我慢検定、1級 (Patience Test, Level 1)

I'm still in the process of figuring out what to do next year, and as always, the most difficult part is taking the step towards something.

This week, I've been considering applying to JR (Japan Railway) East to try and procure a job that would have some relationship with what I want to do in school next (transport). While it doesn't seem to be what I'm looking for, I've found out some interesting things about Japanese jobs in my research.

I was going to apply to be part of the "Green" staff (nothing to do with being "eco"), which consists of doing four jobs at four locations: ticket counter, ticket entrance, information kiosk, and travel bureau division. Looking through the job description, I saw that a new employee might have to switch spots up to 4 times in one year. This doesn't come as a surprise as most Japanese companies have you work multiple places to be a more rounded worker. For me, I thought, "Oh! I'd be useful in an information role, especially since there are usually plenty of foreigners lost in the labyrinthine stations in Tokyo!" Optimistically, I plowed my way through the online application. But as I continued on, I started to get disheartened at how poor of a candidate I was turning out to be. Under the qualifications section, there were several boxes for different kinds of certification for service positions. One that particularly stood out was the "サービス接遇検定," or "service and reception test, level 2." I knew about tests for levels of academic subjects, but...service? What is it based on? How big your smile is? How much keigo (super-polite language) you can pack in one sentence?

...so I looked into it. It is a test (split into written and interview sections) on how to react to different situations in a workplace, for example, what you shouldn't say to a regular at a coffee shop who says, "This coffee tastes a little different than it usually does!" (The answer is: "It's the same as usual, might it be your imagination?")

So without any qualifications, I'm letting the application sit in my browser, collecting digital dust.
But, I'm not feeling too down. Going through this way is the method other Japanese people will use, and Japanese is a category in which I don't quite belong. My next option would be to inquire directly, which I'm going to work on later this week.

One more interesting point about the job is the pay, specifically the bonus. If you haven't heard about Japan, bonuses are high. Foreign teachers don't get them, but the people that do get almost a significant boost twice a year or one lump sum based on performance and attendance. In this job, the base is so-so (180000￥ a month), but the bonus per year is...well... (~700000￥) The more smile lines, the more you bank.

Getting a position outside of the education field is a huge challenge in Japan (part of why I want to do it), but red tape and knowing I'll probably have to work 25 hours a day are the major turn offs. That, and knowing that there are tons of tests out there that I should take if I want a specific job. The only ones I hold now are frustration with Japan, 2級, and indecision, 1級. And what does that get me?

A job teaching English at a Japanese school.