I currently work as an engineer but I hate my life. Teaching is my passion and I want to pursue it.
I love teaching but I was convinced the profession doesn’t pay well so I didn’t pursue teaching and chose to be an engineer instead. When I first started, I thought I made the right decision – the job paid well and I was “happy”. 5 years later, the job still paid well but I’m miserable.
I’m about to be 30 and I don’t want to continue living like this. I want to pursue my passion but I don’t have the credentials. I thought about trying out eikaiwa but many say it’s a job only foreigners who can’t find anything else do and I’ve heard a lot of horror stories. Is it really that bad?
50 comments
Don’t confuse what most eikaiwa offer their clients with ‘teaching’ in any proper sense of the word (a point which the one I worked for made great pains to reinforce).
It’s probably no coincidence that those with actual teaching credentials seemed to have more than average difficulty with resigning themselves to what was being peddled.
Those who’d been there the longest said it was much more akin to being a ホスト sans the booze (for most, at least).
You only have one life to live, so follow your bliss.
Sorry to hear you’re finding your current role so bad, may I ask if it’s IT related and what’s causing the misery?
Hope it works out
At thirty, you can afford to gamble. You’ve got engineering to go back to if necessary.
You can get teaching credentials part-time while working. Doing so might also inspire you to plug away at the job knowing that it is funding your goal.
Alternatively you could save up a few years and go full-time for a year to get a teaching license, then while teaching you’ll be getting experience and you could do a part-time masters and so on.
Yeah it fucking sucks. Moving from a real industry to teaching Eikaiwa is one of the dumbest mistakes you can make to ruin your life in Japan. It’s not teaching, it’s entertainment. If you want to pursue your passion for teaching, leave the country and get proper teaching qualifications, have a kid, or get a dog.
You could also teach Eikaiwa teachers how to get engineering jobs because everyone is miserable and desperately trying to leave. Two birds with one stone.
If you want to actually teach, I’d recommend getting credentials, which could allow you to be a proper English teacher. That way you’ll get higher pay over an eikaiwa teacher, and be doing something more akin to actually teaching.
Then become a certified teacher. If you think joining an eikaiwa will be any better, well…it wont. I met a foreigner who was around your age that became a certified teacher at an elementary school teaching Science. The only hurdle would be the language, but trust me eikaiwas are terrible pay and not really teaching. I know friends in some of the biggest eikaiwas in Japan, its fucking disgusting. International schools seem better, but harder to get in without teaching experience.
Working in a decent *eikaiwa* is not bad at all, and it can be both challenging and rewarding. I did it for a nonprofit for about 8 years and would be doing it still had not the temptation of higher salaries (and, frankly, an easier time in the classroom) of teaching in university not been too great to resist. (I got an MA degree while working at an *eikaiwa* and did a doctoral program after starting adjunct work at various universities.)
I would *not* recommend working for a big commercial *eikaiwa* (those that recruit from overseas). Instead, try to find one that’s either not-for-profit or an established private school. Conditions and salaries are usually better at both.
Be aware, however, that you will almost certainly make far less money than you’re making now: make sure you know how to cook for yourself and otherwise take care of yourself frugally.
I made the same kind of transition (from typical work) at about the same age and have no regrets. I’ve never approached monetary wealth, but we’ve got a small family and are able to have good lives.
What kind of salary do you need for survival? And what’s your visa status? Also, what’s miserable about the job? Teaching can come in so many forms
When you say “Teaching is my passion”, what do you mean? How do you know?
I ask because the English industry, as some have already pointed out, is not teaching and has very little to do with the actual profession that results in a career. If you have actual teaching experience and an educational background in it, and as a result you have a passions for it, then it might be good to pursue serious teaching position. Eikaiwa pays very low and would be very frustrating for a person trying to be an actual career teacher. If your passion comes from tutoring here and there and you have no actual classroom experience, the reality of teaching is very likely to crush your soul worse than IT, especially in Japan.
Teaching does not pay well, you have to be highly qualified for positions that have a chance at breaking 5m/year (~40k USD right now) and the stability is very low. You’ll need a master’s/teaching license and 5+ years experience to have a chance at anything that’s not entry level. This is why most people say ALT/Eikaiwa is for people without skills or options, because anything in English/Teaching that’s not entry level is very competitive and filters most people out entirely.
As always, the answer is “it depends on the situation.”
Some eikaiwa are absolutely horrible. Others aren’t as bad. Even within the big corporations you’re going to have a massively different experience at one branch vs another.
The most important thing to know is that most eikaiwa work is not “teaching.” It is before all else, sales. You will be a salesman hocking overpriced and unnecessary products wrapped in really predatory price schemes. In many cases the quality of the products is garbage too.
The reason eikaiwa is seen as such trash work is because the corporations know how draining it is, and they have no incentive to improve. They can push you to work harder and harder in worse and worse conditions until you finally quit, and there is always a new college grad ready to take your place the second you quit. It’s not something you will do for more than a few years at most, because there’s nowhere to advance to, and it’s draining.
However, if the idea of being a small business owner is appealing to you, you could use it as a springboard to open your own school. Work at an eikaiwa for a few years, build up relationships with the students, then quit and start your own school and take all of the good students with you. Then you’ll have the freedom to run it the way you want instead of being the corporate dancing monkey in a suit that is so often mocked on here. I have several friends who did just that and they seem quite happy and successful.
If you have an MA and can (or have) published at least three research pubs you might be able to get into uni work possibly teaching engineering-related courses, assuming N2+ Japanese.
If your school does not demand professional credentials (beyond a basic college degree) and internationally recognized certifications that will be good even if you move to a non-eikaiwa, then you are in real danger of falling into the eikaiwa trap.
Eikaiwa is/was excellent money when I just got out of college. The hours were reasonable, and the responsibility was low.
The problem is that because someone just out of college can do it, there’s no reason for schools to pay more for more experienced people, and your salary remains stagnant. At the same time, non-Eikaiwa businesses don’t view it as real work experience.
As a result, you can find yourself at 30 (or worse, 40+) earning the same as a 25-year-old, but also considered no more experienced than a 25-year-old by every other field because you have no recognized certifications.
And then with more foreigners coming to Japan, more widespread video conferencing software, etc, the pay and conditions stop being as good as they were when you arrived.
Sorry to say but Eikaiwa isn’t teaching.
Licensed in home country is way to go. Moreland or teacher ready if your American. Eikaiwa max out at 300k with absolutely no career prospects or job stability where as international schools range from 300k-350k entry level
An engineer looking into moving into Eikaiwa at 30 is sort of like Eddie Van Halen asking if he is too old to be a roadie for Nickelback.
*”…don’t have the credentials…”*
*”…Eikaiwa…”*
LOL…credentials.
Do you have a pulse, speak English and can be “Genki” all the time?
Congrats! You’re in!
Have you considered leveraging your IT background by teaching at a coding bootcamp?
I can’t speak on the experience of teaching in a coding bootcamp, but I imagine that the salary would be decent and you wouldn’t need any other certifications to get started.
Teaching children and teaching adults are completely different.
Teaching children at an 英会話 is less about actual teaching and more about entertainment. Of course, you should endeavor to ensure that the students are learning, but the school management mostly cares about whether or not the customers are happy and having a good time. If the lessons are entertaining, then they’ll keep coming back.
Teaching adults is more about making actual progress, especially if the students are studying at the request of their own employers. Some students only attend on a casual basis, such as housewives looking for an afternoon hobby, but most of them won’t stick around if they aren’t getting anything out of it.
Like any teaching role, your own mileage will vary based on the environment. If your students and coworkers are all awful, then you’ll hate it. Nothing is worse than trying to teach someone who isn’t willing to learn but is forced to attend your lessons.
I feel you brother. I just finished my PhD and got super burnt out on the job. Worst part is, i am now overqualified for most of the things in my field, while i cant land a job on scale because of the competition.
I say just di what you think is right. Tbh, if it isn’t what you thought it would be you can always fall back on the engineering degree.
Loads of people have shit jobs and find enjoyment in their private life anyways.
It will be a downgrade for sure if it ain’t a university job.
Why not teach IT related stuff like programming. Don’t waste your career on eikaiwa. You might be bored with your job , so you should change but stay in the industry. Teaching is a dead end career.
How about teaching tech stuff to others? Pursue passion and $$$ at the same time 😀
I work at a university and an eikaiwa. The university is great. I can chose my own materials and write my own syllabus within the curriculum. I’m respected as a professional.
On the other hand, at the eikaiwa they don’t like that I’m a qualified teacher as I know how they ‘teach’ is bullshit. The company and management doesn’t respect me as a human being, let alone as a teacher. Know that you are nothing to them, and if you work at one, you should treat them with the same amount of respect they give you: zero.
I love my adult students and coworkers, but I honestly feel dread every time I have to work there because it’s such a toxic company and environment. /Also I hate teaching kids. Haha
Why don’t you teach… engineering?
You don’t have to teach English though if teaching is your passion. Can you teach people in the IT field? It could even be geared toward English speakers. Might take some time finding a client base but I’m sure you could make it work.
Hmm, no it’s not April 1st. You stumped me.
« Teaching is my passion ».
Well, teaching is exactly what you won’t do in an eikaiwa, so stop right there.
You can teach engineering, why does it have to be eikaiwa? Have you tried making contents on Udemy or publishing Youtube videos in hopes of getting monetized in the future.
Calling eikaiwa ‘teaching’ is being generous. You’re providing a service to *customers*, not students. That’s exactly how the company views it.
If you can stomach it a bit longer, work on getting some high level credentials, improving your Japanese (if you’re not N2+ already), and find a more fulfilling teaching role.
Really its not bad at all if your single and have no expenses.
I did it for a year after college as a sort of break before moving back into a *real* job.
It was chill lots of time to party do other stuff but no money. Knew a few older guys who were there 10+ years at their capped salary but unmarried and comfortable just doing what they like so was chill for them. Lots of the younger teacher/new teachers always talking about getting out so that can be annoying since they don’t actually apply anywhere and just say it.
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From my school it was starting pay generally 3mil and you max at like 8+ years at between 4.5-5.
Pros:
Easy as fuck and no stress
If you find a good one the hours are great + no overtime
Teaching can be fun.
If your trusted you can design your own courses.
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cons:
no upward mobility teacher- head teacher – school manager
low salary even if you become a school manager etc
Sometimes you will need to do off hours stuff for events. maybe 2-4 times a year
Due to high turnover you can end up with really lazy low quality coworkers
Always being asked to find more teachers for the school.
Honestly—I’m guessing with engineering you’re good at math and potentially science (esp maybe physics). Possibly design like architecture?
You can get a teaching certification online in nine months from Moreland University and get credentialed in math or science (or both depending on what your Bachelor’s/Master’s, etc is). (Also, maybe look into what certification you’d need to teach something like IB Design Technology (or design tech in middle school).) You’ll then be qualified to teach in one of the international schools in the area. It’ll be more in line with what you’re thinking of as a teaching job.
Also, while working on that, it might be possible to get hired on as a substitute teacher (esp if you have PR or don’t need a sponsored visa). Most teaching jobs at international schools require at least two years of experience—subbing can kinda get you that and, if a position opens up at the school where you are subbing, there’s a higher likelihood you’ll get the job.
There’s a few new international schools opening in Tokyo over the next few years, so there’s going to be positions available. Math/science teachers are in high demand.
Do it man! Life is short. Don’t waste any time being unhappy… It will be an awesome new adventure!
I think the first question is not whether it’s engineering or teaching but if it’s your company maybe?
Do engineering teaching on YouTube, keep your job, and if YouTube goes well, you can go at it full time. The odds of you landing a good eikawa gig is slim. Shitty eikawas are all too common and have high turn over rates and low pay. 30 is too old to play around with in Japan. Doors will close on you at 35. It just seems like you need hobbies to give your life creative meaning. Teaching won’t fix that. You’ll be miserable at work no matter what. Get some purpose outside of work and you’ll realize an ideal job is not equal to an ideal life.
Don’t teach kids. They have no interest in it in primary school ages. Mostly do it because parents force them. Do daycare or adults. Babies love everything and adults actually have something motivating the.
You’re an engineer, I’m going to assume a software engineer? So, why not start your own company and teach coding? Help people prepare for coding interviews, and stuff like that?
Online tutoring? You may try to start it as an interest or habit.
There is a platform called Amazing*****, but I never tried it.
If your passion is teaching, why not teach engineering instead of teaching people how to order ホッ、ホ、hot coffee
How about going to your local town center and see if there are any volunteering opportunities to teach?
That way you can experience teaching to students (kids or adults) without making a major career change. Then see how you feel about it and go from there.
You say you like to teach.
Why not get a masters in education or something that proves your credentials. There are masters classes online/etc.
My good friends wife has a masters (two) and working on her PhD. She has tenure at a very well known Japanese university and essentially lifetime employment. It’s a grind, she loves teaching and works super hard. Loves her students.
She is also compensated quite well, not the 3.0 someone mentioned above. I would say closer to triple that or slightly more, also not in Tokyo.
Forget the word Eikaiwa. That’s not professional teaching. You want to be a teacher.
This is a complicated question, and requires some soul searching.
For some people pursuing their dreams to do what they love everyday is worth sacrificing all else.
For others doing something stable and undesirable is worth it if they can spend time off with family, and know they can be the rock that supports their loved ones.
Maybe there’s a part of you that just wants to get out of your home country and do something special with your life instead of “being another cog in the machine”?
Teaching at an eikaiwa isn’t always bad. It can be a good or bad experience depending on your location, management, students, etc. Just do some research before you make any moves.
There’s only one way to find out, so the question is will you take that leap of faith.
Edit-
If you want to teach in another country, consider other places besides Japan.
It’s a big world out there.
If your passion is teaching, then become an actual teacher.
(Ekaiwa is not real teaching)
Real teaching involves getting a teaching degree, it involves learning how to teach (pedagogy), lesson planning, curriculum planing, classroom management, testing, and dealing with parents.
Ekaiwa people do none of that.
Why not change jobs? It’s strange you feel “unaccomplished” when there are so many companies, teams, products and technologies you could work for/with. If you are well-paid for 5 YoE, then eikaiwa would be devastating to your QoL and retirement plan too.
If beyond the company you hate what you do, you could transition to a different type of engineering, or an adjacent field like project/product management. It’s not uncommon for senior engineers to be mentors, or involved in other forms of teaching either.
If teaching *English* is your passion, then find a way to try it before committing. Certifications like CELTA can be done while working full-time, and have some amount of classroom teaching. They may give you a sense of what’s involved before committing to a degree or whatever you need to make a career out of it.
Eikaiwa is closer to the service industry than the education industry, and will truly teach you what “tool” and “unaccomplished after 5 years” mean. If you’re seriously burnt out, then the kind of relaxed schedule and (lack of) cognitive load many places offer could actually be what you need for 3-6 months though. Just make sure you go in with an exit plan.
I’ll give you all the reasons I think it’s a bad idea. This is strictly speaking for eikaiwa, as I’ve never worked in a public school or university. Also, this post is going to sound negative because I’m only pointing out the downsides, which is what ultimately drove me away from it.
Job Security: The chances of being a 正社員 are very low, as most schools only offer contracts, some for a year, some as short as three months. As a contract worker, some schools will basically hire you as a service provider, calling themselves the client. This gets them off the hook for having to pay houken and nenkin.
Pay: Think in the realm of around ¥250,000 a month. Some schools pay more or less, but that’s the average. It makes saving money very hard, and again, if you end up having to pay your own pension, take a good chunk out of that.
Growth: Basically zero. An eikaiwa teacher who has been teaching for ten years has about as much clout as one who’s been teaching for six months. This is one of the main reasons teachers end up becoming IT staff. 😜
Benefits: There will usually be some kind of vacation offered (unless it’s Gaba, which offered no vacation, at least when I was there.) You’ll often work strange schedules that cater to clients who actually have weekends and national holidays off.
Any kinds of perks a good company may offer (gym discounts, event tickets, bonuses) will be a thing of the past.
Teaching: A lot of the schools seem to have very strict teaching methods, but when it comes down to actual lessons, most people I’ve known just end up teaching however they like. If you teach kids, it will be similar to babysitting. If you teach businesspeople, they will often be there at the recommendation of their boss (ie, going only because they have to). If it’s housewives and ojisans, expect a lot of chatting with very little learning actually happening.
If you’re financially secure and want to give it a try, I say go for it. Put in six months at whichever school you think has the best offer. With your experience, you have IT to fall back on if you need to.
Edit: spelling
Anyone saying it sucks just had a bad experience. I had an amazing experience. Some of the best years of my life. Find a non chain school thats got more of an emphasis on community, and dont take the job till you’re sure it’s trustworthy.
Yeah, there’s no career progression besides owning your own eikaiwa etc. But if you enjoy it, who cares?? Japan isn’t based on ‘more is better’ quite as much.
There’s a reason all the Eikawa teachers/ALTs are trying to escape. Look at all the posts by posters who would literally give their left leg to be in your job. If you don’t like what you’re doing find another engineering job.
I’d recommend doing it in your home country where you can study, and develop a real career. Alt and Eikawa jobs are mostly visa farm jobs for people who desperately want in the country or who don’t have the language skill set to pursue a proper career path.
In my experience, the hard thing about teaching at an Eikawa is the lack of mental stimulation. You have have a schedule that allows to get it elsewhere.