Am I being stupid turning this opportunity down?
I've been offered a job teaching English for a year in Japan but I'm considering turning it down.
I have already spent a year teaching English in china and whilst the experience of living abroad has been amazing and I think I would love Japan I just don't think my heart is in spending another year teaching English. I am going to apply for teach first so that I will hopefully have a job for next year.
I have wanted to be a doctor for a really long time so in the meantime I'm going to try and get work as a healthcare assistant and do that for the experience. But everyone is telling me I'm being stupid and I'm going to waste a year of my life and probably won't get into medicine anyway. I know this is a possibility and I also know that staying in the UK and working as a HCA won't be as fun as going to Japan. I also don't actually have a job yet.
My parents think I should go to to Japan and now I don't know what to do
I feel like it's now or never if I want to try and do something other than teaching. I'm 23 now and would be 24 by the time I got back. What should I do?
I have already spent a year teaching English in china and whilst the experience of living abroad has been amazing and I think I would love Japan I just don't think my heart is in spending another year teaching English. I am going to apply for teach first so that I will hopefully have a job for next year.
I have wanted to be a doctor for a really long time so in the meantime I'm going to try and get work as a healthcare assistant and do that for the experience. But everyone is telling me I'm being stupid and I'm going to waste a year of my life and probably won't get into medicine anyway. I know this is a possibility and I also know that staying in the UK and working as a HCA won't be as fun as going to Japan. I also don't actually have a job yet.
My parents think I should go to to Japan and now I don't know what to do
I feel like it's now or never if I want to try and do something other than teaching. I'm 23 now and would be 24 by the time I got back. What should I do?If you really want to be a doctor then you should start as soon as possible... But you should be 100% sure that is what you want to do!
If you prefer to continue teaching, than I would say take the opportunity. It will always be something unique in your CV that a lot of other people don't have, and will only benefit you in the future.
If you prefer to continue teaching, than I would say take the opportunity. It will always be something unique in your CV that a lot of other people don't have, and will only benefit you in the future.
I mean currently I'm as sure as I can be that medicine is what I want to do. But I am also aware of how ridiculously competitive it is and who knows, I might start working in a hospital and realise I hate it. I love travelling but I already have one year teaching english on my CV, I feel like 2 years if anything is just going to look likeI'm delaying 'real life' (which would be partly true)
Original post by flatmatesneeded12
I mean currently I'm as sure as I can be that medicine is what I want to do. But I am also aware of how ridiculously competitive it is and who knows, I might start working in a hospital and realise I hate it. I love travelling but I already have one year teaching english on my CV, I feel like 2 years if anything is just going to look likeI'm delaying 'real life' (which would be partly true)
What is your degree in?
Original post by flatmatesneeded12
I've been offered a job teaching English for a year in Japan but I'm considering turning it down.
I have already spent a year teaching English in china and whilst the experience of living abroad has been amazing and I think I would love Japan I just don't think my heart is in spending another year teaching English. I am going to apply for teach first so that I will hopefully have a job for next year.
I have wanted to be a doctor for a really long time so in the meantime I'm going to try and get work as a healthcare assistant and do that for the experience. But everyone is telling me I'm being stupid and I'm going to waste a year of my life and probably won't get into medicine anyway. I know this is a possibility and I also know that staying in the UK and working as a HCA won't be as fun as going to Japan. I also don't actually have a job yet.
My parents think I should go to to Japan and now I don't know what to do I feel like it's now or never if I want to try and do something other than teaching. I'm 23 now and would be 24 by the time I got back. What should I do?
I have already spent a year teaching English in china and whilst the experience of living abroad has been amazing and I think I would love Japan I just don't think my heart is in spending another year teaching English. I am going to apply for teach first so that I will hopefully have a job for next year.
I have wanted to be a doctor for a really long time so in the meantime I'm going to try and get work as a healthcare assistant and do that for the experience. But everyone is telling me I'm being stupid and I'm going to waste a year of my life and probably won't get into medicine anyway. I know this is a possibility and I also know that staying in the UK and working as a HCA won't be as fun as going to Japan. I also don't actually have a job yet.
My parents think I should go to to Japan and now I don't know what to do
I feel like it's now or never if I want to try and do something other than teaching. I'm 23 now and would be 24 by the time I got back. What should I do?Take the offer in Japan. When applying to medicine, they like to emphasise, 'it's not what you do, it's what you learnt'. Thus, if you just become a HCA for the sake of it,you will probably learn less.
If you have already done lots of work exp, go to Japan. It's what I'd do.
You should chase after what is meaningful in your life.
Original post by locomotive99
Take the offer in Japan. When applying to medicine, they like to emphasise, 'it's not what you do, it's what you learnt'. Thus, if you just become a HCA for the sake of it,you will probably learn less.
If you have already done lots of work exp, go to Japan. It's what I'd do.
If you have already done lots of work exp, go to Japan. It's what I'd do.
I mean, I don't really have any experience in healthcare, that's the problem. I would need to start getting some asap and working as a hca seems like the quickest and most efficient way of getting a lot of experience. I do really really want to go to Japan though so I'm really torn
Original post by flatmatesneeded12
I mean currently I'm as sure as I can be that medicine is what I want to do. But I am also aware of how ridiculously competitive it is and who knows, I might start working in a hospital and realise I hate it. I love travelling but I already have one year teaching english on my CV, I feel like 2 years if anything is just going to look likeI'm delaying 'real life' (which would be partly true)
No shame in delaying "real life", real life can suck and I'm sure you'll still have 40+ years to live. Which is the thing you believe you'd most likely regret? Probably Japan.
Original post by flatmatesneeded12
I mean, I don't really have any experience in healthcare, that's the problem. I would need to start getting some asap and working as a hca seems like the quickest and most efficient way of getting a lot of experience. I do really really want to go to Japan though so I'm really torn
Why can't you just apply for 1 or 2 weeks work exp. when you come back?
I graduated with a humanities degree and have very little experience so i dont think 2 weeks work experience is gonna cut it. Could try and get 3 months in between now and going to japan but still not great :/ i'm so conflicted!!!!
Original post by MJ1012
No shame in delaying "real life", real life can suck and I'm sure you'll still have 40+ years to live. Which is the thing you believe you'd most likely regret? Probably Japan.
I feel like i'm going to have regrets either way. Maybe i'd regret not going to japan but maybe in a few years when i'm teaching and not really enjoying it i'd regret not using this year to try to do something else :/
Original post by flatmatesneeded12
I graduated with a humanities degree and have very little experience so i dont think 2 weeks work experience is gonna cut it. Could try and get 3 months in between now and going to japan but still not great :/ i'm so conflicted!!!!
If you don't have a degree in medicine, I don't see how you can become a doctor as you're not qualified?
Original post by flatmatesneeded12
I've been offered a job teaching English for a year in Japan but I'm considering turning it down.
I have already spent a year teaching English in china and whilst the experience of living abroad has been amazing and I think I would love Japan I just don't think my heart is in spending another year teaching English. I am going to apply for teach first so that I will hopefully have a job for next year.
I have wanted to be a doctor for a really long time so in the meantime I'm going to try and get work as a healthcare assistant and do that for the experience. But everyone is telling me I'm being stupid and I'm going to waste a year of my life and probably won't get into medicine anyway. I know this is a possibility and I also know that staying in the UK and working as a HCA won't be as fun as going to Japan. I also don't actually have a job yet.
My parents think I should go to to Japan and now I don't know what to do I feel like it's now or never if I want to try and do something other than teaching. I'm 23 now and would be 24 by the time I got back. What should I do?
I have already spent a year teaching English in china and whilst the experience of living abroad has been amazing and I think I would love Japan I just don't think my heart is in spending another year teaching English. I am going to apply for teach first so that I will hopefully have a job for next year.
I have wanted to be a doctor for a really long time so in the meantime I'm going to try and get work as a healthcare assistant and do that for the experience. But everyone is telling me I'm being stupid and I'm going to waste a year of my life and probably won't get into medicine anyway. I know this is a possibility and I also know that staying in the UK and working as a HCA won't be as fun as going to Japan. I also don't actually have a job yet.
My parents think I should go to to Japan and now I don't know what to do
I feel like it's now or never if I want to try and do something other than teaching. I'm 23 now and would be 24 by the time I got back. What should I do?Japan is expensive, the whole point of teaching in East Asia is that the cost of living is cheap and you can save up.
I'm sorry but I will join the chorus of voices saying you'll never become a doctor. It's just too late and you haven't given any indication that you have anything like the right background. You could do it but I would guess you'd be writing off seven years of your life minimum on long hours and low pay.
Come home and do Teach First. It's a good scheme, the exit options are pretty good if you decide you hate teaching after all. And if you decide to stay in teaching in my view you'll have a more impressive background than 95% of other applicants and could easily rise to headteacher.
If you love the culture in Japan (I don't blame you if you do!) then do it or you'll regret it. But if you do then I would say you are going to have to do Teach First and at least run with the pretence of wanting to become a teacher. (But TF is like business school, in that you can reposition yourself for a "leadership" career outside teaching.)
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by Jophesxi
If you don't have a degree in medicine, I don't see how you can become a doctor as you're not qualified?
I would be looking to apply to graduate entry medicine which is a 4 year course but it is ridiculously competitive. with experience and a good score on the gamsat/ukcat test though it's not completely impossible though I am aware that it's a longshot
Original post by scrotgrot
Japan is expensive, the whole point of teaching in East Asia is that the cost of living is cheap and you can save up.
I'm sorry but I will join the chorus of voices saying you'll never become a doctor. It's just too late and you haven't given any indication that you have anything like the right background. You could do it but I would guess you'd be writing off seven years of your life minimum on long hours and low pay.
Come home and do Teach First. It's a good scheme, the exit options are pretty good if you decide you hate teaching after all. And if you decide to stay in teaching in my view you'll have a more impressive background than 95% of other applicants and could easily rise to headteacher.
If you love the culture in Japan (I don't blame you if you do!) then do it. But if you do then I would say you are going to have to do Teach First and at least run with the pretence of wanting to become a teacher. (But TF is like business school, in that you can reposition yourself for a "leadership" career outside teaching.)
I'm sorry but I will join the chorus of voices saying you'll never become a doctor. It's just too late and you haven't given any indication that you have anything like the right background. You could do it but I would guess you'd be writing off seven years of your life minimum on long hours and low pay.
Come home and do Teach First. It's a good scheme, the exit options are pretty good if you decide you hate teaching after all. And if you decide to stay in teaching in my view you'll have a more impressive background than 95% of other applicants and could easily rise to headteacher.
If you love the culture in Japan (I don't blame you if you do!) then do it. But if you do then I would say you are going to have to do Teach First and at least run with the pretence of wanting to become a teacher. (But TF is like business school, in that you can reposition yourself for a "leadership" career outside teaching.)
I know japan is expensive but i'm not going there to save money, if I wanted to save money I'd go back to china (where I also actually have a job offer for next year if I want it). I'm teaching abroad for the experience. I do actually quite like teaching and do want to do teach first and get qualified, the issue is I don't really see myself doing it for 50 years and I actually have no interest in becoming head of department or headteacher, it just seems like a lot of extra work and stress and paperwork when what I actually enjoy about teaching is actual teaching so I wouldn't really have any career progression in that job
I appreciate the opinions btw
I'm not obbsessed with japan like some people are or anything just think it would be a fairly cool place to live but at the same time i'd be workign for a private language company and i've heard the working culture is pretty brutal for not much pay which could definitely ruin my experience. My english teaching work in china was really relaxed and fun and I had plenty of time off and good hours and weekends off so that definitely improved my experience massively. In japan I'd be working mid afternoon to evenings and wouldn't have weekends off and I'd be lucky if I even had to consecutive days off in the week and I only get 10 days holiday a year :/
I'm not obbsessed with japan like some people are or anything just think it would be a fairly cool place to live but at the same time i'd be workign for a private language company and i've heard the working culture is pretty brutal for not much pay which could definitely ruin my experience. My english teaching work in china was really relaxed and fun and I had plenty of time off and good hours and weekends off so that definitely improved my experience massively. In japan I'd be working mid afternoon to evenings and wouldn't have weekends off and I'd be lucky if I even had to consecutive days off in the week and I only get 10 days holiday a year :/
Original post by scrotgrot
Japan is expensive, the whole point of teaching in East Asia is that the cost of living is cheap and you can save up.
I'm sorry but I will join the chorus of voices saying you'll never become a doctor. It's just too late and you haven't given any indication that you have anything like the right background. You could do it but I would guess you'd be writing off seven years of your life minimum on long hours and low pay.
Come home and do Teach First. It's a good scheme, the exit options are pretty good if you decide you hate teaching after all. And if you decide to stay in teaching in my view you'll have a more impressive background than 95% of other applicants and could easily rise to headteacher.
If you love the culture in Japan (I don't blame you if you do!) then do it or you'll regret it. But if you do then I would say you are going to have to do Teach First and at least run with the pretence of wanting to become a teacher. (But TF is like business school, in that you can reposition yourself for a "leadership" career outside teaching.)
I'm sorry but I will join the chorus of voices saying you'll never become a doctor. It's just too late and you haven't given any indication that you have anything like the right background. You could do it but I would guess you'd be writing off seven years of your life minimum on long hours and low pay.
Come home and do Teach First. It's a good scheme, the exit options are pretty good if you decide you hate teaching after all. And if you decide to stay in teaching in my view you'll have a more impressive background than 95% of other applicants and could easily rise to headteacher.
If you love the culture in Japan (I don't blame you if you do!) then do it or you'll regret it. But if you do then I would say you are going to have to do Teach First and at least run with the pretence of wanting to become a teacher. (But TF is like business school, in that you can reposition yourself for a "leadership" career outside teaching.)
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