I'd like to applaud your work and efforts to get this a viable solution in your schools. This took, I'm sure, a lot of planning and acting on great coordination, and I'd even like to have this in my home!
If I could make one request - It would be that I'd like to see is a list of all of the 'educational' software included. I did read the part regarding Collaboration, Communication, Analysis, and Creativity software on the http://www.riverdale.k12.or.us/linux/educational_s oftware.html web page and can imagine what is included, but a list of the exact software per workstation would just be great.
Keep up the good work, and congratulations on getting this noble project running.
I currently work here in Tokyo too. it's an interesting experience, as I already could speak Japanese from being a missionary and married a Japanese woman, and graduated in Japanese, but had IT skills that got me hired here. The company paid for me to get here, and helped us buy a few things for the apartment to get things going. The only caveats are:
1) It is *very* expensive to live over here if you have a family. Don't plan on sending your kids to school, unless your company is giving you some kind of expat package.
2) Don't plan on living in anything bigger than 6-8 tatami mats (20X20 space ?) unless you do have a family, and the company will compensate you for a bigger apartment. Don't plan on spending a lot of time there either.
3) The financial business has the most demand, and pays the most for IT people over here - that means generally US based companies, but they like to hire locally - meaning you get nothing more than an average Japanese citizen (forget those classes).
4) Generally companies won't hire you from the US by you sending in your resume and hoping them to contact you. You need to alrady be here in Japan, and already living here some way.
5) Salaries are usually set around 500,000 - 800,000 yen for people right out of school in the IT industry,if you get lucky. That's about 45-75 grand, but remember that you will be living in the most expensive city in the world, and it isn't just a joke. I persoanlly wouldn't take another job here with a salary lower than 2.0 M Yen (185 grand), and an expat package.
Here are some things that I did:
I got hired form the Disco Job Fair in San Francisco. You can also attend the Boston fair if that is more convenient for you. Find out early from a Japanese teacher at your school when it is.
Pick up a magazine called Japan Inc. and contact all of the headhunters/recruiters in there - http://www.japaninc.com/ - e.g. Advance - Woody Hodgson @ +81-3-5288-5383
Expect rent to be in the $1000's, expect a lot of working late, working a lot with foreigners like yourself, and don't expect to be promoted within the company. Don't expect a 401k, and expect your Internet connection to be limited to what you can use at your company, or connecting at 28.8-56k and being charged 4x's as much as the US for it (It's getting a little better though).
Your welcome to contact me if you have any specific questions.
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I'd like to applaud your work and efforts to get this a viable solution in your schools. This took, I'm sure, a lot of planning and acting on great coordination, and I'd even like to have this in my home!
If I could make one request - It would be that I'd like to see is a list of all of the 'educational' software included. I did read the part regarding Collaboration, Communication, Analysis, and Creativity software on the http://www.riverdale.k12.or.us/linux/educational_s oftware.html web page and can imagine what is included, but a list of the exact software per workstation would just be great.
Keep up the good work, and congratulations on getting this noble project running.
1) It is *very* expensive to live over here if you have a family. Don't plan on sending your kids to school, unless your company is giving you some kind of expat package.
2) Don't plan on living in anything bigger than 6-8 tatami mats (20X20 space ?) unless you do have a family, and the company will compensate you for a bigger apartment. Don't plan on spending a lot of time there either.
3) The financial business has the most demand, and pays the most for IT people over here - that means generally US based companies, but they like to hire locally - meaning you get nothing more than an average Japanese citizen (forget those classes).
4) Generally companies won't hire you from the US by you sending in your resume and hoping them to contact you. You need to alrady be here in Japan, and already living here some way.
5) Salaries are usually set around 500,000 - 800,000 yen for people right out of school in the IT industry,if you get lucky. That's about 45-75 grand, but remember that you will be living in the most expensive city in the world, and it isn't just a joke. I persoanlly wouldn't take another job here with a salary lower than 2.0 M Yen (185 grand), and an expat package.
Here are some things that I did:
I got hired form the Disco Job Fair in San Francisco. You can also attend the Boston fair if that is more convenient for you. Find out early from a Japanese teacher at your school when it is.
Pick up a magazine called Japan Inc. and contact all of the headhunters/recruiters in there - http://www.japaninc.com/ - e.g. Advance - Woody Hodgson @ +81-3-5288-5383
Expect rent to be in the $1000's, expect a lot of working late, working a lot with foreigners like yourself, and don't expect to be promoted within the company. Don't expect a 401k, and expect your Internet connection to be limited to what you can use at your company, or connecting at 28.8-56k and being charged 4x's as much as the US for it (It's getting a little better though).
Your welcome to contact me if you have any specific questions.