Korean Job Discussion Forums

[hugekebab]

So, I'm thinking of moving to Japan after my year in Korea (not overly impressed with the place, I have to say.)

Can someone give me an indication of the best sort of position I can realistically expect to find in Japan?

Please don't ask me to put this in the Japan forum, it's an idle query and I don't want to have to resign up and give my life story over again.

My qualifications as of next year:

CELTA
Ba and Ma (not in TESOL)
1 years experience in a Korean private university.
30 years old, male, reasonably smart appearance when I can be arsed!

Thanks

[jadarite]

Decide if you want a city job or somewhere out in the country. DON'T SIGN UP WITH G-COM or NOVA. For more information on them, http://www.gaijinpot.com/bb/forumdisplay.php?f=60

You are best to ask there about Japan. I lived there for 4 years in Kyoto and worked with a franchise based school. The owner is the teacher of the franchise, so if you are interested in that type of thing I can tell you more.

If you just want a teaching job at an eikaiwa (hagwon), then decide where you want to live first and post at gaijinpot.

[hugekebab]

[jadarite]

Well, here is how it worked when I was there (2003-2007). A franchise owner buys a location from the school and they get rights to the location. This in my opinion was a great thing in the 90's, but I think location doesn't mean as much now. Whether they deal with this aspect differently, I don't know. Their site still shows franchises by location, so I assume it's the same.

You get a good curriculum with the school or you can teach however you want. It's your money, your choices for the most part. You can also buy an existing franchise if the owner is leaving. These tend to be more of a gamble in my opinion because the cost is higher and you won't know if the students leave on account of there being a new teacher. They see something different and freak out.

So, if you have the money and aren't sure, you could go on a tourist visa and check out the place. Then, you could meet with the students if this is acceptable (I never did so I don't know). After that, make a decision if you want that or start with a new franchise and build up.

To get students you advertise and hand out flyers at train stations or subway exits. This is the worst part of it most of the time, but every once in a while you will meet some interesting Japanese folk. It does pay off to do this, but you have to do a lot of it. After a few students, you can pay others to do it who are looking for part-time work. I was somewhere in between. I didn't have the money for a franchise, but another franchise owner had 2 franchises. So, we worked together.

Some people say it's not worth it and that you are wasting your money by buying a franchise. However, it is easier to get students in for trial lessons if they have a Japanese person from staff to speak with. They will feel more comfortable having that interaction first instead of being face to face with a foreigner.

Again, this comes down to location. If you don't know where you want to be, consider Tokyo is big and crowded, suburb like areas are smaller and residential, and the countryside I assume is going to be a lot harder to get students.

For me, Kyoto was number 1, and now if I ever go back I would like to go to Yamagata or Niigata prefecture. If you don't mind long periods of humid weather, Kyoto is your spot. If you want weather more like Seoul and Korea, then I suggest going north of Kyoto. If you want warmer weather, then places like Okinawa are better. Weather is a bigger factor with Japan due to the area it covers.

I'll end with a little on the student costs. They usually come 4 times a month for about 110,000 won with a fixed schedule, same day and time. If they pay 113,000 they can move lessons around to fit their schedule. 240,000 won gets them man to man lessons. There can be up to 3 students. This gives a more private feel to lessons and you can teach more freely in this type of environment.

Here is their site if you want to contact them, http://www.sse-franchise.com/

Here is the site in Japanese with locations, http://www.smithweb.co.jp/

I stayed there probably too long. It didn't benefit me near the end because I didn't have a franchise. I was working part-time and working at other private schools as well as doing my own privates.

I don't know of another established franchise based school, but you should look around and ask. Compare and make sure whatever school you go to provides you with a decent curriculum. Smith's at least did, and that's why I stayed with them for four years. I learned a lot and could learn more if I had the money for a franchise.

[cangel]

I worked 7 years in Japan before Korea. My first job was as an ALT on the JET program (High School) and Nova (suckedddd). Here's what you can expect.

1. Less money: depending on where you live but the avg. is Y250,000 with little in the way of raises. Tokyo gets you more but with the cost of living you end up making less.

2. More hours and a very good chance of working weekends.

3. Fewer holidays: on average, a private language school teacher gets 5 discretionary holidays per year. You will work Japanese holidays, usually, and with no additional compensation.

4. You will have to pay rent and utilities out of your salary.

5. City taxes, NHK man...

But, what you get in return is a more civil society, cleaner cities, more natural beauty, and a few other odds and ends.

I loved my years in Japan and had the EFL industry kept up with international standards, I would have stayed. People come to Korea for the money while people go to Japan for the cultural experience.