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Maitoshi
Joined: 04 May 2014
Posts: 718
Location: 何処でも
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 Posted: Wed Aug 10, 2016 4:05 am Post subject: |
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| You can get free coffee, but pastries will cost ya! |
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TokyoLiz
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 1548
Location: Tokyo, Japan
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| Posted: Wed Aug 10, 2016 4:12 am Post subject: |
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It's an awesome job. I've learned from people as much as (or maybe more than) I've taught.
When I started nearly 25 years ago, money didn't even cross my mind... |
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Maitoshi
Joined: 04 May 2014
Posts: 718
Location: 何処でも
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| Posted: Wed Aug 10, 2016 5:06 am Post subject: |
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I'd say I've learned more than I've taught, but you've got about a ten-year head start on me, so perhaps things will even out for me over the next decade or so  |
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Maitoshi
Joined: 04 May 2014
Posts: 718
Location: 何処でも
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| Posted: Wed Aug 10, 2016 5:08 am Post subject: |
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| Money only really started to matter when the kids came along. We're very fortunate for the opportunities Japan provides us. |
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kzjohn
Joined: 30 Apr 2014
Posts: 277
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| Posted: Wed Aug 10, 2016 10:38 am Post subject: |
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| Maitoshi wrote: |
| ... We're very fortunate for the opportunities Japan provides us. |
+1 |
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danshengou
Joined: 17 Feb 2016
Posts: 434
Location: A bizarre overcrowded hole
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| Posted: Wed Aug 10, 2016 4:42 pm Post subject: |
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| Maitoshi wrote: |
| I've yet to meet any good teachers who got into teaching for the money. |
Many teachers leave because of the low money though, including the good ones. |
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taikibansei
Joined: 14 Sep 2004
Posts: 811
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Wed Aug 10, 2016 9:29 pm Post subject: |
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| danshengou wrote: |
| Maitoshi wrote: |
| I've yet to meet any good teachers who got into teaching for the money. |
Many teachers leave because of the low money though, including the good ones. |
Again, there are plenty of well-paying jobs. In my experience, the good teachers "level-up" (to borrow a phrase from the old Nova chain) and get them. |
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danshengou
Joined: 17 Feb 2016
Posts: 434
Location: A bizarre overcrowded hole
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| Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2016 2:50 am Post subject: |
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| So maybe they don't get into teaching for the money per se, but they soon realize the importance of it. And this fact is reflected in the increased competition for the "better jobs", which invariably offer better terms and conditions. The other bit is that while not all teachers are after the gold, they quite often get into teaching for the long holidays. And long holidays are often one of the reasons for lower pay. |
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weigookin74
Joined: 30 Mar 2010
Posts: 265
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| Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2016 10:30 am Post subject: |
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| taikibansei wrote: |
| TokyoLiz wrote: |
About salaries - if you're a career teacher working at a decent institution and earning between ¥300,000 and ¥400,000/month, you're paying about 10-15% in insurance and taxes. That leaves a lot of discretionary income.
If you live in the suburbs like we do, rent is a fraction of Tokyo, and food is cheap at discount supermarkets. |
TokyoLiz is one of the few posters in this thread who gets it. Good jobs--paying ¥300,000 to ¥500,000/month salary plus partial payment of insurance premiums--exist. She has one of these jobs. I have one of these jobs. Other posters (many of whom have given up posting here) have these jobs too. A number of us have posted in the past on how to get these jobs. Moreover, as she notes too, rents outside the downtown areas of Tokyo/Osaka/Kobe are actually very reasonable. Finally, while eating out does cost a lot in Japan, buying fresh produce and cooking at home is usually no more expensive here than in the US.
The only thing accurately depicted in this thread is how poorly the non-JET entry-level positions (eikaiwa, dispatch ALT, etc.) now pay. (Though again, EFL salaries are either stagnant or dropping throughout the world--i.e., it's not just a Japan thing.) I personally would no longer recommend coming to Japan for, say, a dispatch ALT position--the low salaries (coupled with the potential for placement in an abusive workplace) would make this a no go for me--except if I had other reasons for coming (say, an undying love of kanji or a rich Japanese fiancée...or just a desire to live in Japan for a year regardless of the money...). That said, isn't this true for entry-level positions in just about any industry in any country? I mean, none of us would recommend to a foreign national that they move to the States just to work a Starbucks gig...right? |
How many of the jobs are these "good jobs". Very few, I'm guessing. Minimum salaries in Japan should be 300,000 a month with the ability to go up to 350,000. Even then, you're not living the high life as you still got to pay for your own apartment and usually your own flight.
As it stands now, with the low salary and high living cost, how can anyone repay their student loans, credit card debts, whatever? |
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danshengou
Joined: 17 Feb 2016
Posts: 434
Location: A bizarre overcrowded hole
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| Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2016 10:44 am Post subject: |
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| Perhaps you might want to consider Japan's larger neighbor. Although you won't have nearly the same life quality that Japan offers, some gigs in China pay enough to make a stint there worth considering. For most it is still a better option than Saudi, for example, and you can still save plenty and pay off debts, etc. |
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kzjohn
Joined: 30 Apr 2014
Posts: 277
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| Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2016 11:17 am Post subject: |
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| weigookin74 wrote: |
...
As it stands now, with the low salary and high living cost, how can anyone repay their student loans, credit card debts, whatever? |
Jump into your Wayback Machine... (Rocky & Bullwinkle, if you need reminding)
I didn't get a credit card till 6-7 yrs after I finished my MA, and I used grants, GI bill and later assistantships--never any loans.
For all the BS about the poor quality of high schools and uni here, both our kids have done fine, thank you. Older girl graduated in chemistry a few yrs ago and has been using that at work. Younger will finish next March (started in plant biology, twisted that into RNA and some genetic stuff I don't understand). She's at Northwestern now on a summer internship, and plans to go on to grad school there or somewhere similar (it'll be paid for).
Uni ed here is a steal--¥268,000/semester (public). That's literally 1/3 of the present in-state tuition & fees at my alma mater (U-Ill, Urbana).
And with the tobitate money available these days, they virtually pay you to spend a year abroad. |
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taikibansei
Joined: 14 Sep 2004
Posts: 811
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2016 9:24 pm Post subject: |
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| weigookin74 wrote: |
How many of the jobs are these "good jobs". Very few, I'm guessing. Minimum salaries in Japan should be 300,000 a month with the ability to go up to 350,000. Even then, you're not living the high life as you still got to pay for your own apartment and usually your own flight.
As it stands now, with the low salary and high living cost, how can anyone repay their student loans, credit card debts, whatever? |
Other people can respond with figures for the JET program (another good job) and direct-hire ALT positions (another good job). I'll respond just with figures for university positions. There were almost 100 foreigner-eligible searches for full-time university positions with tenure last year in Japan, which is a large number in a country this size. Most (but not all) were EFL positions.
The salary was discussed earlier--e.g., the average salary for a 50-year-old 準教授 works out to just over 500,000 yen per month. What this figure does not include: summer/winter bonuses, housing and family allowances, travel allowances and research budgets. While the amounts of these other bonuses/allowances vary widely by school, they can easily top one million yen/year in total.
Given that rent/cost of living outside the downtown areas of Tokyo/Osaka/Kyoto/Kobe is actually very reasonable, one can indeed save with a good job. Quite frankly, many long-timers here are doing quite well. |
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TokyoLiz
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 1548
Location: Tokyo, Japan
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| Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2016 12:28 am Post subject: |
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I can't speak for uni jobs, but I have experience placing teachers for client schools, and working in private school on contract. Direct-hire ALT and English subject teacher jobs can range in pay, ¥300,000+ a month plus benefits such as long holidays, pension, health insurance copay, enrollment in teachers association, etc.
Most of the direct hire jobs for English subject teachers pay over ¥350,000.
Even after the placement agency's or contracting company's cut, private high school jobs pay more than ¥300,000.
The bottom of that salary range isn't bad if you're just starting out, or if you're in a two-income household.
There are about 1,900 JET Program 1st year participants in 2016 (including CIRs and SEAs). The benefits - airfare, seminars, subsidies for housing and TESOL training/upgrading, Japanese language training, teacher seminars and social events, etc. There are publications, too, which means opportunities for writers, editors, and translators to build portfolios. It's the best way to come here.
I was an ESL teacher in Canada for five years, held a TESOL diploma, and had basic Japanese before I came over as a JET ALT in 1999-2000.
Friends who started with less experience, training and language skills than I had on arrival bootstrapped their way into TESOL MA programs and work in private high schools and unis now.
When I was hiring, we had more jobs than we could fill with qualified, experienced teachers. We were looking for TESOL teachers conversant in Japanese who were ready to teach. |
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weigookin74
Joined: 30 Mar 2010
Posts: 265
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| Posted: Wed Aug 24, 2016 6:53 am Post subject: |
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| kzjohn wrote: |
| weigookin74 wrote: |
...
As it stands now, with the low salary and high living cost, how can anyone repay their student loans, credit card debts, whatever? |
Jump into your Wayback Machine... (Rocky & Bullwinkle, if you need reminding)
I didn't get a credit card till 6-7 yrs after I finished my MA, and I used grants, GI bill and later assistantships--never any loans.
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???
Anyways, good for you, most have thousands of dollars of debt. Most wages in Japan are still around 250,000 or less and no paid flight and you pay your own housing. It's all up and down google. I don't doubt there aren't a small number of jobs that pay well, but most pay too low in relation to the cost of living.
MOD EDIT
Most in the 250 range and then must reside in Japan garbage. |
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danshengou
Joined: 17 Feb 2016
Posts: 434
Location: A bizarre overcrowded hole
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| Posted: Wed Aug 24, 2016 10:14 am Post subject: |
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| By 'Japan garbage' you mean lousy neighborhoods? |
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