Amazing how much can change in so short a time. Last post I was plagued by a need for a job and no hopeful prospects. Now, I have a seemingly ideal job with contract signed and certification starting in three days. I’m going to be an English teacher at Gaba. They’re an English-teaching company in Japan that specializes in one-one-one lessons (“man-to-man”, as they call it, which of course sounds awful). I applied two months ago, and then again one month ago, and then again this month, because they put out a job posting on Gaijinpot.com every month (or maybe that’s just because they weren’t getting enough teachers – but if that were the case why didn’t they contact me sooner?). They were actually where I applied first this year, but after hearing nothing but a single rejection letter in two months, I had all but given up hope. I wasn’t going to apply in November, but I just happened to remember about the website after leaving in search of a Japanese job, and whaddaya know, I get the job this time.
I remember thinking as I applied for November that it would probably ironically work out this time, simply because I had come so far since my first time applying, in terms of courage to call (even Japanese) employers and do interviews, etc. Those were things worth learning, so I can’t be too mad that I didn’t get the job until now.
However, I’m definitely glad for it now. I was getting worried.
I felt so out of place at the first interview (information seminar, then brief cursory interview). There were probably eight of us, and though I probably looked fairly similar to the rest of the applicants, I felt so conspicuous. They all looked exactly like the stereotype of a Caucasian English teacher in Japan, mostly due to their formal dress. Like I said, I was dressed up too so I probably looked far less out of place than I felt. I think I was the youngest.
Another thing worth mentioning is that having grown up in Japan, I naturally assume that any foreigner I see on the street has less experience with the culture than me. So I avoid interaction with them, seeing as they will sooner or later do something extremely stupid and embarrassing and I will be associated with them because, to a Japanese, I look just like them. Funny, isn’t it? I’m a foreigner, and yet I’ve developed the same attitude towards them as the Japanese, that is, “He is a gaijin, he must be stupid and culturally inept. Must distance, must distance.” I only realized this a few years ago when I worked here with guy from America and he noted, “Foreigners here don’t associate with each other, do they? They almost seem hostile.” Yeah. You are embarrassing me, go away.
But now I willingly thrust myself into that environment and I’m going to stay in it because now they’re my colleagues. Ha. I don’t mind terribly. They’re interesting people. I’m just being forced to embrace my foreign self more than I’m used to doing when I’m here in Japan.
It’s quite an ideal job though. I submit when I’m willing to work each month and the clients sign up for times on the website. I can work as much or as little as I please. I hope there are a lot of students, because I want to earn a lot. I’m also going to be teaching kids. I was relieved to hear that that’s also one-on-one, because one kid is easier to manage than a group. I just hope I can keep him/her happy.
Most of the lessons are “blue-booked”, meaning that the client chooses the instructor based on prior experience or maybe just the profile and ten-second video on the website. I wonder how appealing mine is. It was quite awkward taking it, I hate those situations. It was funny to imagine weird videos though; for example the stereotypical American who came to Japan for the anime and maids and whatever else, and now finds that he still needs money to live on in his fantasy country. So he somehow manages to get a job with Gaba, and in his profile video belts out, “Konichiwa! My name is Bob Smith, I’m an otaku! I love Japan!!” And I imagine him doing the awesome Andy “I love Japan!!” face which involves him rolling his eyes back and…you know, better than me trying to explain it would be simply showing you. Here. Enjoy.
Like I said, he’s awesome. I don’t think he’ll mind me shooting him a little traffic, although maybe yes if I’m acquiring all sorts of creepy readers. Which I don’t think is the case, seeing as my daily view count is still in the single digits.
So now I have a job and will soon have a (presumably) stable source of income, but I’m still curious about making money with a blog. I figure it’s only a matter of time before word gets out about this, and then I’ll hardly know what to do with all the traffic. I hope you know me well enough by now to understand just how seriously I believe that sentence.
I was looking into putting ads on blogs, and I haven’t looked very far, but it seems to be very simple. I’ve also heard that you need at least a hundred views daily to start making money. Any thoughts on that? Yes, I know that I could just find a blog on that very topic, but I’m giving you a chance to speak up. Actually that’s wrong, you’ve had that chance ever since you stumbled onto this little waste pile of cognition. Now I’m giving you the invitation.
And everything is of course so much brighter now that I have a job coming. I can enjoy life. I can open my shutters and breathe in the sunlight. I can also get back to studying Japanese, because that test is closer than ever and I have so much left to study.
I have a lot of things I want to write to you about but it will have to wait because I’m still busy. I’ve worn a suit every day for the past three days – but I need to get used to it, because with Gaba’s dress code I’ll likely be wearing a suit six days a week from now on. I want to buy a suit rather than borrow my dad’s forever. I wonder if they have my size here, if it won’t be astronomically expensive, and if it will look cool.
Study time.
-Grant
