http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/steve-tainton/ Steve Tainton on Ajarn.com en Ajarn.com Copyright 2008 2008-11-01T12:27:06+07:00 http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/steve-tainton/the-long-weekend/ http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/steve-tainton/the-long-weekend/#When:12:27:06Z My submission omissions of late have been due to my recent career change. As I no longer work in the teaching industry, I feel I can better serve this space with short sketches of my life in Japan than with longer submissions on broader topics. So here goes The long weekend Steve Tainton 2008-11-01T12:27:06+07:00 http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/steve-tainton/surviving-tokyo-trains/ http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/steve-tainton/surviving-tokyo-trains/#When:05:43:06Z I hope that this quick tutorial will give you sporting chance should you step on a Tokyo rush hour train, but practice makes perfect so if you really want to get good you'll just have join the suffering masses and battle it out on a daily basis. Surviving Tokyo trains Steve Tainton 2008-06-01T05:43:06+07:00 http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/steve-tainton/becoming-a-salaryman/ http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/steve-tainton/becoming-a-salaryman/#When:06:11:06Z By the time Monday rolls around I will be thoroughly exhausted which is the perfect way to begin the week because I will have the communal feeling of shared experience with my fellowsalarymen as we squash up against one another on the commute to work. Becoming a salaryman Steve Tainton 2008-05-01T06:11:06+07:00 http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/steve-tainton/speechless/ http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/steve-tainton/speechless/#When:06:16:06Z There does seem to be one thing that an overseas teacher can do to add luster to the resume... learn the language. Easier said, than done (though language is less done, than said). For those planning on living overseas for a long period of time language skills are invaluable. Speechless Steve Tainton 2008-04-01T06:16:06+07:00 http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/steve-tainton/bye-bye-teaching/ http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/steve-tainton/bye-bye-teaching/#When:06:21:06Z In the past I spent a lot of time persuading myself how much I enjoyed teaching in order to fuel my extended work weeks. I wasn't lying to myself as much as putting on a good game face. Heading toward the sidelines, it's a good chance to look back at the game. Bye bye teaching Steve Tainton 2008-03-01T06:21:06+07:00 http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/steve-tainton/talking-business/ http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/steve-tainton/talking-business/#When:06:28:06Z I wrote about the death of Nova previously. The rest of the industry is not more than an ailing patient, perhaps destined for a Novaesque demise. Nova's glitz and glamour was all surface show founded by its ponzi-scheme approach to moneymaking. Talking business Steve Tainton 2008-02-01T06:28:06+07:00 http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/steve-tainton/something-great-in-2008/ http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/steve-tainton/something-great-in-2008/#When:06:32:06Z Yes, it's the Japanese New Year. So a quick look back and glance forward are de riguer for any columnist too stuffed with food or hungover to be otherwise creative Something great in 2008? Steve Tainton 2008-01-01T06:32:06+07:00 http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/steve-tainton/fear-and-loathing-in-asia/ http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/steve-tainton/fear-and-loathing-in-asia/#When:06:37:06Z How can teachers, new and old alike, protect themselves from deceptive employers? Asking a lot of questions can help, not because the employer is always likely to answer in a straightforward manner, rather it can reveal their level of knowledge and experience in the industry. Fear and loathing in Asia Steve Tainton 2007-12-01T06:37:06+07:00 http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/steve-tainton/nova-no-more/ http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/steve-tainton/nova-no-more/#When:06:46:06Z Trouble has been brewing for a while. It's hard to designate any one point in time as being the beginning of the end. For that matter the first day of Nova operations could have been the beginning of the end much in the same way that a person is born only to follow a path leading inexorably toward death Nova no more Steve Tainton 2007-11-01T06:46:06+07:00 http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/steve-tainton/the-drinking-habit/ http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/steve-tainton/the-drinking-habit/#When:06:54:06Z For many of us in the private industry the day often begins in the early afternoon and ends late in the evening. What could be more conducive to a drinking lifestyle than a job that allows you time to sleep off your hangover on a daily basis? The drinking habit Steve Tainton 2005-12-01T06:54:06+07:00