HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1996-07-24, Page 17Letter from
Toyohashi, Japan
After an 18-hour flight, I arrived at Kansai
International Airport (KIX). KIX is a large airport
built on a man-made island.
Welcome to Japan — a land where they use 747s
for commuter flights between Osaka and Tokyo.
The flight to Japan is not cheap, about $1,000. That's the plane part of
this story; on to the train.
Japan is a country covered by train tracks — subway trains, regular trains
and bullet trains all criss-cross the country. The train system in Japan is
very user-friendly for English-speaking people. Subway and train signs
are written in both Kanji and Rumanji (the alphabet).',Transit maps for the
subway systems are available in English. Subway systems are also colour
coded, each line being a different colour. This greatly simplif.ies things
when you are in a station where several lines converge.
Many of the aboveground stations are located in the same buildings as
the subway. If the train station is not in the samc building, it is generally
not more than a block away.
In Japan, you don't pay a flat rate for public transit as you do in Canada.
You pay by how far you are going. If you're not sure of the fare (and
believe me, it's hard to figure out, when the ticket machines are in
Japanese) you pay the cheapest one. After you get to where you are going,
you simply put your ticket in a fare adjustment machine and it tells you
what you owe. It's fast and easy.
A word of advice — Don't try and catch a train late at night! I discovered
this the hard way going to a staff party in Nagaoya, an hour away by train.
When we attempted to catch a train home just after 11 p.m., we found that
the last train to Toyohashi had left at 10 p.m. We caught the last train to
anywhere at 11:30 and ended up one city away from home. A 15-minute
cab ride and 4,200 yen ($42.U.S.) saw us back in Toyohashi.
If you visit Japan, avoid taxis whenever possible; they are very
expensive. As for driving in Japan, only if you have a death wish. They
drive on the wrong side of the road and even if you can get used to that
you can't read the street signs when you can find them. Also, because
parking is at a premium (it costs 6,000 yen a month to rent a parking
space) cars are parked on the street. What's wrong with that, you ask? The
streets were not designed with parked cars in min& only moving ones. As
a result, two lane streets suddenly become one lane streets with two-way
traffic. Add to this people on motorscooters, bicycles and pedestrians all
using the same street and you have an interesting driving experience to
say the least.
How should you get around Japan if you come for a visit? Book a tour.
If you're more of a do-it-yourself type, get a good guide book (Lonely
Planet - Japan is about the best) and use public transit. The trains will get
you anywhere you want to go. If you are a little confused by the transit
systems, just ask a transit official how to get from point A to point B.
• They can normally point you in the right direction even if they don't speak
English.
One word of advice - learn how to say sumemasen (soo-mee-mah-
- sell/1). It means excuse me'anclis useful to get someone's attention,
apologize for doing something stupid or, and most importantly, to part the
vast sea of people on a train so you can get off!
Carrie Fortune
Carrie Fortune is a Belgrave resident, graduate of University of Guelph
(Honours BA) and Lakehead (Bach. of Ed). She is teaching English in
Toyohashi, Japan.
B.-n.enta
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THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JULY 24, 1996 PAGE 17.
Teaching English overseas
an option for job searchers
By Carrie Fortune '
Want to visit other countries?
Can't find a job at home? Can you
speak English? Then you can get a
job teaching English overseas.
Here are a few tips to help you
start your search.
First, you don't need a teaching
degree. You should have a
university degree of some sort, but
it doesn't have to be in English. It's
recommended that you have a
Teaching English as a Second
Language (TESL/EFL) course,
preferably an RSA recognized
course, but again, this is not
necessary. Brush up on your
grammar; you don't have to know it
to get hired (I didn't) but knowing it
gives you an edge at interviews and
makes the job easier when you start
working.
Where do you start looking? Start
with the Toronto Globe and Mail.
The Toronto Star has some ads for
overseas jobs but the Globe
generally has more. Just buy the
Saturday paper; there are few ads
during the week. If you have access
to a library get The New York
Times.
There are also books available
with tips on how to find a job and
the names and addresses of
overseas schools.
If you know what countries you
want to go to, phone their
consulates. They may be able to
help you in your search.
Do some networking. Let people
know what you are looking for and
someone may just give you a phone
number or an address.
Subscribe to a publication that
has a lot of teaching, ads. The
following is the address for one
such publication: Canadian
Institute of English, Box 55,
Middle Musquodoboit, Nova
Scotia, BON 1XO. •
Planning a trip? Bring your
resume! You can drop it off at
schools in person.-If you really
want to impress them, prepare
some really good lessons before
you go and offer to teach a free
lesson. This can make a big
difference, especially if your
resume is a little weak.
Interested in teaching in Japan?
Here are a few ideas. The JET
Programme (Japan Exchange and
Teaching Programme) offers
people the opportunity to be an
assistant teacher in a junior or
senior high school. For more
information contact the Consulate
General of Japan, Toronto
Dominion Bank Tower, Suite 2702,
P.O. Box 10, Toronto Dominion
Centre, Toronto, Ontario, M5K
1A1 or phone (416) 363-7038.
There are a number of private
teaching schools in Japan. Two
such schools are NOVA and
GEOS; both have offices in
Toronto. Write Geos at Geos
Language Corporation, Simpson
Tower, Box 46, Suite 2424, 401
Bay St., Toronto, Ontario M5H
2Y4 or phone (416) 777-0109 or
Fax (416) 777-0110. To contact
NOVA write Interact Nova Group,
9 Hazelton Avenue, Suite 3A,
Toronto, Ontario, M5R 2E1 or
phone (416) 966-NOVA or Fax
(416) 966-9525.
The YMCA also sends people to
Japan, as well as Taiwan to teach
English. To find out more contact
the Y in Seattle at International
Office for Asia, YMCA of the
USA, 909 4th Ave., Seattle,
Washington 98104 or phone (206)
382-5008.
Just a few more words of advice.
Get some written refer-ences — two
at least. Programs like JET require
these.
Get some copies of your
university transcripts. They will be
asked for, but in most cases a
photocopy will do.
Get several passport-sized photos
of yourself. Besides needing them
for passports and visas, many
schools want a picture submitted
with your resume. Make sure you
face the camera head on.
Apparently if you don't, some
cultures feel you are trying to hide
something.
Last but not least, don't give up!
Something will turn up some time.
Good luck.
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