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Orphic Okapi
Baron

Registration Date: 04.08.07
Location: Saskatchewan
Posts: 1335

I'm going to Japan!

Hey guys, good news! I was recently accepted into the JET program and will be spending all of next year in Japan. At some point a trip to the Ghibli Museum will most certainly be in order.

I'm stationed in Tosashimizu, a coastal city on Shikoku, the smallest of the four main islands. I'll be heading out on September 4th and will try to keep you all updated on the journey.

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I like tea!

08.02.2012, 06:35 PM

foreignfilmfreak
Miyazaki's Best Friend

Registration Date: 10.02.06
Location: Japan
Posts: 7589

Mega Congratulations!!!

After I'm done university, I plan on teaching in Korea for three or so years through a program (there's 3 related ones for different areas). But after I'd like to do a year or two in Japan, possibly through JET or looking for a job myself (I really want to live in Hokkaido for some reason, so I'd like to look for a job myself).

Take lots of pictures and share your experiences with us!! I can't wait to be able to complete my dream of being a teacher (well, I can wait to complete it, but I mean being able to apply, even if my mother doesn't agree).

So happy for you!

08.02.2012, 06:49 PM

Mokiepoet
Calcifer

Registration Date: 02.23.12
Location: TX
Posts: 125

Wow, have fun and take lots of pictures Orphic!!
FFF my brother is coming home next week after spending 1 year in Dongducheon Korea. He really likes it there. So many oddities and neat places to visit! I asked him to see if he can find me a Korean cook book in engish. I hope he found one

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08.02.2012, 07:45 PM

foreignfilmfreak
Miyazaki's Best Friend

Registration Date: 10.02.06
Location: Japan
Posts: 7589

quote:
Originally posted by Mokiepoet
Wow, have fun and take lots of pictures Orphic!!
FFF my brother is coming home next week after spending 1 year in Dongducheon Korea. He really likes it there. So many oddities and neat places to visit! I asked him to see if he can find me a Korean cook book in engish. I hope he found one

Awesome! My classmate's sister was a teacher with her fiancee in Korea. She went and visited with them a week, and then went off to travel other Asian countries (well, she went to one other, her sister went to most of them except a few since she was on a time limit of a few months) after their jobs ended.

The woman in charge of a program I was in's brother is a teacher in the countryside of Korea, and married a Korean lady. They have twins. X3

I have a friend who moved here from Seoul who is currently visiting over there.

I love the country oddly. Japan is beautiful and picturesque also, which is why I want to go. My boyfriend is taking me to his home country also, and I'm soo so excited to meet and see who he grew up with and take loads of pictures, even if it'll be bloody hot.

08.02.2012, 09:01 PM

Calforsale
Totoro

Registration Date: 01.19.10
Location: Sydney, Australia
Posts: 866

Omg wow a year that is so incredibly awesome! please keep us posted and post photos and stuff and yeah !!!!!

Is the JET program kinda like an english teaching program?

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08.02.2012, 09:43 PM

foreignfilmfreak
Miyazaki's Best Friend

Registration Date: 10.02.06
Location: Japan
Posts: 7589

Yep, it's a teaching program designed to give young people a new experience. But the biggest downfall (for me) is you can't specify an area. I understand it's because of where you'll be assigned rather than request, but for the program for Korea it's broken up into three, so you have more options on whether you want to live in the capital, outside of the main city, or in other cities/towns. I don't think the JET program is set up this way. :B

But I've looked more into EPIK than I have JET, so that's why. XD I have to pay off debt and raise money to live in Japan.

Please share your experience with us, Orphic! As someone who aspires to follow in the same footsteps, it'll give me and possibly a few others a bit of insight!

08.02.2012, 10:56 PM

saviour2012
Baron

Registration Date: 02.24.12
Location: Dhaka,Bangladesh
Posts: 1749

quote:
Originally posted by Orphic Okapi
Hey guys, good news! I was recently accepted into the JET program and will be spending all of next year in Japan. At some point a trip to the Ghibli Museum will most certainly be in order.

I'm stationed in Tosashimizu, a coastal city on Shikoku, the smallest of the four main islands. I'll be heading out on September 4th and will try to keep you all updated on the journey.

Hello time traveler

Congratulation .

Hope you will enjoy your stay and will keep us posted about ghibli related stuff.

Do not know if you know. you might be the first one of us to see the latest ghibli movie. there will be no subs so better start learning jap.[man that is awesome].

However do not get carried away by strange thought of traveling in the past for old cultures. GOOOD LUCKKK.

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Watch everything but only take the good things from it

Ask, think and learn. Because the more we know the more we grow.

Watching the wrong to happen is the same as commiting the wrong.

If it looks like things are forcing you to be creative, Then be creative.

its a uniquely Miyazaki film, one only he could make and its uniqueness places it beyond being easily critiqued.[About Porco Rosso]
taken from a quote of Saddletank and Orphic Okapi

08.03.2012, 01:23 AM

saviour2012
Baron

Registration Date: 02.24.12
Location: Dhaka,Bangladesh
Posts: 1749

Oh forgot although they give a fair amount of money you better check out your expenses. Cause a lot of people get that monetary problem in japan because there is just a lots and lots of things to buy. But i know you will do great.

Honest question do you want to teach school students. Will it improve your chances to tech in university. Cause i personally do not want to go to teaching other than it is a university .

Post last edited by saviour2012 on 08.03.2012, 12:52 PM.

08.03.2012, 01:46 AM

husky51
The Old Guy

Registration Date: 03.17.08
Location: Southern California
Posts: 12801

I don't know how it works in teaaching at a university, saviour, but in most professions, you start in lower levels (grades?) for experience and work your way up...

@Orphic.... #*$*(@))$YTR@_)$_$!!! I so want to go to Japan for a while... You have got to keep us posted, as I am sure you will, ala Vietnam...

Good Luck over there, man...

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08.03.2012, 02:56 AM

Calforsale
Totoro

Registration Date: 01.19.10
Location: Sydney, Australia
Posts: 866

quote:
Originally posted by foreignfilmfreak
Yep, it's a teaching program designed to give young people a new experience. But the biggest downfall (for me) is you can't specify an area. I understand it's because of where you'll be assigned rather than request, but for the program for Korea it's broken up into three, so you have more options on whether you want to live in the capital, outside of the main city, or in other cities/towns. I don't think the JET program is set up this way. :B

But I've looked more into EPIK than I have JET, so that's why. XD I have to pay off debt and raise money to live in Japan.

In Korea they have a much bigger demand too, some people say the English speaking craze in Japan ended a while ago. It sure is still alive in Korea though.

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08.03.2012, 03:17 AM

Roarkiller
Your Daddy-O

Registration Date: 06.03.03
Location: Home, resting...
Posts: 6077

English craze?

I'm pretty sure learning English is still part of their syllabus though, I mean it's pretty hard to do business with foreign investors without knowing English.

Wish I could go for JET as well, but as an engineer, that chance is near non-existent. Japan level is too high.

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I am who I am.
I am Roarkiller.
No one else is me.

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quote:
Originally posted by fenkashi
Screw your opinions, they are not relevant ^^.

08.03.2012, 05:25 AM

Calforsale
Totoro

Registration Date: 01.19.10
Location: Sydney, Australia
Posts: 866

quote:
Originally posted by Roarkiller
English craze?

I'm pretty sure learning English is still part of their syllabus though, I mean it's pretty hard to do business with foreign investors without knowing English.

Wish I could go for JET as well, but as an engineer, that chance is near non-existent. Japan level is too high.

Yes people still want to learn English, still a big thing of course, but from what i've been reading online people were saying there was a much higher demand. Im not sure when exactly though, i think around the 90s? Not too sure.

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08.03.2012, 06:16 AM

saviour2012
Baron

Registration Date: 02.24.12
Location: Dhaka,Bangladesh
Posts: 1749

quote:
Originally posted by Roarkiller

Wish I could go for JET as well, but as an engineer, that chance is near non-existent. Japan level is too high.

Yeah i also think the same there is just too much engineers in japan. And i do not think they hire engineers in jets . It is what you said first. English craze.

But University is different though you can try there. If my grade is satisfactory[ freshmen's year still do not have one previous ones are good enough] also i find a suitable thesis subject to research on i will try for japan, canada and states. Time only can say what will happen.

@Husky

I know how University works . A university actually hires teaching staff mostly from graduate and post graduate students.Most of the time it hires the first and second boy or girl of the class if he or she is interested. It sometimes hires some other persons too who show extra ordinary efforts in some field.

I wanted to ask orphic if her going to JET adds something like that
[ i mean is going to JET is thought a good practice in University]

08.03.2012, 08:26 AM

saviour2012
Baron

Registration Date: 02.24.12
Location: Dhaka,Bangladesh
Posts: 1749

quote:
Originally posted by Calforsale
Yes people still want to learn English, still a big thing of course, but from what i've been reading online people were saying there was a much higher demand. Im not sure when exactly though, i think around the 90s? Not too sure.

you can understand here just look at the table numbers of hiring and the year

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JET_Programme

08.03.2012, 08:30 AM

foreignfilmfreak
Miyazaki's Best Friend

Registration Date: 10.02.06
Location: Japan
Posts: 7589

I thought it was still a strong demand in both? o.O

Hey I have a question, does JET allow people from countries to teach in Japan if their first language isn't English but it is listed as their second? EPIK doesn't unless you moved to an English country at junior high age. My friend from Norway was pretty sad she couldn't get into the program because it's not her first language despite being fluent (but she might teach in Mongolia).

I've also met far less people who have taught in Korea than in Japan. Of course, there's also that switch where if you teach in Japan, they don't reimburse you for your plane ticket and you have to find an apartment yourself. So if you live in one of the big cities, it would be quite expensive. Since Orphic said he's living somewhere small, he should be fine.

I don't know all the facts yet. :B I'd teach in my boyfriend's country, but there is no demand for people from overseas to teach there and the pay is too miniscule. If he decided to move back however and I come with him and my university debt were paid off, I'd be on for it. I could try and work in his birth country too, but his English teachers there were from England.

EDIT: I meant if their from a country that has English listed as their second language.

Hey wait, people without a Ph.D are allowed to teach university? I know one of my teachers was a professor, but she was only three credits short of her Ph.D because she didn't need it and was moving up here to Canada. Most of my professors are alumni though, but they all have doctorates...?

Post last edited by foreignfilmfreak on 08.03.2012, 08:51 AM.

08.03.2012, 08:46 AM

Saddletank
Miyazaki's Best Friend

Registration Date: 09.28.06
Location: On your case
Posts: 10069

Congratulations Orphic! So heading off in a month? Fantastic!

Please keep in touch with us and send some photos. Maybe you could keep a blog and link us to it?

Looking at the place in Google, it certainly is well south and out of the way! Also nice and warm I should think. The town itself looks tiny and a bit industrialized though I suspect looking at the buildings around the harbour and all th eboats that are of the same size and shape that its a fishing port, so I hope your nose is fine with the smell of fish because it looks like it'll be pretty strong around there.

There seems to be a lot of virgin woodland and hills all around so hopefully some good walking on your days off.

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Post last edited by Saddletank on 08.03.2012, 10:33 AM.

08.03.2012, 10:27 AM

Orphic Okapi
Baron

Registration Date: 04.08.07
Location: Saskatchewan
Posts: 1335

Wow, all sorts of unexpected stuff going on in this thread! I'm not sure where to begin.

I actually applied to EPIK, foreignfilmfreak, so I'm pretty familiar with that program as well. I got into both EPIK and JET on the same day and chose the latter because I felt like I had more genuine interest in the culture (and because it pays more, and I'd like to save money). EPIK, as far as I was able to discern, does not give you a great deal more control over where you are placed. You can either be placed normally (these are usually rural placements anywhere in the country, much like JET placements), or you can fill out a special application sheet if you'd like to be considered for placement in Seoul. Still, there are no guarantees. So with EPIK I'd say you have more of a chance of getting placed in a city, but I don't think applicants have quite as much freedom as you described. But maybe I just didn't understand the intricacies of the program? There isn't as much solid info on EPIK as there is on JET online. If you do apply to EPIK, you'll most likely have to do so through an outside contracting organization (I'm not really sure why). I would recommend Greenheart Travel; that's the one I applied through, and they were really helpful.

I'm not sure why you think JET doesn't reimburse your plane ticket or find housing for you. JET actually pays for your plane ticket to Japan, arranges all transportation to the part of the country where you're placed, and has housing prearranged for you when you get there. With EPIK it's largely the same, although you have to actually pay for the ticket initially, and they reimburse you later. It's true that housing in Japan is probably quite a bit more expensive, especially in big cities.

I think you could probably do JET, Roar, if you wanted to and if they recruit in Singapore. All you need is a Bachelor's degree; I don't think they care what field it's in. I think for EPIK you need to be a citizen of certain English-speaking countries to even apply (U.S., Canada, Britain, Australia), but I you should be able to apply to JET as long as you speak English fluently. The only thing you would be able to do through the program is teach English, though; that's the only position they will hire you for if you aren't fluent in Japanese (the other positions aren't in engineering, either).

And yes, the demand for English teachers has decreased since the 90s. I'm not sure how that worked itself into the conversation, but it is true. Korea is still a hotspot for English teaching, though, and there is plenty of demand. I'd say the demand for teachers in Korea has always been and continues to be higher than in Japan.

I think I've addressed all the questions that I understand. I'm not sure how time travel and the discussion of university fits in to everything. Wait, I think I understand this bit: While it's true that universities will often hire graduate students working on their theses, I wouldn't count on being able to teach in the U.S., at least, as a foreign graduate student. I'm no expert, but all the foreign teachers at my school were highly qualified professors. I would get your Ph.D. and some teaching experience before trying to teach university in another country. You could probably teach in your own country as a graduate student, though.

EDIT: Oh, a few more things. What country is your boyfriend from, fff?

And hopefully I will have a blog up and running soon, Saddles.

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Post last edited by Orphic Okapi on 08.03.2012, 10:31 AM.

08.03.2012, 10:28 AM

foreignfilmfreak
Miyazaki's Best Friend

Registration Date: 10.02.06
Location: Japan
Posts: 7589

Oh! Orphic, I meant to say there are 3 categories for EPIK (EPIK, GEPIK, and one other, although in truth they may not be run the same). I'm going to read the rest of the post now. XD I just felt the need to point out what I meant (I don't even know if EPIK was the one I chose or if it was the one I can't remember the name of).

See, most former teachers there I know lived in Busan or the countryside. I haven't met any who taught in Seoul yet, which is pretty strange in itself. The pay isn't any better, but I wanted to get my starting ground there. I already have a few recruiting agencies to choose from. XD And I have sources to help me. I'll look more into it my 3rd year of university.

I think the plane ticket thing must affect Canadians maybe?? I don't know what it is for other countries, but it was a complaint I found online quite often by mostly Canadians. I know with EPIK they reimburse you later, but they took out the reimbursement for the JET program from 2006 to now (so it must be a Canadian thing maybe..). I asked about it for JET in case my boyfriend ever came with me because he speaks great English, but his citizenship is different and he's only a recent immigrant.

He's from the Philippines but grew up in a tiny country attached to Malaysia I never heard of or knew existed. It wound up in my school agenda on the map (and yet Scotland was missing). It's pretty interesting, mostly Muslim country and is incredibly beautiful (was once a British colony, so he told me there were a lot of foreigners). Rules are pretty good there. My boyfriend is deeply patriotic to all three countries he's lived in, although he hasn't mastered the Canadian anthem yet.

EDIT: Now I'm gonna search to see about that plane ticket thing. D: It's just been such a strong complaint I've heard that it made me wary to test waters there first. I think I remember reading somewhere about how Americans had their tickets reimbursed by their government, but ours no longer does that. What about apartments?

EDIT EDIT: I searched and went on the JET forum and found someone asking about if their ticket could be reimbursed, and two people said it wouldn't be likely and expect it not to be. Mind, all three of these people were Canadian. XD Ugh.. but it also had something to do with switching their visa and having to have a return ticket so that could have been why...

Post last edited by foreignfilmfreak on 08.03.2012, 10:49 PM.

08.03.2012, 10:41 PM

Orphic Okapi
Baron

Registration Date: 04.08.07
Location: Saskatchewan
Posts: 1335

Ohhhhh, that makes sense. I hadn't considered that policies would change so drastically from country to country!

And yep, it's hard to teach English in the Philippines from what I hear. Mostly because they all know it already.

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08.04.2012, 12:01 AM

Roarkiller
Your Daddy-O

Registration Date: 06.03.03
Location: Home, resting...
Posts: 6077

quote:
Originally posted by foreignfilmfreak
He's from the Philippines but grew up in a tiny country attached to Malaysia I never heard of or knew existed. It wound up in my school agenda on the map (and yet Scotland was missing). It's pretty interesting, mostly Muslim country and is incredibly beautiful (was once a British colony, so he told me there were a lot of foreigners). Rules are pretty good there. My boyfriend is deeply patriotic to all three countries he's lived in, although he hasn't mastered the Canadian anthem yet.

Sounds like Singapore. Like, you know, the country I'm in right now? Except it's not a mostly muslim country.

I think you're referring to one of Malaysia's islands or towns, like Pulau Pinang or something. Just a guess.

__________________
I am me.
I am who I am.
I am Roarkiller.
No one else is me.

Roarkiller.net
Isakaya High RPG Site

quote:
Originally posted by fenkashi
Screw your opinions, they are not relevant ^^.

08.04.2012, 01:35 AM

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