Job Discussion Forums

[vanland]

Hello all!!!

I am a newbie seeking to head over there in a few months time. I am enjoying a browse of the forum in the last couple of days as I learn a little more about teaching in Japan.

Just curious, I will be there for a position that allows me a few days here and there to pick up work. I am hoping to pick up approximately 80,000 yen per month in the 2 days and the half day off I will have each week (one day and the half day are on weekdays, might actually be two half days). What would be the best way for me to go about that? Is it possible to arrange casual work before heading over there or is it easy to get casual work at the language schools when I am already there?
I will be in the Kyoto area.
I will have a degree and CELTA.

Thank you.

[furiousmilksheikali]

To get work in "one of the language schools" will almost certainly be impossible if you are talking about the Big Four. Their contracts are nearly all full-time (although NOVA has part-time positions) and usually require being employed from outside of the country.

There are alot of smaller eikaiwa chains and some of them may have work available on such a limited scale but these are going to be difficult to find and usually involve getting the job through word-of-mouth.

The other option is private students. There are alot of problems with this, however, as most teachers find it difficult to build up a good number of students in convenient time slots. It can't be done in a short space of time. The amount of time you have is also important.

How long are you planning on staying in Japan?

If it is only for a short period then you don't have much to offer the students in terms of consistency.

In short, your options for finding work for two days a week are quite limited.

[Glenski]

If you are indeed willing to work 7 days a week, you may be able to make quite a bit. Just realize that "casual work" still has to fit within the bounds of your visa category. So, if you have a Humanities Specialist work visa, you are not allowed to do engineering work, for example.

Picking up private lesson students, as mentioned, can be easy or hard, even with the online recruiting sites that have popped up in the last couple of years. Students are fickle, and the younger ones are more fickle. Most students are stingy, too, but my advice is to make a clear business plan and stick to it. Too many people are charging 1000-1500 yen/hour per student, when they could easily make 3000-5000. More details on private lessons have been discussed widely on this and other forums.

[vanland]

Thanks for the information guys. It is nice to get some of your thoughts.
I am fully expecting my visa to allow me to do extra work.
I expect to stay long term. I actually have Mondays, most of Fridays and a few half days free (plus most of the weekend) so there is plenty of time for extra work and rest when needed. My thinking was that whether with a language school or private lessons, earning around 2000 - 3000 yen per hour, would allow myself to make the money reasonably easily if I worked during some of that free time. I guess that checking out the options and making contacts while there is a good idea and see what happens from there.