Hello!
Just a quick question I cannot seem to find an answer to on the great Google.
\*\*\*COVID notwithstanding\*\*\*
I’m currently a web designer, make minimum wage in the UK plus some extra (not much!) from a side hustle. I really want to travel and make my side hustle (writing, all kinds from books to blogs) my primary job. And from what I’ve gathered the easiest way to get a foot in the door in Japan is teaching English, be that JET or working privately. Plenty of articles talk about settling in, orientation etc, but none I have read go into the realistic costs of this big life change.
Now, I assume you don’t get magically transported halfway across the world with an apartment and a start date. Or maybe you do, that’s kind of why I’m asking. So realistically speaking, how much money do you need to move halfway across the world? Will your company set you up with an apartment or are you on your own? What necessities are you going to need and how much do they cost? Do you get an advance on your salary to support this or are you expected to come with savings?
Any and all information is appreciated! Like I said, I have tried looking but found very little in the way of actual advice but I probably missed something! This is also a long term thing, seeing as I’m not yet fully vaccinated and Japan is closed.
10 comments
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Really it all depends. People will tell you Japan is expensive yet I had a 2 bedroom flat for £350. In Tokyo that would get you a share on a cupboard in one of the outer wards. Do you cook? Prefer to eat out? Have a functional case of alcoholism? (If not I think they issue them to ALTs upon arrival at Narita.
Most companies will probably put you in a Leopalace or similar. They’re cheap and crap but do enough to ensure you don’t die of exposure. I’m not kidding when I say I could hear my neighbours toilets bidet setting through the wall. They’ll have the essentials – fridge, stove, washing machine but beyond that not much. 100yen stores will be your friend for the early months.
If you come via JET it’s a lottery. You might get a dive or you might get a place that’s pretty well kitted out with cutlery etc that the previous teacher left.
Was ALT in rural area.
Flight: $850
Apartment: $2000 for first month, key money etc.
Futon: $60
Internet+phone: $50-100 a month
I would also suggest you bring a good luck charm because you’re going to need it when you roll the dice.
Not sure how much this is in pounds but I brought $3000 when I moved to Japan just to be on the safe side. My company told me to bring $2000.
As some people already mentioned, **it all depends**.
Do you want to live in Tokyo, within the 23-wards, not willing to compromise on your apartment size, and do you want to eat outside everyday and go out with your friends/colleagues whenever possible? Then you will probably need a good 10k for starters, assuming you arrive here with a job ready for you. Plus, you will most likely always have no money left from your salary if you want to keep this lifestyle (assuming you will have a standard ALT salary).
Do you want to live in a rural town, but keeping all the above points (eating outside, big apartment, etc.)? Then around 7k will do it, maybe even less depending on which rural city you are want/will be living.
Flight can be pretty cheap. I paid mine around 380$ (one way), but it was a long flight and not a direct one.
So well, if you can add some more information (what’s your current lifestyle, what things you can/can’t compromise on (i.e. you want your own apartment, no share house etc.), I will try to be a bit more specific, but I would say that around 10k would still be the minimum.
Hope this helps!
People say they google this information, how do you not find it? There is more information on moving to and working in Japan than any other country. Found this information in seconds!
I’d say, even if it’s not to move to Japan, having savings is a good idea. The more the better, too!
>from what I’ve gathered the easiest way to get a foot in the door
JET is not a “foot in the door”. It is a government funded vacation where you are expected to leave when your time is up.
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A good rule is 1 million yen. You will also need to keep 1 million on hand for when it is time to leave. JET pay isn’t bad so you can replace any of your savings you spent moving here. Also, Japan is a saving country. You can’t live paycheck to paycheck because every once in a while you will get hit with a big bill.
It all depends what job you get as to how much things will be set up for you.
If you’re lucky your employer will already have a flat set up for you- these usually aren’t great, but at least you can probably escape the exorbitant moving-in costs. If you come over teaching English, I recommend that you bring at least 1.5 times whatever your monthly salary is. In some instances it can take 6 weeks for a full wage to come through.
However, if you aren’t getting any help with accommodation then you would need to bring way more money with you.
> … how much money do you need to move halfway across the world? Will your company set you up with an apartment or are you on your own?
– Generally speaking I think schools/companies will recommend that you bring at least ~300,000 yen with you for your first month.
– Rent in Japan is such that companies usually provide basic accommodation. No cost or searching is involved to find a pad… rent will come out of your pay.
– Some places will pay for your plane tickets. However, usually what they do is provide a ‘bonus’ at the end that’s essentially the sum of a plane ticket. Plane tickets aren’t cheap now though (and you wouldn’t be allowed in anyway) so go figure.
– All up I’d suggest saving away roughly USD $2000-$3000 plus the cost of plane tickets. Right now you’ve got a loooot of time to do that coz borders aren’t opening up any time soon.
Side note… if you’re coming over to teach then unless you take a part-time job (e.g. 3 days a week) then expect to be put to work (and be tired from the work). Teaching is pretty tiring and saps away a lot of your creative energy (you’ll wanna drink/sleep/explore during your downtime, not work). If you wanna do it to help fund creative endeavours then IMO you’ll need to do a bit of planning to make it all work.