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pam.peh
Joined: 11 Nov 2009
Posts: 10
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 Posted: Mon Nov 30, 2009 1:27 am Post subject: |
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| @Glenski: Thanks for the advice. I believe I will continue looking for another placement. |
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Imseriouslylost
Joined: 09 Nov 2009
Posts: 123
Location: Tokyo
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| Posted: Mon Nov 30, 2009 3:55 am Post subject: |
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| Glenski wrote: |
"Scary" doesn't enter into it. If you can find roommates willing to go in on a place together, landlords just want a guarantor. Yes, they sometimes refuse to rent to foreigners on stupid bases (they smell, they don't know J apartment rules, etc.), but to say a "scary gaijin" can't get housing is not true. Besides, housing as cheap as 40,000 can be found, but we don't even know where the OP would be based, so we can't speculate more than to say it's potentially available, and it'll be tiny.
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What are Japanese apartment rules if you don't mind me asking? Anything newbies wouldn't be familiar with? If its just the sorted garbage thing I already do that here so it shant be a problem.
I also intend to be extra smelly, especially if I can find a place to buy Kim chi  Err, sorry, Kimuchi. |
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ShioriEigoKyoushi
Joined: 21 Aug 2009
Posts: 364
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Mon Nov 30, 2009 7:58 am Post subject: |
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Last edited by ShioriEigoKyoushi on Fri Mar 19, 2010 2:02 am; edited 1 time in total |
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pam.peh
Joined: 11 Nov 2009
Posts: 10
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| Posted: Mon Nov 30, 2009 3:56 pm Post subject: |
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Yeah, the company was actually very clear during the phone interview regarding the delayed pay (which I'm fine with) Not too sure about the housing now but they did mention Leopalace 21 and all the key money/deposit. They're unable to let me know where I'll be living or posted as they're currently still getting the contacts with the BoE. 
Which is also why I'll keep my eyes opened for another position. |
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artimidorus
Joined: 10 Nov 2009
Posts: 10
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| Posted: Mon Nov 30, 2009 4:39 pm Post subject: |
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| hey... i actually got the exact same offer, and I bet I know the company that hired you. I am going to reject the offer. The pay is really abysmal, and having to arrive in Japan and pay 2500$ right up front is absurd. And I have done research on these guys too and it does seem like all bad news. I am gonna stick it out and apply other places and see what happens. I really want to go to Japan too, and I feel like I would rather go with a bad company than not go at all, but not at the expence of living tooth and nail. keep looking! |
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pam.peh
Joined: 11 Nov 2009
Posts: 10
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| Posted: Mon Nov 30, 2009 4:42 pm Post subject: |
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I didn't want to mention their names because I vaguely recall someone mentioning that they definitely monitor the site.
But yeah, I'll keep on looking too. Good luck to the both of us!  |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Mon Nov 30, 2009 10:11 pm Post subject: |
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| Imseriouslylost wrote: |
| Glenski wrote: |
"Scary" doesn't enter into it. If you can find roommates willing to go in on a place together, landlords just want a guarantor. Yes, they sometimes refuse to rent to foreigners on stupid bases (they smell, they don't know J apartment rules, etc.), but to say a "scary gaijin" can't get housing is not true. Besides, housing as cheap as 40,000 can be found, but we don't even know where the OP would be based, so we can't speculate more than to say it's potentially available, and it'll be tiny.
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What are Japanese apartment rules if you don't mind me asking? Anything newbies wouldn't be familiar with? If its just the sorted garbage thing I already do that here so it shant be a problem. |
Remember that I said the basis for some landlords refusing foreign tenants is stupid, ok? With that in mind, the rules are as simple as back home where you came from:
garbage separation on specific days, plus using the right kind of bags for each garbage type.
keeping relatively quiet
not creating a disturbance or destroying property
taking care of water pipes in winter (if your area is prone to freezing)
parking properly
taking part in the neighborhood association (if this applies, usually to apartment complexes) to clean lobbies or donate a few hundred yen per month for improvements/festivals for the complex
Despite the simplicity in most of these rules, some landlords have been burned by uncaring foreigners, and so they may feel they have a right to refuse to rent to them. In other cases, some neighbors may have fears of foreigners and complain.
| ShiroEigoKyoushi wrote: |
| 25th November for the work done in October? (just to be clear for the OP) |
Yes, for the previous month in most cases. Not all, but most. Good point.
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| I didn't say they wouldn't get housing. I said they would be far less likely to get housing as cheap as a Japanese national would |
That's true only if they live with parents, which is not possible for foreigners here, so I really don't think that example is a valid point.
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| Even if they are, are they going to pay you enough to replace them when they wear out? I agree some places make all kinds of demands, but as far as I personally am concerned if a company doesn't pay you enough to fund the level of personal presentation they expect from their employees |
Well, we have a different perception of this item, I can see. Even with 250K yen/month, you have the ability to save up to half the salary, depending on circumstances. Does your employer back home ask you to save money towards clothing? Do they care about your outstanding loans No. Use common sense to save money. If you have student loans, budget them first. Don't tell an employer to "swirl" if you can't reserve a little every month. If people can't save like that back home, they will probably have a tougher time overseas. |
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ShioriEigoKyoushi
Joined: 21 Aug 2009
Posts: 364
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Mon Nov 30, 2009 11:14 pm Post subject: |
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Last edited by ShioriEigoKyoushi on Fri Mar 19, 2010 2:02 am; edited 1 time in total |
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cornishmuppet
Joined: 27 Mar 2004
Posts: 642
Location: Nagano, Japan
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| Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2009 12:17 am Post subject: |
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It's getting worse. Just last week my friend was offered 170,000 for an ALT position at a private girls High School. Full time. Direct hire.
Their previous ALT is, not surprisingly quitting rather than take a 13man pay cut from his current salary. My friend is currently working as a direct hire for an Interac-level salary. Regardless of the salary he loves his job, but has a killer one hour each way drive, which is the main reason for wanting to change. He pretty much took Hot Carl's advice, though not in the same words. He told them to come back with a decent offer. He's saying he won't go lower than 250,000, which I think is fair enough. He wants the job, and they've told him they want him, there's just a little negotiating to be done.
The problem is that while he's currently the only one in the frame, if he pushes them too hard they'll run and some mug will come in and take it for 170,000. Once it gets set that low it'll never come up again because they'll always be able to say, "well, the last ALT was fine with it." |
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pam.peh
Joined: 11 Nov 2009
Posts: 10
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| Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2009 1:02 am Post subject: |
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| cornishmuppet wrote: |
| The problem is that while he's currently the only one in the frame, if he pushes them too hard they'll run and some mug will come in and take it for 170,000. Once it gets set that low it'll never come up again because they'll always be able to say, "well, the last ALT was fine with it." |
From what I see, that seems to be a problem with the whole industry. You've got the experienced teachers in Japan, who's always been paid a certain amount, and then the companies (dispatch / schools) want to lower the pay, which isn't fair. The teacher tries to negotiate, and then someone else comes in to just grab the low pay because they want to move to Japan.
Sucks. >.<
I actually thought that the market should be improving now, what with the ruling that English should be taught at elementary level now. Is that not the case? |
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Apsara
Joined: 20 Sep 2005
Posts: 2142
Location: Tokyo, Japan
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| Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2009 4:56 am Post subject: |
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| pam.peh wrote: |
I actually thought that the market should be improving now, what with the ruling that English should be taught at elementary level now. Is that not the case? |
The mainstreaming of English in elementary schools will start in 2011, so it's unlikely to be having much of an effect on the market right now. I hate to think what the standard salary is going to be for all those new ALTs in 2011. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2009 5:03 am Post subject: |
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| ShioriEigoKyoushi wrote: |
| Glenski wrote: |
| Well, we have a different perception of this item, I can see. Even with 250K yen/month, you have the ability to save up to half the salary, depending on circumstances. |
How much would you budget to spend on food each day (or week) in order to achieve that?
I know you've posted some breakdowns in previous places but I don't remember seeing the amount for food.
Shiori |
I usually give average figures, because of obvious limitations in generalizing with location and people's lifestyles.
rent: 50,000-80,000
utilities: 15,000-20,000
food: 30,000-50,000 (carnivore? vegetarian? organic?)
phone/Internet: cell phone installation at 10,000, then about 5000-8000 per month thereafter; landline installation at 30,000, then 3500-5000 per month thereafter
98,500 to 158,000 yen/month not counting initial installation charges. So, on the high end, roughly half a 250K salary. This has been verified by at least one or two other sources, if you need something more than my experience to go on.
Of course, anything else you may want is what I would consider a "luxury" (notice the quote marks).
hairstyline preferences
insurance (some opt for travel insurance, some opt for more than national health insurance; and the first year of NHI is 10 times cheaper than thereafter)
subscriptions to cable/satellite TV, magazines, newspapers, etc.
nightlife
other entertainment & travel
trips to the homeland
dry cleaning
video rental
I hope that is useful.
| pam.peh wrote: |
| I actually thought that the market should be improving now, what with the ruling that English should be taught at elementary level now. Is that not the case? |
What's your reasoning behind that? Remember the birthrate is negative here. |
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Apsara
Joined: 20 Sep 2005
Posts: 2142
Location: Tokyo, Japan
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| Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2009 6:08 am Post subject: |
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| Glenski wrote: |
| pam.peh wrote: |
| I actually thought that the market should be improving now, what with the ruling that English should be taught at elementary level now. Is that not the case? |
What's your reasoning behind that? Remember the birthrate is negative here. |
Glenski, you don't think that the introduction of English classes to every single elementary school in Japan is going to lead to an increase in the number of ALTs at all? There might be a low birthrate in Japan, but there still are children here, and if they have to learn English then someone has to be teaching them, no? |
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Apsara
Joined: 20 Sep 2005
Posts: 2142
Location: Tokyo, Japan
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| Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2009 6:11 am Post subject: |
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| Glenski wrote: |
phone/Internet: cell phone installation at 10,000, then about 5000-8000 per month thereafter; landline installation at 30,000, then 3500-5000 per month thereafter
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Just to comment on this- I pay less than 4,000 yen a month in cell phone fees, and until my husband got an iPhone he paid around 3,000, so your figures here are on the high side.
Many people now don't bother with landlines, especially if they are not staying in Japan longterm, and often even if they are- my husband and I have never had a landline in our apartment, so you could have this in your "luxury" list rather than as a necessity.
We pay 2,000 yen a month for internet, and the first 2 months were free if I recall correctly. |
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ShioriEigoKyoushi
Joined: 21 Aug 2009
Posts: 364
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2009 8:42 am Post subject: |
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Text deleted
Last edited by ShioriEigoKyoushi on Fri Mar 19, 2010 2:01 am; edited 1 time in total |
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