Yet another "Eikaiwa is going down the shitter"art

[senseiman]

This from the Japan Times:

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/ ... 328zg.html

I think this is one of the better articles I've read recently. A lot of it is repetitive of stuff in other articles we've been discussing in other threads, but this one has some interesting interviews. Any thoughts?

[SamhainP8]

It sure seems like a grim future if you have long term goals here.

Doesn’t really mean all that much for those who come for a year and what not for the experience and a bit of a lark, except that you won’t be taking bugger all cash back home . If cash was your number one motivation then you can still get heaps of good private work if your willing to put in the effort.

I’ll do my year and a half party stint with the bunny and then move back home. Once back home I’m planning on doing some post-grad stuff in Japanese and Agricultural Business and maybe in the future end up back here on a semi-permanent basis with one of the big Aus export companies (Beef, seafood etc.).

I can’t see any stable long term future here in the ‘teaching’ industry. But there are always exceptions, it depends on your expectations, goals and motivation.

[MsCocoa]

Owans got it dead wrong about foreigners rights in Japan. We have ALWAYS had them, it's just that foreigners weren't as aware of their rights as they are now. I think this guy is being a little too dramatic in this article.

[Shawn]

I call BS on this article. It looks like the reporter went fishing for quotes and tried to string them together into something coherent. The article is held together by:

1. Phoenix Associates: Corporate eikaiwa is looking good.
2. A teacher who's been in eikaiwa since the 80s and is still in eikaiwa, but with a large school. He also seems to double as a comedian with this statement: "In the 1980s, I don't remember many teachers hurting for lack of work." (You mean there was tons of work during a massive economic expansion?! Unpossible!)
3. A reference to gaijinpot. Not a bad website, but people here love to quote the low, low salaries of the jobs posted there.
4. A veteran teacher who realizes that "genki" trumps qualifications.
5. The NUGW secretary who says people emigrate to Japan looking for good work. (he's not talking about jobs in eikaiwa, is he?)

So, eikaiwa is prettygoodsosonotallthattoobaditwasbetterbackinthedayandsucksbigtime?

[MsCocoa]

The Japan Times isn't known for it's stellar writing is it?
I've seen high school newspapers with better writing than this.

[senseiman]

The Japan Times isn't known for it's stellar writing is it?
I've seen high school newspapers with better writing than this.

Some of them aren't bad. I was interviewed for this one a couple of years ago after the writer contacted me through this site. I'm Sean in the article.

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/member/m ... 706zg.html

[Badboy]

The Japan Times isn't known for it's stellar writing is it?
I've seen high school newspapers with better writing than this.

Have to agree with you there. Many of the articles I've read I wouldn't use as toilet paper. The reason for the appalling content is because they're written by some Japanese person who thinks they've mastered the language. What they fail to understand is that language is not just about grammar and vocabularly but also cultural awareness. As long as Japanese people continue to see us as different and think differently they are going to speak(and write) English differently.