Job Discussion Forums

[vash3000]

How is everyone?

I posted a while back concerning my re-entry into Japan. The fine folks here suggested I relax, enjoy my flight, and not worry about customs.

Well, you were right. Despite the fact I landed in Japan with about $100 to my name, everything has gone positively smurfy.

Even my work visa, which expired four months ago, was renewed without a hitch (no trip to Korea necessary).

I work 9-5, Monday to Friday, as the resident English teacher for a big old company in Gunma. Pay is good (290,000 yen), work load is nothing (average 2-3 students a day), and I generally find myself wittling away the hours reading books or surfing online.

(If this sounds bizarre, well... it`s company policy to have an English teacher on site, even if no one has time to attend.)

I have a nice car, a big place to stay, and the other gaijins are quite pleasant. In essence, considering what many go through in Japan, I think I won the lottery.

However...

I`ve read many times that Tokyo is the place to be to make money. I`d really be curious to know what the general lifestyle and earning potential is. The nightlife sound positively electric in comparison to what I`m enduring right now (re: nothing), yet...

300,000 yen in Gunma is probably about 400,000 yen in Tokyo, so...if I were to make a move (hypothetically, of course), I`d probably want to make about 500,000 yen/mo.

Are there many gaijins making this in Tokyo?

Thanks everyone, all feedback is appreciated.

Cheers!
V3K

[shmooj]

Vash,

believe me, if anyone in Tokyo is onto a non-college English teaching job that is bringing in 500,000 a month, they aren't going to let on about it.

You have a good deal. I'd stay right where you are until you get so bored and realise that money ain't everything that you get itchy feet. You have it a lot better than most (check out the Who do they think they are? thread in this Japan forum)

[Brooks]

well if you want 500,000 a month it would help if
a) you have a M.A. and publications
b) your Japanese is good (like nikyu level on the Japanese exam - 1000 kanji at least)
c) you have good connections

500,000 is possible but it can take years before your salary is that high, but at private schools it is possible. In the meantime, you will have to pay your dues.
Japanese stick with one school and work hard.
My boss probably gets 500,000 or more a month (before taxes), but he has put in 25 years of a lot of work.
It is easier to get bonuses of at least 500,000 (once or twice a year) than to make 500,000 month after month.

[vash3000]

Thanks gentlemen,

Actually, I suspected as much. Although I will say that I had a friend in Nagoya who was pulling in 500,000 Yen+ a month after only a few months in Japan.

However, he worked very hard to find the most lucrative part-time gigs. And he burned out within three months.

No free lunch, huh?

Vash, believe me, if anyone in Tokyo is onto a non-college English teaching job that is bringing in 500,000 a month, they aren't going to let on about it.

I`ve noticed this.

For some reason, I am still a little surprised at how tight lipped the (financially) successfull gaijins are in Japan. I met one chap who imported cars, another who is in the entertainment industry...and a few more curious characters.

They were not the least bit interested in giving me the inside scoop.

I suppose it`s to be expected, but I still have trouble seeing how liittle old Vash is somehow a potential threat to them.

Oh well, I guess I`ll just find my own little niche...

Cheers!
V.

[Gordon]