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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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 Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2013 11:43 am Post subject: |
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| JerkyBoy wrote: |
| Glenski wrote: |
| Figure the typical entry level job will have 20-50 applicants. This is what I've been hearing on the street, and sometimes that figure is much higher, closer to 100. |
That's a bit of a concern. Does that mean I may be forced further afield than Tokyo? |
Depends on how many positions you feel like applying for in Tokyo. Despite it being a big city, you are still limiting yourself.
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| Glenski wrote: |
| You're trying IEC and Heart? Ugh. I wouldn't, and you should have already gotten red flags about them. |
I am also being told "beggars can't be choosers". Which is it? |
There is a limit to begging.
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| Glenski wrote: |
| Waseda U? Nope. They won't touch you with just a BA degree. |
I didn't say they would. I'm just saying it's ironic that I can teach Waseda students at a top UK university like Sheffield, yet have to compete vigorously for entry level jobs in Japan. |
This is not the UK. I have no idea what standards a "top UK university" has, and I am quite shocked that they would take someone with only a BA. Regardless, you face a different reality here. Sounds like more competition, too. I can't explain why; I just explain what is. |
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JerkyBoy
Joined: 12 Jan 2012
Posts: 485
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| Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2013 12:56 pm Post subject: |
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| Glenski wrote: |
| Depends on how many positions you feel like applying for in Tokyo. Despite it being a big city, you are still limiting yourself. |
Do you mean I am limiting myself by job category or geographical location?
| Glenski wrote: |
| There is a limit to begging. |
Not by the sounds of things in Japan.
| Glenski wrote: |
| This is not the UK. I have no idea what standards a "top UK university" has, and I am quite shocked that they would take someone with only a BA. Regardless, you face a different reality here. Sounds like more competition, too. I can't explain why; I just explain what is. |
It's not the UK but they're both G8 and therefore comparisons can be made.
In the UK, you can teach on summer pre sessional programmes with a BA or on in-sessional support courses. It's not possible to get permanent full-time contracts without DELTA, MA TESOL, or PGCE (or a combination of the three). However, it is possible to work at so-called pathway colleges (joint ventures between corporations and universities) year round with only a BA - these offer bridging programmes to prospective undergards/ postgrads.
Of course, if you wanted to teach (lecture) in Biology or English Literature or whatever at a UK university I suppose you would need MA/ PhD in all cases, of course. But TEFL is not really the same thing is it.
I spied this job anyway:
https://jobs.gaijinpot.com/japantoday/index/view/job_id/39445/lang/en#.USDST6NYCK0
This partly supports my view. |
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Pitarou
Joined: 16 Nov 2009
Posts: 1116
Location: Narita, Japan
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| Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2013 11:16 pm Post subject: |
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What exactly is your view? Do you seriously propose to support yourself in Tokyo on a part-time job paying 2,900 yen / hour? (I see no indication that they'll pay for lesson preparation time.) |
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OneJoelFifty
Joined: 06 Oct 2009
Posts: 463
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| Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2013 11:28 pm Post subject: |
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I worked for Heart for two years and it wasn't that bad. I knew what the pay was going in, and being a competent person able to do things like find my nearest supermarket, I didn't need the company to help much.
For a first job in Japan it's fine. I was in Ibaraki, not the most exciting of prefectures (actually it's officially the least exciting I think...) but it was okay. I can't comment on the Tokyo management. It might also be more of a challenge to get by if the Tokyo salary isn't significantly higher, as the rent is twice as expensive for what you get. |
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HLJHLJ
Joined: 06 Oct 2009
Posts: 1218
Location: Ecuador
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| Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2013 11:32 pm Post subject: |
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| Pitarou wrote: |
What exactly is your view? Do you seriously propose to support yourself in Tokyo on a part-time job paying 2,900 yen / hour? (I see no indication that they'll pay for lesson preparation time.) |
Or the small matter of needing a visa. |
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ssjup81
Joined: 15 Jun 2009
Posts: 664
Location: Adachi-ku, Tokyo, Japan
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| Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 3:12 pm Post subject: |
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| JerkyBoy wrote: |
| ssjup81 wrote: |
| Seems with your experience, you'd be suited for Eikaiwa work. |
What makes you say that? |
Well, you have experience teaching ESL and so many years. You'd probably do well at a very nice eikaiwa, as I'm sure you know many good tricks and methods having taught it for 10 years. |
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JerkyBoy
Joined: 12 Jan 2012
Posts: 485
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| Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 4:09 pm Post subject: |
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| OneJoelFifty wrote: |
| I worked for Heart for two years and it wasn't that bad. |
Well that's just groovy baby.
| OneJoelFifty wrote: |
| I knew what the pay was going in, |
I hear they screw you every which way but loose. Is it true?
| OneJoelFifty wrote: |
| and being a competent person able to do things like find my nearest supermarket, |
Well whoopey doo!
| OneJoelFifty wrote: |
| For a first job in Japan it's fine. |
That's what I was thinking.
| OneJoelFifty wrote: |
| It might also be more of a challenge to get by if the Tokyo salary isn't significantly higher, as the rent is twice as expensive for what you get. |
Please expand, my friend. |
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JerkyBoy
Joined: 12 Jan 2012
Posts: 485
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| Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 4:11 pm Post subject: |
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| HLJHLJ wrote: |
| Or the small matter of needing a visa. |
That's it. |
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JerkyBoy
Joined: 12 Jan 2012
Posts: 485
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| Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 4:17 pm Post subject: |
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| ssjup81 wrote: |
| Well, you have experience teaching ESL and so many years. You'd probably do well at a very nice eikaiwa, as I'm sure you know many good tricks and methods having taught it for 10 years. |
Yes, I'm a career loser. That is why I haven't gravitated to anything more profitable or productive. Thanks for noticing.
Over and above "tricks", I know the subject matter, know a lot of materials, can create my own materials, and know a lot of teaching techniques.
You need a technique to be a teacher. If I were a football manager, I'd lean towards the "arm round the shoulder" school, as opposed to the halftime "hairdryer" variety.
I am pleased to hear there is such a thing as a "very nice eikaiwa". Do they pay very nice wages? |
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JerkyBoy
Joined: 12 Jan 2012
Posts: 485
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| Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 4:19 pm Post subject: |
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| Pitarou wrote: |
| What exactly is your view? Do you seriously propose to support yourself in Tokyo on a part-time job paying 2,900 yen / hour? (I see no indication that they'll pay for lesson preparation time.) |
Just sayin'.  |
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ssjup81
Joined: 15 Jun 2009
Posts: 664
Location: Adachi-ku, Tokyo, Japan
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| Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 10:48 pm Post subject: |
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I worked for Heart for a year. Only reason I wasn't recontracted, was due to the fact that the BOE decided to go with JET and Interac ALTs for the next school year, so I was out of a job. I was never screwed over or anything. The pay was pretty low, though, but I knew that going in.
As for very nice eikaiwa, seems that'd very from place to place as far as pay and benefits go. Seems the average may be about 250,000/260,000 a month. Not sure what that is in euros or pounds. I've seen some that pay more, but a higher level of Japanese is required or either higher credentials. |
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OneJoelFifty
Joined: 06 Oct 2009
Posts: 463
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| Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2013 1:05 am Post subject: |
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| JerkyBoy wrote: |
| OneJoelFifty wrote: |
| I worked for Heart for two years and it wasn't that bad. |
Well that's just groovy baby.
| OneJoelFifty wrote: |
| I knew what the pay was going in, |
I hear they screw you every which way but loose. Is it true?
| OneJoelFifty wrote: |
| and being a competent person able to do things like find my nearest supermarket, |
Well whoopey doo!
| OneJoelFifty wrote: |
| For a first job in Japan it's fine. |
That's what I was thinking.
| OneJoelFifty wrote: |
| It might also be more of a challenge to get by if the Tokyo salary isn't significantly higher, as the rent is twice as expensive for what you get. |
Please expand, my friend. |
I don't know if you were intending to be a little grating with a comment or two there, but I'm not one of the people getting on your back in this thread so perhaps you could try and be less annoying!
The point I was making about finding the supermarket was that I wasn't someone who had to call on their company to help them with every little thing. If I was, I may not have had a positive experience, as some of the negative reviews of Heart have said.
I didn't experience getting screwed at all. I was rarely late so didn't need to cross the hurdles of lateness deductions that were specified in the contract. If I was late though, for five minutes for example, I would apologise to the head teacher when I walked in but I wouldn't write it on my timesheet. It would depend on the school whether they choose to be strict with this. Any days I took off were either docked from my pay, as agreed in the contract, or balanced out against overtime/weekend school events days. My coordinator was nice and kept accurate records of days I was owed, and would always email me to see if I wanted to receive full pay that money having taken a day off, against a planned extra work day the month after. Something else that I thought was reasonable was that they changed their minds and didn't ask us to pay the deposit for apartment rental through the company, so the start-up money was a lot less than I expected. I'm fairly sure that they made their money back and more though over the course of the year, as a quick internet search showed the actual price of the apartment per month, and what I was paying through them.
The pay in Ibaraki was 210,000 Yen a month. I don't know what the Tokyo pay is, but if it's not at least 40-50,000 Yen more than this, then you might struggle to do more than just get by. Heart had a sneaky "travel money is included in your salary" contract. I was cycling to work, so that was no problem. And I rented a spacious enough 1DK for 40,000 a month in my second year (first year was a Heart Leopalace). But living in Tokyo where you can expect to pay upwards of 70,000 Yen for a tiny place that's not in the middle of nowhere, and commuting to work every day, you might not have much money to save and enjoy yourself.
I think I wrote a list of pros and cons on here already, I'll try and dig it up. |
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JerkyBoy
Joined: 12 Jan 2012
Posts: 485
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| Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2013 8:37 am Post subject: |
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| OneJoelFifty wrote: |
| ��I don't know if you were intending to be a little grating with a comment or two there, but I'm not one of the people getting on your back |
�
They weren't getting on my back. They were just getting a little overexcited.�
| OneJoelFifty wrote: |
| so perhaps you could try and be less annoying! |
�
It's just my sense of humour, sorry.�
| OneJoelFifty wrote: |
| �finding the supermarket |
�
I find this sort of thing hilarious. My last job was in Burma, where a lot of the food is not fit for consumption. They'd really be crying then.�
Ethiopia was also a good laugh.�
| OneJoelFifty wrote: |
| �I didn't experience getting screwed at all. |
�
That's cool.�
| OneJoelFifty wrote: |
| �I think I wrote a list of pros and cons on here already, I'll try and dig it up. |
That would be mighty helpful, thanks.�
| OneJoelFifty wrote: |
| Heart had a sneaky "travel money is included in your salary" contract. |
�
So they do screw you over.
That's not very good is it.� |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2013 11:32 am Post subject: |
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| JerkyBoy wrote: |
| Glenski wrote: |
| Depends on how many positions you feel like applying for in Tokyo. Despite it being a big city, you are still limiting yourself. |
Do you mean I am limiting myself by job category or geographical location? |
Both, but you have less choice in the matter with respect to job type.
| Quote: |
| Glenski wrote: |
| There is a limit to begging. |
Not by the sounds of things in Japan. |
There you go again, sounding high and mighty and not paying attention to someone who actually has experience here. Stop being so snide.
| Quote: |
| Glenski wrote: |
| This is not the UK. I have no idea what standards a "top UK university" has, and I am quite shocked that they would take someone with only a BA. Regardless, you face a different reality here. Sounds like more competition, too. I can't explain why; I just explain what is. |
It's not the UK but they're both G8 and therefore comparisons can be made. |
You lost me here. What "both" are you talking about? You only mentioned one type, and you most certainly did say UK.
Sorry, but you are misinformed. That is not a university position, but a dispatch agency one. Also, you can't get it because part-time work can't sponsor your initial visa. Note how a visa is a requirement. This a crappy job with crappy pay. Don't even think about equating it to a uni Job. |
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HLJHLJ
Joined: 06 Oct 2009
Posts: 1218
Location: Ecuador
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| Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2013 11:37 am Post subject: |
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| Glenski wrote: |
| =Sorry, but you are misinformed. That is not a university position, but a dispatch agency one. Also, you can't get it because part-time work can't sponsor your initial visa. Note how a visa is a requirement. This a crappy job with crappy pay. Don't even think about equating it to a uni Job. |
It's very roughly equivalent to what he was calling 'university work' in the UK. It probably is the sort of thing he is looking for (and is qualified for). Obviously that isn't going to help with a visa though. |
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