Just a quick one (and I got a job!)

The Yokohama school still hasn't call back for the second interview. I think that means they are not hiring me.

Or maybe I am just saying this to myself to feel better; as much as I like them, I need a job! Now! No more wishy-washy! So when I went up to Tochigi yesterday for my interview and they decided they like me, I signed my soul away.

At least for the year to come.

At first I did like what I saw: small classs (or they promised at first...), no blackboard, fun class with kids. Not that different from the Yokohama school in philosophy, right? So what have I got to lose?

There were a few, shall I say, yellow-flags, that flashed by me though. For example, the original salary offer was 255,000, but because I don't have a driver's license, they told me they will reduce my salary to 250,000.

Fine, I can see it makes life difficult for the roster-churners, because I can't cover classes that are not accessible by bus or JR. I am happy with that compromise.

So before I sign the contract, I read through it and asked the rijijo some specific questions. One clause says that I am not allowed to work outside this school. So I asked if I am allowed to offer language exchange -- i.e. I privately tutor English and receive Japanese lesson in return, but even that isn't allowed. Though, it's not very clear on the paper, I still don't see how they can stop me from doing it.

Another clause says that I must not have "any kind of relationship with their students or related members in private." Before I sign, rijijo told me that it's just to make sure foreigners christian don't try to force their believes onto their clients or their family by pressuring them into church services etc. After I sign the contract, rijijo spilled the ugly story of previous employee marrying a mother of one of the students, and the school facing angry husband complaining, plus the whole nine yard.

We continue to talk about working arrangements, living arrangements and so on. She (rijijo) is pleasant enough, I enjoyed talking to her and she is polite and hospitable, and not very imposing. But then she started telling me about all the gaijin she had hired in the past that are giving her headaches, including nosy gaijin, selfish gaijin, disobedient gaijin...

I am already starting to wonder, have I signed my soul to the devil? Or can I be so culturally sensitive that I turn myself into a cold (i.e. form no human-relationship with people I work with), altruistic, ask-no-question, obedient gaijin.

But what if I do? I will still be a gaijin.

-Lia