Recording summary · June 2021
My Racist Experience Teaching English in Japan
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Overview
Daniel attempted to live in Japan by teaching English, but encountered frequent rejections from schools and private students because his appearance did not fit Japanese expectations of a native English speaker.
Following periods of underemployment in service jobs, Daniel lived rent-free with a woman met through Tinder in exchange for English lessons until she asked him to vacate for another English speaker.
Themes
Difficulty securing English teaching positions in Japan due to student and school preferences regarding teacher appearances.
Experiences with private tutoring website trials and early cancellations by prospective students.
Employment disparities between Daniel and white foreign acquaintances at the guesthouse.
Underemployment at Lawson and in a kitchen, followed by leaving conventional employment.
Cohabitation with an English learner from Tinder and the dissolution of the arrangement.
Developments
A private tutoring student departed and cancelled her lesson ten minutes after meeting Daniel.
Daniel worked for a few months at a convenience store and in a kitchen before leaving the positions.
Daniel relocated into a woman's one-room apartment under an agreement to provide English instruction in exchange for rent-free accommodation.
Daniel's partner announced plans to meet a Canadian named Gareth, asked Daniel to move out, and Daniel left the apartment.
Uncertainties & gaps
The precise reason why the private tutoring student cancelled her session ten minutes into the lesson is undetermined.