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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 TAT cticoTy. • GOODS • SERVICES • TRADES CLARK & SON LAWN MAINTENANCE • Grass Cutting •Lawn Rolling • Spring Si Fall Clean-Ups • Aerating • Free Estimates 280 Turnberry St., Brussels Jett Clark (519) 887-9668 Stratford Cemetery Memorials Ltd. 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Diabetes STOP the epidemic. gCANADIAN ASSOCIATION DIABETES CANAINENNE ASSOCIATION OD OIABETE I -800-BANTING 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. 12 per cent (50 million hectares) of Canada's forests have been protected from harvesting by policy or legislation — an area equivalent to the total forest land in Finland, Norway, Germany, Switzerland and Austria, combined. 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