Work to live, or live to work??
Hello again from Japan,
I realised recently that I haven't written a whole lot about my job and what work culture in Japan in like, so I thought I'd dedicate this post to that.
I'm currently working for a company called NOVA, and NOVA is what's known as an eikaiwa, or English conversation school, with small group classes of up to five students. We also have kids classes, which can have up to eight children. Students can book group lessons or man-to-man lessons. In group lessons, we are required to do lessons from the textbooks, whereas with man-to-man classes, students can request free talk, or bring their own material to go over. Each season, we change textbooks, so right now, we're using the summer book, and at the beginning of October we'll switch over to the 'fall' (or autumn) books. NOVA gets a bit of bad rap on occasion, but I don't actually mind it too much. I'm lucky to have a good manager, and I get along with most of my coworkers quite well, so I don't have too many complaints, although others I know aren't quite so lucky with their managers and coworkers, which can obviously make the working environment a bit unpleasant. I work at four different schools in a week, so I get to meet a lot of different students! It's quite full on moving between so many different schools. Some instructors only work at two or possibly three different branches. We do get reimbursed for our travel expenses each month, which is good because it does add up! Some of my friends used to work for other eikaiwas like Gaba or Aeon, and they prefer NOVA, as you are guaranteed lessons, whereas at companies like Gaba, this isn't always the case. I think the pay could be better, but then again, my rent and taxes each month come out of my pay as I'm in company housing and on an employee contract, so I don't have to worry about that. On the independent contract, you have to do your own taxes at the end of financial year in March, and many people say this is a time consuming process, so I'm happy I don't have to do that! You do get paid slightly more on the independent contract, but doing your own taxes in a foreign country put me off choosing that. You also don't get paid holidays with that contract either. I get 10 paid holidays to use, which is a bonus. Your pay depends on the number of lessons you teach each month, however, we don't get paid for periods when the schools are closed, like Golden Week and Obon, so those months the pay is less and you have to account for that and maybe do some overtime to make up some of those days.
The hours are kind of all over the show to be honest. On Tuesdays, I work from 1.20pm till 9.30pm and teach eight lessons with a long break from 4-5.20. On Wednesdays and Fridays I work from 5.30pm-9.30pm and teach five lessons, and on weekends I work from 10am-5.30pm, and teach eight lessons with a short break from 1.20-2. Mondays and Thursdays are usually my days off, although I've been working most Thursdays this month. Adults obviously have their day jobs to go to, and kids have school to attend, so that's why we finish so late. People want lessons after work and on the weekends, so Saturdays are usually the busiest days. Most of my coworkers and friends have different days off to me, so finding time to catch up and hang out with more than one person at a time can prove challenging! This is probably my biggest gripe with working for an eikaiwa, but it's to be expected when your students are busy working adults trying to fit in learning English after work and on the weekends. I really do enjoy teaching the majority of my students. There are a few who don't really try, and you get people who are being forced to be there by their company, and that can be a bit challenging, but most of them are trying hard and want to learn, which is great.
The students' level ranges from level 5s, who are almost complete beginners, right up to level 9s, who are practically fluent, so you get to experience teaching a full range of abilities, which is interesting. With level 5s you have to slow down quite a lot and try to use as simple vocabulary as possible, but with level 8s and 9s, you can speak a lot more naturally and try to use more difficult vocabulary which will challenge them. Often, students ask "Is this how you normally speak?" and "Do you change your accent?". I don't think I change my accent (maybe I do without realising...) but I do slow down a bit. Japanese haven't had a lot of exposure to the Kiwi accent, but I think my students have slowly gotten used to hearing it from me! They're most familiar with the American accent through TV, movies etc. Students are also great resources for learning about Japan, Japanese culture and travel recommendations. Every Sunday, I have what's known as voice, which is essentially free conversation with a group of up to 10 students. We talk about a whole range of stuff, from politics to education to travel and food. Sometimes the group is really chatty and you can kind of sit back and let them run the conversation themselves. Other times you really have to drive the conversation and come up with topics, which can be difficult. It really depends on who shows up on the day! Another part of the job is doing demo lessons, or sales. People who are interested in starting at NOVA can book a free demo lesson to kind of assess the level they're at and see if they like the style of lessons and the textbooks that NOVA offers. The Japanese staff will have a bit of a chat to the people first and try to gauge the level they're at and why they want to learn English. From there, we can choose a lesson to work through with the potential student, and figure out their strengths and weaknesses, and also confirm which level they should be at. Demo lessons are usually about 20 minutes, so half the time of a regular lesson.
In terms of the work culture in Japan, it's quite different to New Zealand. People work long hours and often do a lot of overtime, sometimes till quite late at night. Quite often I have students talking about how busy they are at work and how stressed they've been recently. After Obon, I asked my students if they had time off and if they travelled anywhere, and so many of them said they had to work, which seems kind of crazy, especially if they're working for a Japanese company. Obon is obviously not a universal holiday like Christmas or New Year so, if they work for an international company, it makes sense that they won't always get time off during Obon. Some of them can take holidays at other times though, which is good I guess. But in general, I think there's a lot more pressure here to work hard and do extra hours compared to New Zealand, where people are a lot more relaxed and don't seem so stressed and I think workplaces in New Zealand are a lot more lenient and flexible than seems to be the case here. So often I see people in suits falling asleep on the trains on my way home, and I think that goes to show how hard the Japanese work and how committed they are to their company and their job. I know in New Zealand, our mental health statistics aren't great, especially in regards to depression, anxiety and youth suicide, however I can't help but wonder how many people in Japan are suffering in silence and don't seek any kind of help at all in fear of being seen as different or a burden. Japan is 100% a collectivist and conformist society where everyone is constantly thinking about the society as a whole. You only have to ride the trains to see this. People don't talk on the phone, they don't eat, and they speak quietly. Anywhere else in the world, there would be people talking on their phones constantly, people eating loudly and just generally being less considerate. I obviously can't speak for others, but I imagine this kind of attitude also applies to mental health and the work culture here. They don't want to say no to overtime because it inconveniences others, and they don't want to burden others with their troubles. The hierarchy is also incredibly important here. In New Zealand, people tend to use their initiative a lot more than here, where you have to wait to be told what to do and when to do it. There's also a whole lot more paperwork here, as opposed to doing things online. People still fax things here! Overall, it's very much a live to work mentality here.
But anyway, I think I've been rambling on for long enough now, and I hope this has given you a clearer picture of what my job is like and what work culture in Japan in general is like. Extremely different to the Kiwi 'she'll be right' way of doing things!
From Japan, with love,
Hannah. x
I realised recently that I haven't written a whole lot about my job and what work culture in Japan in like, so I thought I'd dedicate this post to that.
I'm currently working for a company called NOVA, and NOVA is what's known as an eikaiwa, or English conversation school, with small group classes of up to five students. We also have kids classes, which can have up to eight children. Students can book group lessons or man-to-man lessons. In group lessons, we are required to do lessons from the textbooks, whereas with man-to-man classes, students can request free talk, or bring their own material to go over. Each season, we change textbooks, so right now, we're using the summer book, and at the beginning of October we'll switch over to the 'fall' (or autumn) books. NOVA gets a bit of bad rap on occasion, but I don't actually mind it too much. I'm lucky to have a good manager, and I get along with most of my coworkers quite well, so I don't have too many complaints, although others I know aren't quite so lucky with their managers and coworkers, which can obviously make the working environment a bit unpleasant. I work at four different schools in a week, so I get to meet a lot of different students! It's quite full on moving between so many different schools. Some instructors only work at two or possibly three different branches. We do get reimbursed for our travel expenses each month, which is good because it does add up! Some of my friends used to work for other eikaiwas like Gaba or Aeon, and they prefer NOVA, as you are guaranteed lessons, whereas at companies like Gaba, this isn't always the case. I think the pay could be better, but then again, my rent and taxes each month come out of my pay as I'm in company housing and on an employee contract, so I don't have to worry about that. On the independent contract, you have to do your own taxes at the end of financial year in March, and many people say this is a time consuming process, so I'm happy I don't have to do that! You do get paid slightly more on the independent contract, but doing your own taxes in a foreign country put me off choosing that. You also don't get paid holidays with that contract either. I get 10 paid holidays to use, which is a bonus. Your pay depends on the number of lessons you teach each month, however, we don't get paid for periods when the schools are closed, like Golden Week and Obon, so those months the pay is less and you have to account for that and maybe do some overtime to make up some of those days.
The hours are kind of all over the show to be honest. On Tuesdays, I work from 1.20pm till 9.30pm and teach eight lessons with a long break from 4-5.20. On Wednesdays and Fridays I work from 5.30pm-9.30pm and teach five lessons, and on weekends I work from 10am-5.30pm, and teach eight lessons with a short break from 1.20-2. Mondays and Thursdays are usually my days off, although I've been working most Thursdays this month. Adults obviously have their day jobs to go to, and kids have school to attend, so that's why we finish so late. People want lessons after work and on the weekends, so Saturdays are usually the busiest days. Most of my coworkers and friends have different days off to me, so finding time to catch up and hang out with more than one person at a time can prove challenging! This is probably my biggest gripe with working for an eikaiwa, but it's to be expected when your students are busy working adults trying to fit in learning English after work and on the weekends. I really do enjoy teaching the majority of my students. There are a few who don't really try, and you get people who are being forced to be there by their company, and that can be a bit challenging, but most of them are trying hard and want to learn, which is great.
The students' level ranges from level 5s, who are almost complete beginners, right up to level 9s, who are practically fluent, so you get to experience teaching a full range of abilities, which is interesting. With level 5s you have to slow down quite a lot and try to use as simple vocabulary as possible, but with level 8s and 9s, you can speak a lot more naturally and try to use more difficult vocabulary which will challenge them. Often, students ask "Is this how you normally speak?" and "Do you change your accent?". I don't think I change my accent (maybe I do without realising...) but I do slow down a bit. Japanese haven't had a lot of exposure to the Kiwi accent, but I think my students have slowly gotten used to hearing it from me! They're most familiar with the American accent through TV, movies etc. Students are also great resources for learning about Japan, Japanese culture and travel recommendations. Every Sunday, I have what's known as voice, which is essentially free conversation with a group of up to 10 students. We talk about a whole range of stuff, from politics to education to travel and food. Sometimes the group is really chatty and you can kind of sit back and let them run the conversation themselves. Other times you really have to drive the conversation and come up with topics, which can be difficult. It really depends on who shows up on the day! Another part of the job is doing demo lessons, or sales. People who are interested in starting at NOVA can book a free demo lesson to kind of assess the level they're at and see if they like the style of lessons and the textbooks that NOVA offers. The Japanese staff will have a bit of a chat to the people first and try to gauge the level they're at and why they want to learn English. From there, we can choose a lesson to work through with the potential student, and figure out their strengths and weaknesses, and also confirm which level they should be at. Demo lessons are usually about 20 minutes, so half the time of a regular lesson.
In terms of the work culture in Japan, it's quite different to New Zealand. People work long hours and often do a lot of overtime, sometimes till quite late at night. Quite often I have students talking about how busy they are at work and how stressed they've been recently. After Obon, I asked my students if they had time off and if they travelled anywhere, and so many of them said they had to work, which seems kind of crazy, especially if they're working for a Japanese company. Obon is obviously not a universal holiday like Christmas or New Year so, if they work for an international company, it makes sense that they won't always get time off during Obon. Some of them can take holidays at other times though, which is good I guess. But in general, I think there's a lot more pressure here to work hard and do extra hours compared to New Zealand, where people are a lot more relaxed and don't seem so stressed and I think workplaces in New Zealand are a lot more lenient and flexible than seems to be the case here. So often I see people in suits falling asleep on the trains on my way home, and I think that goes to show how hard the Japanese work and how committed they are to their company and their job. I know in New Zealand, our mental health statistics aren't great, especially in regards to depression, anxiety and youth suicide, however I can't help but wonder how many people in Japan are suffering in silence and don't seek any kind of help at all in fear of being seen as different or a burden. Japan is 100% a collectivist and conformist society where everyone is constantly thinking about the society as a whole. You only have to ride the trains to see this. People don't talk on the phone, they don't eat, and they speak quietly. Anywhere else in the world, there would be people talking on their phones constantly, people eating loudly and just generally being less considerate. I obviously can't speak for others, but I imagine this kind of attitude also applies to mental health and the work culture here. They don't want to say no to overtime because it inconveniences others, and they don't want to burden others with their troubles. The hierarchy is also incredibly important here. In New Zealand, people tend to use their initiative a lot more than here, where you have to wait to be told what to do and when to do it. There's also a whole lot more paperwork here, as opposed to doing things online. People still fax things here! Overall, it's very much a live to work mentality here.
But anyway, I think I've been rambling on for long enough now, and I hope this has given you a clearer picture of what my job is like and what work culture in Japan in general is like. Extremely different to the Kiwi 'she'll be right' way of doing things!
From Japan, with love,
Hannah. x
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