Path: ccsf.homeunix.org!news.heimat.gr.jp!news.northeye.org!yynet.tama.tokyo.jp!nf.asahi-net.or.jp!newsfeed2.kddnet.ad.jp!newsfeed2.kddnet.ad.jp!newspeer1.nwr.nac.net!border2.nntp.dca.giganews.com!border1.nntp.dca.giganews.com!nntp.giganews.com!nx01.iad01.newshosting.com!newshosting.com!post02.iad01!roadrunner.com!not-for-mail From: "Marvel" Newsgroups: fj.life.in-japan References: <462d7231$0$24729$4c368faf@roadrunner.com> <1177518869.756699.300650@u32g2000prd.googlegroups.com> Subject: Re: What if you woke up in Osaka one day Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2007 20:44:03 -0400 X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2900.3028 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2900.3028 X-RFC2646: Format=Flowed; Original Lines: 63 Message-ID: <462ff5d3$0$24739$4c368faf@roadrunner.com> Organization: Road Runner High Speed Online http://www.rr.com X-Complaints-To: abuse@rr.com Xref: ccsf.homeunix.org fj.life.in-japan:165500 "John W." wrote in message news:1177518869.756699.300650@u32g2000prd.googlegroups.com... > On Apr 23, 9:58 pm, "Marvel" wrote: >> A friend of mine married a chick from Osaka, first they lived in the USA >> awhile and now have gone back to Japan. >> >> Any ideas what type of work he (male 44) might pursue to have a decent >> job >> as well as life? >> >> And I don't mean one of those English teaching sweat shop schools. >> > For starters, in my experience any job in Japan is a sweat shop. > Prepare for long hours and lots of red tape, and kissing a** to > sometimes absurd degrees (by US standards). But if he doesn't speak > Japanese then he doesn't have much of a prayer getting one of those > jobs, and there aren't any DOD jobs in the Osaka area (that I'm aware > of). Don't knock teaching English; some of my best friends make very > fine livings doing it. I have noticed that too, it's weird to me how hard the citizens work I have always wondered why they are so. It reminds me of working with G-chan, every morning we would show up around five am (even though we didnt have to be there till six, We would start a fire in the huge counter weighted lid barrel and drink canned coffee and smoke cigs. (I know I'm rambling) When work would begin at six or usually before and I was always amazed at the hands on approach to everything. (knowing in my mind I could do it faster with machines) There's not much growth opportunity, and as an > older guy he might find it harder to get a job, but it is possible to > get a corporate job in an English chain school, though usually you > have to teach first. He should try to get a job teaching corporate > classes. The schedule can be tough (usually at night after the > workers' day ends), but the money is usually better for the hours > worked. Public school jobs also pay well, though my friends who have > done that said the administrative side is a headache. How about just hanging out a shingle and teaching folks around the local hood? Finally, there's > the English media world; there are several magazines in the area that > *might* be hiring, though I doubt he'll be able to get anything but > freelance work, and that's a very crowded market. > Like maybe a sports writer? > Personally he might be better off planning to live on the wife's > salary for a while. He might not want to, which is good; he should > want to get on his own feet. But the reality is there aren't that many > jobs there outside of teaching if he doesn't speak/read/write > Japanese, and even quality teaching jobs might take a month or two to > get. > He is already....he saved for about a year before actually going > >