Job Discussion Forums

[dialectic]

Im not a teacher but am considering a switch to elementary teaching from the psychology field.

But in the meantime i would like to experience a different culture and learn to become a excellent teacher

I dont have much money only have 1500 cdn left

Considerign applying for the jet program because its structured and might be better for newbies

I have some experience working with youths in a rec center and love kids

Are there alot of teacher positions in smaller cities. ?

is it possible to live on 1300 bucks a month(i set this as a rough budget--basically my salary after paying student loans in canada)

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my age is 39 (was in the construction field for 10 years but i hurt my back so switched to the helping field) will this work against me?

im not white ----im half chinese and caucasian --will this work against me?

and i only have 1300 bucks will that hinder me?

[JimDunlop2]

I will only deal with the practicality of your situation. Whether or not your ethnicity, age, background, etc will affect your ability to get a job -- results may vary.

1. Being over 30, you do not qualify for a working holiday visa. This means you have 1 of 2 options.

a. Get a job before you arrive
b. Get a job when you get here

Either way, $1300 wont get you far. Even if you have a job lined up when you arrive, you will likely have to wait a minimum of 6 weeks before your 1st paycheque.

2. Travel costs. Since most of your money will be spent getting here (flights aren't cheap) you are broke pretty much on arrival.

3. The most commonly agreed on figure for coming to Japan is $5000 CDN. And that's a very tight squeeze.

4. You didn't mention whether you have a 4-yr university degree or not. "Psychology field" isn't descriptive enough. Without a 4 yr degree, you will not be able to work legally.

Given the above, and all other things aside, I would say -- if you want to come to Japan to teach (given a proper uni degree) -- save your money. When you have enough ($5000-ish CDN) give it a try. But I would seriously consider trying to ensure you have a job prior to arriving. Otherwise that $5000 is going to go FAST.....

Is $1300 going to hinder you? Yes. It makes coming here functionally impossible.

Good luck..
JD

P.S. I hate to be a bringer of bad news, but that is pretty much the reality of the situation.

Adendum: The application for JET is closed for 2005-06. You usually have to apply in the early fall. Interviews are in the spring and departure is in July.. (I THINK. JETs can probably correct me on that). In addition, I think there is a max. age limit for JET. In any event, JET is a great program, but by no means a QUICK way to get to Japan. The whole procedure takes almost a year.

[Big John Stud]

[quote="dialectic"]
Are there alot of teacher positions in smaller cities. ?

Yes! For some reason companies pay you less to work in the large cities like Osaka and Tokyo, however the rent is so much more expensive in the large cities. I hardly ever even see perment positions in the large cities.

is it possible to live on 1300 bucks a month(i set this as a rough budget--basically my salary after paying student loans in canada)

Hard to say, because if you are lucky and find a cheap place to eat and don't go out too often you could easily live on 1,300 dollars a month.

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my age is 39 (was in the construction field for 10 years but i hurt my back so switched to the helping field) will this work against me?

Not important! However I do work at an elementary school. The kids like me because I often play with them. You need to think about that. Being active with the kids is so important to bonding with them. The guy I replaced was not active with kids and the elementary school wanted someone else.

im not white ----im half chinese and caucasian --will this work against me?

This depends on you! I have Asian friends in Japan who do not speak Japanese. They have told me often people expect them to speak Japanese. However most of them like living in Japan.
and i only have 1300 bucks will that hinder me? Japan is a very expensive place. If you are coming here with only 1,300 to find an job and rent a place, I feel sorry for you! Most companies or agencies that hire Native English teachers or Assistant English teachers do not provide an apartment. In Japan companies pay once a month and so you would most likely have to wait at least 6 weeks to get paid.
Well what ever you decide good luck!

[dialectic]

ye i thought i would sign up with the jet program --dont they pay airfare ?

[Glenski]

Yes, JET Programme pays airfare. You pay to get to the interview (in whatever city in your country they choose to hold interviews).

Please tell us if you have a bachelor's degree. If not, you are pretty much out of luck entirely, unless you get a student visa (by enrolling in a Japanese school), get a dependent visa (by marrying a non-Japanese who has a FT job here), or get a spouse visa (by marrying a Japanese person).

JET has an upper age limit of 40, but this is somewhat flexible.

Your background is pretty much a clone of many other "teachers" here, including those people on JET. You will have to prove you are adaptable to a foreign culture and can actually present a lesson.

As far as money goes, how much in student loans do you have to pay each month? JET pays 300,000 yen/month. If you have to pay rent, it could be anything in the range of 20,000 to 80,000 yen/month (some JET ALTs get a super deal by paying NO rent). Utilities will run an average of 15,000 yen/month. Groceries could be 30,000 yen/month. Add to those figures something for insurance, and about 4000-8000 yen/month for phone service, and you are looking at a monthly expenditure of about 100,000 to 125,000 yen/month. That leaves 175,000 to 200,000 per month (minus taxes) to go toward everything else in your life. This is about CND$2187 to $2500. So, subtract student loans from this amount, and you will see how much you will have each month to spend on magazines, cable TV, sightseeing, snacks, DVD rentals, postage stamps, concerts, photocopies, film developing, medical costs not covered by insurance, car-related costs (JETs sometimes have to drive to schools), gifts and souvenirs, etc.

If JET hasn't already closed its application period for 2005, it's VERY CLOSE, so act now!