Job Discussion Forums

DoctorPayne · Posted: Fri Nov 12, 2004 3:18 am Post subject: ECC Japan

I'm looking to go to Japan through ECC Japan. Has anybody here gone through them? Are they good? Hook-ups...

bearcat · Joined: 08 May 2004 Posts: 367

ECC of the big 4, is one of the better to be sure. Your hours and commutes usually are better but your first year will certainly be a bit of an adjustment. How good you'll have it will depend on where you will be located. If its Chubu(Nagoya area) I'd say you'll be in the best shape.

The teaching is a snooze fest for the adults(all scripted). Your kids classes may be a challenge if you dont know how to handle difficult kids.... and I promise you, you'll have some Razz

.

If you haven't been accepted by ECC yet I can say that its not an easy process. You have individual and group style interviews, a grammar test, lesson demonstrations(usually with other prospectives) and more. You may get all of that or only some of it. Depends on who what when where the interviews screening is.

Hope this helps.

DoctorPayne · Posted: Fri Nov 12, 2004 5:16 am Post subject:

Well, I have been accepted and I think I'll be in the Kinki area so hopefully things work out. What is your rent like?

Man, I hope the CDN dollar goes down by the time I get there. The monthly salary has gone from ~3100CDN to ~2800CDN in sixth months! I have debts to pay!

bearcat · Joined: 08 May 2004 Posts: 367

I don't work for ECC now... been outa there for a few years. Friends who still work there say their rent (of company arranged places) depends on what you end up choosing to go with. Some are doing freebell(sp) and split rent(yet they pay as much as I did for my apartment that I DIDNT get through ECC).

Rent of a normal place say 1 bedroom small dining space and kitchen(1dk) can run you 500-1000 US depending where you are placed... though the 1000 is a lil on the high side it can be that way. Understand that there are so many factors that go into you place of stay that can't be factored before you see and live in it. It might be cheap but noisy, dirty, seedy. It might be expensive and still the same. You might be close to where you teach and happy or close and miserable because students see you and bug you(this is worse with kids btw but its not common to happen).

Are they giving you a furnished place or are you having to buy a furnishings package, or fend for yourself? If its the latter, you got a ton of shopping to do... including heaters and or airconditioner, bedding, etc.

Each region home office makes their own housing policies.

There are no standards here in Japan for these things perse.

bearcat · Joined: 08 May 2004 Posts: 367

Also, I'd like to say that if you're coming here to pay off debts back home, dont expect to be able to do it so easily. You most likely will have to live very very modestly. I've known people who have done so or saved money for some major monetary goal but it took them a couple of years or more and they went and did practically nothing on the entertainment side of things. Nots not really living perse as much as existing. But if you can handle that sort of thing, more power to you.

DoctorPayne · Posted: Fri Nov 12, 2004 7:13 am Post subject:

I'm only looking at about 300 CDN a months in student loans, so hopefully that won't be too much of a problem. I'm pretty sure they said everything was furnished with the apartments too, so here's to hoping.

What about tutoring? Can't you make some good extra coin doing that?

spidey · Posted: Fri Nov 12, 2004 7:20 am Post subject:

Most conversation schools stipulate in their contracts "NO OUTSIDE TEACHING" unless authorized by management.

This being said many teachers do it anyway. You'll have to be discreet.

But more than likely you won't feel much like doing any extra work due to the fact that your schedule will probably be quite full. The last thing you'll want to do is teach, once you have finished your day.

S

Nismo · Joined: 27 Jul 2004 Posts: 520

I went to school and worked part-time last year in Tokyo - I was beat, and I was only teaching 6 hours a week. Saving money is not hard at all, just don't expect to go out drinking every weekend. You can find various resources on the internet that will give you an idea of how much you will be spending each month.

I'll give you my basic account from last year in Tokyo:
Rent: 70,000 Yen (16 metres squared living space, small bathroom, kitchenette, balcony, genkan/hall)
Food: 2000 Yen a day x 30 days = 60,000 Yen (you can go cheaper or more expensive)
Electricity: 3000 - 6000 Yen (average was 4000 Yen). (I don't use AC in the summer, but I am able to adapt easily to change)
Water/Sewage: 1200 Yen (you pay this every other month at 2400 Yen or so)
Gas: 2000 Yen
Internet: 5000 Yen for Yahoo BB! 42M ADSL.
NTT Phone Line: 2500 Yen
(I didn't pay NHK fee for TV)
Commute: 8800 Yen (although I had a 50% student discount bringing it to 4400 yen)
Mobile Phone: 6000 Yen with 50% student discount, but you can go cheaper than that, look to spend at least 4000 Yen, though.

Bringing the monthly living cost to:
157,500 Yen. But, that was in the heart of Tokyo, the most expensive place to live. Your rent could be cheaper, most likely around 42,000 Yen. ECC pays for your transportation so you can nix that.

What you have left you will be spending on entertainment. I'll give you a run down of the cost of various things.

Train commute for one night (if outside of your teikiken): 500-1000 Yen.
Movie: 1500-1800 yen (or 3000 yen for baller status premier seats at roppongi hills)
Izakaya beer: 400-500 yen each ( Shocked

that's 400 yen for a 150 yen beer - guess you're paying for the atmosphere)
Coffee: 300-400 Yen
CD: 2500-3000 Yen (new)
DVD: 2500-3000 Yen (new)
Clothes: Reasonably priced, sometimes cheaper than Canada/America has to offer.
Electronics: Same price as their Canadian/American counterparts, but better quality. TV will cost you around 25,000-30,000 Yen for a 20" flat-tube. Digital Camera about 40,000-50,000 Yen.

Here is why you will be broke in the beginning, though - if your apartment is not furnished, it's not furnished AT ALL.

You will need to buy EVERYTHING. I mean EVERYTHING. There will not be a single source of light in the apartment, except from your curtainless windows. Here is what you might want to purchase:

Ceiling lights, desk lamps, curtains, bedding, coffee table, pots, pans, kitchen utensils, bowls, plates, cups, silverware/ohashi, coat hangers, shower curtain, mildew removal (especially in the summer!), suihanki (rice cooker).

I hope I helped to shed some light on expected cost of living.

DoctorPayne · Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2004 5:25 am Post subject:

Thanks a lot Nismo, you were very helpful. I've been been trying to guestimate my budget for over there and I think I'll be able to save money too. I'm not exactly a big spender and I don't need to drink to have fun (though it can help from time to time). They do say the apartment is 'furnished' so I guess I'll find out just how furnished that is. Apparently, teachers on their way out sell stuff for cheap too so hopefully I can get some steals...though I'm not counting on it. Thanks again.

Gordon · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 5309 Location: Japan

Nismo · Joined: 27 Jul 2004 Posts: 520

Li-ka · Joined: 21 Mar 2004 Posts: 52

Hello! I'm an ECC teacher in Osaka. I can tell you that the apartments are definitely furnished and they come with all the basics you'll need. Just bring some toiletries.

The rent is about as others have said, though the average is around 70,000.

You shouldn't have a hard time saving money. I have a lot of student loans back home and I'm still planning on a skiing trip sometime this winter.

There's no clause in the contract about outside teaching, and many people do it anyway.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask!

bearcat · Joined: 08 May 2004 Posts: 367

Li,

Are you sure about that? I recommend checking again... I have seen ECC contracts that have such a clause. And a clause about not working in the industry after quitting either for a specified period of time. However, I've only heard of one case where working someplace else became an issue because the teacher was actually partnered in with the other place as well and was taking students from ECC to that school.

In general ECC isnt as anal retentive about such things as other companies can be.

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

Xerius · Joined: 20 Jan 2003 Posts: 29

There's no such clause, bearcat. ECC has no problems with their teachers pursuing outside teaching work, although they do state that it needs to be reported for tax purposes (not to them, but the government, of course). They've specifically said in training sessions that it's perfectly fine for ECC employees to seek outside tutoring work as long as it doesn't conflict with their schedules (or take away from the company's student base).