So assuming there's some truth to the stats, I'm wondering whether you, Dear Reader in Japan, would be willing to answer some questions:
- Are you an expat?
- Are you amused by higher education in the states?
- Are you invigorated by Cal's nutty vidshizzles?
- What do you think of President Trump?
- Do you wish you could immigrate to the U.S. to work at a tertiary school here?
- Do you read this blog from home or at your office?
- What's the worst thing about being a proffie in Japan?
- What's the best thing about being a proffie in Japan?
- What do think U.S. proffies take for granted?
- What do you think U.S. proffies are generally ignorant about?
- What did I forget to ask?
Feel free to comment or email me. I wonder whether or not anyone will respond.
Your Real Gosh-darned Moderator,
Zooze (the Horse)
FWIW: Approximately 25% of the hits come from outside the U.S., and it seems that they're mostly human lurkers (as opposed to non-human bots/spiders/crawlers).
ReplyDelete20-25%
DeleteSomething like that.
Graciously sent in from a regular reader in Japan who wishes to remain anonymous:
ReplyDelete1. Kind of. I have the chance (or legal right) to live / work in a number of countries, including Japan. Currently thinking about where to retire, and it’s good to have a choice, but sad that some of them are less attractive than before. Let’s just say that recent elections haven’t gone the way I might’ve hoped.
2. Not at all. We have our problems here, but nothing like the situation surrounding student loans, for example. Having said that, 10-15 years down the line, things may be very similar to the UK now or even the US.
3. Sure, why not? CM makes me feel connected to the rest of the world, and we host US students from a number of institutions. Vidshizzles are often an eye-opener for me.
4. Pretty much the same as many readers. Nothing good to say about him from an international perspective, unfortunately.
5. Nope. I’ve traveled a lot, and who knows what immigration would make of my passport.
6. Both. I wish RYS, CM, and now Zooze’s green pastures weren’t necessary to get through the working day, but they are. I could be fired if I made a local version, I believe.
7. Probably depends on the institution, but meetings are pretty bad. There’s a hierarchical structure that takes some getting used to.
8. Too many to list, but here are some that spring to mind:
Adjuncts are pretty well looked after.
There’s nobody without decent health insurance (instructors or students). As a full-time worker, spouses and kids are fully covered (not only for proffies, of course) and the private college pension fund is generous and includes spouses who don’t work full time.
Never had a grade questioned.
A campus shooting is unimaginable.
9. Can’t think of anything. I have colleagues from around the world, and regular visitors from many places including the US. Many of my own best teachers were from the States, or worked there a long time.
10. The proffies are great. Some of the students we host are away from home for the first time, and (especially if you can’t read Japanese) this can be a tough place to come for a young person.
11. Don’t think so, but if readers have questions, I’ll do what I can to answer them.