Job Discussion Forums

[Moore]

Hello everyone, I have read the Job Information Journals, but still would like some reassurance - I'm here in Madrid having a pleasant enough time, but earning joke wages and have just got over yet another summer of no money (they offer nine month contracts over here, and sadly my landlord insists on charging me for the twelve!) I want to go back to Asia for another stint, and have always wanted to do Japan, more precisely Tokyo or Kyoto, so my question is - Is it realistic to expect to be able to save money in those cities, and if so how much? (I have nine year's teaching experience, but no TEFL)...

[PAULH]

[Moore]

Thanks for the quick reply Paul - hopes are suitably dashed, although much better to find that out when I'm still on this side of the globe - I was hoping that some of what you mentioned like key-money and airfare would be paid as part of a package from an employer, or do you then get a cr*ppy deal as payback?

[PAULH]

[PAULH]

For many of us, the prospect of moving and living in Japan is both exciting yet daunting. Especially for those coming here on a tight budget, Japan's reputation as the most expensive country in the world in which to live, certainly doesn't help. So, this week, I'd like to cover some of the typical costs of living here. This is purely a guide only, you can do it both cheaper and much more comfortably. Also, I chose Tokyo, since it surely is the most expensive place in Japan in which to live.


Up front, let's make a simple monthly budget, then I'll explain the numbers.


Base Salary------------ JPY350,000
Tax (first year) ------------JPY 35,000
Shakai hoken ------------JPY 50,000 (health insurance, 2nd year including pension)
Rent (2-room apartment)------------ JPY 85,000
Utilities, phone, etc.------------ JPY 20,000
Food (careful planning) ------------JPY 60,000 or 2,000 yen a day.
Commuting costs------------ JPY 0
Savings: ------------JPY 100,000

This salary is based on one 100,000 yen more than a conversation school salary, but within the realms of possibility if you have privates as well, teach at a company and/or you work at a university.

National tax is 7-8% in Japan and you may pay resident taxes as well.


Tax in the first year of working in Japan is levied only at the national level. More tax needs to be paid from your second year (levied on whatever you earned in the first year), and this is paid to the local government.


Shakai Hoken is Japan's packaged social insurance and covers pension, unemployment insurance, and health contributions. Everyone is supposed to pay this if they are working for a Japanese company, but in reality, small companies and independent contractors often don't.

Teachers at conversation schools do not usually have health insurance deducted from their salaries

The rent is a typical 2DK apartment about 40-60 minutes train ride from Shinjuku or main Tokyo stations. How big? About 30-40 sq. m. Don't forget that you will also need 6 months deposit/rent to cover the various payments needed to contract yourself into an apartment and only some of this deposit will be refunded. It can be worth shopping around though, as sometimes you are able to negotiate this first payment.


I allowed a food regime which has you eating out for lunch and at home for dinner - and eating mainly Japanese style foods (lots of fish rather than steak). Eating out for lunch in Japan has to be one of the best deals anywhere. You can go eat a hot meal at almost any decent restaurant for up to and around JPY1,000 ($8.35).


Commuting costs. This is where Japan's lifestyle can really work to your advantage. Whereas in most other countries you HAVE to have a car, in Japan, the public transport is quicker, easier, and of course much cheaper. There are trains and buses just about everywhere. As a consequence, it is customary for Japanese companies to pay for their employees' transport costs - usually up to a maximum of between JPY25,000 to JPY40,000 per month.

[BradS]

I'm working for Nova and am saving 600,00 YEN a month. Other people at my branch are saving more and we're still having a great time.

[Moore]

Thanks for all the detail - believe it or not it sounds a better deal than what you get here, as here you can more or less expect to break even if you don't hit the pubs every night, but the killer here is summer - you simply don't get paid for August and September as everyone is away, so you're obliged to go back to the UK to do summer intensive courses or be very poor - is that the case over there during the holiday seasons?

[Gordon]

[dmb]

That comma fooled me. I was almost on the plane to Japan. Saving five and half thousand dollars a month! Oh! only 500 hundred

[PAULH]

[dmb]

Just out of interest. What is the hourly rate in Japan. At the top end of the market, here in Turkey, I can charge $50 an hour. What's the norm?

NB I don't have many privates.

[Moore]

Didn't actually realize you meant 27 contact hours for forty contract hours - thought either you lot had really picked up the Japanese work ethic or I was slipping into the Spanish pace of life thinking forty sounded like loads! Is that a pretty standard contract then, and also what's the travelling situation like? Over here you work a couple of hours (usually minimum half an hour away, so one hour travel) then a gap, then another two hours or so, and so on... That's what makes it so tiring here - it's very easy to spend one hour on public transport for every hour you teach and of course all that reduces the amount of time you have spare for privates. Are most of your lessons there blocked in one place or are you spending half your life on the metro too?

[PAULH]

[foster]

Moore;

I worked in Japan for 2 years, travelled all over the place and still managed to pay off all my loans in Canada while I was there. I was working at Nova, making about 290,000 a month and then had 2 part time jobs where I made about 65,000 extra. I lived off the private jobs, sent the rest of the money home (after paying for rent etc). I did very well and was never short on money.

If you are smart with your spending and not going out every night, it will be good. I know people who did go out every night and still saved money.

Most companies, as PaulH said, will not pay for airfare but may help you get set up in a flat.

Good luck!!

[LA Galaxy]

I saved 20-40,000 yen a month in 1999 at Westgate. In 2000, around 50-70,000 while making 300,000 yen per month. In 2002-2003, I saved 150,000 yen a month while netting 400,00-450,000 per month. I sent home lots of money, and had many bills to pay. Depends on how much you owe. You can save a lot of money if you dont have many debts.

If you like drinking at the pubs and go out often, don't expect to save much. Actually, I didn't save much the first 2 years here. It was the last 2 that I started saving a lot. Don't expect too much right away.