I definitely want to stay in Japan a while longer. for lots of reasons. below are my two favorite pictures of late. it's just beautiful here.
renewing with Ye Ol' Eikaiwa would, at the very least, allow me to renew my work visa.
any thoughts?
this was from my random wandering last weekend. I stumbled on a cherry blossom veiwing part in an ancient cemetary attended by people nearly as ancient. they looked really happy.
kamakura at sunset
in response to Jim's questions, I'm posting this in comments and in here. Here are some more details of the situation:
I'll start with the most important question on there:
Teaching is what I want to be doing.
there are lots of other jobs offered in the papers and I'm better qualified than most other canidates other than that my visa expires in August.
the worst thing that will happen with Ye Ol' Eikaiwa is I renew and leave is loosing my end of contract bonus. They can't throw me in jail, revoke my visa, or kick me out of the country. the end of contract bonus is at most about $500 and I have to give 4 months notice to qualify for it.
so renewing is really less of a new year commitment and more of a commitment to give 4 month's notice before quitting.
and finally: Ye Ol' Eikaiwa does not let me pick my students/schedule/ect because I have more senority. In fact it is still likely that my position will be elliminated and I will have to move to another school. at that point I will have NO CHOICE (and I checked on that particular face) where I'm placed. could be out of the Tokyo area. could be in the sticks up in Hokkaido. or could be a big top school in Tokyo. but I have no say in what happens.
I have good students and a good schedule now (15 kids classes, 14 adult classes, but out early 3 days a week). so I'm leaning toward renewing for all of them and if I get moved somewhere I don't want to go quitting and loosing my bonus.
yeah... so that's where I am.
5 comments:
Hi Kori,
So you are down to the last week of decision making? Are there any other concrete possiblilities to work in another company? Do you really want to work somewhere else? Can you get commitments? What would happen if you said yes to Geos and found something else between now and the next contract? Will they put you in jail? Do you lose money? I'm sure some people have to back out for all kinds of reasons.
Is teaching what you want to be doing? If so, are there other companies? Or is it something else that moves you?
Of course the safe thing, and perhaps the best thing, would be to stay with Geos. Since you have a year under your belt, will they let you pick schools, hours, courses, students?
If you are interested in teaching in another country, would Geos be a good place to stay for one more year and then they could place you somewhere else?
Lots of questions. One thing I would do is to stay still and listen for the answer. You know what it is. You just have to hear it.
love, jim
I'll start with the most important question on there:
Teaching is what I want to be doing.
there are lots of other jobs offered in the papers and I'm better qualified than most other canidates other than that my visa expires in August.
the worst thing that will happen with GEOS is I renew and leave is loosing my end of contract bonus. They can't throw me in jail, revoke my visa, or kick me out of the country. the end of contract bonus is at most about $500 and I have to give 4 months notice to qualify for it.
so renewing is really less of a new year commitment and more of a commitment to give 4 month's notice before quitting.
and finally: GEOS does not let me pick my students/schedule/ect because I have more senority. In fact it is still likely that my position will be elliminated and I will have to move to another school. at that point I will have NO CHOICE (and I checked on that particular face) where I'm placed. could be out of the Tokyo area. could be in the sticks up in Hokkaido. or could be a big top school in Tokyo. but I have no say in what happens.
I have good students and a good schedule now (15 kids classes, 14 adult classes, but out early 3 days a week). so I'm leaning toward renewing for all of them and if I get moved somewhere I don't want to go quitting and loosing my bonus.
yeah... so that's where I am.
Kori,
It does sound like staying at Geos until the bonus is what you are thinking. I might suggest that you get letters of recommendations from top guns before August so that you have many good references for any job in the future.
love, Jim
PS. sweeeettttteeeeessssss
Tiger and Minou are sleeping in their hotel after a long day of romping. They miss you.
Kori - hi sweetie!!!! Hope you're well! It sounds like you're enjoying your job as it stands now - you're just worried that they may send you elsewhere without notice. Is that right? If I were you, I'd look into teaching positions (since it sounds like you really enjoy teaching) with other companies (that might give you more notice/control/options) but stay with Geos for the time being. I don't know. That's probably what I would do though!
Kori, Jim and Elena and I have been talking about your dilemma! Are your ears burning? First of all, I'm so happy you have discovered teaching and your students have discovered you. You will always have that skill for the rest of your life. Since you have put so much into your teaching situation at Geos, I would agree with Jim & Elena that it might be a good idea to ride out your job as is - until the big change comes. At that point, whether it is before or after the August deadline, you can decide to give your 4 month notice - if the big change is something you don't like. I think Elena hit it on the head when she mentioned control - they say the most difficult jobs are the jobs that workers don't have control over their own destiny. So just go as far as you feel comfortable going and realize you have the power to quit at any time! We're behind you 100% - whatever you decide. All your students have been so fortunate to have you and you'll never know the effect you've had on them. Lifelong, I'm sure. Love Kiki
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