Are you feeling stuck teaching English in Japan? Are you feeling like you’re living in a dead end job and struggling to find your way out? Do you feel overwhelmed by the job market and unsure of what to do next? Are you facing challenges as a black woman in Japan, struggling to build a real life and find community? Are you considering quitting and going back home but scared of not having any other options?
#TeachingInJapan #LivingAbroad #JobMarketStruggles #BlackWomanInJapan #LifeChallenges #FindingPurpose #MakingDecisions
Feeling Trapped Teaching English?
– Struggling to Find Fulfillment
– Overwhelmed by Job Market
– Facing Challenges in Japan as a Black Woman
Searching for Solutions
– Considering Going Back Home
– Exploring Other Career Paths
– Seeking Support and Guidance
Don’t Give Up
– You’re Not Alone
– There Are Options and Opportunities
– Taking Steps Towards a Brighter Future
By “putting an end to this” do you mean suicide?? Please do not do this! Obviously you need to change your situation, there are bound to be options. Have you looked into other countries you could move to? What about studying again? It can be a way in to a country and also make you more employable. Japan is not somewhere with lots of options for foreigners, you should look at English speaking countries, including smaller wealthier countries in Europe that you might not realise are so friendly to English speakers, eg Netherlands and Nordic countries. Do you have savings? If not, start saving as much as you can, and start making a plan. If you have something to aim for, it won’t seem so hopeless.
Perhaps most importantly, look FORWARDS, not backwards. Don’t think about mistakes you may have made, you cannot change them now. Don’t fall for the sunk costs fallacy.
I’m going to go out on a limb and say not many people here can comment on Japanese employment. You might find a lot more useful assistance in Japan-focused subs.
My friend, everything is gonna be alright, trust me. Search for personal assistant jobs
Why dont u just date and marry a Japanese man there? Arent there a ton of japanese men there that cant find a relationship and are looking? I saw on the news that Japan has one of the lowest birth rates for a country, so i figure there are many eligible singles there. Just try going for it! Lots of men there want affection and cant get any so i think you have a good chance there. Also dont go trying to only hook up with the hot supermodel japanese looking men and look for average guys w a good personality. Make the most of it while you are there!
Have you looked into possibilities? I often watch Japanese-Nigerian Youtuber, Jesseogn. He meets and interviews a lot of interesting people including other black individuals who are living in Japan and seem to live a decent life.
One thing about careers in general, is it’s a misconception when people say, “Good things come for those who wait”. It only happens if you meet people, and build a network, and opportunities can come from anywhere.
You have a degree and teaching experience. Try applying to international schools outside of Japan. Either going to South East Asia or maybe some international school in Europe or Latin America. Not just teaching English but an actual teacher at an International school such as International school of Bangkok or Singapore American School. Like those. You’ll get paid significantly more than just teaching English.
Don’t worry, it’s a hard moment but it’s worth it.
I’m living in Japan too and while I don’t have the same experience as you I know to some extent how it feels there to be considered a complete stranger and ostracized. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you want to talk about it. You don’t have to be alone in this.
I hope you are still saving for retirement while you are there.
I changed careers in my mid thirties. I went to nursing school and earned new software. It’s never too late
Detroit has lots of people like you.
The world is better with you in it.
Seems like someone educated and multi lingual like you has lots of options; you’re probably just not thinking about them yet.
These two popped into my head:
Tourism to Japan is super popular right now, could you make YouTube videos and Japan in your spare time?
Could you work as a tour guide for English speakers?
There’s a bunch of black weebs in America now.  I feel like there’s a niche to be carved out somehow. But that would be a self employed route.
I would take this for the life experience it was and move on. You’ll always have lived in Japan and that’s pretty cool. One day you’ll realize this period in your life gave you wisdom and perspective that most people who never leave their country don’t have.
But as you obviously very well know at this point, trying to live in Japan as an outsider – a black woman no less – is fucking brutal. 30 is young. Plot your next step in life and move on.Â
I feel like if you became a vlogger people would be interested in hearing about your experiences in Japan
I mean you probably know japanese pretty well living in japan right? Why not start looking for a role thats focused on cultural advocacy or outreach within your home country? I know japanese is a super hard language to learn so ur embassy could use some help. Dont give up.
Is your Japanese good? Are you N1-N2? You could move to the US and apply for jobs as a bilingual English- Japanese speaker. I only have N3 on my resume (still haven’t gone back for a higher cert) and get occasional recruiter calls. It’s usually just normal office work for a Japanese company paying like 40-50k. Not the best, but definitely an option if you have the language skills.
Hey OP, I haven’t worked in Japan, but I taught ESL in China for about as long as you and got out when Covid blocked me out of the country.
Do you have a teaching degree? What certs do you have?
I found some room to climb the chain by learning the language, networking my way into Chinese circles, and getting into curriculum development. I had also gotten into the Beijing stand-up comedy scene with some of my Chinese friends, one of whom has actually pivoted to stand-up full-time now.
Once covid killed my career, I was able to apply the skills I gained from learning Mandarin to getting into software engineering.
Been working as a software engineer for almost 3 years now.
Navigating out of the “dead-end” feeling in ESL isn’t a clear-cut path, but there are reasonable entries into other careers if you’re willing to think outside the box a bit.
I treasured my time teaching. I come from a family of teachers, and it was genuinely one of the things I still pride myself on. I wasn’t ready to leave the field when I had to, but sometimes global events have different ideas for one’s path in life.
I know this might be easier said than done, but once you start viewing your teaching years as an asset you can leverage instead of a dead-end job, you might start seeing opportunities open up where you might not have previously seen them.
Best of luck to you.
My friend did the JET program and taught in English in Japan for a few years. He came back to the states and ended up teaching at an inner city school in Chicago for a few years, which was also very tough. He now teaches science in Washington DC, and it’s more or less his dream job! It sounds like you are not from the U.S., but this country is in desperate need of good teachers!
You are young and have options. I taught English in Japan in my late 20s and went on to earn two graduate degrees and shifted into a research-related career. I have friends from my teaching days who went on to earn their teaching credentials, another went into school administration, and another few went into human resources. As others have mentioned, you can also look into teaching English in other countries. Have you considered doing a graduate degree in Japan while you teach or on a scholarship? Japan does offer some pretty good scholarships for foreign students, and there are universities that offer degrees taught in English. Don’t worry about having spent 5 years teaching. Instead, focus on creating a plan.