Jobs That Just Aren't There

Yesterday's iPod morning commute music: Jackson Browne, The Next Voice You Hear: The Best of Jackson Browne [Japan] (2001)

Today's iPod morning commute music: James Taylor, Sweet Baby James (1970)

Jackson Browne and James Taylor were the top of the sensitive singer/songwriters of the 1970s and '80s. Both wrote (and I guess continue to write) great songs. The Jackson Browne best of just doesn't compare to Taylor's second, and probably best, album. Sweet Baby James, Steamroller, and especially Fire and Rain are simply killer cuts. Fire and Rain will forever put me back in high school, where my friend Nan, here friend Mary B. and I participate in a 26 mile (I think) Walkathon to raise money for some worthy cause or another. It was brutal, and as we crossed the finish line we were singing the chorus. I was stiff and sore for at least a week afterwards.

We're in the midst of conducting job interviews for a part-time native teacher. The people we're interviewing are very qualified, almost overly qualified. You can tell that they would make excellent full-time teachers, but the full-time jobs just aren't there anymore. The new reality is two or three year non-renewable full time contracts, especially at the university level. You're almost better off (almost; full-time still pays better than part-time, particularly when you consider the Japanese bonus system which most part-timers don't get to participate in) landing several part-time jobs at good schools, as part-timers are NOT subjugated to non-renewable contracts. It's a sad situation. My co-worker, Bob, and I were lucky to both get hired in the '80s. Qualified teachers were few and far between back then, and there was at least a small demand for full-time native teachers (I interviewed at 2 schools, and was offered a position in both). Now you have teachers with Master Degrees and teaching qualifications from their home countries unable to find full-time work. It hardly seems fair.