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jim_brava
Joined: 22 Mar 2010
Posts: 55
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 Posted: Thu Nov 24, 2011 5:55 pm Post subject: |
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Before I lost everything, I was....
255000
- 17500 tax
- 40000 rent (no bills)
- 30x 1000 food (roughly)
- 8x 4000 nights out
- 20,000 other (toiletries, washing equip, batteries, random stuff etc.)
I lived above or close to all lessons, so no transport costs.
The above calculation leaves 115,500 Yen, but it was usually more like 100K.
If you don't travel around Japan too much at the weekend (big cost) and don't go above the 500 Yen for drinks, it's hard not to save 80-100K/month on the regular 250K salary.
This was in a small (200,000) isolated city though. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Thu Nov 24, 2011 10:03 pm Post subject: |
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| jillybean wrote: |
| What are city taxes and does every city have them? |
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2206.html |
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Letiz
Joined: 23 Nov 2011
Posts: 6
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| Posted: Sat Nov 26, 2011 4:56 am Post subject: . |
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Really good info here and much appreciated.
I'm currently working for a posh private school here in the outer (flooded) 'burbs of Bangkok, and earn 49,000 baht after tax (1560 USD).
My rent, (30sqm, brand-new studio; unfurnished but with bed) plus net and electricity amounts to 5,000 baht (160 USD).
Sometimes dinner is a bowl of noodles (just over a dollar), and sometimes it's in a nice little restaurant (roughly 12 USD).
I pootle to work on my scooter, teach spoilt brats who aren't interested in learning, and then drink a bit too much over the course of the week with some good chums in an attempt to forget!
I usually have, er, nothing left over at the end of the month.
I'm bored. After 7 years on and off living here, I've come to loathe quite a few aspects of life in the Kingdom. Familiarity breeds contempt and all that.
I could do with a change of scenery and a smidge more money in my wallet!
Osaka, Kyoto and Hiroshima seem like great cities to live in, but I never see anyone mention them! |
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steki47
Joined: 20 Apr 2008
Posts: 1029
Location: BFE Inaka
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| Posted: Sat Nov 26, 2011 5:39 am Post subject: Re: . |
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| Letiz wrote: |
| I'm bored. After 7 years on and off living here, I've come to loathe quite a few aspects of life in the Kingdom. Familiarity breeds contempt and all that. |
I have been in Japan for 8 years and feel a bit bored here. And have been looking at other countries in Asia.
Off topic, but I know the feeling. |
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Letiz
Joined: 23 Nov 2011
Posts: 6
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| Posted: Sat Nov 26, 2011 7:02 am Post subject: |
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| Where do you live and what's ya story?....if you don't mind me asking. |
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steki47
Joined: 20 Apr 2008
Posts: 1029
Location: BFE Inaka
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| Posted: Sat Nov 26, 2011 8:28 am Post subject: |
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| Letiz wrote: |
| Where do you live and what's ya story?....if you don't mind me asking. |
I'm in the Nagoya area and teach at a junior high school. Been teaching in Japan for about years and just started a MS ESL Education this year. I would like to move into uni work but for both personal and professional reasons have some interest in other countries in Asia.
My Japanese wife would be OK with it within reason. There is a rather short list of countries where both of us could get jobs and lead a decent life. |
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lyonhead
Joined: 25 Nov 2011
Posts: 4
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| Posted: Sat Nov 26, 2011 10:41 am Post subject: |
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Hi Letiz and steki47, just thought I'd chime in. After 5 years in Korea, I too am a bit bored and looking for a change. It happens to the best of us I guess.
steki47, I want to move over to Japan. I made a post earlier and Glenski was very helpful, however his straight forward-ness did come across as a bit of a downer. Perhaps you could give that post a look and give me your thoughts?
Surely, it can't be that difficult to find work there. I think I want to dodge the big chain schools, but I don't think a one branch "mom and pop" place would be a good fit either. I haven't really considered a public school, I'm not very well versed on how they go about hiring.
Don't you wish you could just up and swap places with other people sometimes? haha |
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steki47
Joined: 20 Apr 2008
Posts: 1029
Location: BFE Inaka
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| Posted: Sat Nov 26, 2011 11:53 am Post subject: |
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| lyonhead wrote: |
Surely, it can't be that difficult to find work there. I think I want to dodge the big chain schools, but I don't think a one branch "mom and pop" place would be a good fit either. I haven't really considered a public school, I'm not very well versed on how they go about hiring.
Don't you wish you could just up and swap places with other people sometimes? haha |
The big chains are not really that bad and they hire from overseas and do all the visa stuff in a smooth and painless way. The smaller schools are hit or miss.
Some of the companies that place teachers in public schools jobs hire overseas as well. Check out Altia Central and Interac, for example.
Yeah, swapping places occurred to me as well.  |
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jim_brava
Joined: 22 Mar 2010
Posts: 55
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| Posted: Sat Nov 26, 2011 4:08 pm Post subject: Re: . |
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| Letiz wrote: |
| I'm currently working for a posh private school here in the outer (flooded) 'burbs of Bangkok, and earn 49,000 baht after tax (1560 USD). |
That sounds like maybe an 'Assumption', or maybe one of the other private Christian schools.
They sit in that transitional area between your bog-standard 35000 baht regular jobs, and the 70,000+ baht international schools.
However, with no legit qualified teacher status from a Western country, these private schools are definitely the ceiling. I was on 53,0000 baht, which would have crept up 1000/year. Actually, you can save 25K-ish quite easily on that kind of salary. This is a good saving for a great quality of life in the Kingdom, but doesn't go far if you have plans to one say settle back in the West.
I looked around at some of the washed-up people there (mostly in the 45-65 age bracket) and decided to get out. They were basically trapped by being too old/poor to restart again in their own nation, and decades of TEFL in Thailand does not look good on a CV in the UK. Plus, so many seemed to moan about Thailand constantly. I didn't want to become like that.
I loved and hated things about Thailand.
I asked one guy what the best thing about Thailand was, and he said "mai penh raii" ("don't worry!", "it's cool!", "chill!", "no problem!" etc.). This is because Thai culture seemed to be to not get all stressed out or fired up over small things, and just try and enjoy life. I once saw a Swedish guy smash a window in McD, because his burger took to long, for instance.
However, when I asked what the worst thing was, this guy also said "mai penh rai". The non-serious attitude doesn't work to well in situations when a serious sttitude is needed, and can lead to problems never being solved.
I find when I am out of Thailand, I miss it a lot. However, within days of re-entering, I remember why I left before. Although, to be honest, I think these things are more 'Bangkok' issues than 'Thailand' issues. |
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steki47
Joined: 20 Apr 2008
Posts: 1029
Location: BFE Inaka
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| Posted: Sat Nov 26, 2011 10:02 pm Post subject: Re: . |
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| jim_brava wrote: |
| I find when I am out of Thailand, I miss it a lot. However, within days of re-entering, I remember why I left before. Although, to be honest, I think these things are more 'Bangkok' issues than 'Thailand' issues. |
Yup, I get that feeling in Japan. My first time in Japan I stayed for 5 years straight without a trip home or a visit to another country. There were other issues at work, but I had a feeling of being trapped. So I escaped.
Within a month of being back in the US, I started having dreams in Japanese and decided to go back. Now I make sure to visit home every 2 years or so and try to travel in Asia whenever possible. I love seeing friends and family, but overall I find the US a sad place to be and I am happy I don't live there anymore.
I can't change Japan, only my attitude towards Japan. It is easy to find things to complain about in Japan (very easy), but I try to remind myself that I found living in NYC to be maddening at times. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Sat Nov 26, 2011 11:50 pm Post subject: |
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| lyonhead wrote: |
| I made a post earlier and Glenski was very helpful, however his straight forward-ness did come across as a bit of a downer. Perhaps you could give that post a look and give me your thoughts? |
Re: http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?p=985681&highlight=#985681
What exactly was wrong with my post? I gave you straightforward answers to every one of your questions. The only one hedged on (and given any tone) was when you asked about women. Is that the reason for labeling my post as a "downer"? I'm really confused about your response here. |
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Letiz
Joined: 23 Nov 2011
Posts: 6
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| Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2011 5:15 am Post subject: |
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| jim_brava wrote: |
| Letiz wrote: |
| I'm currently working for a posh private school here in the outer (flooded) 'burbs of Bangkok, and earn 49,000 baht after tax (1560 USD). |
That sounds like maybe an 'Assumption', or maybe one of the other private Christian schools.
They sit in that transitional area between your bog-standard 35000 baht regular jobs, and the 70,000+ baht international schools.
However, with no legit qualified teacher status from a Western country, these private schools are definitely the ceiling. |
Not Assumption, but spot on with your summation of things. I have a degree and TEFL cert' gained from Via Lingua in Crete, and so can't expect to earn much more. There's British Council downtown (66k), but the extra dough would almost certainly be swallowed up by living there.
I've got friends in a similar position, and similar age (35) who have just started distance P.G.C.Es. I've also got a mate (35 as well) who works at Bangkok Prep', and makes 120k a month, but he's got QTS and 9 years experience. He keeps gently pushing me towards the realisation that I'm a teacher, and that this isn't a stop-gap until real life begins! |
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jim_brava
Joined: 22 Mar 2010
Posts: 55
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| Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2011 6:47 am Post subject: |
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| Letiz wrote: |
| jim_brava wrote: |
| Letiz wrote: |
| I'm currently working for a posh private school here in the outer (flooded) 'burbs of Bangkok, and earn 49,000 baht after tax (1560 USD). |
That sounds like maybe an 'Assumption', or maybe one of the other private Christian schools.
They sit in that transitional area between your bog-standard 35000 baht regular jobs, and the 70,000+ baht international schools.
However, with no legit qualified teacher status from a Western country, these private schools are definitely the ceiling. |
Not Assumption, but spot on with your summation of things. I have a degree and TEFL cert' gained from Via Lingua in Crete, and so can't expect to earn much more. There's British Council downtown (66k), but the extra dough would almost certainly be swallowed up by living there.
I've got friends in a similar position, and similar age (35) who have just started distance P.G.C.Es. I've also got a mate (35 as well) who works at Bangkok Prep', and makes 120k a month, but he's got QTS and 9 years experience. He keeps gently pushing me towards the realisation that I'm a teacher, and that this isn't a stop-gap until real life begins! |
Yep, I know a lot of Assumption guys doing the University of Nottingham PGCE thing. |
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