DO NOT teach english in japan

i'd rather work at a cafe #japan #travel #japaneseculture

[Onthethlife]

1 meal a day isn't a liveable salary even for a year or two.

[marthastewartschowchow]

“Most people can’t afford to eat more than one meal per day.” Is NOT a livable wage anywhere.

[deusotiosus]

It really depends on the IT company you work for; foreign companies maybe offer good work-life balance, but Japanese owned tech companies are notorious when it comes to brutal hours.

[kampsie]

my only chill math teacher through all of school moved to japan to teach english 8 years ago, hope he's doing fine over there

[eltongoaustriaco]

I thought those jobs are just a first step to become a foreign Japan Youtuber

[Allan]

Just don't live in Tokyo and it'll be fine. I lived in a small town southeast of Mt Fuji, earning around ¥200, 000 per month. With that I had plenty of money to regularly go on short trips, eat out a couple of times a week as well as save some money.

Living in a small town or city is significantly cheaper than one of the mega cities like Tokyo and Osaka. I would agree about the career progression though, it's almost non-existent unless you really push for an international school.

[misterx]

I'm South African. A lot of people from South Africa move to countries like Japan, China and South Korea to teach English because they are desperate for work. The average salary for an esl teacher in Japan is slightly higher than an entry-level high school teacher in South Africa. South Africans with degrees often cannot find work after university, so many go to Asia to teach English.

[mrgetoutside]

I lived there for 6 years teaching English. I never skipped a meal. I saved almost $1000 per month the last year just living moderately. Try that in America.

[pattobyo]

When I started working here, I made under ¥200, 000 a month, but still ate three meals a day. Those having trouble eating probably have super sketchy contracts.

[Igirisujininjapan]

It’s true that the pay is not always the best, but it really can differ greatly depending upon where you are in Japan. If you’re in central Tokyo, you might not scrape by as an ALT, but there are many places where you can thrive in such a job, you just have to get out of the Tokyo bubble. The vacation time you get as an ALT is also considerably better than most other jobs in this country.

[potato-chan]

Currently an ALT in Japan…personally I think it’s great if you wanna move out on your own and be able to support yourself for the first time. I cannot live on my own in America because it’s so expensive. Many ALT’s I know travel and enjoy their time here in Japan with the money they have. Of course the pay isn’t lavish but it’s enough to get by. Depends on your company too.

And I don’t think ALT’s get looked down on, I had a lot of convos with elders and others who think it’s cool for foreigners to come here and learn Japanese language and culture. It’s respected imo.

[yotrader]

ALT is a Teaching ASSISTANT. "外国語指導助手" in Japanese. You cannot be a real teacher in Japan unless you've received a teaching license from a Japanese university.

Many people attend graduate school or find full-time corporate jobs in Japan after the JET program. However, if you already have working fluency in Japanese, you can apply directly to find corporate jobs during college. These days many multi-national companies are hiring bilingual and trilingual students from Russia, Mongolia, China, South Korea, Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand, UK, Canada, US, etc. Most of them will reach N2 or N1 by the time they graduate university in their respective countries.

From what I've witnessed, foreign-nationals who have the best career opportunity (as well as the greatest possibility for permanent residency and naturalization) are those who've studied in Japanese universities or graduate schools. You can also see their preferential treatment in their length of work visa. And Japanese Government's MEXT scholarship has a special social status among Japanese companies and immigration/visa officers because it's so selective. (Naturally, Japanese Embassies will only be recommending candidates for MEXT program if they truly believed they're a good match with Japanese society.)

[bradenwoodward]

English Teacher in Japan, here. 🙋 I came to Japan to teach English after the bog Tech layoffs started two years ago.

Unfortunately, we get paid very little here (just like most Japanese workers) and i barely have any money to actually enjoy Japan.

Also, many English Schools deliberately keep us at a part time position so the companies don't have to pay our pension, healthcare, and transportation, so we're really struggling.

I already made the decision that I won't continue to teach after my second year.

[Dinoskater]

When I worked at Starbucks one of my coworkers used to be an English teacher in Japan. Yeah you don’t need any qualifications at all. It’s harder to become a daycare teacher in America than an English teacher in Japan. Also yes she was a weeb.

[pandamilkshake]

If anyone is wondering, one of the best jobs you can get as a foreigner is in the automotive industry. Motorcycles, cars etc. Japanese mechanics are very chill and non corporate.

[hojn-cj]

reminded me of thehitobito.. i really liked watching her "teaching english in japan" series lol she made it seem pretty fun but i guess she just didnt show the bad side

[sss-wxzu]

To be fair those assistant teachers are not formed to be teachers. They just have to be an English speaker. So... pretty much anybody can apply.

[imashoe]

If u are going on JET they will most likely *NOT* place u in tokyo or any of the big cities for that matter. Most participants of JET that ive met all got sent to live in a rural area. Also, i feel like those who take up a job like being an alt in japan do it as like a beginning for their life in japan and the experience but not smt long term. To add, if u are from a 3rd world country (like myself), the pay is better than a lot of jobs in those countries.

[GunbladeXBustersword]

Thank you for spreading awareness on this! This is helpful information. People should go into this transition with a good and informed decision, they should know what they're getting into or what other options they have. I'd rather have this video discourage some, than people going in there as english teachers and end up feeling betrayed or maybe even depressed and just end up going home. She pointed everyone in the right direction by the end, if you check some Japanese websites look (how they look old and clunky af) or how some companies still aren't digital with their documents and procedures or how there are better work life balance options, you'll understand why she thinks working in IT there is the better play overall, both for personal life and career growth.

[artisticomens]

I gotta disagree as far as the "one meal per day" part is concerned... I'm on a fairly low wage, close to that minimum, but also my rent is 56, 000 per month, onigiri is like 100円, a cheap yet full proper meal in this restaurant i go to in shinjuku is 390円 and even a fancy "splashing out" meal is 1, 000円... and thats in Tokyo! Its defo not unlivable, or "one meal per day" worthy