申込 Challenge #4: 書留 and Price

Nearly all applications have a common set of requests regarding how you send them to the university. 1) They ask you to write application-specific information about the contents 朱書 (in red). Almost all (but not all) end this with 在中. With only one exception they either ended with　書類在中 or 書類. For kicks, I always threw on the 在中 . I think there are two purposes for this: (1) it helps the post office know what you are sending. (2) It probably helps the administrative staff at the university know what to do with these packages.

Now onto the more annoying (and expensive) feature common to applications. In Japan, you are not allowed to walk over an application. On the one hand, I get that -- you shouldn't be trying to schmooze up the faculty and waste their time. On the other hand, the Japanese solution I don't quite get. This is that you need to send applications by registered mail (書留). The problem is that this makes applications expensive. The price to mail one approaches 800 yen for me.

In the States, registered mail is relatively cheap -- but it's also something rarely used. Instead, you would probably just mail your documents or fedex them. There is a cheaper solution -- one I had mistakenly been using, but which may hurt my chances for jobs where they care greatly for procedure -- Letterpacks. A Letterpack lets you mail something for a fixed 350 yen or 500 yen fee. But it doesn't qualify as 書留 to the schools -- even though it lets you track your package.

I'm not sure what the obsession is with 書留 for job applications (it's not like I'm sending cash or something), but there are two variants of this: 簡易書留 and 書留 where the latter has more features and I believe additional cost. I will be sending out several applications this week and next and will use 簡易書留 where asked by schools -- otherwise I will use up the remaining letterpacks that I bought!

Failure Tip #1: Deciphering Rejection Letters

The same basic rule applies in Japan as elsewhere: a thin envelope after you've applied somewhere means rejection. So if you get a think envelope, you might as well not bother opening and cross that place off your list. In the even that you do open it, expect a letter like this:

[date]

[hand-written my name]
[university position]第１次審査結果
　このたびは本学の○○募集にご応募いただき、心よりお礼も仕上げます。
　ご提出いただいた書類に基づいて第１次審査を行いましたが、残念ながら不用過となりましたことを知らせいたします。
　末筆ながら、今後のいっそうのご健勝とご活躍を祈りあげます。
...
  We are very thankful that you responded to the post for applications about ○○.
  We made our first round of decisions based on the documents we received from you, but we are sorry to inform you that you application did not pass.
  Finally, we want to inform you that we are praying for the health and success of your activities.

...

For the record, (1) these letters are generally typed. (2) This one is actually clearer than many which don't necessarily state clearly that you were rejected -- rather you need to decipher it from a 残念 that is nowhere near any verb. (3) They don't come on letterhead -- as is the case with this letter, it's often just unspectacular cheap paper. The better ones put a seal or two on for effect. But basically understand that letterhead is not used in Japan.

Rejection in this process should not be surprising. 公募 (public announcement of positions) is sometimes a mere formality in Japan [and for some job postings in much of the world for that matter]. I was reading at one point an estimate that half of all posted positions are bogus -- as in they already have their winning candidate picked. One thing that amplifies this is that Japan uses an "or equivalent qualification system" that enables universities to hire MAs ahead of PhDs if they like them better for other reasons.

  

  

申込 Challenge #3: 研究概要と研究計画

In one recent application, there was a rather challenging pair of terms "研究概要" and "研究計画". Making sense of what these terms by themselves mean was a bit of a challenge. They seem practically the same to me by generic meaning. The former means "Research Outline" and the latter "Research Plan." What then distinguishes the two on an application form (made by merging some cells so that the formatting looks odd in excel mind you)?

I left this to the side for a bit and then went back to it after starting another application -- and there was the hint.

これまでの研究・教育の概要　（2000字程度）
着任後の研究・教育の計画　（2000字程度）

Thus, we learn that the 研究概要 refers to what you have already done -- an outline of previously completed work and the 研究計画 refers to what you intend to do.

Hope this helps future applicants!

New Phrase of the Day: 職務の状況

I am presently filling out a 履歴書 by hand as this preferred in Japan. They imagine it shows that you are serious. At a minimum, it shows that you don't mind spending a lot of time doing something and facing the frustration of mis-writing a single character and then having to start over twice. But I digress.

At the end of said 履歴書, there's a request for 職務の状況. This is a first. To make matters worse, the instructions are wrong beneath it. They refer to a 教育の状況. It's hard to fathom how the two are the same except insofar as most academics work as teachers. Still, the question for me is what to enter. Right now, I expect from October to teach one course due to connections at a university nearby. Other than that, everything is flexible -- who takes full-time employment conditioned on the ability to keep working part-time?

A little googling finds the same term with better instructions at another university's website (http://www.juen.ac.jp/050about/080recruit/010teacher/attention.html):

「職務の状況」について

• 記入日現在における職務の状況について記入してください。

• 「毎週担当授業時間数」については，下記の算出方法による授業科目の1週1人当たり時間数を記入してください。

• （注釈）算出方法：本学の例を下線で示してありますが，授業を実施している大学の単位数の計算の基準に基づき算出してください。

• 授業科目の単位数×時間数（講義・演習 1単位15時間，実験・実習・実技 1単位30時間）

• ＝授業科目の年間時間数

• 授業科目の年間時間数÷年間週数30週（前期又は後期のみの場合は15週）

• ＝授業科目の1週当たり時間数

• （前期又は後期のみの場合は，備考欄に「前期」又は「後期」と記入してください。）

• 授業科目の1週当たり時間数÷担当者数

• ＝授業科目の1週1人当たり時間数(小数点以下第3位切捨）

• 2年以上にわたる授業科目の場合は，総単位数を年数で除し，1年間当たりの単位数で時間数を算出してください。

• 集中講義の場合は総時間数を記入し，備考欄に「集中」と記入してください。

• なお，同一大学の専任学部（又は所属）以外の学部の授業を担当している場合は兼担の欄に，専任大学以外の大学の授業を担当している場合は兼任の欄に記入してください。

• 大学以外の学校，研究所等に勤務しているときは，様式に準じ職務内容の概要がわかるように記入してください。

Translated for your ease:

Concerning "職務の状況" (work conditions)
* Please enter your present working conditions
* Concerning the amount of time spend running classes, use the following rules to calculate for a course that you are the sole instructor for.
  Calculation method: An example for our university is presented below, but calculate according the rules established for the school at which you are teaching.
  [number of classes] * [number of hours of classes] (for lectures and seminars, 1 credit is 15 hours; for labs practicums, and skill courses 1 credit is 30 hours)  = this is your yearly course workload
[yearly course workload] / [30 weeks in the academic year] (if only for one semester 15 weeks) =  this is your weekly teaching load (if only teaching for the first or second semester please enter this).

 [weekly course load] / [number of instructors] = your personal teaching load for one week (cut things off after the second decimal place)

If you are teaching a course that lasts longer than two years, look at the single year portion to make your calculation. In the case of an intensive seminar, enter the total time but indicate it is an intensive. In the case that you have responsibilities for courses in other departments or are co-teaching, please enter this in the co-teaching column. If you are doing other things, like research groups, please write this information as well.

Needless to say, this sort of question does not appear in Western application processes.

Working with Japanese Collaborators: Pitfalls and Success Stories

So far, I have had fewer opportunities to work with Japanese collaborators than one would hope. There are  several reasons for this. First, this is not a front door process per se so much as you get the word out and meet people and things happen behind the scenes. Second, much of the Japanese academic process is different. For instance, many PhDs -- even in the humanities -- are contingent on publishing. That's right -- if you don't publish 3 articles you don't get your PhD. There are further rules complicating when and how you can publish these concerning "national" and "regional" journals. But odds on as a foreigner, you have not heard of any of these.

Much of the faculty publishing also depends on a similar Japan-internal ranking system that seems like it was designed to copy impact factors. But then it was turned inward to make it so that national level publications in Japan are seen as equivalent to say Nature and Science for promotion purposes. Moreover, submitting to these journals and getting accepted is more an invitation-process than a peer-review process here. As a junior faculty member or graduate student, you get told when you can submit something. Often the inroad is a presentation. In fact, the Japanese faculty I have met by and large believe that this is the standard route of publication -- you present, you are asked to submit this for "peer review," and you turn that in.Thus, people are defensive about letting foreigners in -- because they see you as competition.

All of this serves as background for my experience. My experience so far is that faculty members are great and easy to work with. So are MA students. PhD students have been another story. I've made one presentation at a Japanese conference in Japanese. I was recently asked to be involved in an important translation project by a faculty member here. I asked him if he had a suggestion for a Japanese collaborator... So far so good.

Earlier last week I met with this collaborator. He has supreme confidence in his English ability -- unfortunately not matched by his ability. Our task is to translate an upcoming paper so that it can appear in a prestigious journal. I understand that I cannot produce such high quality work on my own, but he seems to imagine he could translate it to English that well on his own. I've seen his outline -- it's not that good. Meeting with him was probably the rudest experience I've undergone in Japan since I arrived. So as basic rule, avoid working with PhD students.

申込 Challenge #2: 教育計画

Another key challenge for foreign applicants is going to be writing the 教育計画. While on the US market, the standard is to provide a teaching portfolio that contains student evaluation information, taught course syllabuses, statement of teaching philosophy, and syllabuses for courses you hope to teach, I only see this for some applications in Japanese. Other applications in Japanese ask just for a 教育計画 or worse -- nothing.

It won't work just to translate the one you've got in English for a very simple reason -- much of the courses you will teach are already decided. Consider this recent listing from JREC under 仕事内容:

担当科目：
「ヨーロッパ研究」、「卒業研究（ヨーロッパ研究）」、思想と人間」、「人間と文化」、「第二外国語Ⅰ・Ⅱ（ドイツ語又はフランス語）」、「新入生ゼミナール」、「共通教養演習」

It is not uncommon to see what looks like a kitchen sink list of courses foisted onto one person.  Note, it is listing the courses you will be responsible for and not merely the courses you *might* end up teaching. So in this case, you will teach introductory French or German, Thought and Humanity, Humanity and Culture, contribute to the cooperative general education lectures, and guide graduation theses in Europe research and other courses in Europe research.

When applying for such a position, it is important to mention that you can will teach these courses. I haven't mastered this task as of yet.