Job Discussion Forums

alastair01 · Joined: 15 Oct 2013 Posts: 2

Hi guys, wondering if it is possible to have a split shift where a couple would share a position as to look after an infant in downtime, where teachering hours equal 10-12 hours a day?

Maitoshi · Joined: 04 May 2014 Posts: 718 Location: 何処でも

This sounds very unlikely. Perhaps if both already had proper visas something could be worked out, but a 10-12 hour teaching day doesn't sound very common.

A better solution might be to find two separate jobs. If the hours don't overlap, it could work. For example, I hear ALTs sometimes moonlight in the evenings, so one of you might work as an ALT during the day and th other at a language school in the evenings.

You might hardly see each other, though ...

TokyoLiz · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 1548 Location: Tokyo, Japan

Alastair01, I've been living and working in suburban Tokyo for over 12 years, and have a lot of friends with kids.

The two single moms I know, one a uni prof, the other a company executive, put their kids in Hoikuen, daycare.

The two-parent families I know depend on one parent as bread winner. The parents doing the childcare also have jobs, but work from home.

The entry-level jobs here do not pay enough to support two people with a child. The majority of the dispatch companies (vultures) do not copay social welfare. You can read so many stories of abusive conditions on this forum and union websites. You'd be in trouble from the start.

Have you looked into the government run JET Program? The program welcomes families. It includes airfare, subsidized housing, ongoing support, and community network.

alastair01 · Joined: 15 Oct 2013 Posts: 2

I have looked at JET program, it actually pays more than any of the actual teaching posts I have seen. But the selection process takes most of a year to complete. I thought the pay would be more than the hermit kingdom next door, but actually a lot less, as the accommodation in Japan is not free. My final evaluation is that it is going to be difficult (almost too much so) to have two parents teaching and having to look after an infant in the off-time. Could be the start of a nightmare experience.

TokyoLiz · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 1548 Location: Tokyo, Japan

JET participant accommodation is usually subsidized. I paid just ¥10,000 for a 2DK and bills. Schools fed me absent students' lunches, or a paid a few hundred yen for lunch.

Yes, the JET process takes a long time, but it has so many benefits for first-timers in Japan.

I recommend you contact the JET alumni association in your region to get first-hand info from recent participants. Some may be family participants.

Good luck, whatever you do.