Job Discussion Forums

[roywebcafe]

Just wondering as i sieve through these post regarding TEFL in Japan. What alternative work can a teacher with a moderate level of Japanese get in Japan? In the UK where I live if I am not doing TEFL I can do a variety of other jobs even if some of them are unskilled.

Is it worth me studying Japanese at home in the UK if I am unable to live and work in Japan? I hear salaries are frozen, less people want English, Cost of living is rising, getting on the JET program looks like a bureaucratize nightmare, sabre rattling from Korea and US which threatens Japan. Any thoughts?

[mitsui]

Not much else. It depends on what your skills are.
Some people work in business or work at computer programming, but they are qualified.

The days of making easy money are gone. If you want to get a good salary, you should make a huge effort.

[currentaffairs]

Japan is still a good choice. Just go over on a one year contract and see what you think. Lots to do, eat and see..

[victory7]

[AcAbroad]

I heard you need to know some Japanese to get a job and the alt jobs are horrible is that true? I'm a newbie and wanted to teach in Japan for a year but I'm hearing it's not good unless you get in the Jet program. I talked to a kid who's telling me to teach in China and just visit Japan on my vacation days but I'm not sure I want to teach in China.

[victory7]

Nope, you don't need Japanese for a number of English teaching jobs although some basic Japanese is helpful for your first time in Japan. Many employers for English Conversation schools, known as Eikaiwa, actually don't want any or good Japanese skills because that way the foreigner, often known as gaijin tho the term gaikokujin is better, doesn't really know what's going on.

Japanese employers like to have too much control over their foreign employees. You might reply so what, so do employers everywhere? But we're talking about a very heirarchical society here when we talk about Japan and one where there is still no shame attached to the society classifying people as insiders or outsiders. As a foreigner you will be unashamedly put into the outsider category.

I'm married to a Japanese and have kids born here, and plenty of Japanese still like to do that to me and my kids. Don't expect this to change and you'll be happier in Japan but for those of us with families, the countdown to leaving is a real concern.

As I wrote in the post before yours, there are still okay English teaching gigs but these are mostly found outside Tokyo and often outside the real cities. DON'T go for the jobs esp in Tokyo that give false impressions that you can earn a good living when there is no fixed salary.

Those are the worst jobs in Tokyo unless you have a good part time job that can make up for the fairly poor and inconsistent income from a school where you only get paid if a student books you. I've given a big hint with the first initials of what sounds to me the worst school of that kind in Tokyo.

There are a no. of Japan English teaching job sites on the net. Search for them. You probably will have to go out of town to work in a relatively secure job that gives you a fixed salary but it's worth it if you don't want your Japan experience to become a financial nightmare fast.

As for ALTs - a big problem now is that schools are outsourcing the recruiting to agencies and English schools that will take a cut of your salary. It's best to get employed directly as I was years ago first time in Japan. But not many schools as in the school system, not Eikaiwa, do that now. JET has been raising the bar for years.

My advice is to look for employment in regional areas and outside cities. Those Eikaiwa are still sponsoring your visa and will bring you to Japan. These days going the tourist route and finding a job after will land you crappy jobs or employers asking you to work illegally while they supposedly get a visa for you.

If you must work in a big city like Tokyo or Osaka or wherever, try to get a chain school to employ you from outside and sponsor your visa. The big chain schools still do that but don't recruit as much these days. They hold recruiting sessions in big cities in the US, for example.

Never, ever work illegally on a tourist visa in Japan and as a first-timer, do not work for chain schools or individual schools that promise great money n their ads but then tell you if you don't get booked by a student, then you don't get paid. Don't work for a promise of a salary - work for a fixed salary.

Some English teachers still work for douches of employers who think they're gods throwing scraps of work to teachers and act like they're doing teachers a favor by not paying a fixed salary, but those teachers usually have been around for a while, have their own money or work at other jobs.

[AcAbroad]

Thanks for all the info I'm gonna save money and get a tefl for now also could I get a decent job outside the major cities but still close to a train where I can visit cities like Tokyo when I want to.

[roywebcafe]

Same for me thanks for all the information will definitely look for fixed salaries outside the big sities. In parallel Thailand, Bangkok paid less than some rural areas back in 05/06 when i was there.

[victory7]

[Vince]

[currentaffairs]

[mitsui]

Music, web design, martial arts? Sound like hobbies to me.
Well that says it all, and makes me think that work here is better for people to explore their hobbies and be content with a lower salary.
It reminds me of when I was in Poland and Morocco, where people were in it for the experience.

[currentaffairs]

[Vince]

I'd think you can do at least as much with martial arts in China, while still having the monetary/career advantage. Having spent years in the martial arts, though, I understand that some people are partial to a certain art or a particular country's martial history, philosophy, aesthetic, etc. Still, I don't suggest any career sacrifices for the sake of the martial arts. I'd suggest finding a good school in the place that's best for your career. If you want to experience the art in its native land (I highly suggest it), you can always arrange a week or so in Japan to train in a dojo there and take in some of the culture. I've known a few martial artists who never lived in Japan, but took a few such trips, and they seemed to have a solid orientation about what their martial art in Japan is and how it should be in their school back in their home country. I'd even be okay with somebody doing a well-planned year of TEFL in Japan for the sake of their martial art, as long as they have a good plan for how they'll make that year be of value for their next destination. If it absolutely has to be Japan for the long-term for the sake of budo/bujutsu, target a career that will give you more stability than the typical Japanese TEFL experience.

[currentaffairs]

I don't quite agree with that. You have to look at it more holistically, I think. We are not on this planet just to slave away and die.. Going somewhere simply for the money is never a good idea in the long term (short term accumulation is fine). I also think that we are meant to be where we are meant to be and lots of opportunities work related and non work related will arise in due time if you have your eyes open and are ready for change. If you get that first piece of the jigsaw puzzle right then others are more likely to follow...