Writer's Block: Job search
Oct. 15th, 2009 07:32 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tabular_rasa[Error: unknown template qotd]
Yeah, I'm quite happy with my present job. It actually is one of my dream jobs; I've wanted to do the JET program since middle school.
I believe a dream job fulfills you on many levels so that you enjoy going to work every day. You don't do it just to get paid. Obviously it will have its stressors, but the rewards far outweigh them. For instance, being an ALT has its frustrations: some teachers teach a la the 1950s and pretty much use you as a human tape-recorder, don't give you much say in the lessons (which can feel like a waste of my teacher-training), or refuse to speak English themselves because they're ashamed of how they sound; the schools sometimes are very vague about what they want from you or will wait to give you important information at the very last second, forcing you to come up with things out of your ass; and Japanese schools are hella freezing. But many of the teachers are very good and give you opportunities to be creative; the workload is small (lots of free time!); there are lots of opportunities for cultural exchange and socialization with the kids; I'm a fairly well-respected member of the community by default (and I'm only 22!); I get paid enough to support myself and travel a bit; I get the chance to observe various teaching styles, like an extending student-teaching assignment; I'm surrounded by opportunities to maintain and improve my Japanese; and I'm working in JAPAN, for Christ's sake. For a position I will only hold for an absolute maximum of five years, it's awesome. (Though, yes, eventually I'd like to be able to run my own classroom).
Five years from now I cannot be doing JET (and I expect I'll leave earlier than that; 2-3 years is my present estimation of term), and so I'll probably look for Japanese teaching positions in the States, hopefully near Robert and/or Lisa. I haven't started looking for said job-- I'll decide sometime next year if I want to start the Stateside job search or renew for another year in Japan-- but I'm currently in the teaching field, surrounded by the language I plan to teach, which is preparation if I ever saw it. I'm going to study for and hopefully pass the JLPT II (the standardized test of proficiency in business-level Japanese; I barely passed it at KCJS and so hopefully I can nudge myself over the edge and have that to put on a resume), and in interviews I'll play up the cultural experience and teaching observation I got in while I was working here.
In ten years? No idea. Maybe I'll find a teaching position I love. Maybe I'll change teaching positions several times. Maybe I'll try teaching for a few years and then go back to school for something else. Maybe I'll fall into a random opportunity and love whatever that is. *Shrug.* Ten years is a long time. (I would say 'It's not like I knew I'd be here when I was 12!'-- but, erm, actually I already wanted to do JET at that point).
I also want to keep up with the writing thing. Since I've got a fair amount of spare time over here, I really should take advantage of it. Maybe I can finally finish the damn thing (or, hell, write a new one!) and look into *gasp* editing and publishing.
Yeah, I'm quite happy with my present job. It actually is one of my dream jobs; I've wanted to do the JET program since middle school.
I believe a dream job fulfills you on many levels so that you enjoy going to work every day. You don't do it just to get paid. Obviously it will have its stressors, but the rewards far outweigh them. For instance, being an ALT has its frustrations: some teachers teach a la the 1950s and pretty much use you as a human tape-recorder, don't give you much say in the lessons (which can feel like a waste of my teacher-training), or refuse to speak English themselves because they're ashamed of how they sound; the schools sometimes are very vague about what they want from you or will wait to give you important information at the very last second, forcing you to come up with things out of your ass; and Japanese schools are hella freezing. But many of the teachers are very good and give you opportunities to be creative; the workload is small (lots of free time!); there are lots of opportunities for cultural exchange and socialization with the kids; I'm a fairly well-respected member of the community by default (and I'm only 22!); I get paid enough to support myself and travel a bit; I get the chance to observe various teaching styles, like an extending student-teaching assignment; I'm surrounded by opportunities to maintain and improve my Japanese; and I'm working in JAPAN, for Christ's sake. For a position I will only hold for an absolute maximum of five years, it's awesome. (Though, yes, eventually I'd like to be able to run my own classroom).
Five years from now I cannot be doing JET (and I expect I'll leave earlier than that; 2-3 years is my present estimation of term), and so I'll probably look for Japanese teaching positions in the States, hopefully near Robert and/or Lisa. I haven't started looking for said job-- I'll decide sometime next year if I want to start the Stateside job search or renew for another year in Japan-- but I'm currently in the teaching field, surrounded by the language I plan to teach, which is preparation if I ever saw it. I'm going to study for and hopefully pass the JLPT II (the standardized test of proficiency in business-level Japanese; I barely passed it at KCJS and so hopefully I can nudge myself over the edge and have that to put on a resume), and in interviews I'll play up the cultural experience and teaching observation I got in while I was working here.
In ten years? No idea. Maybe I'll find a teaching position I love. Maybe I'll change teaching positions several times. Maybe I'll try teaching for a few years and then go back to school for something else. Maybe I'll fall into a random opportunity and love whatever that is. *Shrug.* Ten years is a long time. (I would say 'It's not like I knew I'd be here when I was 12!'-- but, erm, actually I already wanted to do JET at that point).
I also want to keep up with the writing thing. Since I've got a fair amount of spare time over here, I really should take advantage of it. Maybe I can finally finish the damn thing (or, hell, write a new one!) and look into *gasp* editing and publishing.
