I am training to become a biology teacher and it has been a wish of mine to travel to Japan and live there for good. I think the food is fantastic, the people are beautiful, their culture is one of the best and it would be a new start for me. Unfortunatly i still have to work in Britain until the probation year is over and i'm fully qualified. until then i'll be looking for information BUT, any tips or help?? Many thanks
Japan - 3 Answers
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1 :
It's very nice, but there are som bad things about the Japanese culture that that some getting used to. There is an abundance of cartoon pornography with very violent images in it and they often do not treat women well. As an outsider you will both be treated as a guest and also prevented from entering some businesses and some Japanese will not like you simply because you are a foreigner. The Japanese have very little knowledge it seems about Biology so if it is taught you should do fine. Kyoto is probably the most westernized of the big cities. You may want to take an ESL course since Teaching English is easy and a good back-up job. The food I miss the most is Tempura Soba. Buckwheat noodle soup with deep fried prawn in it. It is the best thing if you ever have an upset stomach or feel a bit fluish.
2 :
Outside of teaching English, there is little or nothing available for non-Japanese.Japan is in a major recession right now. Unless you have a special skill a Japanese doesn't have,chances of finding work are slim to none. I don't think you can teach Biology in Japan without knowing native level Japanese. Moving to Japan "for good" is very hard to do.They have a very closed immigration policy,and don't allow people to just move there.Sorry if I sound negative, but you have to be realistic about things.If it were easy,I'd be in Japan myself.
3 :
English Teaching is very lucrative here, I generally make between $30 to $50 USD per class (1 hour). I have no degree, but lots of teaching experience. I disagree with a lot of the negative comments about Japan, yes we are in a recession here, but it is not as bad as people make it out to be. You need a degree to get a business to sponsor you, or marry a Japanese citizen. Luckily I am married to a Japanese citizen, so I can work anywhere someone will hire me. As far as only being able to get a Job that a Japanese cannot do. I say BS. I worked as a farmer my first year, and cutting grass from around rice fields, there are many Japanese that can do that. I then moved up to a company sorting strawberries, many Japanese can do that also. Then I landed an English Teaching position. Don't let anybody discourage you from your dreams, if you really want something, you can get it, but it depends on how bad you want it.
