This might be kind of a cop out answer, but starting my own eikaiwa and purposely keeping it small (only me). Doing the accounting, taxes etc is a pain, but it’s well worth the lack of workplace drama and not having to take shit from some micromanager boss. I’m not rich, but I have a surprisingly good work/life balance.
I had this job where I would travel to business offices and do lessons usually once a week for them. It paid above average and the manager was a good dude, very chill as long as you did your job. It was only probably 8-10 hours a week, but I really liked it because I got to go around Tokyo and go to these really cool offices. One office was in Hatsudai in the Opera House building, which was cool istelf, but I met this guy for a lesson at the top floor with beautiful windows where you could see Mt. Fuiji. The lesson was pretty boring/standard, but it was worth it for the view.
Another office was in Tokyo station at one of the major finance buildings there with the stock tickers on the outside. Nothing special about the lessons, but I genuinely enjoyed traveling around the city.
Honestly, it was probably the only job I had in Japan that I actually kind of liked. And I worked for probably 6 or 7 companies/schools in the few years I was there and all of them weren’t fun except for that one. Having a good person as a manager really helps.
Worked in a neighborhood not-for-profit *eikaiwa* with a reasonable salary, a couple of months paid holidays, and no Friday afternoon or weekend classes.
University/graduate school classes I generally look forward to.
For my limited experience in ALT work, it came down to the teacher I worked with.
The main teacher I worked with over the course of three years was by far the best. In his spare time, he watched American movies and subscribed to a monthly Radio English program that sent out study pamphlets and CD’s to listen to. He came to me with questions and was genuinely interested in the nuances of use and *why* English is the way it is.
This translated ^(heh) into some very creative classwork. He knew our mandatory textbooks kinda sucked and that the system required things to be done a certain way, but outside those bounds, he tried to make things more interesting for the students. We collaborated on different and fun activities to help students develop an interest, keep up their attention, advance their pronunciation, and learn about–gasp!–cultures other than Japan’s. Plus, it’s just funny to hear a class of students doing their best to churn out “Rapper’s Delight” to the beat.
Also, very big deal, he was good at communicating what our plans were and keeping me in the loop.
Private contract with a countryside village. Sai Village in Aomori. I worked in the BOE most days with 5 other BOE members including the Kyouikucho. Drove to my mountain schools to teach 1 or 2 classes and then spent the rest of the work day at the onsen or trekking through the mountains,laying by the ocean or something you can only get away with in the extreme inaka. I was there for 5 years. I only quit because I felt if I stayed, that’s all I’d do for the rest of my life.
My current job. Private daycare/preschool/kindergarten.
Every single boss and coworker is a wonderful, supportive person. No drama or bullying. I’m the English teacher, obviously, but I’m also involved in all school events, trips, recitals, planning activities, making decorations etc.
The parents and kids are on the whole a lovely group. I teach the 0~6 year olds during the day and kids who graduate can continue language classes in the afternoon/evening. I make a pretty good salary and a modest bonus. Not the big bucks, sure, but having a pleasant working atmosphere is worth more than cash. For me, anyway.
I wouldn’t say I love it, but my current job is the best I’ve had in Japan. Its a small eikaiwa (2 native teachers and 1 Japanese teacher) with above average salary and a free 1LDK apartment in central Fukuoka, which has been pretty great. I do, however, really need to work for it. No lazy days at the beach for me.
The variety of work is what keeps me from getting bored. I do a bit of traveling in the city for elementary school and hoikuen classes. And in the office I do 1-on-1 adult lessons as well as academic proofreading work. The owner is the only downside. Shes in her 80s and is very much of the old-school Japanese workplace mentality. Luckily the office manager is much more chill.
95% of my students have been wonderful as well, with the exception of a handful in the elementary/preschool classes.
I’ve been tempted to find something with more upward mobility, bit it’s been impossible to find something with a salary bump big enough to offset the free apartment.
Direct hire working for BoE in a major city. Job is super easy, I like all my schools and get along with everyone. No dispatch bullshit. Pay is good and steady. Finish at 4 everday.
1. Translating hundreds of manga for a lot of money 2. Teaching at a college for $70 an hour
My current job, 2-3yo room at a private immersion daycare. Salary is average but after 6 years I have built up enough in raises that I can afford to work 4 days a week, and I can take my vacation and sick leave without being given a guilt trip. I love the age group I teach, my Japanese coteacher is really great (and it does feel like a co-teaching relationship, some schools I have worked at have a very us-and-them atmosphere between Japanese and foreign staff but not here), and our two classroom assistants are lovely people. The staff in the other rooms are friendly and pleasant too. The director trusts us to know our job so we have got a lot of freedom in how we teach and organise our routine. I have the same group of children 8h a day every day, so I get to know them really well. The only downer right now is that our room has no windows, but that will be solved when we move to a new building in April.
I wish I could say it’s my current place, but it’s actually the school I worked at as a direct hire for the Hiroshima BoE. They had a special international course, which was one class per grade level, and that’s all I taught. I taught like 7 different English subjects from creative writing to grammar to intercultural understanding. The kids were fucking amazing and since I saw them every day I have zero doubts that I impacted all of their lives in a positive way. Lots of them are currently living and studying abroad and I’m so proud of all of them.
My current school is pretty awesome in terms of student behavior and how I’m treated there, but I don’t get to teach the wide variety of subjects.
current job. direct hire, suburban boe. Genuinely the nicest kids I’ve dealt with in my time here, and the salary/bonuses were good enough to buy a place and settle down. Job itself has gotten a bit more stressful due to the plague, but still would take a god offer to leave.
The best experience I had teaching English was at a 生涯å¦ç¿’センター on weekends. The center’s director set up a course for children’s English lessons. Volunteers from the community and senior high school students participated as work experience for their education degrees.
The director told me he simply wanted to provide local kids with English communication lessons so I made a program with lots of interaction and guided the volunteers to lead the lessons.
When we were done with our lessons, the director had us in for tea and a chat, and often we got fed whatever was left over from the cooking lessons at the center. They paid me an honorarium for my lesson hours besides.
I tutored this one guy (he owned 10 pharmacies) so he was rolling in it. Paid 5000 for 45 minute lessons. The best part wasn’t even the money, but that we would meet up at expensive restaurants around town! We are talking 10000 plus per person. Best gig I ever had. I was sad when after 3 months we had to stop because he got sick (cancer) and had to go to this fancy hospital in a different prefecture for treatment.
16 comments
This might be kind of a cop out answer, but starting my own eikaiwa and purposely keeping it small (only me). Doing the accounting, taxes etc is a pain, but it’s well worth the lack of workplace drama and not having to take shit from some micromanager boss. I’m not rich, but I have a surprisingly good work/life balance.
I had this job where I would travel to business offices and do lessons usually once a week for them. It paid above average and the manager was a good dude, very chill as long as you did your job. It was only probably 8-10 hours a week, but I really liked it because I got to go around Tokyo and go to these really cool offices. One office was in Hatsudai in the Opera House building, which was cool istelf, but I met this guy for a lesson at the top floor with beautiful windows where you could see Mt. Fuiji. The lesson was pretty boring/standard, but it was worth it for the view.
Another office was in Tokyo station at one of the major finance buildings there with the stock tickers on the outside. Nothing special about the lessons, but I genuinely enjoyed traveling around the city.
Honestly, it was probably the only job I had in Japan that I actually kind of liked. And I worked for probably 6 or 7 companies/schools in the few years I was there and all of them weren’t fun except for that one. Having a good person as a manager really helps.
Worked in a neighborhood not-for-profit *eikaiwa* with a reasonable salary, a couple of months paid holidays, and no Friday afternoon or weekend classes.
University/graduate school classes I generally look forward to.
For my limited experience in ALT work, it came down to the teacher I worked with.
The main teacher I worked with over the course of three years was by far the best. In his spare time, he watched American movies and subscribed to a monthly Radio English program that sent out study pamphlets and CD’s to listen to. He came to me with questions and was genuinely interested in the nuances of use and *why* English is the way it is.
This translated ^(heh) into some very creative classwork. He knew our mandatory textbooks kinda sucked and that the system required things to be done a certain way, but outside those bounds, he tried to make things more interesting for the students. We collaborated on different and fun activities to help students develop an interest, keep up their attention, advance their pronunciation, and learn about–gasp!–cultures other than Japan’s. Plus, it’s just funny to hear a class of students doing their best to churn out “Rapper’s Delight” to the beat.
Also, very big deal, he was good at communicating what our plans were and keeping me in the loop.
Private contract with a countryside village. Sai Village in Aomori. I worked in the BOE most days with 5 other BOE members including the Kyouikucho. Drove to my mountain schools to teach 1 or 2 classes and then spent the rest of the work day at the onsen or trekking through the mountains,laying by the ocean or something you can only get away with in the extreme inaka. I was there for 5 years. I only quit because I felt if I stayed, that’s all I’d do for the rest of my life.
My current job. Private daycare/preschool/kindergarten.
Every single boss and coworker is a wonderful, supportive person. No drama or bullying. I’m the English teacher, obviously, but I’m also involved in all school events, trips, recitals, planning activities, making decorations etc.
The parents and kids are on the whole a lovely group. I teach the 0~6 year olds during the day and kids who graduate can continue language classes in the afternoon/evening. I make a pretty good salary and a modest bonus. Not the big bucks, sure, but having a pleasant working atmosphere is worth more than cash. For me, anyway.
I wouldn’t say I love it, but my current job is the best I’ve had in Japan. Its a small eikaiwa (2 native teachers and 1 Japanese teacher) with above average salary and a free 1LDK apartment in central Fukuoka, which has been pretty great. I do, however, really need to work for it. No lazy days at the beach for me.
The variety of work is what keeps me from getting bored. I do a bit of traveling in the city for elementary school and hoikuen classes. And in the office I do 1-on-1 adult lessons as well as academic proofreading work. The owner is the only downside. Shes in her 80s and is very much of the old-school Japanese workplace mentality. Luckily the office manager is much more chill.
95% of my students have been wonderful as well, with the exception of a handful in the elementary/preschool classes.
I’ve been tempted to find something with more upward mobility, bit it’s been impossible to find something with a salary bump big enough to offset the free apartment.
Direct hire working for BoE in a major city. Job is super easy, I like all my schools and get along with everyone. No dispatch bullshit. Pay is good and steady. Finish at 4 everday.
1. Translating hundreds of manga for a lot of money
2. Teaching at a college for $70 an hour
My current job, 2-3yo room at a private immersion daycare. Salary is average but after 6 years I have built up enough in raises that I can afford to work 4 days a week, and I can take my vacation and sick leave without being given a guilt trip. I love the age group I teach, my Japanese coteacher is really great (and it does feel like a co-teaching relationship, some schools I have worked at have a very us-and-them atmosphere between Japanese and foreign staff but not here), and our two classroom assistants are lovely people. The staff in the other rooms are friendly and pleasant too. The director trusts us to know our job so we have got a lot of freedom in how we teach and organise our routine. I have the same group of children 8h a day every day, so I get to know them really well. The only downer right now is that our room has no windows, but that will be solved when we move to a new building in April.
I wish I could say it’s my current place, but it’s actually the school I worked at as a direct hire for the Hiroshima BoE. They had a special international course, which was one class per grade level, and that’s all I taught. I taught like 7 different English subjects from creative writing to grammar to intercultural understanding. The kids were fucking amazing and since I saw them every day I have zero doubts that I impacted all of their lives in a positive way. Lots of them are currently living and studying abroad and I’m so proud of all of them.
My current school is pretty awesome in terms of student behavior and how I’m treated there, but I don’t get to teach the wide variety of subjects.
current job. direct hire, suburban boe. Genuinely the nicest kids I’ve dealt with in my time here, and the salary/bonuses were good enough to buy a place and settle down. Job itself has gotten a bit more stressful due to the plague, but still would take a god offer to leave.
The best experience I had teaching English was at a 生涯å¦ç¿’センター on weekends. The center’s director set up a course for children’s English lessons. Volunteers from the community and senior high school students participated as work experience for their education degrees.
The director told me he simply wanted to provide local kids with English communication lessons so I made a program with lots of interaction and guided the volunteers to lead the lessons.
When we were done with our lessons, the director had us in for tea and a chat, and often we got fed whatever was left over from the cooking lessons at the center. They paid me an honorarium for my lesson hours besides.
I tutored this one guy (he owned 10 pharmacies) so he was rolling in it. Paid 5000 for 45 minute lessons. The best part wasn’t even the money, but that we would meet up at expensive restaurants around town! We are talking 10000 plus per person. Best gig I ever had. I was sad when after 3 months we had to stop because he got sick (cancer) and had to go to this fancy hospital in a different prefecture for treatment.
Career over
Unnecessary