Job Discussion Forums

[wanderingwonderwoman]

Hello. I have worked in Japan before (about 5 years ago--eikaiwa), and I know about this method of working in Japan. However--I now have not only an education degree (elementary) and a CELTA--but about five years teaching experience (but no masters....), and I wonder if I couldn't find something better (I'm talking about money here) if I came into the country on a tourist visa and then found something on my own.

I have just read the most recent post and it was/is very helpful, and I am looking for your opinions as to whether the a) cost of flight and necessary time-to-get-settled money and b) key money and/or difficulty finding an affordable furnished apartment render the possibility of getting a better job invalid.

I have now taught English in four different countries so I more or less "know my way around the block" when it comes to finding jobs and apartments..but Japan being an expensive little island makes it a bit daunting.

I also have a question about my husband. He has (will have) a bit more than two years teaching experience and also possesses a CELTA. He does not have a university degree and will not be able to get visa sponsorship on his own. If I become sponsored, will he be able to find work and make money even though his visa may only allow him to work 20 hours a week (as I read once) or not at all (as I've also just read somewhere).

In short....is Japan a reasonable place for us to consider going and if we just rock up what are the chances of us landing on our feet???

thanks!
w

[Glenski]

WWwoman,
You should be able to get a job in private mainstream schools or with dispatch agencies that farm out ALTs (although I would not recommend the latter). Average salaries for HS jobs start around 350,000 yen/month.

If you are actually licensed in your state and have a year or two of teaching experience there, you may also qualify for international school jobs, which pay about that much, too.

If you find work, your husband can come on a dependent visa. That, with another paper giving him permission to work, will permit him to do PT work. Be careful how much he makes, because it can affect your taxes. Also, just because he is eligible to work with a DV, that doesn't mean an employer will hire him. Some employers prefer the degree.

[wanderingwonderwoman]

I'm reading the "stickys" now and they are very helpful..(at scaring me away from showing up in Japan without a visa in hand) but so is your resonse.

I seem to remember lots of people (working holiday/ cultural visa / etc) in my town (wakayama) doing all sorts of thing...opportunities seemed to be swirling all around me...so I more or less have faith that my husband could make some Yen (even privately...possibly a lot of yen). Can you elaborate on your taxes comment? I know next-to-nothing about how the Japanese tax system works.

I have some questions about your response: My teacher's certificate has expired (they do this in the states if you don't take certain classes / get a certain number of professional development hours /etc)...mine of course has expired because I'm not doing my teaching in the states! But I am currently working in a Turkish private school, and did one year in an American public school. Think I could get into the international schools?

What is this "farming out ALT" thing that you have mentioned but not recommended?

Thanks so much for replying so quickly. All we really want is to go to Asia (Japan or Taiwan) to make some cash after all these years teaching English and living paycheck to paycheck.

I made/saved so much when I was there before, and hear wonderful things about people working for businesses and making so much more than I did at AEON... if we are going to do this I want to do it right and get the best job that I can.

Thanks
w

[Glenski]

Wwwoman,
Regarding taxes, I believe that if a dependent makes more than 1.1 million yen/year, the other spouse will get taxed more than usual. That's because the other spouse cannot take the deduction for that dependent. Some call this �double taxing�.

If your teaching license from your home state has expired, I think you are not eligible for most, if not all, teaching positions in international schools. This seems to have been a requirement for every IS position that I have seen advertised, although you might want to inquire to any specific opening that appeals to you. Here is a web site with a link to many (most?) international schools in Japan. They probably don't tell you the qualifications needed, so you will have to keep your eyes open for the ads, but it's a good starting place. http://www.tokyowithkids.com/fyi/international_schools.html

ALTs come in 2 varieties. JET Programme and dispatch agency type. The dispatch agencies have expanded their business a lot in the past year or two, mostly (in my opinion) because public schools are trying to save money. The school doesn�t have to pay for any benefits if they contract out to a dispatch agency; they simply have to pay a fee which amounts to the teacher�s salary, but the agency takes its cut. So, if the school itself doesn�t have to provide any benefits like unemployment, pension, or health insurance copayments, who does? The answer is simple. Nobody. Dispatch agencies are notorious for this. Of course, it is a legal requirement for workers to have health insurance, but teachers will have to get it on their own. (Perhaps some agencies provide their own; I don�t know.) Dispatch agencies also have been known to cut a contract just short of its completion, and then they tell the teacher that since he didn�t finish it, he is not entitled to the bonus he may have been waiting for.

Dispatch agencies can be independent operations, or they can even be a part of an eikaiwa. What is particularly frustrating to some people is when either of these types replace a full-time university professor with someone with lesser qualifications. This is happening a lot recently. The reason is the same as for high school ALT hirings � the university doesn�t have to pay as much.

Here are a few links that describe problems with dispatch agencies. These are only a smattering of the whole issue.
http://www.eltnews.com/community/?board=legal;action=display;num=1136333453;start=14
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20060328zg.html (especially the last half)
http://www.gaijinpot.com/bb/showthread.php?t=23547&highlight=dispatch (mostly the first half)
http://www.gaijinpot.com/bb/showthread.php?t=23093&highlight=dispatch