still led to positions at other med schools. The medical English community in Japan is small and most of us know many of the others in it.
The panic destroyed this network for me. Getting thrown off campus of a nursing for refusing to wear a mask of a school where a big wig of that community works will do that. Who knew? Thankfully, one strand of that network remained and it led to classes at my newest med school. That is what is keeping me afloat at present. Barely afloat, but afloat.
Besides the destruction of my networks, covid destroyed my personal networks too for much the same reasons, there is the issue of my education level. It was always the case that a Master’s degree was a requirement, but with so few with one available, they made due with me. I am one of the very few I have met teaching at this level in Japan without a Master’s. The jobs available are now fewer than those who are looking for them. The med school I taught at for 21 years used to have 12 teachers, 7 native English speakers and 5 Japanese teachers two of whom were full time. Next school year we will have 5. Two are native English speakers and 3 Japanese, 2 of whom are full time. The first year class is 10% larger than it was when we had 12 teachers. Class sizes are obviously much larger than in the past.
The school wants more native English teachers, which make the adherence to the rule that teachers have to retire at 65 all the more absurd as they are letting a teacher go for that reason at the end of this school year. We old timers are on the old pay system and it pays well for each class but not enough classes to earn a living.the new pay school is insultingly low. Can earn more serving tables in Roppongi, not an exaggeration, but to teach at university they require a Master’s AND years of experience. One school I applied to after the biggest part of the madness calmed down quickly responded that I had all that they were looking for and they believed we would be a good match, however,as I lacked a Master’s degree they could not even grant me an interview. Now, even if I did land a new job, it is likely that the pay would be low.
Advertised on. The train are AI English conversation partners for like ¥800 a month. I get paid ¥7000 an hour at my current lowest paying position. Can’t compete.
I have looked into other lines of work but lack any other marketable skills. I have become the person I had no respect for when I first arrived, a Western Man with Japanese’s wife and kids and years of living in country yet with abysmal ability in the local language. Never even close to fluent, my competency in Japanese was far greater when I returned to Japan in 2000. What recruiters for English Conversation Schools do not tell you is that native English teachers are forbidden to use Japanese at work. They sell an English only environment and do not want prospective students to walk in and hear native English speakers using Japanese. That is what led to meeting the preexwife. We were language exchange partners.
Now, is the current biggest problem, Scheduling. Once the new school year starts up, I’ll have classes M-F, YEAH! First time since the panic that this has been true. However, I currently have only 5 or six hours of work a work, depending on the week, until the week of April 20-24. Not many short term jobs to fill the gap. Worse, while I have class 5 days a week starting in April, two of those days are only half days and are only for the first semester. I will have two days a week of no gainful employment next Fall semester. No income during holiday periods from all but two employers and we have long holiday periods in Japan. This problem is not new and had been the biggest one until the panic. In 2018 I had finally filled my entire schedule such that I taught over 30 hours each week during the university school year and was able to fill in much of the time off during breaks with classes at the maid cafe. Earning big money for the two years before they pulled the rug out from under me with covid.
To give an idea of the dire job market for non Japanese engaged in anything other than manual labor, since the panic, for the first ever have I known long time foreign residents return to their homelands. I know two,both of whom were here for decades, like myself. One married and with children, who are Japanese and still here. Just two, but my time in country stretches back over 30 years and in all that time, no one I knew he remained more than a couple of years ever returned. Suddenly two people I know personally did with me looking to follow.
My former colleague who was force retired is looking at homelessness. He no longer earns enough to be able to rent an apartment and his savings is now gone. He once owned a second home and a motorcycle. But 6 years of this foolishness with covid and the AI replacements for us it ushered in and he is flat broke.
As always; you give some very valid points as to why things don’t look at all promising. But even in such a rigid society as Japan, knowing the right people might still open doors that would be closed to most other foreigners and while it’s important to be realistic, you should remain optimistic. After all, not all that long ago you didn’t even expect to have the level of work you currently have. You are also fortunate to have lived through one of the best periods of time in modern history. Just think what even the highest qualified fresh graduate has to look forward to today if they wanted to start a life in Japan, even assuming they succeeded in landing the perfect job. The Japan you knew and loved, no longer exists and has been replaced by a very poor substitute. Here in Hong Kong it’s hardly any better. And as far as qualifications go, I don’t have a single degree to my name, let alone a masters. I barely scraped through kindergarten and yet, one way or another, a lucky break always came along when I needed it. Last year was good for me, but this year I am staring into an empty void once again. I have absolutely no idea where the next dollar will come from and strangely, it’s not even something I spend much time pondering on right now. And, as well as being far less qualified than you, I’m also a good couple of years older. Of course, our situations don’t come close to comparison in so many ways and that’s not my intention but just want to know you’re not alone and that good things can still happen to good people.