I read an interesting article today about culture shock for foreign English teachers working in Japan. The author was a little bit negative, but it was a very interesting article. So I thought I’d share some of what I learned with you! :)

The article said that basically for any westerner, moving all the way to Japan can be quite a shock. The culture of the Japanese is so different and difficult for many westerners to get used to. For English teachers in Japan, it can especially difficult having a Japanese boss and people surrounding you at work who have very different values than you do. The author said that the culture shock in this situation can leaving the new expat feeling overwhelmed with isolation, disillusionment and paranoia.

He continues to explain where these feelings come from and says where much of the expats stress comes from. Hes says that the fact that foreigners who come to Japan to teach English must depend on their Japanese bosses to give them their visas for work, their salary and in many cases their housing it really makes you feel dependant on someone else. I personally could see how this would be incredibly uncomfortable in some cases because when your used to being so independent, you are jumping into a situation where you are like a child again…learning how to function in a new world.

I have never been to Japan, but the author of one article that I read described it as, “beautiful, interesting, yet daunting country for the newcomer.” She says that it can be one of the toughest things you ever do in your life. For one example of how challenging it can be for a person one author said that a new English teacher from a foreign country arriving in Japan must learn to read three alphabets just to read their pay check.

I read that paranoia is a very common symptom of culture shock for many people all around the world. The reasons for that, the experts say, are because you do not understand what is going on around you (with the culture and with the language too). Because of this it many times can cause people to become isolated in their new countries and that leads to even more paranoia. Of course this applies to people moving to Japan to teach English too.

I read about one person who was an English teacher in Japan, and she said that to deal with the stress, many westerners just complain all the time about everything. But I can really understand (as an expat myself) how much time it takes and how difficult it can be to get used to your new culture.

If your interested in going to Japan to be an English teacher, you can be prepared for the working hours are very similar to North Americas public school hours. A normal full time job usually involves short shifts and you usually end up working between 20-25 hours a week (which I know back in the US is only part-time!).

For anyone interested in looking for a job teaching English in Japan, a quick google search on the internet can provide you with many options! I think it sounds exciting and would be something great to try for anyone with the inspiration to go.

The culture shock of moving to another country is always a challenge. But in my personal opinion…as an expat myself, it is worth going through the stress of culture shock to see the beauty in your new home!

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