Hi folks, thought I’d introduce myself. I’m a new life in Japan correspondent, Maex. Currently I’m still in the States, but that all changes next Tuesday when I hop on a plane and jet off to Japan and my new job as an english language instructor.
I’m going to be living in Kumamoto in the Kyushu province. So I’ll be down at the south end of things, in the sub-tropical area of Japan. I’ll be working with a company called Nova. They are one of the largest english schools in Japan, and teach conversational english. Instead of an ESL program, they help students develop their spoken english.
Once I move in and get things sorted, I’ll be able to get down to posting about life in Japan and post some pictures of the area where I’ll be living. I really don’t know what to expect, but I’ll be there for the next few years, so I’ll have plenty of time to adventure and tell you all about it! If you want to know more about me , read on!
A bit of background on me: I’m 23 and graduated from the University of Illinois just over a year ago with a B.S. in Chemistry (“…and you’re teaching english?” …yes, I am). I first took notice of jobs in Japan one summer when I saw an ad for Nova while I was riding the subway in Chicago. Having watched anime and read manga for a few years I had developed an interest in Japan and was intrigued by the possibility of working in Japan. After doing some research into english schools in Japan, I found there were five major programs/companies: Nova, AEON, GEOS, JET and Berlitz. The JET program is a little different; instead of conversational english, you are embedded in a school district and work more directly with the Japanese school system. Eventually, I decided on Nova and began their interview process. A fair bit of paperwork and a few months later, here I am, ready to ship off for Japan and whatever awaits me!
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