- Brianna Stultz got an offer to teach on a military base in Okinawa, Japan, and moved in December.
- She struggled to work with her coteacher and was ultimately fired.
This is an as-told-to essay based on a conversation with Brianna Stultz, a teacher based in Phoenix, Arizona. It has been edited for length and clarity.
I got an initial offer for a teaching job on a military base in Okinawa, Japan, in July 2022 — and I returned home to Arizona almost exactly one year later.
I was willing to work anywhere overseas because I thought it would be a good experience. I was especially excited about Japan once I got my offer because I'd always wanted to visit, and my sister-in-law's sister and family, who I'm very close to, were living there.
But after enduring what I felt was a toxic work environment and spending thousands of dollars to move there and back, part of me regrets ever accepting the job. However, I also loved living in Japan and made a great friend.
It was difficult from the beginning
It takes a long time to get placed in a role like this. I initially applied in 2018, but the process kept getting delayed, even though I'd turned in all the paperwork. Because my dad works at a military base in Arizona, I was able to get my fingerprints and everything else that was required of me very quickly.
I even started the 2022 school year in Phoenix because the government tells you not to quit until you get an official offer. But after 14 weeks, I was cleared and had my official offer.
I finally moved to Japan in December 2022
I was set to teach third grade. Hindsight is 20/20, but I should've realized on day one that it was not a good decision.
I arrived on the last day of school before winter break, and I met all my coworkers and the students. Everyone introduced themselves, except my coteacher who had already set up my side of the classroom the way he wanted. It created a hostile dynamic from the start.
He and I met up over break, but the conversation was mostly him explaining to me how he runs his classroom. When school started up again, we continued to have problems. Dividing tasks in the classroom was difficult, and I reached out to a sponsor I had through the program's teacher group to help me work through some of the responsibilities he gave me.
I ended up having a meeting with the principal at the end of January to discuss the situation as well.
There was a lot of tension in the workplace
While most of my coworkers were American, there was tension between those who were considered local hires, like military spouses, and those of us who were CONUS — or continental-US-hires who came from the United States to work.
I sensed a definite dislike for those in my situation. I was given a lot of benefits like a cost-of-living allowance and a living-quarters allowance, so I didn't have to pay for my living expenses, plus I got my normal salary.
I also felt like I had no support from administration. I wish I had recorded conversations because sometimes it felt like people would say something to my face and then I'd get an email saying something completely different. I was constantly asking them to observe me in the classroom to see what my coteaching situation was like firsthand, but they either wouldn't show up or they showed up late.
Despite my work experience, I had a great time in Japan
I loved visiting all the shrines and castles. I also lived right off the ocean, which was fantastic having grown up in Arizona.
Plus, the food was downright amazing. I also met a friend through work who I'm absolutely devastated that I'm not going be able to see all the time now. I knew my job itself was toxic, but I wanted to stay so badly I was willing to ignore it.
At the end of the semester, I still thought I would be coming back for the next school year
I thought administration would be moving me to another grade level because they'd heard from other staff members how toxic the grade level I was teaching was.
But instead they fired me in May for a variety of reasons, among them the inability to collaborate effectively with my coteacher. I was completely blindsided. I felt targeted and believe I was unfairly fired, but I was a probationary teacher so I had very few protections. I could've filed a claim with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), but I didn't think it was worth fighting.
I was angry and crying, but my grief only lasted a couple of days and then turned straight to anger because of the unfairness of the whole situation. I wondered why my principal even hired me.
The expenses and stress of being fired and being forced to move again has been a lot
When I left my district in Arizona, I was charged a fee for breaking my contract — plus I paid thousands to move to Japan. I also owe my parents money for helping me out.
I then spent hundreds just on baggage to get home. My coworker friend is also shipping me some things I couldn't fit in my suitcases, which I won't get reimbursed for.
I did love living in Japan, but I'm happy to be home so I can do all the things I missed here. For example, I didn't have social organizations like my sorority alumnae association or the Junior League that I'm involved with in Phoenix.
I'm happy and sad at the same time.