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Tokyo jobs and life
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Glenski



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

PostPosted: Thu Sep 22, 2005 12:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
where are all the online job adverts to be found or where can I find jobs advertised in Tokyo? Have looked at the boards here, applied for bits and bobs and also on gaijin pot. Anywhere else?

Jobs are advertised on many web sites.
www.ohayosensei.com (twice a month)
www.eslcafe.com (daily)
www.eltnews.com (daily)
www.gaijinpot.com (daily)
www.jobsinjapan.com (daily)
http://www.japanjoblink.com/japan/index.asp
http://www.eol-japan.com/

You can also look at The Japan Times (Monday edition) and its online site for (different sets of) ads.

Quote:
What sort of money is liveable there?

Quote:
I have no loans or debt whatsoever and have what you would call a mid-range social life. I like to go out a couple of times a week and saving a bit of cash to travel would be good. Obviously, I don't know about the rent situation.

Figure that living by yourself, rent will be about 70,000 to 80,000 yen/month, with utilities around 15,000 to 20,000 yen/month. The closer to downtown you get, the pricier the rent, of course.

You'll easily blow half of a 250,000 yen/month paycheck just on basic necessities (rent, utilities, phone, groceries), so the next question is, what sort of insurance are you planning to pay? National health insurance costs 2500 yen/month the first year, then ten times that in subsequent years. Go out and drink moderately twice a week, and your monthly expenses will be 30,000 to 50,000 yen.

So, from a 250,000 paycheck, half goes to basic needs, and of the remaining 125,000 you could lose 25,000 + 50,000 to insurance and clubbing, leaving you with 55,000 for everything else in life, from a postage stamp to a sightseeing venture in Germany (or a trip home). Haircuts could average 3000 yen/month, depending on your styling preferences (and could go up to 40,000).

I know people who have made considerably more than 250,000, so if anyone reading this thinks I don't know reality, stop here before flaming me. However, one FT eikaiwa job usually pays no more than 280,000, especially for a relative newbie to the area with zero contacts and just a little experience. The people I have heard who make lots doing eikaiwa style work are those who have a visa that permits them to stay 3 years or more, and those people string together several PT jobs and usually work 6 days a week. Bottom line, plan on making less than 300,000 per month until you know the lay of the land and can get a long-term visa. Even then, it's not as easy as it sounds.
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Sadken



Joined: 11 Aug 2004
Posts: 341

PostPosted: Thu Sep 22, 2005 1:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Cheers for that, Glenski. Is that going to be true of any city, dp you think? I am living pretty comfortably here at the moment.
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Glenski



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

PostPosted: Thu Sep 22, 2005 10:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Those figures are about as close to reality for Japan as a whole as you can get. Of course, if you live in a tiny rural town, you will probably have lower rent. However, depending on the person, you may still spend more on getting OUT of that small town just to see the bigger cities. And, everyone's drinking habits are different, plus when you get used to the location, you may find the all you can eat/drink joints and learn their schedules, so you could save some money there. My figures are pretty much an average from what I've gleaned being here 7 years.

Living "comfortably" is a relative word. If you want to explain that, I'm sure people can tell you what things would cost here, and you can judge for yourself if you can handle it.
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freddie's friend daniel



Joined: 17 Apr 2005
Posts: 84
Location: Osaka-fu

PostPosted: Fri Sep 23, 2005 12:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
I feel a bit hemmed in by living on a small island, so culturally different and cut off from the country I spent a long time dreaming about living in and seeing... there are only so many times you can spend an entire weekend lying about on the beach.


Sadken,
I know what you mean about feeling isolated living in Okinawa. It's like being hired to work in the UK, getting all excited about seeing the bright lights of London and then finding out you're being shipped off to the Shetlands. Ok, well, maybe not just as bad (you wouldn't be spending many weekends lazing on the beach in the Shetlands for a start). But, to be honest, I would feel the same thing about living in Tokyo. You say you spent a long time dreaming about living in and seeing Japan. You need to work out what it was that you were hoping to experience. If you specifically wanted to be in Tokyo, then fine. If you had imagined yourself zipping around on trains seeing Japan on your days off instead of lying on a beach, then maybe you should be looking at Kansai instead of Tokyo. Have a look at where Tokyo is on a map. Now have a look at what surrounds Tokyo on a map. Of course nobody could ever claim to have seen everything Tokyo has to offer in a year or two of living there but what I am saying is, if you want to explore Japan, Tokyo isn't necessary the best jumping off point. If you do want to travel around and are determined to live in Tokyo, you have to take into consideration how your "comfortable" lifestyle might have to suffer at the hands of JR and the prices they charge for tickets to get you out of the big smoke. Of course I'm biased but I have always felt that Kansai was more in the middle of things, literally.

Quote:
What I wanted to know is if I am going to find myself in Tokyo, having quit a job that pays, frantically looking for work, whilst watching my savings tick down. Everybody says there is more work in and around Tokyo than you can shake a stick at, can someone just point me in the right direction?


I don't understand why you would do that. Glenski has given you a comprehensive list of sites advertising jobs. Now I know most employers require that you are "resident in Japan" when you apply but surely that doesn't preclude Okinawa. In other words, I don't get why you wouldn't just apply for Tokyo jobs while living in Okinawa without quitting your current job and moving to Tokyo first. I know you would have to travel up to Kanto for interviews but it would get you off the beach and allow you to see a bit more of Japan at the very least. And I realise that would be expensive but it would cost more in the long run to move and set yourself up in Tokyo while looking for work.

Maybe you will find something while you are up there in November and all this will be academic.
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bassnyc1



Joined: 21 Sep 2005
Posts: 7
Location: NYC

PostPosted: Fri Sep 23, 2005 3:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sadken:
Listen to me: If you really move to Tokyo, stay with Nova for a while. It will be the easiest way. Put in for a transfer and ask for a small school that's also in the center of Tokyo, like Hibiya. Then, after getting settled, look for and secure a new job, THEN give NOVA the heave-ho.
Having said that, it seems that you're still a little ambivilant bout whether or not to move. I guess you have a comfortable scene going on down there but if you wanna move just remember one of my patented phrases that I live by: COMPLACENCY IS THE ULTIMATE SIN!!!
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Sadken



Joined: 11 Aug 2004
Posts: 341

PostPosted: Fri Sep 23, 2005 3:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

bassnyc1 wrote:
Sadken:
Listen to me: If you really move to Tokyo, stay with Nova for a while. It will be the easiest way. Put in for a transfer and ask for a small school that's also in the center of Tokyo, like Hibiya. Then, after getting settled, look for and secure a new job, THEN give NOVA the heave-ho.
Having said that, it seems that you're still a little ambivilant bout whether or not to move. I guess you have a comfortable scene going on down there but if you wanna move just remember one of my patented phrases that I live by: COMPLACENCY IS THE ULTIMATE SIN!!!


Yeah, it is looking like getting a transfer is the best way to go, I think. I have definitely made my mind up to move along though.
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