Job Discussion Forums

[freebeacher]

Hello. I would like to teach English in Japan. I have decided I do not want to live in Tokyo due to the high prices I read about and the vastness of the place. I would prefer a smaller city, but not a small town. I would like to be able to associate with lots of other English speakers. I thought Naha on Okinawa would be ideal as I hate cold weather, but am told most of the jobs are taken by wives of U.S. miltary personnel. I also hear there is a lot of tension between Japanese and Americans there.

Of Nagasaki, Fukuoka, Kagoshima, Nagoya, or Osaka, which should I consider, and why?

Thank you very much.

[Brooks]

Nagoya, since it would be the easiest place of those mentioned in which to get a job.
But of those cities it may be the least interesting.

[spidey]

It might be easier to offer you some advice if we had a general idea of what your qualifications were.

S

[Synne]

[abufletcher]

Japan (and I'm basically talking about Shikoku) it the COLDEST country I've ever lived in -- and the HOTTEST! And I've lived in both Germany and Saudi Arabia. How can this be so?

Simple. Japanese houses seem to be designed only for those few weeks a year when the weather is actually nice. During the relatively moderate winters down here in Shikoku I can often see my breath at night as I'm laying under the futon. During the muggy summer season doing anything more strenuous than watching NHK makes the house seem like a sauna.

Solutions? An odd assortment of curious devices some old some new: electric carpets, fluffy quilt-like jackets, space heater that look and move like electric fans, air-powered futon warmers, chemical heating patches, kotatsu heated tables, electric slippers, etc. And in the summer, electric fans of varying sizes, plastic uchiwas, mugi-cha and lots of watermelon.

[Glenski]

[canuck]

[abufletcher]

I've heard that many regular jobs in Hokkaido actually provide a "heating allowance" in addition to normal salary and bonuses.

All in all, at least in Western Japan (Southern to anyone outside of Japan), winters are pretty mild. We get a handful of snow days a year and it's usually gone an hour later. So by the standards of most of the northern hemisphere it's hard to complain about cold Japanese winters. Korean winters are much more fierce.

But then why am I so COLD in the house from January to March? Sometimes I feel like running outside just to warm up a bit.

[nomadder]

By the looks of your picture perhaps you spent too much time in Saudi.

[abufletcher]

Aaah! So THAT's why I've been so cold! I just have just stop wearing white cotton dresses!

[parrothead]

Of the cities you've listed Nagasaki City probably comes closest to meeting your preferences. It is in Kyushu, so the weather is warm 9 months of the year and the cost of living is generally lower. It has a history of international interaction, so I am sure you would be able to meet plenty of other English speakers. It is a medium-size city (400,000) with ample nature and great public transportation.

[freebeacher]

Thank you for the replies.

Spidey, I have a B.A. in Humanities from a U.S. university. I do NOT have any TEFL qualification. I worked for a few years in the investment business. In the smaller cities I mentioned would I be able to teach adults exclusively? Is there a big demand for "Business English" outside Tokyo?

Brooks, you suggested Nagoya. Why is it the easiest of the cities named to get a job? Is it really ugly? Polluted?

Parrothead you mentioned Nagasaki. Is it as easy to get a job there as in Nagoya?

I ran into a former teacher here who taught in Omuta, a small town near Fukuoka. He said it was very polluted and he was about one of a handful of foreigners. He liked Fukuoka, though. He also said Japan had the LOWEST priced produce and food. I was surprised he said this as all of us have heard about $15 melons, etc. He said some areas in Tokyo were like that, not the smaller places. He said salmon and eggs were incredibly cheap, among other things. 100 yen stores were invaluable to him for many other things.

Will any schools arrange a job and certificate of eligibility while I am in the USA, or insist on my arriving there first? The former teacher I ran into here said he made the equivalent of about USD3000. per month. Does that sound accurate? I saw a lot of jobs advertising pay of Y 250,000, which is way short of $3000. More like $2200. I didn't ask him if the balance was made by private lessons or some other work. Do the schools pay/reimburse airfare and pay the rent?

Thanks for all the interesting responses. Please keep them coming!

[abufletcher]

[Brooks]

good luck getting a job in Nagasaki.
I typed Nagoya since it is the 4th largest city in Japan and it is doing well. Toyota is making money, as are their suppliers.
The economy in the Nagoya area is doing well, so there is money for people to learn English.

Nagoya is kind of big and ugly but some people like it since it isn`t far from Gifu. In Gifu you can ski and hike.

In Japan the money is in the Tokyo area and Nagoya.
It is just easier to get a job in Nagoya than in Kyushu.
But if you can get a good job in Kyushu, go for it.

[Nismo]

From a local supermarket in a small city:

$2-$4 apples, count: one.
$10 insultingly small watermelons.
Then there is the whole beef problem.

Eikaiwa will pay you between �250,000 - �280,000 depending on the company and your qualifications. You can string together private students if you want, but it's all a balancing act between time and money. The base salary, for me, is enough to have a wonderful life and still save �100,000 per month. I value time over money, so perhaps I'm a rare case.

Good luck trying to pick your own area to live in. It's a company market - they have many willing would-be teachers to pick from, and you can only get hired where there is work. A job anywhere in Kyushu will be difficult to land, especially in Fukuoka which is loaded down with foreigners when you look at the ratio to the total population (despite what an earlier poster said). Nagoya is looking to make it big, and you might find the most opportunities there, if anywhere.