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Post by melonkuma on Dec 15, 2021 9:24:40 GMT 9
I think that there are quite a few CIRs who end up in placements which don't seem to have a whole lot to do with international relations, so I was wondering if anyone has found any way of adapting the job to make it more suitable for a CIR?
I'm the first CIR in my placement at my prefecture's tourism organization. When I applied for a job as a CIR I was expecting more of a kind of small town affair, organizing local events etc., but am beginning to feel more like a regular worker (without job security or proper hours). My workplace is the main DMO of the whole of Hokkaido, so we get a very large budget (too big for me to work with), and since we're funded by the local government there's no freedom to do anything, as everything we do has to be approved by the 道庁. It feels like the only thing I can do here atm. is do whatever random translations come my way (since covid these are largely non-existent), and the organization's English language SNS. But even with the SNS, because we are a big organization we can't just do it ourselves, and every year a large proportion of the work is sub-contracted out; I currently only post on Facebook twice per-week, and can't post more since too many posts would look like spam and loose followers.
I was originally employed to promote Hokkaido at events, and help with foreign media/tourism companies, but since covid this kind of work is virtually non-existent. I'm bored at work with nothing to do about 80 percent of the time, but have been warned about taking time off when I don't have anything to do because it makes me look ひま (which I am). There is work to do, but it's stuff like writing up contracts, managing sub-contractors etc., which I don't really have the confidence to tackle on my own. I feel like all of the work which I could do ends up getting sub-contracted out, leaving me with a bunch of stuff that I can't do, which leaves me feeling a bit useless.
I would really like to increase my amount of work, but can't really think of anything that I could do which would both contribute to my workplace, and give me some sort of sense of fulfillment. I would really like to introduce more of a 交流 element to my job, since that is what I originally signed up for; does anyone have any ideas? Is anyone else here in a similar position? I'm sure I'm not alone, but can't help feeling like it, particularly since everything has moved online now.
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Post by waten on Dec 15, 2021 10:53:22 GMT 9
I understand as I was originally in a very similar position. What was recommended for me was to get outdoors as much as possible to meet people from the area as they would then maybe know that I'm around and then THEY could pressure your workplace to get you to do work.
Except this would require you to work outside of your hours/pay for said tourist attractions out of your own pocket (because my place wouldn't refund me even if I had a receipt and they had a budget) and be an extrovert and these things are not what I would myself believe to be a requirement to be a CIR.
Honestly, it feels like they just wanted an influencer.
Ex. There was a poster for an international drinking/food event in English. I thought it would be cute though to add in other sayings besides "Cheers" like "Prost" and what not to make the thing a little more personable. However, this wasn't our poster so it had to be removed just because the other organization didn't like it.
I would be lying if these moments didn't make me give up a little bit.
*Sorry I can't be more helpful.
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Post by melonkuma on Dec 15, 2021 11:11:29 GMT 9
Ex. There was a poster for an international drinking/food event in English. I thought it would be cute though to add in other sayings besides "Cheers" like "Prost" and what not to make the thing a little more personable. However, this wasn't our poster so it had to be removed just because the other organization didn't like it. I would be lying if these moments didn't make me give up a little bit. *Sorry I can't be more helpful. I feel that. People can be so protective of their own creations, even if we're meant to be working together towards the same cause. Even my company's mascot is copyrighted, so we can use the images we've been given but couldn't for example change the colour of the background from blank to a block colour. |
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Post by melonkuma on Dec 15, 2021 11:17:36 GMT 9
I understand as I was originally in a very similar position. What was recommended for me was to get outdoors as much as possible to meet people from the area as they would then maybe know that I'm around and then THEY could pressure your workplace to get you to do work. Except this would require you to work outside of your hours/pay for said tourist attractions out of your own pocket (because my place wouldn't refund me even if I had a receipt and they had a budget) and be an extrovert and these things are not what I would myself believe to be a requirement to be a CIR. Honestly, it feels like they just wanted an influencer. Exactly! I feel kind of bad using SNS to influence people tbh. I know that we're a tourism organization, so our aims aren't exactly completely unjust, but learning how to use SNS to have the most impact (ie. sell more of the product to people who don't necessarily want or need it) get's me a bit down. I have been to a few local art galleries in my own time and offered to help them with translations during my down time at work. I did get a little bit of work from this, but with these kinds of places staff rotate so quickly that they had soon forgotten my existence.  |
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Post by waten on Dec 15, 2021 13:19:30 GMT 9
I understand as I was originally in a very similar position. What was recommended for me was to get outdoors as much as possible to meet people from the area as they would then maybe know that I'm around and then THEY could pressure your workplace to get you to do work. Except this would require you to work outside of your hours/pay for said tourist attractions out of your own pocket (because my place wouldn't refund me even if I had a receipt and they had a budget) and be an extrovert and these things are not what I would myself believe to be a requirement to be a CIR. Honestly, it feels like they just wanted an influencer. Exactly! I feel kind of bad using SNS to influence people tbh. I know that we're a tourism organization, so our aims aren't exactly completely unjust, but learning how to use SNS to have the most impact (ie. sell more of the product to people who don't necessarily want or need it) get's me a bit down. I have been to a few local art galleries in my own time and offered to help them with translations during my down time at work. I did get a little bit of work from this, but with these kinds of places staff rotate so quickly that they had soon forgotten my existence. I don't know what to tell you my melon-y bear even though I felt similar because you aren't brought in as a CIR to sell as the main point of your job, but...the reality is that in part and I have a strong sus that someone I know got cut because of this even though they are probably (benefit of a doubt) providing an invaluable service, but it's essentially a welfare or educational service. = No immediate monies. == Money has to come from somewhere. |
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Post by waten on Dec 15, 2021 14:29:44 GMT 9
Exactly! I feel kind of bad using SNS to influence people tbh. I know that we're a tourism organization, so our aims aren't exactly completely unjust, but learning how to use SNS to have the most impact (ie. sell more of the product to people who don't necessarily want or need it) get's me a bit down. I have been to a few local art galleries in my own time and offered to help them with translations during my down time at work. I did get a little bit of work from this, but with these kinds of places staff rotate so quickly that they had soon forgotten my existence. I don't know what to tell you my melon-y bear even though I felt similar because you aren't brought in as a CIR to sell as the main point of your job, but...the reality is that in part and I have a strong sus that someone I know got cut because of this even though they are probably (benefit of a doubt) providing an invaluable service, but it's essentially a welfare or educational service. = No immediate monies. == Money has to come from somewhere. I would like others to chime in as well. |
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Post by Dee on Dec 15, 2021 14:50:09 GMT 9
If you are looking to do more 交流 type stuff here are a few things that maybe you can suggest, but since you are in 道庁 there may be other CIRs doing similar things...? So I don't know how helpful these suggestions will be.....
- CIR Blog or monthly 広報 article
- School visits
- 交流講座 or eikaiwa for 道庁 workers
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Post by melonkuma on Dec 15, 2021 16:42:12 GMT 9
If you are looking to do more 交流 type stuff here are a few things that maybe you can suggest, but since you are in 道庁 there may be other CIRs doing similar things...? So I don't know how helpful these suggestions will be..... - CIR Blog or monthly 広報 article - School visits - 交流講座 or eikaiwa for 道庁 workers I already do a monthly blog article for our website.  Eikaiwa could be an option! I'm not sure how I would organize the school thing, or what I could do if given access to a school; I've never worked with children. An ALT contacted me out of the blue to ask if his students could do some work for a website, but he never got back to me, and didn't leave his contact details... |
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Post by Dee on Dec 16, 2021 14:40:02 GMT 9
If you are looking to do more 交流 type stuff here are a few things that maybe you can suggest, but since you are in 道庁 there may be other CIRs doing similar things...? So I don't know how helpful these suggestions will be..... - CIR Blog or monthly 広報 article - School visits - 交流講座 or eikaiwa for 道庁 workers I already do a monthly blog article for our website. Eikaiwa could be an option! I'm not sure how I would organize the school thing, or what I could do if given access to a school; I've never worked with children. An ALT contacted me out of the blue to ask if his students could do some work for a website, but he never got back to me, and didn't leave his contact details... Another thing I thought of, that is actually more tourism related, is to offer to translate information for hotels and restaurants into English, and updating Google Maps. Or ask surrounding departments if they need anything translated. Sounds like you might need to have a chat with your supervisor, or whoever manages your work. Let them know that you have more down time than anticipated and would like to be helpful in other areas as well. Then bring up some suggestions. |
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Post by marudate on Dec 20, 2021 20:15:50 GMT 9
What Dee mentions is what I did as a tourism CIR. We created a program any business could apply to and get help in order of their application (to get around any issues of favoritism). Being a consultant of sorts was the best part of the job and let me interact with local facilities, learn about their issues and then provide advice, translation or training to help solve them. Especially giving COVID, doing work to build towards the reopening makes a lot of sense.
In regards to SNS and the nature of advertising I don't see tourism as selling people something they don't want. If they are looking for an experience or to go somewhere the question is where- your promotion can help them become aware your area exists and is a choice. It's not a match for everyone and that's okay. If they want ultra-modern Japan stick to Shinjuku or Akihabara, but your area offers something if you promote it right.
Also updating social media more frequently is the opposite of spam. On Facebook users will only see a percentage of posts so if you don't post regularly they will see nothing. I'd suggest at least daily and keep content varied, including shares from other pages (who may help you in return). On Twitter the feed goes by so quickly there's no danger of someone seeing the same thing too many times and getting annoyed that you exist.
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Post by melonkuma on Dec 21, 2021 9:50:21 GMT 9
What Dee mentions is what I did as a tourism CIR. We created a program any business could apply to and get help in order of their application (to get around any issues of favoritism). Being a consultant of sorts was the best part of the job and let me interact with local facilities, learn about their issues and then provide advice, translation or training to help solve them. Especially giving COVID, doing work to build towards the reopening makes a lot of sense. In regards to SNS and the nature of advertising I don't see tourism as selling people something they don't want. If they are looking for an experience or to go somewhere the question is where- your promotion can help them become aware your area exists and is a choice. It's not a match for everyone and that's okay. If they want ultra-modern Japan stick to Shinjuku or Akihabara, but your area offers something if you promote it right. Also updating social media more frequently is the opposite of spam. On Facebook users will only see a percentage of posts so if you don't post regularly they will see nothing. I'd suggest at least daily and keep content varied, including shares from other pages (who may help you in return). On Twitter the feed goes by so quickly there's no danger of someone seeing the same thing too many times and getting annoyed that you exist. So, you had some kind of inquiry form which you passed around to local businesses? Was that just for English-related things, or help in general? I think this is a good idea if it's something I could manage on my own, though my team would probably be reluctant to take on anything whick might be a lot of work atm; as 海外誘客部 our team members have been reduced as a result of covid. I will suggest something like this as something we could start from next April though. The Facebook thing is a good point! Unfortunately the company we are working with on it this year have taken completely the opposite approach, and are posting really obscure information on out page, trying to attract a really small demographic (apparently 富裕層, which so far isn't going well for them as we're failing to get the ammount of followers that was specified in the original project plan). I'm trying to post some more general stuff contents, which seems to get far more engagement. |
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Post by marudate on Jan 18, 2022 20:24:21 GMT 9
Yes, we had a flyer with sign-up form that the town and tourism association passed around to all tourism-related business in the own and promoted on social media. We thought we might get too many takers so made it first-come first-serve. It was not just English-related as I didn't want to be an English teacher. I pitched it as free English consulting for businesses where English was one tool I could offer, as well as cultural insights and foreign perspective. Step one was to go to their facility and see it for myself and then I'd give them a menu of recommendations. They decide what they want help on first and after I do that then I help the next business and circle back to them.
It was mainly my project so a coworker supported with scheduling and the like but I did the work, and visited the places by myself usually. We then took pictures of the finished product with the staff (or just the staff at the place if it was a training) and shared that on our Facebook to both promote the business and get content for our social media!
I can probably dig up the original materials if you'd like. CLAIR/JET promoted the work like this that I did as an innovative use of CIRs.
(Targeting wealthy people on Facebook is not going to work.)
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Post by melonkuma on Jan 21, 2022 11:54:57 GMT 9
Yes, we had a flyer with sign-up form that the town and tourism association passed around to all tourism-related business in the own and promoted on social media. We thought we might get too many takers so made it first-come first-serve. It was not just English-related as I didn't want to be an English teacher. I pitched it as free English consulting for businesses where English was one tool I could offer, as well as cultural insights and foreign perspective. Step one was to go to their facility and see it for myself and then I'd give them a menu of recommendations. They decide what they want help on first and after I do that then I help the next business and circle back to them. It was mainly my project so a coworker supported with scheduling and the like but I did the work, and visited the places by myself usually. We then took pictures of the finished product with the staff (or just the staff at the place if it was a training) and shared that on our Facebook to both promote the business and get content for our social media! I can probably dig up the original materials if you'd like. gyomu Gyomu/JET promoted the work like this that I did as an innovative use of CIRs. (Targeting wealthy people on Facebook is not going to work.) It sounds great; I will have a think about how I could pitch something similar in Hokkaido. Did it finish when you left, or has it been continued by the next CIR? You said that you visited the places, so I assume that transportation fees came out the 事業 budget? Or did the facilities pay for you to go over? I think one problem for me would be that Hokkaido is very large (the most cost-effective way to get from Sapporo to the eastern areas of Hokkaido would be by plane), so I doubt I could secure a large enough budget to cover travel anywhere on request. |
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Post by marudate on Jan 28, 2022 22:12:56 GMT 9
Hi Melonkuma, sorry for the delays in replying. I don't check here often. It continued with my two successors as did the other programs I started (children English tourism guides program in particular). For transportation fees well I was in a town so we used a town vehicle if it was far or generally I just rode my bicycle there. You might have to make it a more virtual program as Hokkaido is large! Maybe they could walk around the facility with a smart phone to give a sense of what it's like.
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