How many of you have a back up plan if you were to get fired or laid off from your English teaching job? Do you know where you would move to – e.g., an area with cheaper housing, or a city with more English teaching positions, etc.? Several years ago, I knew exactly what I would do. I wrote it all down. I even went and looked at cheap guesthouses in Tokyo, created a monthly budget in Google sheets, and even talked to some people about applying at their schools if I were to end up “between jobs.” But that was several years ago, and since then I’ve grown complacent. I’ve since taken in a few stray cats, bought a bed from Nitori and some other large furniture, and so I have more stuff to get rid of. It would not be that easy now to just pick up and leave if I were to lose my job. So do you have a plan B? If so, do you have any tips, advice or suggestions on what to do / not do if you suddenly find yourself out of a teaching job?
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Well, my biggest piece of advice is not to work for companies that don’t give you any notice. I got laid off this year, but I was notified in September (and saw it coming last Spring, since COVID was not good for us). That gave me plenty of time to find a job close to home. It’s been a pretty painless process.
Probably not what you want to hear but my wife and I would probably move into her parent’s empty house and start an onlyfans/ph account. We’ve had numerous conversations of just being extremely tired of working under people and being a cog in a system.
I was notified two and a half weeks ago that my contract would not be renewed for the upcoming school year. I immediately updated my resume and applied for way more jobs than I probably should’ve at once, but I got a job offer two days ago that’s better than where I was working. So, that’s what I did.
This is a great topic. I found myself in a similar situation when I was suddenly furloughed without pay at the beginning of the pandemic, and all my private students canceled too. I had no income at all.
The first piece of advice I would give is to have savings – I had at least six months of living expenses to cushion the blow, and it was such a relief. (In the end I was out of work for only two months, but it was a pretty scary time.)
If possible, take on extra work now (private lessons, for example) and stash that cash away. By doing so you’ll also be making valuable connections with people who might be able to help you out later on.
Live as frugally as you can, but within reason! You don’t want to be miserable. Try and find the sweet spot.
Take care of your health. It doesn’t cost anything to keep fit. Avoid acquiring bad habits (overeating, gaming) that cost money.
Avoid debt like the plague.
Save money!
If you have the qualifications to be a teacher you should be able to find another job but you may have to move.
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If you are a pretend teacher (eikaiwa/ALT) you shouldn’t be in Japan for any longer than three years. Those jobs are gap year activities for people looking to backpack around Japan. When you get cut at the end of your third year (you 100% will with the current laws) it is time to go home and work on your career. When you get some experience or qualifications back home, you can start looking for real jobs here in Japan.
Ask for more hours at my second job, take on more private students.
Lost my job in 2008. Really stressful.
Vowed not to let it happen again. Then I studied the blade.
Losing my job at the end of this month. Not stressful at all.
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(RetireJapan if you need some help getting started)
I started feeling antsy about Interac and the possibility that they might lose my BoE again sometime last year. I could have dealt with that uncertainty on its own but I was informed that I would have to find a new place to live (I’m not in Interac’s housing) within the next few months. I couldn’t fathom trying to find a new place to live while questioning whether my job would still exist. I applied for a Japanese language school and started making my plans to return to my country afterwards. Classes start next month and Interac did lose my BoE! No regrets
I would go down to hello work and start collecting my 3 months of unemployment money. Did this once in the past. It’s about 80% of your past monthly salary.
Then I would go to each BOE and private school near me and ask for a job.
This method has gotten me jobs in the past.
My Plan B is to first have enough saving for six months (already taken care f), and then to apply to English teaching jobs like crazy. Actually that happened- and all I’ll say is that I was literally given the job offer a day after the interview.
I should note, my contract with the dispatch company (and not Interac, one of the “better” companies) was not renewed- but I had notice. I think I got VERY lucky, and where I’m going is technically neither eikaiwa or ALT. Though I will note that I’m aiming to get my TEFL this year- if at least to check that box off.
And for anyone who says “Go back home, get a real license”… you do realize that costs time and money and no guarantee of being able to return to Japan, right? And for me personally, I’m in my 30’s, meaning that if I were to leave, there’s no chance they’d bring someone in their mid-30’s or older when they can instead have someone younger (and pay less).
Be fucked, mainly. Get on the Hello Work unemployment and try even harder to find an escape from this bullshit dead end “career”.