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Japan underclass

 
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TokyoLiz



Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 1548
Location: Tokyo, Japan

PostPosted: Sat Jul 14, 2018 12:50 am    Post subject: Japan underclass Reply with quote

Poverty in Japan: Underclass struggles to achieve upward mobility

Quote:
...The underclass in Japan makes roughly 40 percent of the national median income, while in Europe, the underclass makes anywhere from 60 to 70 percent of the median income, depending on the country. In terms that Nikai might appreciate, Japan is basically divided into two economic groups: Those who can marry and afford to have children, and those who can’t.


According to the article, a combined household income of ¥5 million/year places you in the middle income level.

A lot of dispatch ALTs are likely earning incomes that are just on the edge between the workers class and sliding into the underclass. There are job ads for monthly wages as low as ¥220,000/ mo.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/07/13/business/poverty-japan-underclass-struggles-achieve-upward-mobility/#.W0lDB4rqahB
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rxk22



Joined: 19 May 2010
Posts: 1629

PostPosted: Sat Jul 14, 2018 12:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Seems those who can afford to marry and have kids, is something that's becoming a split between the haves and have nots. Not just in Japan, but the developed world in general.

At this point I wonder who is coming in as an alt? With the US economy getting better and better, I wonder who wants to come? Is there a large increase in teachers from poorer countries like Philippines, Jamaica, and Africa?
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BBQchips



Joined: 10 Nov 2010
Posts: 19
Location: Okayama, Japan

PostPosted: Mon Jul 16, 2018 12:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I guess in the end it's the people who just have a dream to be in Japan in general rather than the job itself who are freshly coming in
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marley'sghost



Joined: 04 Oct 2010
Posts: 255

PostPosted: Tue Jul 17, 2018 3:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

TokyoLiz wrote:
Poverty in Japan: Underclass struggles to achieve upward mobility

Quote:
...The underclass in Japan makes roughly 40 percent of the national median income, while in Europe, the underclass makes anywhere from 60 to 70 percent of the median income, depending on the country. In terms that Nikai might appreciate, Japan is basically divided into two economic groups: Those who can marry and afford to have children, and those who can’t.


According to the article, a combined household income of ¥5 million/year places you in the middle income level.

A lot of dispatch ALTs are likely earning incomes that are just on the edge between the workers class and sliding into the underclass. There are job ads for monthly wages as low as ¥220,000/ mo.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/07/13/business/poverty-japan-underclass-struggles-achieve-upward-mobility/#.W0lDB4rqahB


My wife and I joke that our household is UPPER lower class, thank you very much. Smile


rxk22 wrote:
Seems those who can afford to marry and have kids, is something that's becoming a split between the haves and have nots. Not just in Japan, but the developed world in general.

At this point I wonder who is coming in as an alt? With the US economy getting better and better, I wonder who wants to come? Is there a large increase in teachers from poorer countries like Philippines, Jamaica, and Africa?


I've noticed the new hires coming through my branch are more than 50% from "2nd world" countries. Philippines mostly, and yeah more than a few Jamaicans come to think of it.

I think college debt is another factor that could be keeping young Americans from dipping their toes in the ALT life. When I came over more than 15 years ago, we were not saddled with these crazy, crushing college loans. Pretty hard to make a dent in a 20-30 grand debt with an ALT salary. Can't afford to take a gap year.
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TokyoLiz



Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 1548
Location: Tokyo, Japan

PostPosted: Tue Jul 17, 2018 7:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
I guess in the end it's the people who just have a dream to be in Japan in general rather than the job itself who are freshly coming in.


When entry level salaries were higher, I think it was worth it working just to experience Japan or pursue an interest here while working.

Many friends in their 40s and 50s came over decades ago to pursue martial arts or shamisen or other cultural interests. They could also earn a living wage, start families, and participate in their field. Some of them have their own businesses and schools now.

But now the entry level salaries are very low and the employment conditions abusive (see many other threads on this forum).

If a young person is determined to work in Japan in education, I'd say get a proper teaching qualification, teaching experience, then apply to whatever you qualify for - JET, DoD, or international school.
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taikibansei



Joined: 14 Sep 2004
Posts: 811
Location: Japan

PostPosted: Tue Jul 17, 2018 7:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

TokyoLiz wrote:

If a young person is determined to work in Japan in education, I'd say get a proper teaching qualification, teaching experience, then apply to whatever you qualify for - JET, DoD, or international school.


Don't forget university work as another possibility. The bottom line is that there continue to be good options here, only the qualifications bar keeps rising (and rising) for these positions. Too bad salaries don't rise with equal quickness!
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kzjohn



Joined: 30 Apr 2014
Posts: 277

PostPosted: Tue Jul 17, 2018 8:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

All this is why I'm glad our kids opted for the science track in high school, and went on for the same in uni. (and didn't decide to become english teachers)

As most of the posts here show, ESL in Japan is a dead-end job. Low salaries, no future, you are taken advantage of, and even people who have been here a while end up apathetic about it, if not cynical.

The sciences are where it's at. Older daughter, before she took a year-long paid maternity leave, at 28, made more than half of what I did as a full professor at the end of my career. Can you believe the inequality of that? And the birth was effectively free, and their daycare is gov't subsidized (far cheaper than the US), and they all continue to have worry-free healthcare.
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kzjohn



Joined: 30 Apr 2014
Posts: 277

PostPosted: Tue Jul 17, 2018 8:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

[quote="TokyoLiz"]
Quote:
...
If a young person is determined to work in Japan in education, I'd say get a proper teaching qualification, teaching experience, then apply to whatever you qualify for - JET, DoD, or international school.


Sure, for DoD or international schools you likely need a degree in education, certification for the state you were in, along with the subject(s)/levels that you were qualified to teach, and a few years experience back there teaching.

And an MA of some kind, probably in education, would be a big help (or absolutely necessary, for the best international schools).

The alternative is uni teaching--get an MA in TEFL/TESOL, or a DELTA, add some publications, hopefully N3 or N2, and network like crazy.

Either way, qualifications and self-improvement are necessary steps.
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TokyoLiz



Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 1548
Location: Tokyo, Japan

PostPosted: Tue Jul 17, 2018 1:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
The alternative is uni teaching--get an MA in TEFL/TESOL, or a DELTA, add some publications, hopefully N3 or N2, and network like crazy.


Ah, I got distracted when I wrote that. TESOL is another way to land in the middle class bracket.

A few routes I've seen people take in TESOL -

1. JET Program - complete MA TESOL while working at private high school - university teacher.

2. MA TESOL in home country - work as ALT or eikaiwa droid for a year while working on JLPT N2 - work as direct hire or placement company for private high school - university teacher.
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