Do good teaching jobs in Japan actually exist?

36 comments

1. If you’re motivated by money alone, find another country / line of work.

2. You are late by about 30 years. China is where Japan was.

3. 270,000 for 10+ years of teaching experience and several certifications? Yeah right. I didnt see medical or pension on that list either.

4. ALT jobs/Eikaiwas – Only good to get your foot in Japan in order to move on to better things. No employee benefits, getting worse rather than better. Extremely flawed education system in public schools.

   Generally the only decent jobs are teaching privately/at Universities/at some BoEs.

   If you want the money, go to China.

   Wages are crap here as there’s always so much demand to move to Japan coz anime.

5. None that are advertised, nope. The market determines the salaries and people come over to teach English and make 2.4 million yen or less each year. Until people stop accepting such shit wages, it will not get better.

   You can find good direct-hired positions at private schools but you won’t see them posting on gaijinpot lol. You need to network and get to know people who can help you get hired at places like that.

   There are also universities but I don’t know enough about that to really comment. From what I have heard, the salaries and benefits aren’t that good there either (relatively speaking compared with university positions abroad) but you do get a lot more free time on the plus side. It probably varies from uni to uni tho. And you’ll need to qualify.

6. They exist, but they don’t advertise on websites like gaijinpot (because they don’t have to to fill their open positions). Most of the money comes from private schools, international schools, and running your own school. International schools often pay quite well, but the reason you think it’s so low is because the phrase “international school” is meaningless over here. You could open a bakery tomorrow and call it an international school. They exist, and they’re called international schools too, but you’ll likely have to seek them out (look for the phrase 学校法人 in Japanese, then it’s legit).

   As u/G3rman said, since “Japan fever” took off in the West, there has been no shortage of cheap labor. Fresh graduates want to come to Japan to live out their anime dream and leave after 1-2 years. 90% of the market is split between those people and English speakers from the non-“premium” countries (Philippines and the like).

   It took me about 9 years of living and teaching here before I started making any real money. Plenty of people on this sub make decent money as well, so it’s possible, but it’s up to you whether or not it’s worth the time investment. If you don’t care where you teach, just go to China and teach there and you’ll be making more than the majority of teachers here.

7. I thought English in Japan and I had to spend 5k extra in savings by the end of 1 year in order to feel happy and go surfing and snowboarding, and party and whatnot on weekends if I wanted too. All the money is in private English classes, I was an ALT making literally nothing 2100 a month with 8,000 rent amongst other expenses. I was gunna quit before my first day when they told me I was teaching elementary school because it’s way more work than junior high but they moved me to elementary only once a week and my dad told me to look at it as a co-op learning experience rather than a actual job (lol). The point I’m trying to make is Japan doesn’t give a shit about foreigners and you have to just go for the experience with extra money saved up rather than an actual career imo. You could teach private lessons if you are well established in Japan (I met people who did this) I taught a group of 5 elderly people for 3,000 an hour but only once a week. My Japanese wasn’t very good and I was fine with 30$ an hour. However people I know who lived in Japan for 8 years would do the same sort of thing but charge each person in the group 30$ an hour and do 5 lessons a day at like a community centre or something of that sorts. So that would be roughly 150$ an hour so 600$ a day. But a hustle like this is extremely rare and you would need to be good at Japanese

8. It sounds like it’s a hakken job, so really it’s the company that is the one making the 40 man a month, not you. And the no pension/ no health care is REALLY sus too.

9. What’s going on are too many applicants, and too few students.

   Japan is facing a serious depopulation problem, and that translates to a funnel of teachers looking for fewer and fewer students.

   The obvious answer to Japan’s population woes is for the government to stop spending so much money and to shrink, but that’s not possible for any government. They aren’t market facing, so the answer to their woes is always more taxes. More taxes means it’s more expensive to raise a family because of that gorilla on the backs of ordinary moes.

   It’s a vicious circle, and Japan is doomed because of the Japanese government.

10. I think good jobs do exist – once you have about 6-9 years teaching here – and have built up a network that will tell you of job openings known thru the grapevine. Also, they give better jobs to those here longer as they figure a long-timer won’t flee mid-year. While everyone here is bound to say they wouldn’t leave mid-contract, I’m also sure most of us know a (or more!) situations where a newish person to Japan takes a job and then either does a one year olny or even a half year, before jumping ship to another gig or going to their home country.

11. What subject are you qualified to teach?

    I feel like if you are able to (and are qualified to) teach a subject other than English, especially a science/mathematics subject you would be snapped up by actual international schools here – particularly as Covid has made it so much more attractive to hire in-country.

    I actually do work for such a school and we do offer a relatively high salary. However, it is still hard for us to find teachers. We have advertised on sites such as Gaijinpot but, to be honest, almost all of the applicants aren’t actually qualified for the jobs they are applying for. We are therefore instead often more successful using recruiting agencies or trying to bring people over from abroad.

12. Making about 40 Man a month with healthcare and pension. Pretty happy.

13. Nope.

14. Urgh the requirements for that position at that pay are an absolute joke.
    Just another one of those dispatch companies raking it in of some poor teacher’s back
    There are well paying positions out there but you got to learn how to play the game so to speak.

15. If you like kids and have experience and/or qualifications, international schools are the way in terms of salary and benefits, but not easy to get a position at a good one.

    Source: worked a few teaching jobs in the past in Japan and my ex boss is now the HR head at an international school in Tokyo and has explained to me about the type of money his teachers make.

16. Short answer is yes. Long answer is yes, but they are very competitive and you will need stand out in a good way to even have a chance at getting them.

17. What’s your definition of “good”?

18. There are good jobs in Japan if you have the right combination of experience, qualifications and a network to find them.

    A lot of people teaching here aren’t happy with their current position but also aren’t doing anything to get a better gig.

19. They exist, but they are far outside of the norm, and like other have said, don’t necessarily advertise publicly. I got mine (private school) through connections, and even I wouldn’t know how to find anything comparable in Japan.

20. Yes, you can get decent jobs if you are suitably qualified.

    My previous position (for example) paid a great salary, and benefits (housing allowance, research allowance, bonus twice a year), and had a fantastic work-life balance (finished at 2pm Mon-Fri, 22+ weeks of paid vacation).

    That was a university position, but I’m sure there are similar situations at real international schools.

21. China is just better at suckering you in.
    There are numerous stories where the “contract changes” once you’re in country. At least Japan is honest about the shitty pay up front.

22. There are good jobs, but you have to have someone good introduce you to them.

    I got a job teaching university English and only had a bachelor’s.

    6,000 an hour plus various benefits. 20 hours a week, all next to each other.

    I then rented an office and built my own small English school – 10 hours a week / 30,000-50,000 a week. Made up my initial investment in a couple months.

    You have to look.

23. Only universities really pay well; but you need a masters and qualifications and be REALLY dedicated. English teaching here is a huuuge joke

    I came here “teaching” (really English daycare) for the visa and left soon as I could

24. Good jobs exist but not on gaijinpot. I have a master’s and I heard about my job through connections. University is where a lot of people want to go, but universities have been limiting contract lengths and many don’t offer fulltime contracts.

    A lot of people I know have to do multiple uni gigs and then maybe they’ll get in fulltime somewhere. And then no more than 5 years.

    I work in a private high school and my classes are much more fulfilling than the uni classes I did. I’m more of a language arts and social studies teacher, so it’s all content based learning and discussion. My pay is also higher than my university pals. I have full benefits and still take home more than them after taxes etc.

    The jobs are out there, but you need the qualifications, connections, and you need to be a damn good teacher to keep the job.

    Edit:
    Just looked at that posting. Iware is basically just a placement company and often after a few years you can get direct hired. They don’t do training really. They don’t make the wages as well, that’s based on the schools. I know people that have made various wages through them. They don’t have exclusive contracts with schools either. My friend worked at school where he was the only one from Iware.
    I once was an emergency instructor for them for a Saturday class.

    I was going to interview at a school through them and the school lowballed the pay before the interview. I told them my minimum and I remember the manager telling me he told the school if they pay peanuts they will get monkies.

    I like them as a company, but I wouldn’t blame them for the wages being offered. Although if it’s an emergency fill, it might be a foot in the door and they can find you a better school from April.

25. >Contrast this to teaching jobs in China

    don’t mean to be that guy but…

    it is terrible to be a westerner in china right now. The propaganda successfully convinced everyone that covid was started in the west. Higher pay might not be worth…EVERYTHING that comes with china.

26. Teaching in Japan is hit or miss. International School can mean anything from having an American ‘mascot’ to teaching non-Japanese students in English.

    I lucked into my current position where I get to teach in English to students who understand me (mostly). The pay is enough to help support my dual income family, and the hours are standard, unlike lots of Eikaiwa where you have to work nights and weekends.

27. I know of a guy making $7 million USD a year who started in Eikaiwa.

    I mean, I only know one person who absolutely blew the lid off things like that, but it is possible. He networks like a madman, and has his hands in every industry he can get them in. Now he owns a big hotel too that manages to intertwine itself into multiple other industries and still ties itself into English services. He used the hotel as a base for the other businesses. He’s always getting TV shows to come out there and do free advertising for him (I was spotlighted on Kansai TV doing work for him once). He runs hospital translation services from the hotel, he hosts English camps and events from the hotel. Me and a few friends get calls sometimes to do just random things they decide to try. A while back we did walking tours of the area in English for Japanese guests at the hotel who wanted tours in English. Just for fun lol. Then we came back to the hotel and had games and prizes about the information on the tour.

    He started all this buy opening an Eikaiwa 😳

28. China is where Japan was about 20-30 years ago. The teaching market went down with the bubble economy and never recovered.

    When I started teaching, Korea was the place to make money. 15 years later, when I check, the package is still the same or worse so I guess that’s going the same way.

    China is booming at the moment so that’s a place to make money.

    You can do that here but you need a uni job or a good international school job. To work in a uni you’ll need an MA at least, and then often you need 1-5 academic publications. For a good international school job you’ll need a teaching certificate + experience in your home country. These jobs will often require that you are in country to even apply.

    It’s simply because the supply of teachers outstrips the demand, so there are higher barriers to entry and people still come here despite the salaries being shitty.

    If you’re looking to make money off the bat then look elsewhere.

29. That’s a dispatch job, so the intermediary company is taking a big cut of what the client school is acually paying. If you could get the job directly the salary would be more attractive.

    But yeah, not very attractive.

    There are some great jobs here, but you need connections, luck, or to make them yourself. You’re not going to find them on gaijinpot.

30. Lots of people bitching about how the industry doesn’t have standards, yet how many of those bitching have taken any interest in professional development in the past year, beyond their initial qualification, if they even have one?

    I’m sure some have, as we do have some HS and uni teachers here. But considering the number of people in this forum who poo-poo professional development, I know the number of dedicated teachers is far outweighed by those coasting on being a white native speaker.

    Lots of people bitching about low pay, but how many of those bitching have qualifications beyond a cheap TESOL cert they did online without a practicum?

    Lots of people saying they teach private students or even opened their own eikawa where they are responsible for curriculum development and teacher training, but how many of those have quals or have done any professional development beyond their initial qualification?

    The people with quals are the ones who have made a real compliment. Everyone else is playing around, yet complaining no one will take them seriously.

    Japan is just not a good place to teach, if it ever was. The good jobs are few and far between.

31. Often you are going to have to piece together a bunch of part time positions which typically pay better than full-time jobs. For example, here is a kindergarten teaching job in Yokohama that pays 7,000 yen plus transportation for a single hour or teaching and some prep work.

    [https://jobsinjapan.com/jobs/349979/kindergarten-teacher-yokohama-deadline-815/](https://utm.jobsinjapan.com/udDiR)

    Most jobs do not pay that well, but there are some high paying teaching jobs available, and not just at the university teaching level.

32. I am looking to teach Art in Japan from next year, But I would need the ‘good deals’ that seem rare in Japan…. I have 2 kids and a husband to bring along and support. Has anyone got any tips to find the legit international schools?

    Thanks

33. Yes, but they’re incredibly rare and do have actual requirements and standards. And, nearly always, don’t advertise on the main websites like Ohayosensei and gaijinpots, they’re advertised locally in Japanese or just word of mouth.

    And they pretty much all require living in Japan already, preferably in the area.

34. The Chinese take English education seriously. The Japanese treat it like a joke subject (like studying drama or media studies in HS back home).

35. If the teaching is at university level, some private international schools, or in non ESL subjects

    As far as I know (of all of the other foreigners I used to run into at meetups in Tokyo have told me and job postings I’ve scoured) all of those require advanced degrees, licenses, or special skills.

    The reason why most teaching jobs in Japan pay so low is because employers know that for every disgruntled ESL teacher, there are maybe 10 more in country and 1000 more overseas who would fill that gap in a heartbeat. Their on boarding and on the job expectation is so incredibly low that anyone can come off the plane and sit in a classroom (albeit not well from what more serious educators would deem Quality).

    Higher compensation in a company is when you care about employee retention. The “crime” of the crop or the ones that stay in it “to win it” promote up to full time staff but it’s questionable how much of a salary they actually make. I’ve heard reports of 2.8m -4.0m skewed to the left average 3.2m someone fact check me on this.

    Alternative, you find a way to self sponsor your visa and you can build your own clientele. I’ve run into a few people who supposedly do that and have claimed that they live fairly decently

36. Hi there, I’m interested in finding a job at an international school myself. Do you have any advice on what sorts of qualifications most schools are looking for?