Dude, You're trying too hard...

[TAG Manager]

For privacy reasons, I can't say exactly where I am...

But, I'm in a office building, on the B1F level sitting in a cafe and of course it's full because it's lunch time. There are two people behind me, some overly confident white dude and an average looking Japanese girl. She's apparently getting an English lesson from him. To his credit, he's wearing a suit and she's dressed in business attire.

It's definitely a English lesson based on the context of this dude's dialogue and the fact that he's talking so damn loudly. Can't help but not hear what he's going on about.

He's trying too hard... for what I guess is to impress this girl he's with, using some English romance terms while hitting back on the real business English that they are supposed to be working on (my guess). She's keeping her distance, but he tends to lean in close to her at times.

She wants to bolt, I think. It's kind of cringe-worthy. He's narcissistic, everything is about him and what he's done and how nobody in Japan does it right.

Choking right now.

 

[TheScientist]

When the dancing monkey has romeo delusions!

 

[MikeH]

So what you are saying it's business as usual in the life of an English teacher in Tokyo?

 

[TAG Manager]

So what you are saying it's business as usual in the life of an English teacher in Tokyo?

No. I'm not.

I've met professional teachers that keep it professional.

This guy is a joke... he doesn't know how to keep it professional and it certainly sounds like he doesn't know boundaries.

 

[MikeH]

I've met professional teachers that keep it professional.

Yeah, it's the 90% minority that ruins it for everyone.

 

[TAG Manager]

Yeah, it's the 90% minority that ruins it for everyone.

Did you write that correctly? The minority can't be 90%.

 

[MikeH]

Did you write that correctly? The minority can't be 90%.

 

[jhingy567]

They aren't all like that.
Often at a library in Australia, Im near a white guy giving young Japanese and Chinese girls English lessons for IELTS.
From what I see, he is always professional. Even refusing to start the lesson once because the girl was short on money. (she had to go to ATM)

 

[MikeH]

They aren't all like that.

In my experience in central Tokyo; yeah, most of the ones that are giving lessons in cafes are.

Obviously there is a selection bias there as you tend to notice only the loudest ones.

 

[Frenchy]

So what you are saying it's business as usual in the life of an English teacher in Tokyo?

Oh that's mean! But to be honest I would love to watch that scene!

 

[MikeH]

Oh that's mean! But to be honest I would love to watch that scene!

I don't think you need to hang out in any centrally located Starbucks too long to catch one of them. Better bring your own coffee though, as they serve only some overpriced sugared whipped creams over there.

 

[Frenchy]

I don't think you need to hang out in any centrally located Starbucks too long to catch one of them. Better bring your own coffee though, as they serve only some overpriced sugared whipped creams over there.

Yeah, i boycott Starbucks , but for this show I may make an exception

 

[TAG Manager]

Yeah, i boycott Starbucks , but for this show I may make an exception

I've seen them everywhere... Mac, Starbucks, Doutor, Excelsior, Tully's and every other variation of cafe out there.

And the boycotting Starbucks thing, so many people say that just like they do about Mac but yet they have the longest lines to get drinks/food compared to other chains in the same area. I call BS on some of this boycotting mentality.

 

[Frenchy]

I've seen them everywhere... Mac, Starbucks, Doutor, Excelsior, Tully's and every other variation of cafe out there.

And the boycotting Starbucks thing, so many people say that just like they do about Mac but yet they have the longest lines to get drinks/food compared to other chains in the same area. I call BS on some of this boycotting mentality.

I have no politically motivated reason to boycott them, I just dont like their coffee in general. I actually prefer the coffee selection of the day at Doutor. But we digress.

Hey Chris, did the lesson end already? I have a sudden desire to brush up my english with this guy

 

[TAG Manager]

Hey Chris, did the lesson end already? I have a sudden desire to brush up my english with this guy

I left. I've got better things to do.
I also seemed to have lost my appetite again today for some reason.

I have no politically motivated reason to boycott them, I just dont like their coffee in general. I actually prefer the coffee selection of the day at Doutor. But we digress.

I only visit Starbucks regularly on a date as an option to have a place to sit and chat OR when the holiday drinks come out at the end of November.

Doutor is fine for a small lunch and tea but for real coffee, I prefer a traditional, classic style coffee shop where everything is done manually. None of this machine made crap... real beans, grounded for the purpose of making my coffee exactly how I want it.

 

[Frenchy]

I left. I've got better things to do.
I also seemed to have lost my appetite again today for some reason.


I only visit Starbucks regularly on a date as an option to have a place to sit and chat OR when the holiday drinks come out at the end of November.

Doutor is fine for a small lunch and tea but for real coffee, I prefer a traditional, classic style coffee shop where everything is done manually. None of this machine made crap... real beans, grounded for the purpose of making my coffee exactly how I want it.

Yes, I totally get that, but they are getting rate unfortunately. I love the shops run by old coffee otakus , which havent changed for decades

 

[warubuta]

I have no politically motivated reason to boycott them, I just dont like their coffee in general. I actually prefer the coffee selection of the day at Doutor. But we digress.

Hey Chris, did the lesson end already? I have a sudden desire to brush up my english with this guy

All us old hands like Doutor. If I could have back all the money I spent in Doutor over the years, I could buy a fucking coffee plantation in Jamaica or Columbia.

 

[vargas]

I've met professional teachers that keep it professional.

This guy is a joke... he doesn't know how to keep it professional and it certainly sounds like he doesn't know boundaries.

LOL I’ve seen plenty of that too. Though I’ve also met quite a lot of girls who use “learning English” as an excuse to meet foreign guys. I guess it’s more deniable than using tinder or whatever?

 

[Durg50]

LOL I’ve seen plenty of that too. Though I’ve also met quite a lot of girls who use “learning English” as an excuse to meet foreign guys. I guess it’s more deniable than using tinder or whatever?

Thats my experience too. language exchanges where I genuinely wanted to study but the girl showed up with no intention of helping me with my Japanese and just wanted to arrange future dates.

 

[MikeH]

Thats my experience too. language exchanges where I genuinely wanted to study but the girl showed up with no intention of helping me with my Japanese and just wanted to arrange future dates.

Poor you that must have been terrible. Hope it didn't leave lifelong scars.

I think I need to get to teaching again.

 

[Hofmeyer]

Speaking of, I'm moving there soon and will have my day off in the middle of the week more or less. Thinking of making some extra cash doing lessons, any idea on a good rate? I searched but all I found was a reddit thread where angry people swear that if you're not charging at least 5k an hour you're a hopeless fool. I'm looking to pad my income not live off it so I doubt I need to charge that much, but how much is too low and it looks suspicious?

 

[just4fun]

I wouldn't go less than 3000 per hour unless it's multiple hours. You can also try and get them to pay for a month in advance

 

[Sudsy]

Did you write that correctly? The minority can't be 90%.

 

[Frenchy]

I wouldn't go less than 3000 per hour unless it's multiple hours. You can also try and get them to pay for a month in advance

Sigh... look at how much the honorable profession of eigo no sensei is making per hour, compared to them ladies of ill repute... even just for their social time. Life is so unfair .

 

[warubuta]

Sigh... look at how much the honorable profession of eigo no sensei is making per hour, compared to them ladies of ill repute... even just for their social time. Life is so unfair .

this would be an interesting global economic metric worthy of the last page in the Economist. how many hours does an English teacher need to work to fuck a local prostitute in various markets around the world? Tokyo: 4 hours. Bangkok:?