Do teachers get paid well in Japan?

[MMM]

Originally Posted by Bugg333

-.-



can i get an answer already?

Obviously teachers have families, so yes. ALT's (Assistant Language Teachers) tend to be paid less, and those positions tend to be held by single people.

[Nyororin]

I don`t recall telling you to give up your dreams. I did intend to tell you not to make huge commitments without knowing what you are getting into. I mean, I live in Japan, have lived here for 10 years, and have absolutely no intention to leave. Ever. I can think of nowhere else I`d like to live more.
But I guess telling you the fact that most people do not end up feeling that way is crushing your dreams. *sigh*

[ozkai]

Originally Posted by Zagato289

Im majoring as a teacher here in the US and starting to learn more Japanese. I would really like to teach English and/or Spanish in Japan, and im just wondering if teachers get pay well in Japan. Im not asking for a huge amount of money, but just a decent amount to live well in Japan.

Yes, most definitely.

It also really depends on what you teach, how well you do it and at which school.

[Tsuwabuki]

Apartments - Small and expensive. JET will cover apartments, but it is also temporary. Sometimes the BoE or company will provide apartments and subsidise costs. I live in a BoE apartment, I pay 60,000円 a month. Considering I have a rather large two bedroom apartment, this is only because the BoE pays the rest. One of my favorite students, Kaori, lives in the same floor plan with her mother, father, and little sister.

Payrates - I earn close to $30,000 USD a year. I won't give you exact numbers, because where I come from, it's rude to ask for exact numbers. This is fairly typical for a young single person in developed nations. It is typical for what starting teachers make in the US.

Since I live out in the middle of nowhere, and costs are low, I might be able to provide for a significant other. It would be stretching it seriously if I had a child as well. Even having a child period would be more difficult than a spouse, who would probably have a job.

You can make more. A lot more. However it requires planning on your part. it either requires dealing with a lower quality of life in a large city while you develop private lessons, or working contacts, attaining a masters, TEFL/TESOL certification, or a Japanese teaching license to get more lucrative positions. If you come here, fresh off the boat, from college, with nothing but a BA, do not expect to make more than I do. In fact, I got a salary bump this year, so don't expect to make what I do. That's just the nature of merit and seniority. No different than in the west.

For dinner? Depends. Unless you want delivery pizza or taco bell, everything under the sun can be found here, even in the rural areas. It is simply a matter of cost. Tighter budget means you will mostly be eating Japanese food staples: fish, vegetables, tofu, miso, and lots of rice.

Our commentary was meant to be taken as a warning against thinking of Japan as some sort of paradise where the laws of household economics suddenly cease to be binding. Or that it is somewhere you will immediately find your place in. Nyororin and I have, MMM did not. Much like Nyororin, I really have no desire to move back to the US. There's no need. I like my BoE, I adore my students, I have a plan (mentioned elsewhere), have job security (there's always a scramble for native teachers, we've lost three just since I've been here, people that didn't like it) that I will never have to worry about being let go (at least in the immediate future). It does not make financial/economic sense for me to leave. And at the end of the day, that's what makes me stay more than just "I love Japan." Rather it's that I love my job, and my job is safe.

Especially since my friends and family, surprising with the economy as it is, have the means to visit. I had friends stay over the July 4th holiday from Texas, and my parents came in April. I myself am spending two weeks in Texas starting on the 16th.

If I had found this in Atlanta or Austin, or even Dallas, I probably never would have moved to Korea at all. Unfortunately, even school districts in Texas were hemorrhaging money. Austin cut teaching hires by more than half, 22 in 2007 to 7 in 2008, and Dallas froze hiring entirely (while I was in negotiations with them!). Atlanta has openings, but they're in some of the worst neighborhoods in the entire country...

Economics trumps fanboyism any day.

[Zagato289]

Originally Posted by Tsuwabuki

Apartments - Small and expensive. JET will cover apartments, but it is also temporary. Sometimes the BoE or company will provide apartments and subsidise costs. I live in a BoE apartment, I pay 60,000円 a month. Considering I have a rather large two bedroom apartment, this is only because the BoE pays the rest. One of my favorite students, Kaori, lives in the same floor plan with her mother, father, and little sister.

Payrates - I earn close to $30,000 USD a year. I won't give you exact numbers, because where I come from, it's rude to ask for exact numbers. This is fairly typical for a young single person in developed nations. It is typical for what starting teachers make in the US.

Since I live out in the middle of nowhere, and costs are low, I might be able to provide for a significant other. It would be stretching it seriously if I had a child as well. Even having a child period would be more difficult than a spouse, who would probably have a job.

You can make more. A lot more. However it requires planning on your part. it either requires dealing with a lower quality of life in a large city while you develop private lessons, or working contacts, attaining a masters, TEFL/TESOL certification, or a Japanese teaching license to get more lucrative positions. If you come here, fresh off the boat, from college, with nothing but a BA, do not expect to make more than I do. In fact, I got a salary bump this year, so don't expect to make what I do. That's just the nature of merit and seniority. No different than in the west.

For dinner? Depends. Unless you want delivery pizza or taco bell, everything under the sun can be found here, even in the rural areas. It is simply a matter of cost. Tighter budget means you will mostly be eating Japanese food staples: fish, vegetables, tofu, miso, and lots of rice.

Our commentary was meant to be taken as a warning against thinking of Japan as some sort of paradise where the laws of household economics suddenly cease to be binding. Or that it is somewhere you will immediately find your place in. Nyororin and I have, MMM did not. Much like Nyororin, I really have no desire to move back to the US. There's no need. I like my BoE, I adore my students, I have a plan (mentioned elsewhere), have job security (there's always a scramble for native teachers, we've lost three just since I've been here, people that didn't like it) that I will never have to worry about being let go (at least in the immediate future). It does not make financial/economic sense for me to leave. And at the end of the day, that's what makes me stay more than just "I love Japan." Rather it's that I love my job, and my job is safe.

Especially since my friends and family, surprising with the economy as it is, have the means to visit. I had friends stay over the July 4th holiday from Texas, and my parents came in April. I myself am spending two weeks in Texas starting on the 16th.

If I had found this in Atlanta or Austin, or even Dallas, I probably never would have moved to Korea at all. Unfortunately, even school districts in Texas were hemorrhaging money. Austin cut teaching hires by more than half, 22 in 2007 to 7 in 2008, and Dallas froze hiring entirely (while I was in negotiations with them!). Atlanta has openings, but they're in some of the worst neighborhoods in the entire country...

Economics trumps fanboyism any day.

thanks for ur post. it helps alot.

[Sangetsu]

I'm in my second year in Japan working as an English teacher, and I have no complaints. The pay is more than adequate considering the number of hours I work, which is substantially less than teachers in America, or Japanese workers in general.

A recent survey in the Japan times found that 85% of Japanese males earn under 250,000 yen per month, which is roughly the entry level pay for most foreign teachers. That's not to say that 250k per month is a princely sum, but it's not bad.

On the other hand, if you live in Metro Tokyo, 250k per month is not going to get you very far. A decent apartment costs that much per month, though you can find a closet-size studio or share an apartment for less. But if you live in the country, 250k is a lot of money.

I live about an hour out of Tokyo, and it's easy enough to find a 3 or 4 room home here for 70k per month. Adding tax, utilities, and insurance, it works out to about 100k yen each month, which is not bad for the size.

As for raising a family of 4 in Japan, I wouldn't want to try it anywhere in the country on an income of less than 400k yen per month. Rent is one thing, but food, transportation, clothing, school supplies and uniforms, etc are going to add up quickly.

[Zagato289]

Originally Posted by Sangetsu

I'm in my second year in Japan working as an English teacher, and I have no complaints. The pay is more than adequate considering the number of hours I work, which is substantially less than teachers in America, or Japanese workers in general.

A recent survey in the Japan times found that 85% of Japanese males earn under 250,000 yen per month, which is roughly the entry level pay for most foreign teachers. That's not to say that 250k per month is a princely sum, but it's not bad.

On the other hand, if you live in Metro Tokyo, 250k per month is not going to get you very far. A decent apartment costs that much per month, though you can find a closet-size studio or share an apartment for less. But if you live in the country, 250k is a lot of money.

I live about an hour out of Tokyo, and it's easy enough to find a 3 or 4 room home here for 70k per month. Adding tax, utilities, and insurance, it works out to about 100k yen each month, which is not bad for the size.

As for raising a family of 4 in Japan, I wouldn't want to try it anywhere in the country on an income of less than 400k yen per month. Rent is one thing, but food, transportation, clothing, school supplies and uniforms, etc are going to add up quickly.

thanks for ur info. so if i want to raise a family of four, it wouldnt be a good idea to work as a english teacher cause i wont earn alot? Is there any other job a foreigner can work to get enough money to raise a family of 4?

[MMM]

Originally Posted by Zagato289

thanks for ur info. so if i want to raise a family of four, it wouldnt be a good idea to work as a english teacher cause i wont earn alot? Is there any other job a foreigner can work to get enough money to raise a family of 4?

It just depends on who your employer is and where you are working. Teachers are much better paid in Japan than they are in the US, and I know lots of one income teacher families in both countries.

[Zagato289]

Originally Posted by MMM

It just depends on who your employer is and where you are working. Teachers are much better paid in Japan than they are in the US, and I know lots of one income teacher families in both countries.

ofcourse, with the help of my wife, will be alot easier to raise a family. it also depends on the job she has.

[trunker]

well, depending on a) how good a teacher you are and b) if youre willing to take the risk of setting up your own little operation,.... a good entrepreneurial teacher could make quite a bit, and a few have made a decent enough living out of it.

then again they are few and far between.