I never quite know how to react to stories about safety for EFL teachers. I have mixed feelings about advice coming from my own country, especially when it comes from people who have never traveled abroad and boils down to “it’s better not to go at all.”
However, I recently came across a remarkable story at Tesall.com, about a teacher on the JET program who survived a brutal attack and rape. On reason I think it is remarkable is because people rarely come forward with experiences like these – and I think the courage displayed here is one step in the long process of reducing the amount of violence against women in general and also the stigma unfortunately (and ridiculously) still sometimes attached to experiencing such violence. I also think it is remarkable because this young woman continued teaching in Japan after the assault – for two years. She says she had a fantastic time, and while she would not want to put anyone off the country, she advises potential teachers to “be aware of the dangers.”
Find the article here.
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Wow, that is a brutal account in the article.
This is a timely post, considering that Japan is undergoing a mini crime wave at the moment. Some are already predicting the end of “safe Japan”:
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20070520a1.html
While I think that’s a bit alarmist — and that Japan is still a remarkably safe society — it bears remembering that horrible things can happen everywhere. As the victim in the story above mentioned, it’s something ESL teachers should be aware of, but not necessarily a reason for them to stay home.
All good points jv – I don’t think I can add anything!
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