Gruezi mettenand,

I'm a Swiss guy whose parents thought it was a great idea to move Australia 10 years ago. I now agree that it was, too, since my English has reached a level that has become rather native-like

I've been teaching English for 2 years near Nagoya, Japan, for a large Berlitz-like conversation school chain called AEON, and am now considering returning. I'm doing an MA in Applied Linguistics after work with UNE in Australia via distance ed. and will finish in a year. I'd be returning at around this time next year and am now looking around for what kind of employment is out there for a Swiss citizen with an Australian and a Swiss passport who has near-perfect command of Swiss-German, German and English and can communicate reasonably well in French, has an MA in Linguistics and 2.5 years of teaching experience. I'm about to post this in the employment section.

whadup!?

Greeting Gautsch,

Welcome to the EF CH forum mate.

How did you like Australia in your 10 years there?

Take care,
Sharmal (from Brisbane.... moving to Lausanne).

thanks!

well, out of those 10 i only actually spent
6 there, but those were great. I lived in Sydney for 3.5 years and in cawongla (near nimbin!) for about 2.5...i did my celta up in brisvegas and i must say it's great! i really do like australia...i'm now contemplating on where to go. my options are oz, switzerland or the states (seattle, my gf's hometown)

おはいようございますガウチさん！

I'm sorry I didn't welcome you earlier (I barely have time to keep tabs on the threads I've recently answered).

Our positions are strangely reversed. You are in Japan and would like to return to Switzerland, I am in Switzerland but would rather be in Japan (but not teaching English though!)

We've also both lived for part of our lives in Sydney. As odd as it may sound to some, my time in Sydney gave me a strange sense of familiarity when I was in Japan (you may understand what I'm talking about).

I just returned from a month in Japan a few weeks ago. My thoughts are often there...

Welcome to the forum!

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こんばんわマークさん。よろしくお願いします！
だいじょぶですよ！

admins are busy people.

how funny! that is quite a strange reversal. what's your j-connection? what makes you wanna come back here? it is a great country to live in and the food is amazing..definitely better than in Switzerland I give you that. I think that the the two countries are very similar though. Both have train, punctuality and cleanliness fetishes, think they are great, also fear ACs, are a little narrow-minded, isolated islands (Switzerland metaphorically at least) etc. I often think that I'm living in the Switzerland of Asia.

Welcome Gautsch!

I am stuck between the two at the moment. The novelty value of Switzerland hasn't quite worn off yet, but Japan is still attractive. I totally understand Mark's aversion to english teaching. It seems the only career available for most gaijins.

By the way Mark, haven't you broken your own rules on languages here?

Not really, just saying hello, and this is the introduction area. The language rules are designed to help people communicate important concepts (like the names of departments / things) in Switzerland using a common language (English)

You are right, except Japan scores more highly for me on almost all those counts. Trains: much better in Japan (and cheaper), punctuality: about the same, cleanliness: Japan beats Switzerland hands down there - I find Switzerland very dirty compared to Japan, especially when it comes to littering with cigarette butts (Japan takes this seriously, Switzerland does not). The narrow-mindedness - yes - unfortunately there are some things that really bug me about Switzerland that are the same or in some cases much worse in Japan. But Japan does have more of an excuse for being an island and not mixing with their neighbours - they are a huge nation surrounded by water!

But the things that do it for me in Japan are the food (cheap!) and the way that people are so polite and service is friendly. Crime is low (as in REALLY low, especially compared to Switzerland). I love the conveniences that living in a modern, consumer-orientated society offers and I really miss that. The fact that the country seems to have been totally taken over by hello kitty also has significant humour value.

I'm surprised by your aircon comment. Everywhere I went had aircon, every train, every home, every office. Unlike Zurich, I don't think there is a law FORBIDDING you from installing a fixed aircon installation in a building.

Of course, I may be looking at Japan with the same rose-coloured glasses that many outsiders look at Switzerland with. I've never actually lived there. I can see that the stress of daily life is extreme if you are unlucky enough to get caught in the rat race.

I love the way their vending machines never reject a coin, the machines in the train station take notes up to the equivalent of a 100 franc note, you can put the note in whichever way you want, AND you get the change back in notes as well as coins!

And of course it's (almost) a CHAV free zone! (at least that's how it seemed to me).

This could be a funny thread, Japan fans might come out of the woodwork

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But I love teaching! Maybe it's got something to do with not being a native speaker and having a lot more patience etc. but I really do think I've found my calling. Working at an eikaiwa (conversations school) is fun but far from lucrative..am getting sick of being poor..and as for cheap food...yes, it can be affordable and is cheaper than switzerland, but it's still far from cheap. japan is the world's 2nd most expensive country (after norway) and i'm making 3000 CHF a month..not exactly raking it in. a 'kanti' teacher in switzerland easily makes 3-4x that, hence my interest.

i think i'm also looking at switzerland through rose-colored glasses. i'm always nostalgic about it until i live there again for a few months, without a job, money or perspective, which is usually what happens when i try to make it in the ol' country. as far as cleanliness goes...i think they're about the same. being swiss, i don't really notice the dirt..it's like not seeing the grime in your own bathroom (which i don't, according to my gf

true, but switzerland never tried to dominate any of its surrounding countries. it's a peaceful nation, something that japan should be..a bit worried about that in the future, with abe-chan getting all excited about revising the pacisfist constitution etc. i like the peacefulnes of switzerland, despite the Foedliboerger and Toepflischisser (two awesome terms, i might add, who are despised by swiss and non-swiss alike and give switzerland the negative petty image that everyone is complaining. it's what prompted me to open a 'Informationsstelle' in the complaints-corner [which has since been moved] anyways..

yes it does! although the whole kawaii thing REALLY gets on your nerves after a while. EVERYTHING has to be cute here! amusing at first, then irritating. now i'm fairly indifferent i guess, even start to like it again. if you ever find my flickr page, you'll find some prime examples

they are ubiquitous but people still don't trust them. it's kind of weird like that..

yep

yes, but they are power-wasting beasts. in winter, every vending machine on every corner on every island in japan will dispense hot and cold drinks and be lit up brightly all night long. i'm sure there's about 2 nuclear reactors running here just to feed the buggers.

hai! come out!

Hi Gautsch

Funny that my first post here is to say hi to someone from Japan!! I have been here (Japan) for the past 7 years working in Tokyo and living in Yokahama, but I now have one foot back home already. Half our stuff has gone back, including my wife and our pets (3 dogs and a cockatoo!) and I'm out of here at the end of September. Still have my "Sayonara" tour of customers to do....much Sake I should imagine, some bad singing and who knows what else....

スヌーピさん！7 years in 日本..I'm impressed. How did you do it? I love it here, but that's still quite an achievement. I'll be leaving in November. What was your job here? Have fun on your sayonara tour!

Hi Gautsch!

Not quite sure how we managed actually! I am in the marine propulsion business and Japan is a big player in that field, so it has been an interesting place to be. There are some things that I will miss (those Toto loos or getting a Diet Coke without having to apply for a mortgage) and many that I can't wait to be rid of (those guttural throat cleaning excercises or the last train from Tokyo to Yokohama, or its occupants anyhow!).

It's been fun. I have met some great people and had a good time, but it's time to come home.

Ki o tsukete kudasai!

Snoopy