Path: ccsf.homeunix.org!ccsf.homeunix.org!news1.wakwak.com!nf1.xephion.ne.jp!onion.ish.org!gcd.org!vda-gw!news.moat.net!news.glorb.com!postnews1.google.com!not-for-mail From: imouttahere@mac.com (Heywood Mogroot) Newsgroups: fj.life.in-japan Subject: Re: Nagano bound Date: 26 Apr 2004 18:22:59 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Lines: 64 Message-ID: References: NNTP-Posting-Host: 165.247.226.239 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-Trace: posting.google.com 1083028979 3982 127.0.0.1 (27 Apr 2004 01:22:59 GMT) X-Complaints-To: groups-abuse@google.com NNTP-Posting-Date: Tue, 27 Apr 2004 01:22:59 +0000 (UTC) Xref: ccsf.homeunix.org fj.life.in-japan:13511 AhztheCat wrote in message news:... > imouttahere@mac.com (Heywood Mogroot) wrote in > news:dd5de929.0404260013.38a6e185@posting.google.com: > > one)]. > > > > Geos is one of a handful nationwide schools (Nova, Aeon are two > > others, unless things have changed since I left). Working for the > > nationwide schools can be a good experience, but it really depends on > > the manager(s). > > There are good schedules and bad schedules, and believe me you want > > the GOOD schedules. > > > > > > > Good luck. I think now's a good time to go to Japan, the recession's > > gotta end some day, and things are really turning shit here in the > > states. If Bush is re-selected I'll probably be seeing you in January > >:) > > Yeah, I have the same feeling about the impending election...not good... > > As for the work week, etc...I worked retail in downtown Philadelphia for > two years (chisel shill and cheat) averaging 9 1/2 hour days and some > awful management, then worked for a court reporting firm (hurry up and > wait, lie lie lie flatter bullshit lie) Sounds like you're going to do well at Geos :) Now that students can back out of their contracts, I've read that Geos pushes its own study materials, and teachers get a cut of the action... > with even WORSE management, so > even if it is bad, I kinda think I have survived worse... That sounds about right. Geos has a pretty good rep for honoring their end of the commitment, at least financially, so they're probably the best of the national schools to get hired on to (believe me, that's not saying much). Plus as I said getting your own place set up is a BITCH in Japan (in the Tokyo area expect to pay twice as much as Geos for about the same quality, unless you a) speak Japanese well enough to deal with a fudo-san (real estate agent) directly, and b) have enough cash on hand to pay the key and/or security deposits, which usually add up to at least 2 month's rent (for crappy apartments like the one you'll be getting from Geos) all the way up to 4 or 5 months for the more tony places. Things out in the sticks tend to be a lot more swingable, but rents and bullshit is directly proportional to the desirability of the apartment. > and if not...yeek. At least I'll be out of reach of the United States of Texas > truth and patriotism squads. Yee Haw. Japan was great. From 1992 - 1995 (until the web came) I was dimly cognizant about events in the states. . . the Trade Center bombing, Waco, whatever happened in 1994 and 1995, where all just headlines I'd see in the English language paper, nothing more. It's nice dropping out of western society for a year or three. oh, I suppose I can recommend one more item for you: an iPod. You *will* be riding trains (don't think Nagano has a subway system, but all Japanese cities like Nagano have good train coverage out into the sticks)