I can't deal with this anymore.

[Professor Smooth]

I work for a company that sends teachers to schools. I don't work directly for any one school. I'm answerable to my company who is answerable to the Board of Education. It's a weird situation.

A few months ago, I accidentally pissed off the wrong person in a Fukuoka junior high school and (VERY) long story short, now I'm an elementary school teacher in Hiroshima.

My company did more than they could reasonably have been expected to. They found me a new position. They co-signed on a new apartment for me. And they got me back to work so quickly that, no only did I not miss any pay, I didn't even have to change my vacation plans. It would have been SO easy (and understandable) to just say, "Sorry, Kevin. We've got to let you go."

But, they didn't. They kept me on, albeit in a new city. And what a city it is. Hiroshima! One of the top tourist destinations in Japan. People here don't stare at me. They don't watch me when I'm shopping. I don't get sideways glances on trains. Drunks don't pick fights with me in bars. And, being a tourist hot-spot, there's always plenty to do. And the food is excellent.

And the new job. Oh, the new job. It's the most fun I've ever had at work. The kids are so energetic. They're younger than the students I've worked with before, so they're a lot more open. They speak their minds and I can actually watch them absorb the new material. During recess, I just run around with them on the playground.

As a junior high school teacher, I'd have to arrive at work before 8:15 and stay until around 5. Even if I only had a few classes, those were my working hours. And it was fine. I'd make all different kinds of new materials, chat with the other teachers, practice Japanese, and mess around with the students between classes. It was tiring, but it was the GOOD kind of tiring. You know, where you get home, make dinner, have a beer, and just feel a general sense of well-being.

That's gone, now. At my new job, if there are no classes scheduled, I don't even go to work. I've got the day off. Sometimes they'll ask me to do a report or something. That takes five minutes. I haven't worked a Monday since I got this job. It's been AT LEAST three day weekends EVERY week. I don't make materials for classes anymore. I can't. They have materials pre-made. I'm not in charge of making lesson plans. Those are already made by the Board of Education (BOE). And they're not so much "lesson plans" as they are "scripts." Done with lessons? Go home.

And these lessons? Some of them absolutely suck. There was one where I had the kids repeating all of the numbers from zero through one hundred. Once they finished that, they got to practice basic math in English. That should never happen in a foreign language class. Boring elementary school kids to the point where they're struggling to stay awake is NOT a good way to get them interested in the material.

My pay has stayed the same. I make the exact same amount working three or four days a week, between three and six hours a day, as I did for legit full-time work. And I HATE IT. I hate having nothing to do. I hate not having work to, well, work on. And I absolutely hate that I have absolutely no input on these lessons that are going to make my students actively dislike the subject that I've got to teach.

Arriving home after a day (afternoon?) of that is a different KIND of tiring. That's not GOOD tired. That's "what the hell am I doing here?" tired. That's not, "cook dinner and have a beer," tired. That's "think I'll grab a bottle of scotch on the way home," tired.

Think about this for a second. You leave your country, your home, your family, and your friends. You start a new life for yourself in another part of the world. Then, one day, because of a PAINFULLY minor mistake, you find yourself doing a job that is completely worthless. I've worked a lot of crap jobs in my time. And ALL of them worked me harder, longer, for less pay.

I have a job that, I'm sure a LOT of people would love to have. But I like to WORK. I like to HELP my students! It's been my motivation since I stepped into my first classroom. But I can't do that here. To make matters worse, I'm stuck doing it until the end of March. I signed a contract with my company. It's never been easier to break that contract, but after all they did to help me, I don't think I could live with myself if I put them in the position of having to replace me.

[Optimus Prime Rib]

since you brought it up, what did you do that was so wrong?

[Best First]

Kevster

Kind of sounds like you have already made a decision to stick it out.

And in my experience while March may seem a long way off it is not really that long a period of time.

Is there anyone you can ask about more responsibility/input? Or is it so structured that that won't work?

If not i'd recommend 2 things;

1) Try and focus on the bits you like, i.e the kids, runnig around with them at break times so you don't feel like the next 6 months is a massive drudge

2) if you know you are gonna have all this free time and you like to work, pick a project, be it taking classes in something, writing a book, training for a marathon, whatever, so you can still apply yourself and give yourself a sense of achievement

All easier said that done i am sure.

Good luck chief

[bumblemusprime]

KeviKevKev,

Sorry to hear it. I know what you mean. I have had more than my share of jobs where I felt utterly useless.

One option is just to find another job you can do from home that is relatively flexible. I work for two American online colleges; maybe there's a worldwide or Japanese one you can work for? You would be pulling in heaps of money.

By the way, what kind of work do you have over there for a guy with a Master's in English and college-level classroom experience who would be bringing a family to support with him? Eh? Eh?

[Optimus Prime Rib]

didnt mean to sound like a prick. I just was curious as to what happened and maybe see if there was some advice I could give once I knew the background.

sorry

[Kaylee]

Sorry I'm late - work all day then at the gym (Eye of the Fieldmouse! Grrr! Squeak!)

So Smooth, it sounds like you have two options:

Change your job

Change your mind

I'm guessing since whatever happened at your last place that references are off the table, so finding another job won't be easy. I 'm guessing by this point you have bags of experience though, so it's not impossible.

The alternative is to focus on the parts of your job that you do like. There are some good exercises I can recommend if that is something you would like to give a try: they not only focus you on thinking positively about your role (even if your role isn't great) but they also tend to impress higher-ups.

Success diary is a good one. Every day I write down what I've done: but not anything, something I'm proud of. If I've not done something to be proud of, I do it. I aim every day to write at least one thing in my success diary that I can use for reviews and 1-2-1 sessions with bosses.

It also forms the basis for the weekly update I send my manager. That way I not only provide value to my employer, I make sure they are aware of that fact.

It focuses me on doing something good that I'm proud of, even though most of my job is software maintenance right now and I mostly despise it (it's all PHP and I'm a trained C# .Net developer, damnit!) and also means the people I work with percieve me as valuable.

Other options include refocussing your attention away from work, as Besty was suggesting. Work was obviously a big part of your life you enjoyed, so it is most definitely possible to find other things to fill up your time that you will enjoy just as much.

It sounds like you're erring towards the first option, would that be accurate?

Either is fine. Both options keep you moving forward.

(Not proof read so my apologies for typos, I have to go clean the kitchen! Be on again later though)

[bumblemusprime]

It sounds also like you haven't had many consuming hobbies. See, I would love a job that paid me a lot but gave me little work, because I would have more time for family, my writing, and exercise.

So maybe you could start boxing or working on the Great Japanese-American Novel or whatever.

(Or perhaps you could pipe in on the current Transfans Post-Revelation Continuity Cancer improv writing session.)

[Professor Smooth]

That's for the suggestions and support. According to my contract, I'm not supposed to have outside work. The higher ups at my company, however, make it a point to look the other way unless it becomes a problem for them.

The mistake I made sounds incredibly stupid when I try to explain it. When my company moved me to a tiny little town in Fukuoka, I was responsible for four different junior high schools. During the first day, I was driven around to meet all of the different teachers and administrators at all four of the schools. That's about 200 people in the one day. Understand that by "meet," I mean "introduce myself, bow, leave."

Each school has at least one Japanese Teacher of English (JTE). Most of the schools have multiple JTEs (between two and five). So, the complaint against me was that I didn't make small talk with one of the JTEs at one of the four schools. He thought that I was purposely disrespecting him. In reality, there were about 80 teachers working at that school, the teachers room was huge, his desk was nowhere near mine, I WAS F***ING BUSY, and, since the only sentence he ever said to me was, "I can't speak English," I didn't know he was an English teacher.

So, he called the Board of Education (BOE) to ask them to ask my company to send a new conversation teacher to replace me. In his defense, I don't think he really understood the situation. There are some companies that provide teachers that have a ton of people, so it's no problem to move teachers around. However, this is a TINY little town. My company has THREE teachers in that town. And those teachers actually had to move there for the job. So replacing one is not easy. My company sent a rep to the school to talk to this guy.

Now, here's something fun that came to light. This guy? The "I can't speak English," guy? He's the HEAD English teacher. He may also have been the school's "number 3." So, whatever he said, the other teachers at the school went along with. I'm told that the other teachers at the school wouldn't even look at my company's rep. They just kept repeating. "He's right. We want a new teacher."

So, my company told me that there was nothing they could do about that school. They wanted a new teacher, and the BOE went along with it. That left them with the choice of hiring a part-time teacher to work at one of my four schools, and cutting my pay by around 40% (since I worked at that school more often than at the others), or replacing me at all four.

In the end, they let me choose if I wanted to stay at a reduced salary (but with a hell of a lot of vacation time). I told them that I'd do whatever the company thought was best. That's when they offered me the job in Hiroshima, which I ultimately took.

Here's where my company really came through, though. I am a very vindictive person. I will go to the ends of the earth to get revenge. And I have never wanted revenge on somebody more than on that teacher. My company made sure I got that revenge.

While I'd upset the teacher at one of those schools, at the other three, I was absolutely beloved. I've got tons of experience, an absolute library of props and learning materials, enough technology to make anything I don't already have almost instantly, and I can speak and understand Japanese well enough actually be a part of the staff. Oh, and kids LOVE ME. Kids who wouldn't be caught dead chatting with a teacher talk to me. From shy freshemen to the yakuza-wannabe seniors, they ALL love Kevin-sensei. Some of those aforementioned seniors would come to school JUST for my class.

I asked the company, flat out, to tell the other three schools why I wouldn't be able to come back after the summer holiday. I asked them to pin it entirely on that one teacher. By name. When they asked me why, I simply told them, "revenge." My boss, a Japanese lady, told me (with a straight face), "you're becoming very Japanese, you know that?"

And it worked! Everyone at the other schools was MAD AS HELL. One particularly great comment I heard was, "We finally got an English teacher who liked his job, was great with the kids, worked really hard, and could actually understand Japanese...and our school can't have him anymore because he didn't chat with this guy at another school?!?!" The company said that their hands were tied on this and they'd have to talk to the BOE. And, apparently, they did. I hope that SOB likes being the school's "number 3," because he is NEVER going to get promoted. Not with the BOE getting complaints about him from every school in the city.

Do you see how stupid this whole situation was? One MINOR complaint from somebody who doesn't understand the system is enough to completely turn my life upside down. Moving is a pain in the ass. And I know this, because I just did it LESS THAN SIX MONTHS AGO. And this time, it wasn't a short "rent a truck and have a few friends help you carry stuff, done in an afternoon" move. Hiroshima's a three and a half hour drive from that little town in Fukuoka. Plus, I had to pay a penalty leaving my apartment before the 1 year lease was up.

One bright side to moving, though... I HATED that town. I hated nearly everything ABOUT that town. Work was about the only good thing about it. And that **** took it from me.

[Professor Smooth]

By the way, what kind of work do you have over there for a guy with a Master's in English and college-level classroom experience who would be bringing a family to support with him? Eh? Eh?

The family thing makes it difficult at first, but you could likely get a job at a college out here. The first year generally pays like crap, though. It's part-time. After that, the pay's pretty good.

[Optimus Prime Rib]

My best friend from college got his degree in anthropology. Spent a summer backpacking through Europe for college credit. Was working on becoming a curator to a museum, but has since shifted his career choice to teaching English in the Czech Republic.


Lucky bastard

[Yaya]

That's for the suggestions and support. According to my contract, I'm not supposed to have outside work. The higher ups at my company, however, make it a point to look the other way unless it becomes a problem for them.

The mistake I made sounds incredibly stupid when I try to explain it. When my company moved me to a tiny little town in Fukuoka, I was responsible for four different junior high schools. During the first day, I was driven around to meet all of the different teachers and administrators at all four of the schools. That's about 200 people in the one day. Understand that by "meet," I mean "introduce myself, bow, leave."

Each school has at least one Japanese Teacher of English (JTE). Most of the schools have multiple JTEs (between two and five). So, the complaint against me was that I didn't make small talk with one of the JTEs at one of the four schools. He thought that I was purposely disrespecting him. In reality, there were about 80 teachers working at that school, the teachers room was huge, his desk was nowhere near mine, I WAS F***ING BUSY, and, since the only sentence he ever said to me was, "I can't speak English," I didn't know he was an English teacher.
me.

This jackass had some ulterior motive, I assure you.

When dealing with persons from foreign lands or other cultures, any educated person would know that you approach that interaction with the understanding that there will be things lost in translation. You give the person the benefit of the doubt that there might be some impediment to communication.

That guy had it in for you before he even met you. Something going on behind the scenes there. No mistake on your part.

Anyway, why not take up tutoring on the side? You will get to meet kids with special needs and parents who will be grateful for the individual attention and help you're giving the kid.

[bumblemusprime]

By the way, what kind of work do you have over there for a guy with a Master's in English and college-level classroom experience who would be bringing a family to support with him? Eh? Eh?

The family thing makes it difficult at first, but you could likely get a job at a college out here. The first year generally pays like crap, though. It's part-time. After that, the pay's pretty good.

That's the impression I've gotten--that we could repatriate if we could survive crappy work for a while. Kind of hard to go through that level of insecurity.

[Professor Smooth]

Woo! The first crack in my enjoyment of being at work.

I was on the playground talking with a group of maybe 15 little kids. Simple stuff. "Do you like...?" "What's your favorite...?" This fifth or sixth grader comes over and just starts saying (in English) "Shut up." Over and over again. I was doing my best to ignore him, but any time I say anything to any of these kids, "Shut up!" "Shut up!" "Shut up!" It's bloody annoying.

Then, he starts speaking in Japanese. "This is Japan, gaijin!" "Speak Japanese!" "I don't want to hear you talk!" Then, back to "Shut up!"

So, I looked over at him and said (in Japanese), "I speak Japanese. You're being rude. If you don't want to hear me talk, then go away." And I went back to talking with the kids.

Then, I hear, "Shine! (die!)" and see something fly at my face. The little punk threw a goddamn basketball at me. I blocked it, but I was still really surprised. I told him (again, in Japanese), "Hey. That's dangerous. Knock it off."

He went away for a bit. Then, as recess was ending, I hear, "Oy! Gaijin!" and got a face full of basketball. "Go home!"

But how do you get mad at a goddamn fifth grader for something like that? That's a problem with his upbringing. Somewhere along the line, he got the idea that it's acceptable to do something like that.

I have no idea what to do it that kind of situation. But I won't be back at that school until at least November, so I guess I should just put it out of my mind for now.

[Professor Smooth]

Oh, and while I'm venting again... It would be REALLY nice if I could meet some people in this country that aren't gangsters, whores, or some combination of the two!

[Best First]

Surely a kid throwing a ball at a teacher is worthy of reporting?

[Brendocon]

Ha. It's unacceptable for an English teacher in Japan to be speaking English, but it's perfectly alright to throw a basketball at his face. AWESOME.

But seriously - he was telling you in English to shut up?

And yeah, what Besty said. That's a paddling, surely?

[EDIT] What's a sixth grader? 10 or 11 right?

[Optimus Prime Rib]

Oh, and while I'm venting again... It would be REALLY nice if I could meet some people in this country that aren't gangsters, whores, or some combination of the two!

"Japanese Gangster Whores" sounds like the next "reality" show MTV will put out once Jersey Shore is done.

[Professor Smooth]

Surely a kid throwing a ball at a teacher is worthy of reporting?

Teachers are able to physically and verbally discipline students. However, punishments like detention, suspension, removal from after-school activities, etc are all-but unheard of.

I had a kid back in JHS who would be very disrespectful to teachers. One day, he was blocking a doorway I needed to get through.

I tried being polite and saying "excuse me," in both Japanese and English. Both times, he just mocked me.

(All in Japanese) "So, that's how it is, huh? Well, listen up, Temme. Don't [composite word including 'f*ck'] with me. I know you. I know who your parents are. They own that little restaurant on the other side of town, right? You know what? I'm really hungry. I think I'm going to go out for dinner after work. Yeah. I think I'm going to go and get some food there. I like going to little restaurants. That's where I practice Japanese. Do you think your parents and I can find something to talk about?"

And what did that kid see when he RAN to the restaurant after school? Kevin-sensei, chatting with his mother over a plate of chicken skewers. I didn't mention that her son was a major pain in my ass. Just friendly conversation. But I could have told her about her son. And he knew it.

Every time he gave me trouble in class after that, I'd just walk past him and say I was getting hungry again.

I miss that school. And that city. And having the motivation to actually do stuff like that.

[Professor Smooth]

There are two things that allow me to forget my stress. Teaching classes and alcohol. Less of one leads to more of the other.

And I worked 60 hours last MONTH.

[Professor Smooth]

Okay, so, funny story.

The people I meet in Japan (outside of work) overwhelming fall into two categories. Whores and gangsters.

The whores are the so-called "gaijin-chasers." They're women who just really like sleeping with foreigners. Once I stopped hanging out in "gaijin bars," they pretty much became a non-issue for me.

Now, you've got the "gangsters." I say, "gangster," but that word doesn't really describe yakuza. The word "gangster" doesn't work. And the super mythologized idea of "yakuza" is far from the truth. But, anyway, a lot of the people who talk to me are yakuza.

In Fukuoka, Kitakyush, the **** small town, and now in Hiroshima, I made yakuza friends pretty quick.

At any rate, I'm a big fan of this Hiroshima food call "tsukemen." It's noodles, vegitables, and an egg with a spicy dipping sauce. The average person gets "level 2" tsukemen. The record (or so I'm told) is level 300. I usually get "level 50."

So, I'm out with my yakuza friend and he asks me if he can try the stuff I'm eating. Not wanting to piss this guy off (or insult him), I say, "sure!"

He puts the stuff in his mouth and starts freaking out. "Aarghh!" he says!

I say, "Kumicho-sama, it can't be THAT bad, can it?"

He says (and I'm quoting here), "Kevin-chan! I got a FULL BODY TATTOO! Didn't hurt! I cut off my own fingers! Didn't hurt! This stuff? Oh my god! It hurts!"

Also, I should mention the car that took us to this place. It was BEAUTIFUL black vehicle. I can't place the model. But it was immaculate. All-black exterior. Black-tinted windows. Inside? Completely Hello Kitty deco. No joke. Hello Kitty wheel cover. Hello Kitty seat covers. Hello Kitty doll wearing a seatbelt in the back.

Also? That night of sushi, tsukemen, and more booze than I'd EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE? Completely bought and paid for.

[Kaylee]

A favour from he mob? What could possibly go wrong!

Do they all wear trilbys and carry violin cases and smoke cigars and say "Nya see! Gonna rub y'out, see! It's coitains for you Smooth!"

If not TV has been lying to me, which I find hard to believe.

Mmm breakfast in bed... horse's head...

[Best First]

whore seems a bit mean just cos they like a bit of rumpy pumpy

[Professor Smooth]

whore seems a bit mean just cos they like a bit of rumpy pumpy

Wouldn't women who only like the, ahem, "rumpy pumpy," be the very definition of "whores?" I submit that they, in fact, would be.

[Professor Smooth]

A favour from he mob? What could possibly go wrong!

Do they all wear trilbys and carry violin cases and smoke cigars and say "Nya see! Gonna rub y'out, see! It's coitains for you Smooth!"

If not TV has been lying to me, which I find hard to believe.

Mmm breakfast in bed... horse's head...

The Japanese yakuza are a bit less stereotypical than you've probably been led to believe.

Although, the line between, "legitimate business" and "the goddamn mob" is blurred in ways I never thought possible before coming to Japan.

I guess, the main difference between "the mafia" and the yakuza is that, for the most part, yakuza don't tend to try to hide it. What with the full body tattoos and missing fingers.

Also, I am ****ing drunk! On a Tuesday!

[Brendocon]

whore seems a bit mean just cos they like a bit of rumpy pumpy

Wouldn't women who only like the, ahem, "rumpy pumpy," be the very definition of "whores?" I submit that they, in fact, would be.

Nah.

Whore is slang for prostitute. Ie a woman who has sex with (usually) strangers in exchange for cash.

******* anybody is different to getting paid to [composite word including 'f*ck'] anybody.

[Best First]

whore seems a bit mean just cos they like a bit of rumpy pumpy

Wouldn't women who only like the, ahem, "rumpy pumpy," be the very definition of "whores?" I submit that they, in fact, would be.

Nope, as already pointed out its slang for prostitute.

Moreso i submit that it's a pretty nasty and loaded term and using it, certainly in broad sweeps, makes the deployer sound that little bit sexist.

[Optimus Prime Rib]

I submit to the panel's consideration, the word "Slut".

[Best First]

similar - essential point for consideration is why are there a) so many terms for promiscuous women and b) why are mostly (if not all) negative in conotation whereas terms for male promiscuity are far fewer in number and generally complimentary

its a pretty no brainer example of ideas becoming infused in language, which, as an aside, also means that there is something of a point to PC, despite large amounts of people seeming to misunderstand it and slag* it off

All of which is a good excuse to post this;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGAOCVwLrXo

*hee hee slag

[Brendocon]

similar - essential point for consideration is why are there a) so many terms for promiscuous women and b) why are mostly (if not all) negative in conotation whereas terms for male promiscuity are far fewer in number and generally complimentary

If a key opens many locks, it's a master key.
If a lock can be opened by many keys, it's a **** lock.

[/stolen from Sickipedia]

[Jack Cade]

This thread makes fascinating reading. For the record, Prof, I'm with Betsy: stick it out until March and find a project of some sort to fill the gap, make you feel productive.

It's weird - I just can't imagine having to deal with the 'problem' of too much time on my hands. Pretty much all my free time is spent either avoiding or taking a well deserved respite from some form of work. This is partly because I'm so far from being able to get a job I'm emotionally invested in. For me, a job has always been a means of getting money to live on - all my efforts to find gainful employment in an area which would mean more to me have just led to frustration and a diminishing sense of self-worth.

So for me, I have my job, and then I have the work I actually feel motivated to do outside of it, which is almost entirely in an area most people find quaintly confusing or would classify as a hobby. In some ways, I'm trying to perform the jobs of editor, graphic designer, web manager, publicist and writer at various times, all of which, I've discovered, require thinking in different ways. I'm not really complaining, but the idea of having nothing to do but drink or find bars because of not enough - or not challenging enough - work is amazing to me.

More than that, though, reading about your adventures makes my life seem extraordinarily confined. The idea of going to live in another country is just so far beyond what I feel capable of - it brings back that feeling of still being in school and the real, adult world seeming like a distant, dangerous thing.

To weigh in on the whore thing ... it's really what the others have been saying. Really, it's totally inappropriate to call a woman a whore just because they like one night stands. Even 'nympho' is a bit strong. If one were to apply the same standards to men, then half the chaps out in London after dark would be whores.