I came to Japan in 2018 on a student visa studying the Japanese language and got hired as an ALT for JHS by an unknown dispatch company last year just so that I could have a VISA. To make the story short, my company’s pay is very low(9,000 yen/day) and they don’t pay for my taxes (health/income) but I really had no choice then because I have no prior teaching experience (I was a registered nurse before I came here) and I’m not from a native speaking country. My JTE’s has been kind to me and mostly we’re a TAG team on classes, I guessed I’ve gained sufficient experience. So from my title, should I continue being an ALT or try for an Eikawa for more pay?
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So first off, about benefits: shakaihoken is important, but it doesn’t mean your company pays your taxes, it means they match your contribution. Overall, you’d end up having to pay less, yeah, but you’ll still be paying.
As for experience, it doesn’t really matter at entry-level; if you got hired as an ALT, there’s a lot of eikaiwa that likely would have hired you as well.
In general, there are some companies that pay more than ALT dispatch companies, but not all. If you apply to one of the really big chains like NOVA or Gaba, your pay is likely to be around what you’re making now. But if you can find a job that pays at least ¥250,000 (which is where lots of ALT companies top out), I’d take it.
Also, just remember that eikaiwa usually don’t face good hours; you’ll be working evenings and weekends, and I know a few people whose off days aren’t together.
Edit: typos
I’d say you should try getting back into nursing. You’ll have to get your Japanese up, but hospitals are pretty desperate these days. Talk to the head nurse of a big hospital, and she just might move heaven and earth to get you back in the mix. Maybe just as a nursing assistant, but it’s a foot in the door, and more money than an eikaiwa is going to pay.
While you are applying, might as well try applying for PT university teaching. Direct hire with the university.
Not super high chance, but hey, it doesn’t hurt to send out and application.
Eikaiwa’s pay is a race to the bottom and they don’t pay benefits either.
Can you do part time work after your ALT job?
It might be good to test out working in an eikaiwa with a part time gig a couple of nights a week which can also get those 9,000 yen days into the 12,000-15,000 yen range. Putting in some longer days with a day job and some part time work is really the only way most people can make decent money from entry level jobs in either ALT or eikaiwa
If you are planning to stay in teaching in Japan long term I fully recommend getting experience in eikaiwas. While there are a lot of entry level positions that are about the same as ALT work there is a much higher ceiling in eikaiwas.