Job Discussion Forums

[EricCC]

I am a 30 year licensed social studies teacher in the United States who is getting ready to leave the USA for what I hope to be 10 years. I have been to Tokyo for a short time and liked what I saw. However, the wages in Japan seem to be set rather low for a first world nation. I am considering AEON (I think I have the right spelling) for a short term contract so I can live in Japan a little while before moving on to Vietnam or Korea.

What I am asking is:

1) What�s the scoup on AEON?

2) What advice do you, the expert ex-pat, have for me.

Thank you in advance for any replies.

ERic

[Celeste]

The conversation school wages are low. These are entry level positions. You might want to take a look at international schools where you could continue your regular teaching career and get compensation a little more in line with your teaching experience. All of the really big eikaiwa chains pay about the same. If you have a Master's degree (with publications) You might be able to get your foot in the door for university or junior college work which pays more handsomely than conversation schools. Within the Japanese public school system you could get a job as an assistant language teacher (ALT) but the wages are also entry level. Not to mention that, as a seasoned teacher, you may find yourself cringing at some of the lesson plans you are expected to participate in.

[EricCC]

Thank you for your insight. My educational background is only a BA that I received this past year (along with a teaching cert). I will be attending an international school recruiting fair in Northern Iowa this winter. But my issue is that I am a social studies teacher who has worked for an alternative high school in an urban environment. I know I am very skilled in the work I do, and my grades in my never ending degree program were great, but that not may not qualify me for work at an internationl school in Japan. What do you think??

[guest of Japan]

Based on your qualifications and experience I believe it is very unlikely you could land a position in an international school in Japan.

AEON does not offer short term contracts. All contracts are for one year. When exceptions occur it is in the company's interest to do so.

Your resume looks very similar to mine when I came here 4 years ago. You will find it to be very limiting. It's enough for AEON, but if you want to spend the next 10 years teaching EFL it is highly advisable that you get more letters after you name. At the very least, you should get a TEFL cert. You don't need it for AEON, but it will be advantages for you in the long run.

[Glenski]

I agree totally with guest of Japan.

Your expected salary as a conversation school teacher will be around 250,000-280,000 yen/month. Unless you have bills to pay back home, this will leave you with about 70,000 to 90,000 yen at the end of each month if you have a conservative night life (drinking/clubbing) style. That money will be used to pay for EVERYTHING besides your basic necessities (rent, insurance, utilities, groceries). It's possible to save a bit more if you are frugal.

Bear in mind that as a conversation school teacher, your hours are going to be noonish to 9pm. That makes it tough to find side work, but if you can do it, that will supplement your income. Assuming you can teach English, this is the biggest market for you to tap. I have compiled some info on teaching private lessons and how to go about setting yourself up for them, so if you are interested, send me an email.
[email protected]

With a 3 year work visa in hand, you have a special situation, too. You might want to consider finishing that first contract, then stringing together several PT jobs (+/- any private lessons). Fitting the various schedules together may be a logistically challenging, but that type of working system is bound to make you more than a standard FT job. Just make sure of your housing situation (most apartments require an employer to serve as guarantor) before you strike out on your own. PT employers often do not take that role.

Even after that 3 year visa is finished, if you want to renew it, you can either get a FT employer to sponsor you again, or you can accumulate enough (proven) contracts to do what is loosely called "self-sponsor". There is no set minimum salary that immigration looks for to accept this proven salary, but it helps you to keep your string of work and to keep your head above the standard minimum salary that conversation school teachers get.

[Laura C]

AEON's initial contract period is for one year minimum, but after that you can renew for 3, 6, 9 or 12 months. Not 100% sure on the 12 months, but you can definitely sign a 3 month contract if you want after completing a year.

[EricCC]

Thank you all for you insights. I agree that it will be hard getting a international school job without a Masters in my field and some more post graduation experience. I will be getting a TEFL cert this fall at the graduate level. I know I can set up a learning environment conducive to learning conversations English and English reading comprehension. Other Engish skills development I either need more training and more experience. It is too bad Japan does not pay more for ESL/EFL teachers, but I imagine there are so many people headed in and out of Japan they do not need to.

Thank you again for insights.

Eric

[KathyK]

Eric,

I'll use my own experiences in Tokyo as an Aeon teacher to tell you what I'd do in your situation. I would go to work at Aeon for one year. It's not a bad job at all. My branch had a fantastic staff and the other American teacher and I became great friends. My students were wonderful and I actually became friends with several of them. My apartment was slightly larger than the walk-in closet of my last apartment in San Francisco but, hey, it was Tokyo. I earned enough money to save almost a thousand American dollars a month. (That was as long as I was very frugal and didn't take any weekend trips that month. Obviously some months I didn't save as much.)

I signed on for another year because I was enjoying the job and the experience so much. During the second year saving money became more of an issue for me so I started taking on students on the side. I didn't tutor my Aeon students; instead I used an ad in the paper and was supplied with students through an agency. I charged them 3,500 yen an hour but was told much later by a fellow Aeon teacher from another branch that she charged more than twice that per hour! I taught my students in my own home during one of my days off. It can be quite exhausting to teach English six days a week but the monetary rewards were many. It helped me pay for my M.A. when I did finally return to San Francisco.

Now, during my second year at Aeon I started getting job leads through word of mouth. I even interviewed at a two-year foreign language college who offered me a job on the spot because one of their teachers had quit with no warning. The pay there was about twice what I was earning at Aeon. Silly me, I turned the offer down because I didn't want to break my contract with Aeon and quit them with no warning. Three months later when I had another chance to go to work for the two-year college, I lost out to other candidates with M.A.s.

The upshot? I'd go to work for Aeon and network network network while there. If you've got a B.A., a TOEFL certificate, a year of work experience in Japan, and some Japanese language skills, you'd be a real candidate for a better position once your Aeon contract was coming to a close. You'll have much more access to the better jobs if you are there than if you are applying from North America. The year at Aeon could be a good way to segue into life in the country. It's a fairly low-key job and isn't too taxing. You could use the extra time to learn Japanese and to network.

Aeon can accommodate your desire to be in Tokyo or Osaka. If your real desire is to move up eventually, I'd select one of these big cities. There are more opportunities for networking there.

The best of luck on this endeavor. Even though it may take some real work, I think you'll be able to achieve what you desire.

Ganbatte!

Kathy

[PAULH]

[JZer]

Is it possible to get a University job in Japan with an MA in German and a minor in Foriegn Language Pedagogy? Or do I need an ESL MA? I would even teach German if someone wanted me too?

[JZer]

Is it possible to get a job from the U.S. at a conversation school without getting a spread out contract that does not allow one to work a second job or privates? How can you get an 8AM-5Pm schedule from abroad? Do I have to be in Japan to get a better job? I am not looking to make more money per hour; I just want to have more time to make extra money.

[Mike L.]

[PAULH]

[crespo]

Sorry if i'm veering this too far off topic, but I'm curious if anyone knows if it's possible to teach in a university having two bachelor degrees, but no masters.

Thanks very much.

christopher

[PAULH]