Would colleagues who are working in Japan take some time to share their experiences, please? To me it seems such an exotic, interesting location.
For example,
- How easy is it to develop real friendships and communication with your neighbours and colleagues?
- Many schools reviewed seem to require teachers to find their own accommodation, and sometimes even pay their airfares etc. If this happened to you, how reasonable is this in relation to the salary you are paid?
- How easy is it to live in a major city, like Tokyo? How much of your day is spent commuting?
Thanks!
Working in Japan
Re: Working in Japan
It is easy to develop real friendships and communicate with your colleagues if you both speak English or you both speak Japanese.
Some schools find a place for you; some schools give you a generous allowance and help you find a place. Other schools that do neither of these are not worth working at.
Most schools are not in the centre of Tokyo so you may find you can live very close to work.
Some schools find a place for you; some schools give you a generous allowance and help you find a place. Other schools that do neither of these are not worth working at.
Most schools are not in the centre of Tokyo so you may find you can live very close to work.
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Rhysboy
Re: Working in Japan
SuzieQ wrote:
> Would colleagues who are working in Japan take some time to share their
> experiences, please? To me it seems such an exotic, interesting location.
>
> For example,
>
> - How easy is it to develop real friendships and communication with your
> neighbours and colleagues?
>
> - Many schools reviewed seem to require teachers to find their own
> accommodation, and sometimes even pay their airfares etc. If this happened
> to you, how reasonable is this in relation to the salary you are paid?
>
> - How easy is it to live in a major city, like Tokyo? How much of your day
> is spent commuting?
>
> Thanks!
1) Real friendships will be difficult with your neighbours depending on your Japanese language ability. Japanese people are not particularly outgoing especially with foreigners.
2) Schools would have to provide help with finding accommodation, it is very difficult to get an apartment in Japan unless you are fluent in Japanese (reading, speaking and writing). You would also need a guarantor (usually the school).
3) It is easy to live in Tokyo (even without being able to speak Japanese). The time you spend commuting depends on where you live but bear in mind apartments in Japan (especially Tokyo) are expensive and small.
> Would colleagues who are working in Japan take some time to share their
> experiences, please? To me it seems such an exotic, interesting location.
>
> For example,
>
> - How easy is it to develop real friendships and communication with your
> neighbours and colleagues?
>
> - Many schools reviewed seem to require teachers to find their own
> accommodation, and sometimes even pay their airfares etc. If this happened
> to you, how reasonable is this in relation to the salary you are paid?
>
> - How easy is it to live in a major city, like Tokyo? How much of your day
> is spent commuting?
>
> Thanks!
1) Real friendships will be difficult with your neighbours depending on your Japanese language ability. Japanese people are not particularly outgoing especially with foreigners.
2) Schools would have to provide help with finding accommodation, it is very difficult to get an apartment in Japan unless you are fluent in Japanese (reading, speaking and writing). You would also need a guarantor (usually the school).
3) It is easy to live in Tokyo (even without being able to speak Japanese). The time you spend commuting depends on where you live but bear in mind apartments in Japan (especially Tokyo) are expensive and small.
Re: Working in Japan
Ello,
Well thats hard to say. The closer you are to Tokyo the easier it is to meet people. Being out in Gifu (or another rural area) your only friends are going to be friends with other expats. The problem with English speaking Japanese is that the culture doesnt really "want" to learn English, its a social or professional activity for them. The majority of Japanese who arent actively pursuing going overseas, really have no interest to do whats needed to learn the language. Thats why so many people make a living teaching English.
Outgoing depends, guys do better than woman in Japan. That said most gaijin associate with other gaijin, still you can go a week on the trains and not see another foreigner until the weekend. There are plenty of opportunities to meet people though from all over the world, in Tokyo at least.
You have to understand the nature of the tiers, for this to make sense. Ill save the majority of the explanation and get to the crucial point, a lot of schools give their teachers little more than salary and daily transportation because there are a LOT of bottom tier schools in Japan. A lot, a lot, especially "kinder/nursery" schools or lower primary schools. International School is not a protected title in Japan, and marketing wise putting international in your schools name is good business.
Compare that to the upper tier or even mid tier schools and they got lost in the sea of lower/bottom tier schools.
So ASIJ, Yokohama IS, BST those school give "complete" compensation packages including housing, etc.
You do not need a Japanese person to find housing in Japan, its actually pretty easy, many property agents are bilingual, and will readily show you various units. While you do need a guarantor, a number of "guarantee agencies" accomplish for you if your school wont guarantee for you, you basically pay half the rent as a fee to the agency, and they guarantee for you. Of course these resources are far more available in places like Tokyo then they are out in the rural areas.
Reasonableness depends who you are. If your a rockstar IT you can get a VIP compensation package. A lot of people though will do anything to live in Japan, and salaries have in recent years gotten even flatter. There is very little difference now between an ESOL teacher and an IS teacher (or "subjects" teacher) at a low end IS, 250K¥ is the bottom, and 300K¥ is typical for second tier. In such "entry" level positions the only difference is that the IS will give you a flight (one way).
Depends what you mean by "easy" Tokyo is consistently rated the most expensive city to live in the world (mainly because of housing). Its very cosmopolitan, and with only a handful of Japanese words you can get by easily. Lots of western imports are available, as long as your not brand specific you can find whatever your going to need.
Depends how far you live and where your school is. Living in the CBD (Central Business District) which pretty much is served by the Yamanote JR can be expensive, rent for a 1DK can easily run $1000/month, but you live basically downtown. You can get to one end of the yamanote to the other in 35 minutes. Of course if you want cheaper and bigger apartments or are willing to walk more (in Tokyo flat prices are based to a significant degree on how close you are to a train station) you can pay a lot less. You can find crummy 1R rooms for $100/month. You could live out in Saitima in a 1LDK for about $400, but youd spend 1.5-2 hours commuting (each way) depending where your school is.
Well thats hard to say. The closer you are to Tokyo the easier it is to meet people. Being out in Gifu (or another rural area) your only friends are going to be friends with other expats. The problem with English speaking Japanese is that the culture doesnt really "want" to learn English, its a social or professional activity for them. The majority of Japanese who arent actively pursuing going overseas, really have no interest to do whats needed to learn the language. Thats why so many people make a living teaching English.
Outgoing depends, guys do better than woman in Japan. That said most gaijin associate with other gaijin, still you can go a week on the trains and not see another foreigner until the weekend. There are plenty of opportunities to meet people though from all over the world, in Tokyo at least.
You have to understand the nature of the tiers, for this to make sense. Ill save the majority of the explanation and get to the crucial point, a lot of schools give their teachers little more than salary and daily transportation because there are a LOT of bottom tier schools in Japan. A lot, a lot, especially "kinder/nursery" schools or lower primary schools. International School is not a protected title in Japan, and marketing wise putting international in your schools name is good business.
Compare that to the upper tier or even mid tier schools and they got lost in the sea of lower/bottom tier schools.
So ASIJ, Yokohama IS, BST those school give "complete" compensation packages including housing, etc.
You do not need a Japanese person to find housing in Japan, its actually pretty easy, many property agents are bilingual, and will readily show you various units. While you do need a guarantor, a number of "guarantee agencies" accomplish for you if your school wont guarantee for you, you basically pay half the rent as a fee to the agency, and they guarantee for you. Of course these resources are far more available in places like Tokyo then they are out in the rural areas.
Reasonableness depends who you are. If your a rockstar IT you can get a VIP compensation package. A lot of people though will do anything to live in Japan, and salaries have in recent years gotten even flatter. There is very little difference now between an ESOL teacher and an IS teacher (or "subjects" teacher) at a low end IS, 250K¥ is the bottom, and 300K¥ is typical for second tier. In such "entry" level positions the only difference is that the IS will give you a flight (one way).
Depends what you mean by "easy" Tokyo is consistently rated the most expensive city to live in the world (mainly because of housing). Its very cosmopolitan, and with only a handful of Japanese words you can get by easily. Lots of western imports are available, as long as your not brand specific you can find whatever your going to need.
Depends how far you live and where your school is. Living in the CBD (Central Business District) which pretty much is served by the Yamanote JR can be expensive, rent for a 1DK can easily run $1000/month, but you live basically downtown. You can get to one end of the yamanote to the other in 35 minutes. Of course if you want cheaper and bigger apartments or are willing to walk more (in Tokyo flat prices are based to a significant degree on how close you are to a train station) you can pay a lot less. You can find crummy 1R rooms for $100/month. You could live out in Saitima in a 1LDK for about $400, but youd spend 1.5-2 hours commuting (each way) depending where your school is.
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wrldtrvlr123
- Posts: 1173
- Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2010 10:59 am
- Location: Japan
Re: Working in Japan
Welcome back PsyGuy! You been busy or something???
For the OP:
Japan is an amazing place to live and work. There is sooooooo much on offer (especially in and around Tokyo) that if you can't find the elements that you need for a happy life then you really aren't putting yourself out there are looking hard enough.
If you truly wish to make friends with Japanese people then you just need to put yourself in the right position for it to happen. You may not bond with a random neighbor, but there are so many clubs, organizations and spots for people to meet who are looking for language exchanges and to just get to know people from other countries and cultures that if you want it and seek it, it will happen.
The expat community is also large, varied and very accessible.
As for the rest of your questions/concerns, much of it will depend on the school you end up in. If you are lucky enough to get into ASIJ then you will have a surplus of disposable income, a generous moving allowance, plentiful help finding a place and could walk to work in 5 minutes of you wanted to.
If you take a job with a school on the other end of the spectrum then things would be a bit harder. Much of the commute and the expense of life is within your control to some extent. Depending on the school location you can make a choice for convenience, night life, expense, short commute or some combination of all of these. The same goes for shopping, dining etc.
Most decent to great schools will pay for your flight (or at least reimburse you once you arrive). They will also offer some type of assistance with finding housing. And as Psyguy has said, that is not an insurmountable obstacle, although moving into a place can involve a fair outlay of cash if the school is not providing housing. Just make sure you do your research in this area and be prepared.
I could write all day about the things I love about Japan (feel free to ask about specific aspects of life there). I am in a part of the world most people would consider highly desirable but I would jump at the chance to get back to Japan with the right school (and undoubtedly will someday).
For the OP:
Japan is an amazing place to live and work. There is sooooooo much on offer (especially in and around Tokyo) that if you can't find the elements that you need for a happy life then you really aren't putting yourself out there are looking hard enough.
If you truly wish to make friends with Japanese people then you just need to put yourself in the right position for it to happen. You may not bond with a random neighbor, but there are so many clubs, organizations and spots for people to meet who are looking for language exchanges and to just get to know people from other countries and cultures that if you want it and seek it, it will happen.
The expat community is also large, varied and very accessible.
As for the rest of your questions/concerns, much of it will depend on the school you end up in. If you are lucky enough to get into ASIJ then you will have a surplus of disposable income, a generous moving allowance, plentiful help finding a place and could walk to work in 5 minutes of you wanted to.
If you take a job with a school on the other end of the spectrum then things would be a bit harder. Much of the commute and the expense of life is within your control to some extent. Depending on the school location you can make a choice for convenience, night life, expense, short commute or some combination of all of these. The same goes for shopping, dining etc.
Most decent to great schools will pay for your flight (or at least reimburse you once you arrive). They will also offer some type of assistance with finding housing. And as Psyguy has said, that is not an insurmountable obstacle, although moving into a place can involve a fair outlay of cash if the school is not providing housing. Just make sure you do your research in this area and be prepared.
I could write all day about the things I love about Japan (feel free to ask about specific aspects of life there). I am in a part of the world most people would consider highly desirable but I would jump at the chance to get back to Japan with the right school (and undoubtedly will someday).