Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Is 200,000 yen monthly pay in teaching Japan a fair deal

Is 200,000 yen monthly pay in teaching Japan a fair deal?
There's a teaching job offer in a certain college in Japan. The school will provide an apartment which is inside the school campus. So basically the 200,000 yen will be for food, utilities and personal stuff. Is the amount a fair deal? I haven't been to Japan but I've heard that the cost of living is high. I need help.^^ Thanks.
Teaching - 2 Answers
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1 :
I don't think it's excelent, but you can eke out a living if you don't hav a family.
2 :
The benchmark teaching salary in Japan is 250,000 yen/month. Getting free rent takes you up to about that amount. Find out about cooking facilities you'll have. That can save you a decent amount of money vs. eating out. Of course if your kitchen is tiny it might not be practical. Check out my budget on the first link below then there are details of my time working for Interac on the second. All the best.
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Monday, July 16, 2012

Are pregnant teens in Japan allowed to attend school

Are pregnant teens in Japan allowed to attend school?
I'm just curious. I'm not pregnant and I don't live in Japan.
Other - Pregnancy & Parenting - 4 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
Probably not
2 :
why the concern
3 :
I really doubt that they would be. Pregnant teens in north america are also sometimes kicked out.. and in japan they adhere to a stricter system in schools, so i wouldn't think pregnant girls would be accepted
4 :
Why not. Pregnancy doesn't violate any other laws. They can attend the class. But usually the girls who get pregnant are dropouts and they don't go to school.
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Sunday, July 8, 2012

What US products are popular in Japan among high schoolers

What US products are popular in Japan among high schoolers?
I need to send gifts for a high school class in Japan. What foods/snacks, brands, products do you think they would appreciate or would be curious about? Holiday items included. Thanks!
Other - Society & Culture - 3 Answers
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1 :
Anything Rock and Roll.
2 :
Anything as long as its from the U.S. The japs are always hungry 4 american products.
3 :
There's a wide variety of things, it depends what you're looking for: 1. Food/Drinks: many kinds of soda are very popular, as well as junk food. Japanese has McDonald's, Pizza Hut, Domino's, KFC and Subway, more recently Baskin Robbins and Burger King as well, but pretty much any other kind of junk food, ESPECIALLY cookies (oreos, chips ahoy) or candy bars (twix, 3 musketeers) would probably be appreciated. 2. Music: Rock is not that popular. Nowadays dance music, hip hop and pop are the way to go. And not adult contemporary, like Celine Dion, but more girly, like Mika or Justin Timberlake. 3. Movies: Anything, but you can find most mainstream movies in Japan already, so this wouldn't be too helpful. However, merchandise, like posters, photos or calenders might be nice. 4. TV: 24, Lost, Heroes and Prison Break are HUGE here. Similarly, the shows themselves are easy to acquire, but merchandise would be hard to come by. 5. Other: Disney is MASSIVE, especially with girls. Anything and i mean ANYTHING Disney related would be loved. Snoopy is also pretty big. 6. Clothing: Again, anything from mainstream brands (such as Calvin Klein or Gap or Abercrombie & Fitch) would be appreciated. Sports brands, such as Nike or Adidas, are also big.
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Sunday, July 1, 2012

Does Japan stay in school year round

Does Japan stay in school year round?
Why? Do they get out earlier in the long run? Are they smarter because of this?
Other - Education - 1 Answers
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1 :
Well, I'm not that sure if it would be considered year round schooling (I'm actually not that sure what would be considered year round schooling to be honest.). Anyways, school is usually Monday-Friday. Also, on Saturdays, students attend half a day about two or three times a month. School begins in April (around the 1st). Summer vacation is from late July to the end of August. Winter vacation is from late December to early January while spring vacation is in March. They both last about 10 days each. School ends around March 31st of the next year. In other words, the don't get a break between each grade. Students in Japan are, I guess you could say, pressured into working harder for school. Most high schools (from what I know) make it where you do have to take exams to get into them. Japanese students also tend to have to learn more than the typical American student right off. While we're learning our ABCs, they're having to learn things like Kanji and Katakana along with Romaji. They learn all the different characters throughout the first few years of school. At least, I believe that would be right. I'm not completely sure thought due to not looking these things up for awhile. Oh, I guess I should mention that Japanese students graduate at the same age a typical American student would (from what I know anyways). Well, I hope that could at least help a little.
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Sunday, June 24, 2012

Programs for (High school) studying abroad in japan

Programs for (High school) studying abroad in japan?
I'm looking into studying abroad in japan, but so far all the programs I've seen aren't exactly what I'm looking for. I'm looking for either a semester or summer exploration, and since I'm self taught in Japanese, many of the programs for semester wont accept me. I'm looking into Intrax, but so far thats the only one. Any sugestions?
Studying Abroad - 1 Answers
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1 :
I looked into intrax for study abroad, but i heard that they do not have a very good reputation for taking care of their students. If you are self taught in japanese, and fluent, you could talk to someone from the programs and see if they would consider accepting you.
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Saturday, June 16, 2012

when will people in japan stop thinking school girl uniforms are cool.

when will people in japan stop thinking school girl uniforms are cool.?
cus its getting old.
Japan - 10 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
That is what happens in a Socialist society. Everyone is equal and we are all to assume the lowest denominator. That makes it fair. No one excels, no one makes more money, no one gets better grades (what the heck, do like the US just graduate them, don't worry if they can read or not). It is Socialism plane and simple. It is taking hold in the US. Even at my age I will probably see the US go all the way. Take everything from everyone and redistribute the wealth. It sucks, but the first thing is to get them young and indoctrinate them into believing everything and everyone is exactly equal. That they are entitled to the same as everyone else whether they work for it or not. Bottom line, don't look for it to go away, look for it to grow...
2 :
huh? 'school girl' uniforms are used the world over by all school systems that use any type of uniforms.. including catholic schools in the US. Nobody wears uniforms because they think its 'cool'.. in fact, it's the school system attempting to make everyone more or less 'same' at least in terms of appearance.
3 :
You mean, like pop-stars dressing in uniform even though they clearly don't have to? It's probably meant to be alluring, kind of like the "naughty catholic school-girl" thing. In that sense, as long as school uniforms are in widespread use you will see it as a selling point in getting attention. Kind of like the "sexy librarian" thing. Anyway, Japan is a highly regimented society, last summer it was a big deal when Corporate Bigwigs tried to get people to wear cooler clothing in the summer heat. They love their suits!
4 :
I don't think school girl uniforms are cool. And not so many people in Japan think like that. Haven't you lived in Japan? It is happening only in anime and some TV shows. But I think many girls seem that they wanna try to wear the uniform once if they have a chance.
5 :
When the 40+ year old men grow up ?
6 :
When they grow up. They keep tninking school girls are virginal, but as you say, so outdated.
7 :
I teach at a Japanese high school and about 70-80% of students support the school uniform system. The most common given reason is "not having to choose what to wear in the morning." Japanese society is very much about fitting into a group and knowing one's standing in that group, so school uniforms are helpful for identifying one's school and grade. Many students wear their uniforms on the weekends and when traveling, even though they don't have to. Of course I'm sure there are some students who can't wait to change into other clothes when the bell rings, but they aren't the majority. So I don't know who thinks they have "stopping being cool" or who thinks "it's getting old," but it isn't Japanese students.
8 :
never. the japanese pornography industry exploits youthful images.
9 :
some may think it cool, some not. getting old is not too bad as too new.
10 :
Not everybody thinks they're cool. Some kids don't want to wear them. Some kids alter them. Elementary students don't wear them now, but that used to be the case in the past. As someone who never wore uniforms at school, I sometimes feel jealous of those who do or did. It looks fun sometimes. Then again, I'm a better person for not being a robot.
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Friday, June 8, 2012

Has anybody heard of Mike Lyons English School in Gifu City Japan

Has anybody heard of Mike Lyons English School in Gifu City Japan?
I am looking into ESL teaching positions in Japan and came across this school and will be doing a telephone interview with them soon. I was wondering if anybody has heard of/been involved with this school and can give me some insight into what they're like. Anything is helpful. Thanks!
Japan - 2 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
I used to live in Gifu City and I have never heard of it. It could be a new thing though. Here's how many English schools spring up: foreign man (who probably worked as an English teacher before) marries Japanese lady and they go into business together. She gets all her friends to send their kids there. How successful the school is depends largely in part on the personalities and business sense of the proprietors. Some people are cool, some people are jerks, it just depends. I'd ask them how long they have been in business, how many students they have total, how many employees they have, how big their school is (ie, is it just a rented room in an office building, or do they actually have their own building?) Do they have more than one location? Did they originate in Gifu? And at this point you are still in the US, so they would have to help you get a working visa. Where would you be living? Would they help you find housing? Be aware of the fact that renting an apt in Japan is quite complicated and expensive. . .you might have to pay 3 mos + as a deposit. How are they going to pay you, direct deposit or what? And of course there are the usual questions, what your schedule would be, how many days a week and hours a day you'd work, do they train you at all, when are your holidays, what is your salary. And so on. I don't think it is rude to ask all this if you just say, it's a big step for me and I am trying to find out as much as I can. I want to be prepared. . .if you preface your questions w statements like that I don't think they'd take offense, unless of course they had something to hide. . .! You should also search this company on gaijinpot.com
2 :
http://www.lyons-japan.com/English_school_pages/details.htm Do your best and good luck!
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