I'm an English teacher in Japan; I was hired directly by my city board of education to travel around to all the schools around the city and assist in English language education by offering some authenticity to students that the claim that their English studies will someday be useful.

There are 4 ALTs in the city, and we all share a total of 28 schools, thousands of students. I have close relationships with exactly zero students, good rapport with most teachers, occasional drinking buddies with a mere handful of the teachers, fairly close friends with just a couple, and zero at-school responsibilities such as clubs or after school stud groups. Every day I am sent to a different school at different grade levels ranging between 1st and 9th.

Given that context, the most ridiculous thing I have to do at work is show up during spring/summer/winter vacation. I have no prep work to do, no students or teachers with whom to interact, it's just me and my 3 coworkers. For several weeks at a time. Rather than ask me not to show up, I am told to be at my desk in the BOE office during that time, and have been told directly to sit and pretend as though I have work to do.

8 hours a day, 5 days a workweek, 9-5