Tokyo living?

wrldtrvlr123
Posts: 1173
Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2010 10:59 am
Location: Japan

Re: Tokyo living?

Post by wrldtrvlr123 »

sciteach wrote:
> I think that maybe it is a typo and he meant 500,000 Yen a month....
>
> Minimum wage in Japan is around 800 yen an hour which is more than 50,000
> yen a month....
------------------

Thanks! Yes, 500K a month was what I was attempting to say.

I think you could live a nice lifestyle on that but I guess everything is relative. It would depend on how many dependents you have and where you shop, eat, etc.

As for the boots thing, Japanese fashion can be very odd and quirky in any case.
zeddyau
Posts: 12
Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2015 3:45 pm

Re: Tokyo living?

Post by zeddyau »

Thanks again @wrldtrvlr123 I was messaged by a worker from the school and those figures are spot on. @Psyguy figures seem way off (thankfully). Given me hope for next year! :)
MizMorton
Posts: 74
Joined: Mon Jan 05, 2015 10:13 am

Re: Tokyo living?

Post by MizMorton »

Does anyone know how the Fukushima incident has affected levels of radiation around Tokyo? I am keen to try for ASIJ, but my husband saw an episode of "Vice" about the nuclear plants there and he is freaked the hell out.
sciteach
Posts: 258
Joined: Sat Dec 13, 2014 7:49 am

Re: Tokyo living?

Post by sciteach »

Yes - something could happen but when you understand the science then you understand that the main problem is in the food supply if something bad happens again.

At my old school - people who left Japan because of the radiation actually received more radiation through air flight than from the radiation that occurred with the 'radioactive air cloud' came over Tokyo for a couple of years.

The Vice Guide is great at making things entertaining - but that's where you should draw the line. I've actually stayed around 80 KM's from the Fukushima Daiichi Powerplant and have travelled extensively around Tohoku and Fukushima prefecture.

My background is also science which means that I should have some understanding of what's happening. There is however some worry from locals about how much the trust (or don't trust) their government to tell them the right information - but this is also true the world over.

On another note - ASIJ is an excellent school. Do note that because of their reputation, good pay and the like that it is quite challenging to get a position here. I'd not apply for a job here myself - but that's more got to do with not wanting to teach at an American style school.....

Do note that the main school is a bit outside of Tokyo - but has excellent facilities. I've been there a couple of times for sport.
Last edited by sciteach on Wed Nov 25, 2015 4:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
zeddyau
Posts: 12
Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2015 3:45 pm

Re: Tokyo living?

Post by zeddyau »

@sciteach

Quick question is there a reason you left Tokyo? (New horizons?) or? What schools in Tokyo do you feel are good schools to be at right now? (Seeing your a very recent person working there).


Cheers.
sciteach
Posts: 258
Joined: Sat Dec 13, 2014 7:49 am

Re: Tokyo living?

Post by sciteach »

The reason I left Japan was a change of scenery. If I stayed at my old school - I'd be doing the same thing for a long time with not much chance of career progression. Also - three years in Japan was enough for me. It's a bit hard to get to know the locals compared to other countries I have lived in - but this also comes down to your own personality and who you need.

Schools which I consider to have a good reputation in Tokyo include (but others may have their own opinion)

ASIJ
Seisen
YIS
St Maur
TIS
St Mary's
British School of Tokyo
Nishimashi

I've also included Yokohama as well which is YIS and St Maur's....
kayparfaite
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Jan 07, 2015 12:12 am

Re: Tokyo living?

Post by kayparfaite »

Definitely agree with @sciteach about the schools with good reputations.

My experience with the locals was great. I moved from Tokyo in mid-2013 (lived there from 2009-2013) to Ireland for a job opportunity for my husband, but I found it easier to connect with locals in Japan than in Ireland. Tokyo has a great mix of expats and locals which is one of my favorite things about the city.

As far as the radiation goes, there is basically nothing to worry about in the Tokyo area. We had a ton of people evacuate just after the earthquake, however a vast majority of them came back within a month or so.
MizMorton
Posts: 74
Joined: Mon Jan 05, 2015 10:13 am

Re: Tokyo living?

Post by MizMorton »

SciTeach, what about Nagoya?

ETA: Oh, I know all about ASIJ's greatness. Still gonna throw it at the wall and see what sticks! ;)
sciteach
Posts: 258
Joined: Sat Dec 13, 2014 7:49 am

Re: Tokyo living?

Post by sciteach »

I've only met Matthew Parr (I think that's the name of the head of school) once or twice - but I know some people who work there and they seem to like it. I did not include Nagoya on the list as someone only asked about Tokyo.

I'd be happy to work there - but note that it's quite a bit outside of central Nagoya and you might need a car. As such, it would be a slightly more traditional lifestyle and slightly less chance to save due to needing a car. It's got a reasonable reputation but it is a smaller school with a rather transient student population from memory (because of being in Nagoya)....
mac2448
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Jan 08, 2015 2:36 pm

Re: Tokyo living?

Post by mac2448 »

We lived and taught in Tokyo from 2009 to 2011. Would have stayed longer if not for family wanting us to come home (previously we were in Alexandria, EG). Our school was very similar to St. Marys. Salary was excellent, especially the second year when the yen was down (85K the first year, 115K the second). The school paid 1/2 of our rent -- they found the apartment for us (within a 15 to 20 minute walk to school). My wife worked at the school as a non-teacher and we actually paid our expenses on her salary and saved most of mine (except for travel). Thousands of places to eat in Tokyo that are very reasonable. We did travel within and outside of Japan. Can be a bit pricey within Japan but well worth it. While the people are not as open to Westerners as the Egyptians were, I found them to be friendly and willing to interact with us. Met several who we spent time with on weekends who loved to show off the sights of the city. It is very easy to live and teach in Tokyo. Our students were great -- never a problem and highly motivated. Made coming back to the US and thinking about teaching to be a bit of a downer, but thankfully I was ready to retire. Many of our staff members had been teaching in Tokyo for over 20 yearss so if you get a good school, it might be tough to leave.
wrldtrvlr123
Posts: 1173
Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2010 10:59 am
Location: Japan

Re: Tokyo living?

Post by wrldtrvlr123 »

I think you have been stalking us (a few years behind). Our first overseas posting was Alex, followed by Tokyo (we reluctantly left Tokyo in 2008 after only 2 years). Currently in Europe but are hoping to get back to Japan in the near future.

We were ready for something completely different and so enjoyed Alex. Did they still have a great Chinese restaurant on top of the Sofitel/Cecil? Eating on the rooftop patio and looking out at the corniche on a beautiful day was one of the pleasures of living there.

Going from there to Tokyo was like jumping into a time machine and we really loved pretty much everything about Japan.
zeddyau
Posts: 12
Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2015 3:45 pm

Re: Tokyo living?

Post by zeddyau »

Great advice, thank you very much! Has renewed my interest in working in Tokyo. I will be looking with great interest from now on! :)
PsyGuy
Posts: 10789
Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:51 am
Location: Northern Europe

Discussion

Post by PsyGuy »

@zeddyau

I just dont see those numbers, if they offer you that salary and package great, you can write about it, as we need more contributors not fewer.

BIST, ASIJ, Yokohama are the best schools, but they are also highly competitive. The big opportunity for ITs right now in Japan is with the IB, in that the program is now available in Japanese meaning municipal schools will be able to offer the program. Thats going to provide long term opportunities to be part of building something new.

Lastly, Tokyo is VERY competitive there are a lot of local ESOL instructors with proper teaching credentials and experience just waiting for vacancies, and they have the advantage of already being local.

@MizMorton

I agree with SciTeach, the nuclear incident is no longer an issue except for a few very specific cases. none of them you really have to worry about.

ASIJ is one of the top elite schools in Japan, and makes most ITs list of top ten in the world. They get a 1,000 applications on average for a vacancy. I wouldnt disagree too much with sciteaches list, those schools are 1st or second tier.

Nagoya is a nice school but Nogoya is kind of provincial, a lot of people I know would take the train to Tokyo on the weekends. Mathew Parr is the HOS, hes an okay admin. Its a small but very nice school.
mac2448
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Jan 08, 2015 2:36 pm

Re: Tokyo living?

Post by mac2448 »

We enjoyed the China House at the Cecil -- loved the view. They opened one near San Stefano that was closer and we often caught a movie at San Stefano and then walked across the street to the China House located there. Great fried green beans!

It is like night and day going from Egypt to Japan but we enjoyed both places immensely. Singapore would also be a good place to look as well. We visited there and felt it was a bit more open to Westerners than Japan.
porter1
Posts: 40
Joined: Thu Jul 25, 2013 9:32 pm

Re: Tokyo living?

Post by porter1 »

Rhysboy wrote:
> Wow, PsyGuy really has lots of useful information - apart from the bit
> about thigh high boots?!? Or perhaps that's just his imagination running
> wild?
>
> 'The woman are truly amazing they are consistently rated one of the hottest
> in the world, and every woman owns thigh high boots. and they dont leave
> their room without being done up (or they wear the mask).'

Psyguy, like myself, hasn't been living in Japan for some time. I can vouch for the knee boots back in the day. These days Korean women, per capita, have the most fashion. Japan is more of a Yoko Ono autumn brown type of fashion. (Not sure what drove that...)
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