Job Discussion Forums

[AbeCross]

What is the best employer for teaching adults in Japan? I require visa sponsorship, housing, etc. Do applicants with a great deal of education and experience typically receive higher starting pay? Is the applicant's age a factor?

[mitsui]

Sounds tough.
Business English is part time, often.
Usually people can't only teach adults.
For eikaiwa you teach whoever is there.
Kids, teens, adults, etc.

[TokyoLiz]

Before the Lehman shock, my colleagues and I got a few contracts teaching business people at their work sites, part time evenings. Most of this kind of work disappeared after that crisis.

You're unlikely to find eikaiwas with only adult customers.

You mention education and experience...

[nightsintodreams]

Berlitz is probably your best bet. They do teach some kids lessons but they're far more focused on adults.

[mitsui]

Yes, and you can get extra pay for work on the weekends or holidays.
I knew a teacher who got up to 400,000 a month working there.
But that must have meant working six days a week.
That was several years ago.

[Lamarr]

I always advise to work for a place that pays you a regular wage every month. That means avoiding Nova and Gaba, where you're paid per-lesson and your monthly wage fluctuates depending on how many lessons you teach, and you don't get paid holidays. That leaves the other prominent eikaiwa, like Aeon, ECC, Berlitz, Shane. They're all pretty much the same I think. I know ECC and Shane give you about 7 weeks holiday a year, which is probably over and above what the other places do, I don't know. But I think they'll require you to teach kids lessons too.

[dove]

It might be tough to teach only adults if you need sponsorship. You could start at a conversation school that offers lessons to both adults and children, and then, after you finish your contract, "self-sponsor" your visa when you need to renew. I did not like teaching kids, junior high school students, high school students or college students. Yes, I was picky. But I realized I could create a full schedule combining jobs teaching business English at companies with private lessons in my apartment, with jobs at community centers and with with private eikaiwas that only offered lessons to adults. I was busy, but happy because I felt in control. Once you get a good reputation among the agencies that send teachers to companies, you can get lots of offers (so many teachers flake out and they often need substitutes). Of course, this type of work requires a lot of running around, good organization skills, and the ability to change modes ( teaching at a company in the morning and then teaching salty seniors at a community center in the afternoon couldn't be more different). But I made quite a good salary. The best thing: no supervision, no bull*#%t meetings, boring parties, as%*#+e co-workers. Things might have changed, though. I left Japan 2 years ago.

[AbeCross]

ECC has informed me that 50% of the teachers' classes are teaching kids.
I have not applied anywhere yet.

Thanks for the thoughtful responses.

[mitsui]

You could teach adults only at ECC but then you'd be part-time.