Job Discussion Forums

Kahz · Joined: 10 Feb 2005 Posts: 2 Location: Massachusetts

hi folks, i've been reading the advice here for a while, & finally decided to jump in here with some of my many questions about the possibility of me teaching in japan once i finish school. so here's the first one:

do any of you know if there's any way that a person who has a spouse AND children could bring their family with them if they happen to land one of the teaching jobs in japan?

i'm asking because if and when i'm ready to start a job overseas, i would really like for them to come with me if it's possible. in the event that i get a job and (hypothetically) none of the employers could help me find a place that would house the 4 of us, then the hubby would stay here in the u.s. with the kids while i went on to japan. however, i would *prefer* it if i could avoid having to go by myself. does anybody know how that works, or how i can find that out?

n-e-1? anyone? bueller? bueller? :c)

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

"One of the teaching jobs" covers a lot of ground. University job? Conversation school? High school? International school?

I'll assume it's conversation school because it is the most popular job type for teachers. Frankly, you will have a hard time supporting 2 or more people on such a salary (roughly 250,000 yen/month). Even if your spouse works (whether on his/her own work visa or on a dependent visa), you are still going to pinch pennies because of the 2 kids. And, if your spouse makes over a certain amount, you will be taxed more.

How old are the kids? This is a huge factor, too, mostly because of the high cost of schooling and daycare here. Homeschool and provide your own daycare by having your spouse stay at home, and you are back at square one with just one income insufficient to support you. You could supplement that income with private lessons and do it, but you'd be working 6-7 days a week and practically never see the family, and you would need a lot of start-up time just to get clients.

Kahz · Joined: 10 Feb 2005 Posts: 2 Location: Massachusetts

"One of the teaching jobs" covers a lot of ground. University job? Conversation school? High school? International school?

>my bad, my first choice would be to teach at a university, but i'm open to teaching all settings/ages.

How old are the kids? This is a huge factor, too, mostly because of the high cost of schooling and daycare here.

>by the time i'm done with school one will be 3, the other will be 9.

Homeschool and provide your own daycare by having your spouse stay at home, and you are back at square one with just one income insufficient to support you. You could supplement that income with private lessons and do it, but you'd be working 6-7 days a week and practically never see the family, and you would need a lot of start-up time just to get clients.

>i see what u're saying, & it makes sense. again, it wouldn't *kill* me to go there without them, but i still wanted to check into the possibility of them joining me just incase.

>and thanx btw.

Celeste · Posted: Fri Feb 11, 2005 3:37 am Post subject:

I do know a few people who have come here on the JET programme with young children, but have headed back to their home countries when the kids became school aged. JET will help with family housing, but I believe they will not pay the travel expenses of your dependants, nor will they help with schooling costs of dependant children. I do work at a Japanese elementary school that has a lot of foreign children because it is near the foreign student family residences of a local universtiy. Some of these kids do okay, others not so well. This is the only elementary school I have ever encountered here that has aJapanese as a second language programme.

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

Unless you graduate with a minimum of a master's degree in linguistics, with several publications and have a good command of Japanese under your belt, with some teaching experience IN JAPAN, there is very little chance you can get a job teaching at a Japanese university.

Gordon · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 5309 Location: Japan

Why wouldn't an employer allow you to have your family with you? They won't pay for the added costs or flights, but if they want to hire you have any decency, will not stand in your way of bringing your family with you. Could you be away from your young family for a year??? 3 weeks was all I could stand and never again. To each his own.
With extra tutoring on the side for both your husband and you, you should be able to support the 4 of you, but not easily. You will need to have a significant savings as the airfare here is expensive. This summer I am looking at over 600,000 yen for my family of 4 if we go back to visit.