Job Discussion Forums

dawnbuckley · Joined: 27 Nov 2007 Posts: 68

Hi,

I'm a bit confused. I want to teach in either Japan, China or Taiwan but I also need to save a bit of money. Well, pay off a loan to be more precise. I taught in Korea for a year and a half and saved a good bit but i'm not prepared to go back there.

I am interested in hearing from anyone who has taught in both Korea and the above mentioned places and how money saving compares. I know Korea is probably the best place but how does Japan or Taiwan pan out if you want to send money home compared to ROK?

Thanks,

Dawn

azarashi sushi · Joined: 23 Jan 2003 Posts: 562 Location: Shinjuku

In a nutshell...

It would of course depend on a lot of things like your lifestyle and how much your salary is. As an entry level job, it's unlikely you'd get much more than 250 000 yen per month (without working extra part-time jobs, privates, etc.). Currently, the exchange rate is very bad, especially for Euros, so any money you save from your 250 000 won't convert to very much.

AS

comenius · Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2007 1:38 am Post subject:

I was able to save quite a bit in Taiwan, and have heard of others doing the same in Korea. Japan seems to be harder to save money.

Of course all of this is hugely dependent on your lifestyle and how hard you want to work. If you just want to do something part time and party every night, you might find saving a bit harder. Smile

Quibby84 · Joined: 10 Aug 2006 Posts: 643 Location: Japan

We had friends who taught in China (it was a married couple) they saved as much as they could and they came out with like $5000 (near 500,000 yen), my husband and I teach in Japan and I hope to come out with $27000 (near 3,000,000 yen) by March (it will have been 15 months) BUT my husband and I both work and all of the money I make goes to savings, his goes to bills and living expenses for two people.
We only make 240,000 a month each though and we have to pay like $180 a month just to teach (for half our train fare and school lunches).
So as a single person I would say that you should be able to save half of what we saved together...so like $12,000? (1,200,000 yen), if you are tight and dont spend money on going out, alcohol, and you cook some at home...

Khyron · Joined: 10 Mar 2006 Posts: 291 Location: Tokyo Metro City

Quibby84 · Joined: 10 Aug 2006 Posts: 643 Location: Japan

Yes, it really sucks...but our situation was that we switched jobs (at the same company) and they wanted us to live closer to where we work (it is about a 30 min train ride) but we didnt want to pay to move and then pay to move back next April when my husband started school to study Japanese. This was the only way we could stay living where we were. It REALLY sucks and no one should ever volunteer to do that...but we just did what we had to not to have to work a really bad job...I wouldnt do it again starting a new contract at a new company..it is just insane that i have to pay to work...

cornishmuppet · Joined: 27 Mar 2004 Posts: 642 Location: Nagano, Japan

Really, you don't pay to work, you pay to GET TO to work. Japan is the only country that I've ever known where commute expenses are often paid. I never got commuting expenses back in England and no one I know does now. I get paid for my petrol here in Japan (though the company's calculation is significantly lower than I actually pay), but was happily surprised to find that in my contract. At my first school, the deal was that I would be paid if I went on school-business, but the commute to the school itself was my responsibility (saying that, it wasn't far and I cycled), which I imagine is pretty standard.

Your salary is pretty low, though. You are a despatch ALT, is that right? A terrible sign of the times, that the bubble has burst. Still, what can we do? Lift our heads and remember the reasons we find ourselves teaching out here in the first place. Oh, um, for me that was money. Bugger.... Confused

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

Quibby,
You should expect to get commuting expenses. Most people I know in Japan do. If dispatch agencies as a whole don't do this, it is just another black eye on their "business".

As for getting paid for your meals, I'd say that is asking far too much of any employer.

cornishmuppet · Joined: 27 Mar 2004 Posts: 642 Location: Nagano, Japan

I think that paying for school lunches actually saves money. I pay 291 yen a day, I think, in two or three month chunks, and its pretty difficult to get a sandwich and a coffee for that anywhere else. Of course, you could eat rice and miso soup each day but you still probably wouldn't save that much.

Its just a shame the quality of school lunches is so variable, one nice day evened out by a couple of suspect days.