Would like some advice about going towards Japan
 

Hi, this is my first post on the "Japan Forum" so I thank you for your time and patience. I'm in my third year of college and I am planning on teaching English in Japan after I graduate. For the previous three semesters I have been learning Japanese in class and in my free time. I've been mostly practicing grammar a lot and learning a little Kanji. Up to 200 so far I believe. Anyways my first question would be am I on the right track concerning the Japanese language? Should I keep studying now or wait till I go to Japan? I only ask this because learning another language in your native country can be quite hard.

Next I've been saving money for Japan so I can rent an apartment, pay for key money, etc. whenever I go. I was wondering what a single room apartment with a western toilet, washing machine, and bath would cost. I lived in a apartment in Niigata but I did not have to pay for it since it was provided by the university I was attending. I have no idea on the expenses

Next, I was looking at Jason's guide to Japan, particulary the cover letter and resume as well the different teaching programs in Japan. I was interested in JET but found that it's selection of teacher's is like playing Russian roulette blind-folded. I also heard about the shady business practices of INTERAC with English teacher's. I was wandering, has anyone had any interactions with other companies such as Geos, ECC, Berlitz & Aeon? Any advise from current or past teacher's would be wonderful. Oh as well would anyone like to add anything a part from what Jason said in his guide concerning cover letter and resume?

I would like to live in the country-side, the real side of Japan. I've been to Tokyo but I don't want to live in all of that hustle and bustle. Plus I don't think I would learn more about the Japanese language than I will in the country-side. I want to be forced to be speak Japanese haha. I was wandering where would be a great place for me to learn Japanese as well as teaching English where it's most needed?

Well thank you for your time. Any further advice would be great as well. Once again thank you.

-Andru

Learning now certainly won't hurt. But if you've got a decent level now you can relax a little, and work on saving more money if you want, it may help in the long run.


Thats tough, but I would assume 4man/month, after your settled, you can look around more. Try and get your work to cover the key money etc. this way you can move out if you want to.

I never was an ALT but I think they've got it made, 80% of the time.
Never worked for a big Geos type either, but those teachers really bust their arse working,(as opposed to most ALT, sorrry) and I respect that.

I think you'd learn more about teaching from a small school in the sticks, with one or a few teachers. Any owner run school is going care about training you properly, more than worrying about the bottom line.

What kind of weather do you like? How many hours from the neon? etc... more info needed please.

Hope this helps

Weather, hours, etc.
 

I'm pretty much adaptable to any kind of weather. I lived in a state where the winters were freezing, lived in a country where it was just plain hot, and now I'm living in a state that's hot & humid. I'm pretty much adaptable to Japanese weather haha. I know there's hardly central heating and cooling units in most apartments, but I actually found ways around it

As far as hours go I would work at least 48 hours a week. As long as I have one day off I'm fine. I've been doing those kind of hours for a couple of years and I'm not complaining haha.

I did ponder the idea of going to a owner controlled school. I feel like it working in a flexible business environment with help will be great. I researched and found that some businesses want you to follow a set guideline of teaching English in class. But I feel like that would be kind of monotanous (or however you spell it).

I tried to reasearch these kind of schools as well but I am having trouble. If anyone could show me a credible website containing information about owner controlled schools, that would be great.

Also, I have this nagging question in the back of my mind. I know that in order to get a working visa and to teach English you need a bachelors degree. I've heard that they'll take any kind of degree but I have to ask. I'm majoring in Business Administration. Do you think that would hurt my chance to work as an English teacher?

You might find this sticky useful:

http://www.japanforum.com/forum/livi...ive-japan.html

Not many language teachers get over-fulltime. If anything you'll be working less. There is lots of competition for hours.

Thanks for the sticky MMM.

I was looking through a website recently and found that most businesses offer at least 29 hours. Maybe I can give private lessons on the side. But thats probably after I get a feel for teaching of course and had some experience.

I have a question. When you get close to completing a one year contract, is it possible to renew another one for a set amount of time if the government or business allow it?

Looked through your sticky and it pretty much got rid of the nagging question I had about my college degree.

Thank you!

Good!

Yes, renewals for contracts will happen a certain number of months before your visa expires.

Keep in mind that at least chain schools, and private schools surely too, have strict rules about out-of-school fraternizing...whether it be socializing, or even worse, private lessons. Tread carefully in this area.

Thank you for the advice. I think I'm going to play it safe and not do private teaching.

I think I see the reasoning behind it in a business aspect.

I have another question actually. How much would a bike cost in Japan?

And is there any paper work to fill out for a work visa? Will the government give you the proper documents when you find a job in Japan?

Bicycle or motorcycle?

It is difficult to go to Japan and search for work without a visa, as technically it is illegal to be hired this way, as far as I know.

The best bet is to find a job, and have them deal with the visa business...it should cost you nothing, really.

Gaijinpot.com is one place to look for openings.

29 class hours is a lot! Remember that does not include prep time and transportation time, that will become 50 hours real quick. You'll be knackered.
Also classes may not be consecutive or in the same location. You may be killing hours between classes. The Geos type will have you doing 8 classes per day with 5 mins between classes, it beats construction work but it will wear you down.

If the school likes you, they may offer a renewal contract. Be wary of schools that want a 2 year contract up front. They want to pressure you to stay, it's easier for them. But you can also break a contract, they're not ironclad, but you won't get a reference letter and may lose your visa.

I'd go with the Jet program if poss, or a big company school, do it for a year wherever. Then switch to a small school in an area you like if you want to stay longer.

Your work visa will more or less require that you work part-time, and earn a minimum of about 200,000 yen per month. To get the visa you need a few things, such as a college diploma, a valid passport, and a sponsorship form filled out by a company willing to hire you.

The level of pay offered by the chain schools (and Interac) is about 250,000 per month. All will offer housing subsidies/assistance of one form or another. If you are interviewed/hired, you will be responsible for airfare to wherever it is you will be trained, as well as airfare to Japan. You should budget at least $2000 to get you by in Japan after paying for airfare, etc.

If you have to rent your own apartment, you'll probably be looking spending that $2000 in rent and deposits (assuming your rent is between $400 and $700 a month). The more money you can save before you move, the better.

Once you arrive, it doesn't take long to settle in. Once the paychecks start arriving you should have no problems.

As for language study, the more you know before you arrive, the easier time you will have adjusting. Regardless of how much you know when you get here, you'll probably find that the people don't speak in the polite/correct forms you learned in textbooks. But you'll pick up on spoken Japanese quickly enough.

I'm in my second year here in Japan, and I'm loving it.

I didn't even think about prep time and transportation time. Thank you for pointing that out. Alright so now I have a grasp of what kind of hours I should be looking for. Can you negotiate your hours with a company or is it a situation of either taking it or leave?

I was thinking of doing a one year contract to get a knack for teaching and with the experience from that try applying to owner run schools. Of course that depends if I do well.

Are most english teaching companies easy to negotiate with?

Well I'm still working on my college degree. I'm taking summer classes so I can graduate in the fall of '10. So that's in the works. As for my passport all I need to do is just renew so that isn't a problem. So the only thing I need to worry about is the sponsorship from the company.

It kind of stinks though that the work visa will only let you work part-time. But I think I'll try and manage. 250,000 per month isn't that bad for a single person. Although I might want to save money for the future of course. At least the companies help out with apartments. I heard that landlords would rather not deal with foreigners due to the language barrier. Airfare is no problem either. I have enough air miles to go to Japan and back without paying the airlines.

Does the rent include ultilities as well?

My Japanese teacher mostly taught the class about informal Japanese. Like "suru" instead of "shimasu" and stuff like that. But I understand what you mean. I'm sure if I go that I will learn so much more than what the textbook shows.

What was it like for you when you came to Japan? Did you adjust easily over time?

The problem with negotiation is there are 1000 people sitting behind you that will take a smaller pay to get your job. Also the problem with chain schools is it doesn't really matter if you are a good teacher or a bad teacher, so you have little to negotiate with in that respect.

This is less true of privately owned schools, but also, naturally the competition for openings there is much higher.

Bicycle

Alright, so I don't have to worry too much about visa paperwork. Thats good.

That is true. So basically I should be happy with what they give me and just live with it until the contract ends.

As for private schools I should basically try to come up with something that can be both beneficial for me as well as the school. I understand that now.

This helps out a lot. It gives me some perspective and helps make me build a better action plan.

I had two bicycles in Japan. One was about 70 dollars and the second was about 100 dollars. They were pretty low-end affairs and both were bought used.

That's affordable.

When I was in Niigata, right next to a train station was an area where I assumed that you can park your bicycles for as long as you want. Have you ever used it before and if you did how much does it cost to park your bicycle?

Different places have different rules. Where I lived you could park your bike in front of the train station in a certain area, but only until the trains stopped running at midnight. Any bicycles remaining were impounded.

Some places have safe pay bike parking, but the ones I have seen were only about 200yen per day.

What is the tax rate in Japan?

Also, Sangetsu said that most apartments rents would be 400-700 dollars a month. Does that include utilities?

I'm trying to figure out the expences with the minimum wage of 200,000 yen per month.

That would not include utilities...though may include garbage pick up.

Income tax is quite low, if you're an eikaiwa teacher, maybe around 5% in your second year. (all taxes are based on your previous years income, so in your first year in Japan , your previous years income was 0. You start really paying the next year) But, local city taxes have been rising. In the small towns it is not bad though. You'll have to pay health insurance and social insurance though. These again will be cheap the first year, and kick in harder the second year. Consumption tax (sales tax) is 5% on everything.

While taxes are low, services are low to match, you get what you pay for. Ie: road tolls, travelling is expensive. Hospitals are adequate at best. Dingy schools and public buildings.

Utilities are not included, but they are not that expensive either. Electricity will run about $60 per month, gas (if you are in an area which has gas service) is about $50 a month. A cell phone is about $50 a month, and internet is about $40 a month.

Transportation varies according to where you live. In some cases you'll live close enough to walk or ride a bike, in other cases you may have to commute by train for as long as 30 minutes each way. In the case of train/bus transportation, you will be reimbursed. Some schools will provide a car (you will need to get an international/Japanese drivers license) if you must work in an area where public transportation is not convenient.

"Part time" is anything but. You will "officially" be working for 29.5 hours a week, but this generally works out to 40 hours in real life. You will be required to be present at the start and end of the day (usually an 8 or 9 hour day), but you are allowed to do what you please between classes. You'll probably do things like lesson planning or school maintenance during those times, but you won't technically be getting paid for it. If you teach more than 5 or 6 classes a day, you will be eligible for extra pay, though it usually isn't much.

There are a few things which will be deducted from your pay, such as health insurance, the national pension plan, and income tax. These don't really add up to all that much. Local taxes (you will receive a bill in your mailbox every year) depend greatly on where you live. My tax for this year was about $120, my girlfriend's tax was over $7000.

Chain schools or ALT dispatch companies do not offer very much, but then most of the people who work at these places are recent graduates with little/no experience. Comparatively speaking, these companies pay quite a lot more than a typical Japanese new grad would make.

If you decide you like teaching in Japan, and become competent at it, you can go to work for a private school, or apply to one of the Boards of Education directly for a job as a teacher. Either option will pay much more than the garden-variety teaching positions that most foreigners hold.

Edit: Most companies offer housing subsidies. Some will supply an apartment, and will pay the move-in costs (though you will still pay rent), others may have an agreement with a property owner who will rent you an apartment with little or no deposit money. Still others may provide you with a loan which you can use to rent an apartment. In nearly every case, you will still receive a housing allowance which will offset some of your rent. These allowances are generally $150 to $200 per month, which can reduce the $400 to $700 cost significantly.

Alright. Well at least their kind enough to handle garbage pick up.

So the first year isn't too bad. I suppose that gives me an opportunity to save money during the first year so I can prepare for the next year.

So hospitals and schools are semi adequate? Is that true for the whole country or in certain areas?

This is extremely helpful. Thank you for taking you time to explain this to me Sangetsu.

It's true in the country for the most part. If you go to (big city name) University Medical Center you will get advanced care. I have had and seen some second worldly treatments in small hospitals.

While Japans technological prowess is well known. The health care field is far behind.

Don't scoff at the pay, according to a recent Japan Times survey, earning 250.000 yen per month will put you in the top 20% of the Japanese population. Anyone who comes to Japan from America or Europe is most likely not coming for the economical opportunities.

The top 20%? Wow. How does 80% of the Japanese population cope below 250.000 yen per month?

I would like to see this survey...
250,000/month is the average pay for a 20 something year old with about 3 years in a company. Anything above that and the pay goes way up.

Even if they are counting after-tax pay, it`s a bit dubious. The only way I see the survey being accurate is if it is including the ENTIRE Japanese population. Counting all children, elderly, unemployed, etc in the figure.

Although I have to say, you`ve done a great job of making me feel all rich and special though for having a household income of two times + that. :D
No wait, as I`m not fully employed at the moment and have a kid... If they are counting by individual that would put us below the 200,000 line per person.

Whew thats a relief. I was worried for a moment.

Nyororin, since you own a household I have a question. I heard that mortgages in Japan can carry on through the next of kin. Is that true? How much does a household usually cost in Japan. Specifically outside big cities.