Question #20. What is the time difference when teaching ESL in Japan?

Obviously the answer to this question depends on where your home country is.

However, my experience is that most of the ESL instructors come from the other side of the international date line or wake up a half day AFTER Japan has been up and about.

England, Canada, Australia and the United States are the English speaking countries that the Japanese are interested in.

Only Australia is in the same time zone…well, almost.

Otherwise, Japan is a day ahead of your friends and family back home (somehow they, your friends, think that's neat and joke about it), but the instructor will wonder why their mom or dad can't add 8, 15, 16 or 17 hours to their clock and THEN call.

If I had a nickel for everytime I was awakened in the middle of the night by a family member who couldn't understand that the Japan is called the land of the Rising Sun because it is the country where all new days begin…then I would be a rich dude.

Still, it's fun being the first one into the new year every year….

And if you have a really really bad day, you can always get on a plane, fly to CA and live the day over again.

Do your family members or friends ever get the time difference mixed up when/if they call?