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Gordon
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 5309
Location: Japan
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 Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2006 6:32 am Post subject: Re: Can you Honestly Pay Your Debts Teaching in Japan? |
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| G Cthulhu wrote: |
No doubt someone else has already commented on this, but JET doesn't pay 310,000 a month. It pays a nominal 3.6 million per year, less pensions and health etc. Most JETs take home between 250,000 and 270 a month.
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I don`t see a big difference here. 3.6 million/yr is 300,000/month. That is a difference of only 10,000 yen. Everyone has deductions after their salary, too. |
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cornishmuppet
Joined: 27 Mar 2004
Posts: 642
Location: Nagano, Japan
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| Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2006 7:01 am Post subject: |
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I agree with the more positive people on here. If you're a little frivolous, you can probably clear your debt. That's what I'm trying to do. I, however, am not prepared to give up having a good time while I do it, which is why I'm struggling a little. And that doesn't mean going out on the pi ss every night, in fact I've drunk just two beers in the last ten days. That means stuff like travelling around, eating out, cinema, etc.
And on top of that, I'm not prepared to give up my days off, nor work more than the occasional evening (I'm an ALT). If I WAS prepared to do this, like a lot of people do, the debt would clear in no time.
On another note, though, the yen is making a serious descent into worthlessness as we speak. Its dropped something like 10 points to the pound since June. Anyone have any idea when/if this is likely to stop, or should I send home the cash I've stockpiled now before it becomes even more worthless? |
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luckbox
Joined: 18 Mar 2006
Posts: 180
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| Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2006 7:09 am Post subject: Re: Can you Honestly Pay Your Debts Teaching in Japan? |
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| Gordon wrote: |
| G Cthulhu wrote: |
No doubt someone else has already commented on this, but JET doesn't pay 310,000 a month. It pays a nominal 3.6 million per year, less pensions and health etc. Most JETs take home between 250,000 and 270 a month.
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I don`t see a big difference here. 3.6 million/yr is 300,000/month. That is a difference of only 10,000 yen. Everyone has deductions after their salary, too. |
Gordon, there is no difference. G Cthulhu just enjoys any opportunity I leave him to challenge my comments related the JET. I think he feels the heavy burden of being the JET spokesperson on this board, since he works for CLAIR.
And yes, I made exactly 310,000/month minus deductions, clearing about 287,000/month, paying zero rent. NOVA employees don't even gross what I cleared as a JET. Case closed.
But according to someone here, you can, on a NOVA salary clear all outstanding debts and purchase homes, summer cabins by the lake and expensive cars as long as you are disciplined and have time.  |
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luckbox
Joined: 18 Mar 2006
Posts: 180
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| Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2006 7:27 am Post subject: |
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| cornishmuppet wrote: |
| I agree with the more positive people on here. If you're a little frivolous, you can probably clear your debt. That's what I'm trying to do. I, however, am not prepared to give up having a good time while I do it, which is why I'm struggling a little. |
I think this is the reality. Anyone entering Japan's ESL market with the aim if benefiting from some perceived financial windfall is greatly misguided and here for the wrong reasons. Even with the relatively high JET salary, it's still an entry level civil service rate. I managed to clear my debts over 3 years on JET, and have a lot of great travel experiences, but it far from a Yen windfall.
You have an entire lifetime to pay off your debts. Yet, you likely will have only 1 or 2 years in Asia. You will likely never come back. In 30 years, do you want to look back on your Japan experience and say, great, I saved 5,000 bucks toward my credit card by spending all my time eating cheap noodles and staying in my apartment; or, would you rather be able to say in 30 years time, I visited all these wonderful places, and saw so many cool things in Asia! ??
Debts can wait. Experiences abroad are rare and often only happen once in your life. Just a thought..... |
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womblingfree
Joined: 04 Mar 2006
Posts: 826
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| Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2006 10:22 am Post subject: Re: Can you Honestly Pay Your Debts Teaching in Japan? |
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| johncanada24 wrote: |
I owe approx. $15,000 in debts
Student loans/ Credit cards
Can you honestly have enough money to pay your debts if your making 250,000 yen a year?
A) I don't party much
B) I might do some travelling around
C) I don't beleive in using heat sweaters are better
D) I bike ALOT and don't mind biking.
E) I probably won't eat out often since its so pricey
These things should help my living expenses. But yeah My main goal for going to japanese is of course the experience but to also pay of my debts.
Where I currently live good decent jobs in IT are scarce unless you move away to a different province in Canada. |
I managed to save 100,000yen/500 pounds a month which is almost US$1000. That's (roughly) 6000 pounds/$12,000 a year.
I was living in Tokyo, earning 250,000 yen, eating out a lot and socialising at least once or twice a week at an izakaiya or karaoke.
500 pounds a month on 250,000 yen salary can be tight, but then again I wasn't budgeting. It still left me with 90,000 yen ($900) a month to go and have a good time.
The trick is to send your money home as soon as you get paid! Try to keep a jar of small change for emergencies though. Luckily there are several places in Japan you can get a decent meal for super cheap, Matsuya and Yoshinoya! They've saved many a gaijin from starvation.
I really don't understand people that say it's impossible to save in Japan. The taxes are ridiculously low. |
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Gordon
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 5309
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2006 1:38 pm Post subject: Re: Can you Honestly Pay Your Debts Teaching in Japan? |
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| luckbox wrote: |
| Gordon wrote: |
| G Cthulhu wrote: |
No doubt someone else has already commented on this, but JET doesn't pay 310,000 a month. It pays a nominal 3.6 million per year, less pensions and health etc. Most JETs take home between 250,000 and 270 a month.
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I don`t see a big difference here. 3.6 million/yr is 300,000/month. That is a difference of only 10,000 yen. Everyone has deductions after their salary, too. |
Gordon, there is no difference. G Cthulhu just enjoys any opportunity I leave him to challenge my comments related the JET. I think he feels the heavy burden of being the JET spokesperson on this board, since he works for CLAIR.
And yes, I made exactly 310,000/month minus deductions, clearing about 287,000/month, paying zero rent. NOVA employees don't even gross what I cleared as a JET. Case closed.
But according to someone here, you can, on a NOVA salary clear all outstanding debts and purchase homes, summer cabins by the lake and expensive cars as long as you are disciplined and have time. |
If he works for CLAIR, you'd think he would be supporting the JET program, not slamming it. You're the one defending the program.  |
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johncanada24
Joined: 19 Oct 2006
Posts: 119
Location: Canada
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| Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2006 4:15 pm Post subject: I'll be fine ! thanks for your input guys |
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Based on all the comments you've provided I should be fine with my debts and expenses in Japan.
I agree with whom ever said " Experiences are more important than your debts."
I want to be able to tell a good story about my experiences.
Its balance...thats all but yeah We'll see what happens and oh yeah!!
I got an interview with NOVA December 5th 2006 Pretty exciting!
Meanwhile I'll apply to Geos, and Aeon to see if i can get a better deal.
Many thanks for your suggestions. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2006 9:51 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| But according to someone here, you can, on a NOVA salary clear all outstanding debts and purchase homes, summer cabins by the lake and expensive cars as long as you are disciplined and have time. |
Key words emphasized by me above. Any other discussion is moot.
womblingfree wrote:
| Quote: |
I managed to save 100,000yen/500 pounds a month which is almost US$1000. That's (roughly) 6000 pounds/$12,000 a year.
I was living in Tokyo, earning 250,000 yen, eating out a lot and socialising at least once or twice a week at an izakaiya or karaoke.
500 pounds a month on 250,000 yen salary can be tight, but then again I wasn't budgeting. It still left me with 90,000 yen ($900) a month to go and have a good time. |
It might help to know what your rent and utilities were. To save 100K yen/month is doable, but it can be tight. You make it sound like it wasn't tight. As I've calculated many times here, people can have on average 125,000 left over after paying rent, utilities, food, and phone. The figure could be even higher, depending on circumstances. What were yours? |
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ndorfn
Joined: 15 Mar 2005
Posts: 126
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| Posted: Thu Oct 26, 2006 4:01 am Post subject: |
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| paying off debts was my priority when I came here and living modestly outside a major city I saved about 100 000yen from a salary of about 280 000 (including private students) |
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cornishmuppet
Joined: 27 Mar 2004
Posts: 642
Location: Nagano, Japan
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| Posted: Thu Oct 26, 2006 10:32 am Post subject: |
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Last month I saved 135k, but I'm on a direct hire BoE salary which is much higher than your average. For 18months I was on 250k a month, and saving on average 80 - 100k a month. My rent was fairly low, but my utilities the same as everyone else, and I liked to drink a fair bit too. I had about 200k left after all bills and taxes, not including food. Now I clear about 240k after all deductions, etc.
The problem is, that the moment you do any travelling, hotel and transport costs immediately rack up. Two days in Tokyo, with one night stay over, would usually set me back about 40k. So, two of them in a month, and that's your monthly savings gone. Not a lot of fun there.
These days I have a car so spend more time up in the mountains and doing cheap things like mallet golf and hiking rather than ripping it up down Roppongi. |
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womblingfree
Joined: 04 Mar 2006
Posts: 826
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| Posted: Thu Oct 26, 2006 10:47 am Post subject: |
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| Glenski wrote: |
| To save 100K yen/month is doable, but it can be tight. You make it sound like it wasn't tight. As I've calculated many times here, people can have on average 125,000 left over after paying rent, utilities, food, and phone. The figure could be even higher, depending on circumstances. What were yours? |
I seem to remember that my rent was about 48,000 yen a month, then it was always about 10,000 for all my bills. That was an Aeon 'subsidised' apartment.
When I left Aeon my rent went up to 75,000 a month but I was earning 300,000 a month so I could still save the same amount.
It was certainly a struggle sometimes and If I wanted to take a holiday or buy something like a computer or camera, then I'd send home less. |
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G Cthulhu
Joined: 07 Feb 2003
Posts: 1373
Location: Way, way off course.
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| Posted: Thu Oct 26, 2006 7:13 pm Post subject: Re: Can you Honestly Pay Your Debts Teaching in Japan? |
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| Gordon wrote: |
| G Cthulhu wrote: |
No doubt someone else has already commented on this, but JET doesn't pay 310,000 a month. It pays a nominal 3.6 million per year, less pensions and health etc. Most JETs take home between 250,000 and 270 a month.
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I don`t see a big difference here. 3.6 million/yr is 300,000/month. That is a difference of only 10,000 yen. Everyone has deductions after their salary, too. |
Yes, but he wasn't mentioning anything about deductions. The way it was presented was 310,000 outright vs the actual 250,000. That's enough of a difference to be worth mentioning in my book. |
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G Cthulhu
Joined: 07 Feb 2003
Posts: 1373
Location: Way, way off course.
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| Posted: Thu Oct 26, 2006 7:24 pm Post subject: Re: Can you Honestly Pay Your Debts Teaching in Japan? |
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| luckbox wrote: |
Gordon, there is no difference. G Cthulhu just enjoys any opportunity I leave him to challenge my comments related the JET. I think he feels the heavy burden of being the JET spokesperson on this board, since he works for CLAIR.
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Your paranoia aside, you're mistaken, I don't work for CLAIR. I'm in the US and simply give a little help to the Consulates at interviewing and recruiting time. I'm hardly one to sing the praises of JET unilaterally, but I will point out what I see as mistakes. If you don't like it then feel free to defend your position. Otherwise, try growing up. :)
| Quote: |
And yes, I made exactly 310,000/month minus deductions, clearing about 287,000/month, paying zero rent. NOVA employees don't even gross what I cleared as a JET. Case closed.
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You made more than most NOVA people is all. You also made more than most JETs. There was, after all, a _reason_ why I listed a _range_ of pay about JET, but you don't bother picking up on that, do you? No, it's all about you in your world, eh?
I'm sorry that you feel threatened by anyone with a different experience to yours, but that's simply the way it is. If you want to know why I reply to you it's because you make pronouncements about what JET is and isn't and you're often simply wrong in those blanket pronouncements. JET is far more diverse than you seem to think and not everyone has the same contract or conditions, including net pay. Shocking news for you, but there you are.
| Quote: |
But according to someone here, you can, on a NOVA salary clear all outstanding debts and purchase homes, summer cabins by the lake and expensive cars as long as you are disciplined and have time. :roll:
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Look, I don't really care that you have a hard time believing that people can do those things (your misrepresentation of what was actually written not with standing (I'm sensing a pattern there in your behaviour ;> )) but if you really have trouble believing it then perhaps you just need to widen your realm of experience. Sure, you can go out and drink your pay away, but there _are_ people out there that do other things with it. The question was whether it was possible. It is. I'm sorry that you find it difficult to believe. Try getting over it. |
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G Cthulhu
Joined: 07 Feb 2003
Posts: 1373
Location: Way, way off course.
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| Posted: Thu Oct 26, 2006 7:30 pm Post subject: Re: Can you Honestly Pay Your Debts Teaching in Japan? |
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| Gordon wrote: |
If he works for CLAIR, you'd think he would be supporting the JET program, not slamming it. You're the one defending the program. :? |
Careful, he seems to get upset with the obvious being pointed out. ;) :) |
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G Cthulhu
Joined: 07 Feb 2003
Posts: 1373
Location: Way, way off course.
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| Posted: Thu Oct 26, 2006 7:37 pm Post subject: |
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| Glenski wrote: |
Realize that taxes on a WHV are 20%, not the usual 7-10% for work visa holders. |
Your employer should refund most of that when you leave though. You can be certain they get it back from the tax people! |
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