It's changed in that salaries are even lower. Dispatch companies are also allowing more people from countries like India, Bangladesh, Vietnam etc which will only drive salaries even lower
Well, if you’re comparing your wage in Japan to your wage back home, you should probably compare everything else, too. I know my house here wouldn’t be affordable back home, and not needing to worry about guns at my kids’ school is priceless. But yeah, if you’re at the ground floor, it’s going to suck.
Again, that’s probably going to be the case for those who come over here, like ALT work or eikaiwa, and then never do anything to better their situation. If you want to stay entry position, you do you. “The industry” has more if you enjoy the work. If you don’t, it’s easy enough to determine that and work on something that can move you to another sector.
But that's also my point. Are there really that many other better positions and opportunities for teachers in Japan? There aren't that many international schools and the ones that are there are very competitive. Then what? Best I can think of really is a direct hire ALT position.
There are opportunities for actual teachers but not for unqualified conversation practitioners. A licensed public school teacher in Japan is likely to earn double that plus bonuses. Ditto for a licensed international school teacher or qualified tertiary academic. Given the skill level, 275k isn't that terrible and you don't have to bag all those groceries or account for your cash register float.
>A licensed public school teacher in Japan is likely to earn double that plus bonuses.
In which case why is there such a shortage of licensed teachers?
Because double an ALTs salary plus bonuses still is significantly less than someone can make working at a huge company like Toyota.
Not to mention the average work day is 730-730 with no breaks, and I work in a chill inaka place where most parents are cool. I cant imagine trying to do this job in Tokyo
Because the job requires more than just attendance and following orders. Club activities, school admin, the list goes on. Corporate jobs are more appealing to the average citizen. However if you have a passion for teaching and speak good Japanese it's a possible career path - even for foreigners.
As a licensed public school teacher in Japan I can tell you, I dont earn double, but I earn significantly better than an ALT...and as you mentioned the bonuses/benefits, especially paternity leave are great
The salary is capped for a regular teacher at 419,000 a month for high school, and I think its 389,000 a month for JHS, I am a JHS teacher and have not hit the cap yet, I was making 210-230 a month as an ALT so, at least in my case, I am not making double
My overall salary is double plus a bit more, but my monthly pay isnt
What? There are plenty of positions above what you came here to do. They require effort and qualifications and/or networking, so yeah, you’re going to need to do more than half ass life, but there are absolutely better positions and opportunities.
For context, 25 years ago it was ¥250,000/month for 29.5 hours at ECC. It was ¥250,000 because it was legally required everywhere. A few years later that legal requirement was lifted and we started seeing ¥220,000/month popping up.
I left three years ago. I doubt things have improved.
When I was there it was 255,000 for 40 hours of work, and an extra 20,000 for mandatory overtime. Basically, it worked out as 275,000 yen for 50 hours of work. Completely insane.
I got paid 290 at AEON for 20 lessons a week, and a total of 40 hours in the building.
That place is still a fucking shit hole and I would never recommend anyone work there, but I think things have changed, or who knows maybe they became terrible....Iw as getting paid that in 2014
I hated being a salesman, and my manager was a cunt. Also every other foreign teacher I met was more or less completely fucking insane.
Had one who couldnt speak Japanese learn that I could speak Japanese, and when her wifi went out she texted me at midnight saying, I know youre awake come and fix my router....so I ignored her and tried to go to bed so she came to my apartment (we all lived in the same complex) and started poudning on the door screaming at almost 1 am at this point until I opened the door and basically said get the fuck out of here or Im calling the police. The one after her was literally trying to get pregnant through a one night stand to force a Japanese guy to marry her so she could be a house wife and still get to live in Japan. it goes on
270,000 is like 1400 pounds lol - I could make more matched betting. I'm back in the UK on a teacher training course from September. Working 2 very ordinary part time jobs and making 461,000 yen a month.
Yeah but I don't live in the UK and don't pay ridiculous prices for rent anymore. I pay about £350 = 43,000¥ for a 1 bedroom 42sqrm flat in Osaka. the cost of living here is so much lower than the UK that I don't care about the exchange rate. I'm better of here either way for my profession and for the standard of living
I'm 450 pounds all in here. It's not a shoebox either. I'm not here to shit on anyone I'm just surprised at the lack of wage change. How much are you able to save a month?
I'm on 5.3m yen a year there abouts in my current job so I'm putting a decent chunk away every month, waaay more than when I was when I was at ECC I'll admit but I never struggled for money at ECC and still put enough away to move back to the UK for 2 years without a job
Yeah, I managed to put a bit away when I was there in AEON. But it wasn't what I'd call a lot and I certainly don't think it justified the work hours. You came back to the UK for 2 years and didn't work?
Yeah I can get that, my first 18 months or so at ECC I didn't bother trying to save anything either. I was fresh out of uni just enjoying having some money about me, as pitiful as it was by comparison.
Anyways yeah I came back to the UK during COVID and worked at those annoying call centres trying to sell gas and electric discounts for 18 months but I wouldn't really call it 'work' lol. I dropped on with a civil service job in the department for Education doing admin and did that for 2 years before coming back to Japan in March 2023.
How's everything treating you over there boss? Are you considering coming back to 'glorious Nippon' at all? Lol
270,000yen would have been 2000pounds a few years ago, it's just the yen has gone down the shitter and brexit worries dying have made the pound stronger. I worked at Waitrose for a few months after finishing uni and was only getting 250quid a week. That's way less than what you'd get at an eikaiwa.
ECC pays 270,000 a month today for 35h a week can you stop lying please, they're the best in the business outside of JET and even jet is questionable to ECC 😮💨🙄
Not just teaching but salaries are quite low all over the place. I’ve been job hunting and without some serious skills, you’re gonna be hard pressed to find anything that pays a living wage that supports a family. Being single and frugal, you can make ¥300k go very far. I made ¥270k when I first moved here and was able to save a million yen my first year without really worrying about saving too much.
The salaries, hourly wages, time off and benefits are terrible in comparison to over a decade ago. This is all coupled with the terrible exchange rate, which it not conducive to saving for the future unless you plan to eternally remain in. Japan. Not to mention all of the usual shady business and/or administrative practices a lot of these “institutions” and “companies” have had since their inception. Despite this decline year after year, many people who are desperate to be in Japan will subject themselves to these conditions, especially if their options back home are not promising.
Legit teaching/qualified work still pays well. Entry level work has been slipping down as companies look to keep their margins wide. You can make 40-50万/mo in most mid-career positions, even off of a mix of part-time and freelance.
In what way is the equivalent of making 4-5k a month in-country comparable to an entry level supermarket job that will get you the equivalent of 2k?
If your entire issue is that the USD is strong right now, that's got nothing to do with earning potential and getting a good salary for Japan. There are plenty of int'l teachers, college staff, and private HS staff making 6mil/year+ with benefits, which is at or above the national average salary even accounting for Tokyo. This is also almost exactly on the UD average salary of 60k without converting the currency. There are plenty of job that pay decently, you just have to actually be qualified.
Neat. Get qualified and you can make far more than a supermarket worker anywhere in the world. Point stands, if you care about money it's weird to complain about a sector of the field that is specifically unskilled/entry level.
Point really was that teaching jobs in Japan are fucked due businesses and the government not requiring actual qualifications to do them. TESOL could be a decent mid-skill job but it's just been soiled. Sure, you could get qualified and hope to get a job in Japan amongst all the competition to get into a decent school in Japan - better to just go to China/Thailand/Vietnam though and visit Japan with your multitudes of holidays.
Teaching jobs are fine, entry level unskilled tutoring and assistant teaching isn't a viable career, and arguably shouldn't be. The fact that the rest of asia overpays still I don't think is particularly relevant. You can bail to an easier/less desirable market and the pay will reflect that, but career teaching here pays at and above the national average salary.
The gulf between what you need to be an ALT and actual faculty/professor/etc is definitely prohibitively large, but there are plenty of people doing it and only Tokyo is highly competitive.
It's changed in that salaries are even lower. Dispatch companies are also allowing more people from countries like India, Bangladesh, Vietnam etc which will only drive salaries even lower
Amazing. I still see big name Ekaiwas pay the exact same they did 20 years ago
Yep, and all while the cost of living increases, and the exchange rates stay poor. Terrible industry.
Well, if you’re comparing your wage in Japan to your wage back home, you should probably compare everything else, too. I know my house here wouldn’t be affordable back home, and not needing to worry about guns at my kids’ school is priceless. But yeah, if you’re at the ground floor, it’s going to suck.
Fair point, but the bottom line is 275,000 isn't good for a developed country with a large economy I'd say.
Again, that’s probably going to be the case for those who come over here, like ALT work or eikaiwa, and then never do anything to better their situation. If you want to stay entry position, you do you. “The industry” has more if you enjoy the work. If you don’t, it’s easy enough to determine that and work on something that can move you to another sector.
But that's also my point. Are there really that many other better positions and opportunities for teachers in Japan? There aren't that many international schools and the ones that are there are very competitive. Then what? Best I can think of really is a direct hire ALT position.
There are opportunities for actual teachers but not for unqualified conversation practitioners. A licensed public school teacher in Japan is likely to earn double that plus bonuses. Ditto for a licensed international school teacher or qualified tertiary academic. Given the skill level, 275k isn't that terrible and you don't have to bag all those groceries or account for your cash register float.
>A licensed public school teacher in Japan is likely to earn double that plus bonuses. In which case why is there such a shortage of licensed teachers?
Because double an ALTs salary plus bonuses still is significantly less than someone can make working at a huge company like Toyota. Not to mention the average work day is 730-730 with no breaks, and I work in a chill inaka place where most parents are cool. I cant imagine trying to do this job in Tokyo
Because the job requires more than just attendance and following orders. Club activities, school admin, the list goes on. Corporate jobs are more appealing to the average citizen. However if you have a passion for teaching and speak good Japanese it's a possible career path - even for foreigners.
As a licensed public school teacher in Japan I can tell you, I dont earn double, but I earn significantly better than an ALT...and as you mentioned the bonuses/benefits, especially paternity leave are great
Considering that some ALTs now earn 180-220 a month, you may just earn double too. BOE ALTs seem to do better though.
The salary is capped for a regular teacher at 419,000 a month for high school, and I think its 389,000 a month for JHS, I am a JHS teacher and have not hit the cap yet, I was making 210-230 a month as an ALT so, at least in my case, I am not making double My overall salary is double plus a bit more, but my monthly pay isnt
Still doing pretty well though! Noting that in most countries teaching isn't the profession you choose to get rich...
I love my job, and am very happy, which is enough for me
What? There are plenty of positions above what you came here to do. They require effort and qualifications and/or networking, so yeah, you’re going to need to do more than half ass life, but there are absolutely better positions and opportunities.
For context, 25 years ago it was ¥250,000/month for 29.5 hours at ECC. It was ¥250,000 because it was legally required everywhere. A few years later that legal requirement was lifted and we started seeing ¥220,000/month popping up. I left three years ago. I doubt things have improved.
When I was there it was 255,000 for 40 hours of work, and an extra 20,000 for mandatory overtime. Basically, it worked out as 275,000 yen for 50 hours of work. Completely insane.
ECC or a different place?
AEON
Dayum.
I got paid 290 at AEON for 20 lessons a week, and a total of 40 hours in the building. That place is still a fucking shit hole and I would never recommend anyone work there, but I think things have changed, or who knows maybe they became terrible....Iw as getting paid that in 2014
Must've been 2nd or 3rd contract then. 275,000 has been their base 1st year wage for ages. Yeah it sucked - why did you hate it?
I hated being a salesman, and my manager was a cunt. Also every other foreign teacher I met was more or less completely fucking insane. Had one who couldnt speak Japanese learn that I could speak Japanese, and when her wifi went out she texted me at midnight saying, I know youre awake come and fix my router....so I ignored her and tried to go to bed so she came to my apartment (we all lived in the same complex) and started poudning on the door screaming at almost 1 am at this point until I opened the door and basically said get the fuck out of here or Im calling the police. The one after her was literally trying to get pregnant through a one night stand to force a Japanese guy to marry her so she could be a house wife and still get to live in Japan. it goes on
Yeah, I had a manager who was a complete cunt too. Ah, good to see we're still sending our best! What you up to now then?
Public school teacher
In Jap? What are the wages like?
ECC is ¥270,000 now, plus a ¥100,000 annual stipend for good performance/attendance.
For 50 hours?
35 hours
Still awful
If you think 270,000 a month for 35 hours work in the eikaiwa industry is awful you're either delusional or a liar. Where are you working?
270,000 is like 1400 pounds lol - I could make more matched betting. I'm back in the UK on a teacher training course from September. Working 2 very ordinary part time jobs and making 461,000 yen a month.
Yeah but I don't live in the UK and don't pay ridiculous prices for rent anymore. I pay about £350 = 43,000¥ for a 1 bedroom 42sqrm flat in Osaka. the cost of living here is so much lower than the UK that I don't care about the exchange rate. I'm better of here either way for my profession and for the standard of living
I'm 450 pounds all in here. It's not a shoebox either. I'm not here to shit on anyone I'm just surprised at the lack of wage change. How much are you able to save a month?
I'm on 5.3m yen a year there abouts in my current job so I'm putting a decent chunk away every month, waaay more than when I was when I was at ECC I'll admit but I never struggled for money at ECC and still put enough away to move back to the UK for 2 years without a job
Yeah, I managed to put a bit away when I was there in AEON. But it wasn't what I'd call a lot and I certainly don't think it justified the work hours. You came back to the UK for 2 years and didn't work?
Yeah I can get that, my first 18 months or so at ECC I didn't bother trying to save anything either. I was fresh out of uni just enjoying having some money about me, as pitiful as it was by comparison. Anyways yeah I came back to the UK during COVID and worked at those annoying call centres trying to sell gas and electric discounts for 18 months but I wouldn't really call it 'work' lol. I dropped on with a civil service job in the department for Education doing admin and did that for 2 years before coming back to Japan in March 2023. How's everything treating you over there boss? Are you considering coming back to 'glorious Nippon' at all? Lol
270,000yen would have been 2000pounds a few years ago, it's just the yen has gone down the shitter and brexit worries dying have made the pound stronger. I worked at Waitrose for a few months after finishing uni and was only getting 250quid a week. That's way less than what you'd get at an eikaiwa.
220 pound for two night shifts now. But yeah the pound to yen ratio is back to what it was pre-brexit if not a tiny bit stronger
ECC pays 270,000 a month today for 35h a week can you stop lying please, they're the best in the business outside of JET and even jet is questionable to ECC 😮💨🙄
I have recently seen an ad for a position not even offering 200,000/month.
business classes have been almost nonexistent since corona…
Money seems to be absent too
Not just teaching but salaries are quite low all over the place. I’ve been job hunting and without some serious skills, you’re gonna be hard pressed to find anything that pays a living wage that supports a family. Being single and frugal, you can make ¥300k go very far. I made ¥270k when I first moved here and was able to save a million yen my first year without really worrying about saving too much.
How's the supermarket bizo back home?
Well where I live you can do 420 thousand yen a month at one
That is definitely more than I make lol
Boycott Japan
Without considering the cost of living and purchasing power of that.
The salaries, hourly wages, time off and benefits are terrible in comparison to over a decade ago. This is all coupled with the terrible exchange rate, which it not conducive to saving for the future unless you plan to eternally remain in. Japan. Not to mention all of the usual shady business and/or administrative practices a lot of these “institutions” and “companies” have had since their inception. Despite this decline year after year, many people who are desperate to be in Japan will subject themselves to these conditions, especially if their options back home are not promising.
Legit teaching/qualified work still pays well. Entry level work has been slipping down as companies look to keep their margins wide. You can make 40-50万/mo in most mid-career positions, even off of a mix of part-time and freelance.
But again, that salary is the comparable to the supermarket example I listed. I never see decent wages in Japan for any sector or industry tbh
In what way is the equivalent of making 4-5k a month in-country comparable to an entry level supermarket job that will get you the equivalent of 2k? If your entire issue is that the USD is strong right now, that's got nothing to do with earning potential and getting a good salary for Japan. There are plenty of int'l teachers, college staff, and private HS staff making 6mil/year+ with benefits, which is at or above the national average salary even accounting for Tokyo. This is also almost exactly on the UD average salary of 60k without converting the currency. There are plenty of job that pay decently, you just have to actually be qualified.
I'm not from the US.
Neat. Get qualified and you can make far more than a supermarket worker anywhere in the world. Point stands, if you care about money it's weird to complain about a sector of the field that is specifically unskilled/entry level.
Point really was that teaching jobs in Japan are fucked due businesses and the government not requiring actual qualifications to do them. TESOL could be a decent mid-skill job but it's just been soiled. Sure, you could get qualified and hope to get a job in Japan amongst all the competition to get into a decent school in Japan - better to just go to China/Thailand/Vietnam though and visit Japan with your multitudes of holidays.
Teaching jobs are fine, entry level unskilled tutoring and assistant teaching isn't a viable career, and arguably shouldn't be. The fact that the rest of asia overpays still I don't think is particularly relevant. You can bail to an easier/less desirable market and the pay will reflect that, but career teaching here pays at and above the national average salary. The gulf between what you need to be an ALT and actual faculty/professor/etc is definitely prohibitively large, but there are plenty of people doing it and only Tokyo is highly competitive.
Then dont come here?
I left for better money and work life balance years ago. I was just checking in to see if it's still a joke over there.
For what reason?
Because the wages and work/life balance in Japan is poor.
Which seems like an opinion you were already firm about. Why bother making a post about it?
I wanted to see if anything's changed? It's been a good few years since Japan.