Job Discussion Forums

[tokyo story]

I've only been teaching in Japan for a few months, but my job hunting experience is a recent one, & I wanted to share it with anyone thinking about moving to Tokyo.

I came to Japan without a job, and before I left I was nervous about my job prospects. I have to admit this forum added to that nervousness. That's not a slight against anyone, it's simply the truth.

I'd been to a NOVA interview back home, but a short time later I received their rejection letter. That was OK, because they were primarily recruiting for their Osaka multi-media centre & I only wanted to go to Tokyo. A NOVA rejection was the best thing that could've happened to me, but at the time it was a blow to my confidence because of NOVA's reputation for hiring anyone.

Nevertheless, I came to Tokyo with a Working Holiday VISA. I'd be lying if I said the first month was easy. When people tell you to bring as much money as you can, they're not kidding... The set-up costs are huge... I'd even recommend working a few extra months in your home country; money disappears that quickly. Even when you get a job, there are training periods, (which may or may not be paid for), trial lessons and no real guarantee that your first month's salary will be a full month's pay (could be two, three weeks.)

The GOOD NEWS, however, is that there's a high demand for English teachers in Tokyo. Granted having a Working Holiday VISA and being well educated makes life easier, but you needn't speak Japanese or have teaching experience to make a living here. The demand is for native speakers. Many jobs will ask for teaching experience or a little Japanese ability, but don't let these requirements stop you from applying for jobs or attending interviews -- these things are often a formality; what they're really looking for are teachers with good attitudes. Of course speaking Japanese always helps, and would help you get into better positions at Universities and private highschools, but those types of institutions have their own set of drawbacks, and for anyone wanting to have an overseas experience in Japan, they're probably not a priority.

The first job interview I went to in Japan was for a private language school. It paid more than the big companies, was 23 hours a week and gave you the weekends off... But as the days of waiting turned into weeks, I realised they'd given the position to someone else. So I started to string together the part time jobs. I managed to get four jobs in a month and now I make pretty good money. Considerably more than I'd make in a full time position.

English teachers are well paid in Tokyo, sometimes a little too well when you find out what the average Japanese person makes... I don't know what it was like before; perhaps they were paid more and the job security was better, but I honestly can't complain about the money in Tokyo or even the working conditions. And the demand is certainly high. The amount of money you make depends on how hard you want to work and what jobs you can find (i.e. how hard you search)... There are people making more money than me, but I'm not interested in making any more, in fact I have to turn work down...

If you go the part time route, or you do a lot of one-offs, you might end up working 30-40 hours a week, but spread out over six or seven days. This was a killer in my first week, but I've learnt to pace myself. The hardest thing about this type of work schedule isn't the number of days, it's the scheduling itself -- I had to buy a daily planner for the first time in my life. The best advice I can give is to find a place to live, then find work around that area. Your hours aren't guaranteed because of student cancellations -- sometimes you might have a light week, sometimes you have a packed schedule, but it balances out. If you're filling your schedule with privates, think about the number of privates you want to teach per week (say 15), then build up a clientale of 20 students, then, with cancellations, you ought to meet your goal of 15 private lessons a week.

Privates are great. It's the most fun you can have teaching English because it's such a relaxed environment. If you go the extra mile for your students and prepare things for them, they won't disappoint you. If the student is happy, then you're happy and lessons continue. I had no luck with findasensei or anything like that. I recommend using one of those companies that introduces you to students. The students may not pay what some teachers think they're worth, but personally I'd be embarrassed to take any more than the going rate.

The point of this post isn't to brag about how well I've done. Like I said, I was nervous about coming. I just think there are alternatives to the big companies or the idea that there's an entry level. Obviously, if you need a VISA you can't be choosy, but if you're lucky enough to have a Working Holiday VISA, you don't have to settle for the big companies. Nor do you have to slog your guts out. There are a lot of good part time jobs available that pay well for the right person.

[tuff gong]

Hi, I'm a recent univerisity graduate with an honours degree and want to relocate to japan and teach english, possiblly in Tokyo. I have a Japanese friend in Oita that owns a hotel that is willing to help me get a one year work visa. How much money do you think is necessary to find an apartment(key money?) and survive until you can get paid? And how do you get paid, in cash?

[tokyo story]

If you're Canadian, and you're 30 or under, get a Working Holiday VISA. You can start working straight away.

Apartments are the most expensive option. Gaijin houses are cheaper. There are many companies you can go through that don't require key money & include utilities in the rent, free internet, etc.

How much you pay depends on where you live, size of the room, etc. I wanted to live in Setagaya, so I live in Setagaya. I pay much less than most people who live in Setagaya, because of the company I go through... Then again, I pay more than a lot of other people because I wanted to live in Setagaya.

Start off with a company, though. Japanese landlords are a pain to deal with and some are prejudiced towards gaijins. There's a million companies advertising in the Tokyo Notice Board, Metropolis, etc. Accomodation will probably cost between 40,000 to 120,000 a month depending on your choice.

I get paid in cash for privates and monthly into my bank account for my other jobs.

[PAULH]

[tokyo story]

I don't know anyone in Tokyo who has had to have a guarantor, key money and 3-5 months rent to get an apartment... Most of the companies here (and even individual landlords) advertise on the basis that they DON'T require those things... In Tokyo, there are too many apartments and not enough people to fill them, therefore key money is going the way of the dodo.

You'll need a deposit, though. Some of it will be refundable.

[ripslyme]

[Sweetsee]

Wereabouts in Saitama, if you don't mind my asking?
We are in Niiza, it's on the border of Tokyo.

[ripslyme]

[Apsara]

Well, to get into our apartment in Tokyo we paid 2 months key money, 2 months deposit, 1 month rent in advance, 1 month agency fee, and we had to have a guarantor- my husband's father, and they weren't even sure he would be acceptable as a guarantor because he's retired, but they decided that since he used to work for Sony it would be okay!

We are now not looking forward to having to pay another extra month's rent as a contract renewal fee once we've been here for 2 years, coming up soon- daylight robbery if you ask me...

We looked at a few apartments with no key money etc, but there was always something seriously wrong with them- shoddy building, very old etc.

We wanted to live within 5 minutes of a popular station on the Chuo line because my job means I often go out and come back home several times a day, and with that criteria we didn't have much choice about the key money etc.

Just about everyone I know has had to fork out large amounts to get into their apartments- if I were here short term- less than 2 years or so- I would definitely go for a monthly mansion or something like that though.

[PAULH]

One thing not mentioned also is that privately rented apartments come without a stick of furniture. No lights curtains, no gas stove or airconditioner. You might spend another couple of thousand dollars furnishing the place before its liveable. You can go to the hyaku-en shop but you still need whiteware and stove etc.

[ripslyme]