Job Discussion Forums

[Aelric]

So, I posted earlier about my background check for Japan. Looks like that won't be a problem, so now I'll get to brass tacks, I'm looking for the best salary I can find I and know that my agency (Footprints) is only offering positions that are at the lowest pay grade. Lurking around here, is seems a lot of post mention that about 250000Yen is about the average, but that is double what any agency I've found offers (125000Yen). So, where should I go to find this better paying positions. Nearly everything I see on the job boards are either lower pay without housing allowance, require a teaching certificate in my home country or are pre-school positions requiring something more akin to babysitting and literally diaper changing than teaching. I'm sure that my three years experience should enable me to negotiate for a slightly better salary than entry level, but I'm just not clear on that.

Of course, I realize that I just missed the real open window and it could just be slim pickings until the next semester. basically, for those who are, could you run me through how you got into the better pay grade.

[Inflames]

Footprints in Japan just seems to be a front for Interac and Berlitz. The Berlitz 125,000 thing is for part-timers (20 lessons a week) which won't get you a visa.

[Aelric]

Blah, I may have posted a dumb question here, as I'm seeing now that there are actually a lot of options in that pay grade and footprints just had slim pickings. To change the topic a bit, anyone have experience as an ALT through Interac? They seem to have a high rating here on Dave's but I'd like to hear a positive/Negative from someone who used them directly.

[aynnej]

Most folks enter the market here through either an eikaiwa or dispatch company. The two main eikaiwas who offer overseas visa sponsorships are, at the moment, ECC and Aeon. Gabba and Berlitz also have a significant presence although I don't know their policy regarding overseas visa sponsorship. I believe the biggest dispatch company is still Interac. They all have their pluses and minus, and I'd recommend doing a search on this website to find out what would best suit you.

[Glenski]

Be very sure about the full-time/part-time status of those jobs which are listed for 125,000 yen/month. For decades the average salary here for a full-time teaching entry level job (ALT or eikaiwa) was double that. I searched extensively for 6 months when I started out in 1998, and nobody offered less than 230,000 back then.

About 5 years ago employers started offering less, and they could get away with it because there is no exact minimum salary. Some people think there is (250,000), but that's a myth. By law one must make no less than a Japanese person in an equivalent position, but that's the only thing to tell you about exact wages.

So, 5 years ago, 250,000 started showing up as 200,000 to 230,000, and there are even employers who offer FT jobs for 170,000-180,000! If I were starting out again, I wouldn't even consider something below 230,000.

You also have to take into account things like rent and transportation. If you are expected to drive a car, who provides it (and the insurance and mandatory safety inspection), and how much will you pay for gas and (mandatory) parking? As for rent, the vast majority of people will not pay for security deposits if the apartment is recycled from a previous teacher, but you just might. Most employers do not pay rent or subsidize it, so take that into account, too.

Essentially, after paying for basic necessities (housing, utilities, food, phone/Internet, and insurance) and based on average costs across the country, you should have half of a 250,000 salary left over if you want to be in the same boat as people who started out here more than 5 years ago. Sadly, Japan has not increased wages to take into account inflation or cost of living, but you might see lower wages offered for different locations of a large company just because the location's cost of living is lower.

There are jobs that pay more than 250,000 out there. It just seems that more and more are offering less. Newcomers would do well to be patient and collect information to compare all the costs related to living before they leap for one employer.