Job Discussion Forums

[KnockoutNed]

Average Monthly Salary & Expenses:
Salary: 250,000 yen
The school will subtract the following from your paycheck
Housing -35,000 yen
Car -15,000 yen
Japanese Taxes -15,000 yen
Net Paycheck 185,000 yen


Work Schedule : up to 37.5 hours a week, 5 days a week


Travel Expenses: Your portion of the travel costs will be half of the plane ticket to Japan and half of the plane ticket returning from Japan.

� Housing: Housing is provided for all teachers either in a house or an apartment owned by the school. They vary by location, but all are furnished, in good condition and have private kitchens and bathrooms. Single teachers will typically share an apartment with another teacher and married couples have their own apartment. However, if you decide to live by yourself, the cost is 55000 yen per month. The shared cost is 35000 yen a month.

� Transportation: Access to a car is provided.

� Holidays and Vacations: All Japanese National Holidays, two weeks for Christmas break, and a one week break in May and August.

[Angelfish]

The car cost seems a little high. Does that include petrol/gas?

I pay 6,900 yen per month for my car insurance, and then petrol on top of that. It was bought outright, so I don't have any monthly loan repayments (and if the car belongs to the school rather than yourself, you shouldn't really be paying off the loan for them, especially if it's a car they're just gonna pass on to the teacher after you). I can't see where the other 9,000 odd yen is going.

The other costs are reasonable though (but be sure they are paying your rent/taxes and not just pocketing the cash, leaving you in the shit 6 months down the line).

[fluffyhamster]

It's rare that flights are even half-covered (getting the actual money out of them may well not be straightforward however!).

The car may like Angelfish says be a bit pricey if they are the ones who get to keep it when you eventually leave or switch jobs or whatever, but they may actually have bought it outright (rather than paying a loan "themselves") - could be a real scrapheap/right old banger then! - and thus be a bit out of pocket on it, and public transport (if the job involves a fair bit of travelling e.g. to various schools) could cost you a fair bit more than that 15K a month. I guess you could always ask about buying it outright and see how the math(s) compares, but even if they did agree and the price wasn't too outrageous, that would be eating into whatever savings you're bringing with you to get set up and survive until payday.

It's worth paying the extra 20K for your own apartment, because the shared ones could very well (this being Japan) be comparatively cramped, and you just don't know who you might end up with! (Somebody like the hitchhiker in There's Something About Mary?). That being said, sharing can be OK and even fun if you're young and/or socializing (going out [perhaps together] as well as staying in [entertaining guests?]) a lot.

There's no mention of utilities, so I'd assume that you're paying these yourself (though they might just about be included in the housing/rent quoted, he said optimistically!). If you are indeed paying 'em, they'll come to around 15-20K extra (the exact figure will obviously depend on the usage/consumption).

NHI also isn't mentioned, but that won't be too much of a problem in your first year (during which Kokumin kenko hoken will definitely be the cheapest deal available i.e. only a couple of thousand yen, due to there being no previous salary on which to calculate what you should pay. Anything more expensive - Shakai hoken [includes pension payments ] or dodgy private insurance [perhaps offered by the school] - I'd advise against).

[Glenski]

Just what is "access to a car"? Do you have to make a reservation to use it? Do they pay for the mandatory parking space? Car insurance and mandatory safety check (called shaken)?

I wouldn't live in a shared apartment. Living with a total stranger is not something I'd look forward to. Phone bill isn't mentioned, and if you split that, but your roommate makes most of the charges, who pays?

37.5 hours per week. Are those classroom hours? Seems like an awful lot for the standard 250,000 yen. 25-30 is more like it.

The holidays are nice and pretty standard, and getting even part of your plane fare back is rare. How will they pay if you decide NOT to go, though, but rather choose to stay and continue working in Japan?

[TokyoLiz]

Wait - car? The company should pay all costs if it is a work expense. You shouldn't even have to think about it.

I can't imagine that any place in Kanto requires a car for transportation. Even in rural areas, you can get by with a scooter and/or bicycle. I lived in rural Ehime Prefecture, and my predecessor, my successor and I got by with train, bus, bicycle and scooter.

I wouldn't recommend sharing an apartment with another foreigner because it impairs your Japanese language and culture learning curve (and dating!), and may fray your nerves.

They cheap out on the holidays, and really, few schools have more than a week of lessons in August... You're getting fleeced if you take this contract.