Some background: I am a 28 year old professional working in finance with a good paying job in the US but honestly feeling burnt out of the constant rat race. I thought taking a break to teach for a year would help me reset but not sure if I should be throwing away my job for working for a mere fraction of my current salary. I was wondering if anyone else was in my position and has done a similar thing and what impact it had on their careers to take an entire year off work.
30 comments
Have you considered any countries in SEA like Vietnam or Thailand? Why Japan in particular? Just curious. I found Vietnam and Thailand to have more work/life balance for foreigners. Japan wasn’t so different from my job in the USA in terms of work hours.
Life is short, may as well have an adventure! Just go in with realistic expectations and don’t fall into the comfort trap of how easy a lot of ALT jobs are.
why not just take a trip
You’re not crazy but strictly speaking it’s probably not going to a be good career move since you are not going to be gaining relevant experience in your field and making less money during the time you are in Japan.
On the other hand burn out is a real thing and if you push yourself to keep working at your current job for a few more years and then never want to work in that field again it could be a good idea to take a year off now. There is more to life than making money anyway and Japan is worth experiencing.
Every person teaching in Japan likely has considerably better financial options elsewhere. We are all here for our own reasons. Enjoy your break.
If you’re an American, consider employment is the federal government. There’s plenty of federal US jobs that payswell with in the Tokyo Metropolitan area.
I did this. I was just starting my career, had an entry level, ok paying job. I wanted a break, a chance to live overseas. I moved to China to teach for a year, 10 years later I’m still doing it. I found teaching far more enjoyable than sitting at a desk. Not saying this is what you will experience. But fuck it, if you don’t do it now when will ever have another chance, when you are further into your career, married with kids? You are still young, plenty of time to establish a career after a break. You are not crazy!
I teach in rural Japan.
I definitely recommend it as a way to have a totally different life experience.
I climb mountains, go skiing, visit shrines. All relatively cheap things to do.
Every now and then I go to a big city for some excitement.
It’s different from the Tokyo experience most people sign up for. But if you are looking for a way to just get away from things it’s great!
Also you usually get several small schools instead of one massive one. This makes for a better workload and more variety.
Not crazy, no. It seems like you can afford it, so why would it be so crazy? I have a friend who quit her IT job and came to Tokyo just to teach English part-time. She loved it, stayed around a year and a half, and then went back to her job in the US.
If you can afford a year off to attend language school, without the need to have a job, that also would be amazing.
Actually, I’ve been planning something similar for when I’m ready to leave Japan. I’m going to take a year off to travel, and have also been thinking of going to a language school in either Spain or Portugal. Haven’t decided quite yet.
I say go for it.
Not crazy. Your previous experience won’t go anywhere and I’m sure you could come back home after a year or two and work in the same field.
You are in your late 20s and apparently have a well paying job so it’s not you will have financial problems unlike many students who come here with the recommended 5000 dollars savings. If stress is a big factor, don’t work for an eikaiwa. Apply to Interac or Borderlink or better JET. Working as an ALT at a public school is an interesting experience and for me, I got to reflect on myself when I was a student and kinda empathized my teachers cos HS would’ve been probably hell for them haha.
People only talk shit here cos ALTing and entry eikaiwa are obviously not a long term career job yet some people treat it as such or get stuck here. The industry here is exploitive just like anywhere else including Korea and China and many others. Can only speak for myself but most normal ALTs here would agree that the students and teachers are usually nice, but the middleman (dispatch company) can sometimes be annoying. They’ll do anything to suck up to the BOEs and schools.
edit: I didn’t quit my job to come here. Came here straight after graduating uni and stayed here a couple of years. Did various jobs such as at a language cafe, hotel, cafe, restaurant, host club, love hotel, eikaiwa… Didn’t get ahead financially but I think I grew as a character from it.
edit: I knew a JET ALT who saved over 60k USD after 5 years and had to periodically send money back to the U.S. from her friend that still lived in Japan. Guess she couldn’t transfer it all at once. So it’s possible to save if you come here as JET. With Interac and Borderlink, just use it as a way to get a visa.
Maybe you could take some online courses or study towards a certification relevant to your career during your time in Japan?
I’m a lawyer, made the same call at 28, taught for 4 years, and now work as a lawyer here (making a lot less money than in the US though). You’ll be fine as long as your financial house is in order before coming here. I don’t envy my colleagues who were still paying off student loans when they came here.
I quit my six figure tech job to take a year off here at a language school and am now reaching the end of it and looking for jobs. Of course my salary will take a hit if I succeed, but now the worry is that I won’t succeed and have to explain a year gap on my resume wherever I end up next. I do feel like I threw away my life a little bit, especially because if I can’t find a job here – all that getting up to the N2 level would be worth nothing.
That being said I realized that a lot of what kept me attached to corporate America was ego. I wanted to be awarded materially and also socially by having a good job, but I didn’t spend money anyways. I also never felt good interacting with people who cared about education level, “success” or money. I found out I could live happily almost anywhere off of 30,000 USD per year (even cheaper than that here in Tokyo this year, probably 20k ).
Of course I would say overall the experience has a been a failure, but the fact I got burnt out in the first place because of covid was proof I wasn’t fit for my career. I let money numb me to my own unhappiness. Sure it was embarrassing telling people what my plan was (especially at my age) but then I thought that nobody could help me but myself. My life was unsatisfactory in America and it’s bound to be just as bad wherever I go, but it is helpful to not think about what random people from college or distant relatives would think. It isn’t even on my radar anymore.
If it’s only a year, and you have a career where taking a year off won’t set you back too bad, no it’s not crazy. I wish I had the financial flexibility to just go do something else for a while without a long-term negative impact. If you’re in that position, why not?
G’day – I was 34 and feeling exactly like you were when I took a job teaching in Japan. I’m paid 3 times less than I used to earn but 1) the cost of living is so much cheaper than Australia (What I pay for a month for a small modern studio (1LDK) is less than what I was paying weekly for a share house in Sydney per week) and 2) Friends and family have mentioned often how noticeably different, happier and healthier I am. I have more energy and time (and less stress) to give to my hobbies and actual upskilling in a way that doesn’t feel shoehorned or rushed
I do think it’s a good idea to visit for a long time first to see if it’s what you want to do. In my case, Japan was always a major goal for me but I thought it’d be more a retirement thing until the pandemic hit and I had a wtf am I doing with my life working so much?
As for work – my job (Marketing at Australia’s National Film School) paid and treated me well. They offered me a place if there was one open when I returned. Whether or not that’s genuine, I know others here who have similar arrangements with their workplaces back home. Perhaps that’s something you can try to arrange? I’m not keen to go job hunting but if you toss your resume at a few recruiters you can often get an idea of how in demand you are? I get a contact request every couple months or so, others have it far more frequently. This would help get you an idea of how difficult it might be to find work again in the future.
Happy to chat more if you’d like to DM!
Was in the same boat recently, having gone from solutions consulting in tech to teaching in Japan – saying I took a pay cut would be an understatement, as I’ve gone from $240k annually to 280000¥ per month, given up remote work where I was doing 2-4 hrs of work per day, and now have a ~30 min daily commute to work alongside a family. I’m only ~2 months into the switch, having come to work at an eikawa and haven’t regretted a single moment of it, given my motivators aren’t money, my daughter (5) and wife enjoy the change of pace, cheaper cost of living (6k per month minimum in CA to $2000 here) and safety we’re provided over the US. It also helps that we have savings and a rental home in CA.
If you have strong reasons for coming that you’ve thought through then I’d say make the jump and try your best – you only live once (?).
Re: your career you can get though if you stay active on LinkedIn and maintain professional connections. I still get recruiters reaching out to me on LinkedIn due to being active on there and reaching out to new folks every few weeks, alongside staying active in different tech communities.
When planning out your path you should come visit first for 2-3 weeks. Get a better feel for life here, but also remember that if you come for work then when you’re here you won’t be able to nearly travel as much as when you’re a tourist and life will be very different, so take that into account.
Lastly, if you do come as a tourist try to apply for jobs you’re interested in that are in Japan while you’re in the US, go through some initial interviews, and then if things go well let them know in your later communications that you’re visiting Japan, when, and see if the interviewer or school would be interested in meeting while you’re visiting – it’s not for an interview, just to meet. I did that and it sealed the deal on my job, despite the humble wisdom of users here telling me I can’t do that, that it’s stupid because what do I expect from meeting them, that no employers would even want to meet etc. but it was easy to set it up and worthwhile as it let me judge the opportunities and locations I’d be living.
Lastly, you can try to stay in finance here with international firms by reaching out to recruiters and agencies like Robert Walters.
?I think a big factor to this is if you speak Japanese or not.
Many people come here with the expectation that Japan is everything they want it to be.
However, Japan is very much so a Japanese speaking country. Sure you can argue that you do not need the language to live here but without it I am not sure you will find what you are looking for and just spend your time here in the “holiday mode” which most experience in their first year etc.
If you do speak the language then sure come over teach then after X time you can transition back into your original role but here?
No you’re not crazy. I was a web developer/designer in my home country and was making twice what I make here.
However, although teaching can be stressful, it was nowhere near as much stress as I had back home as a developer (it was a different kind of stress). I wouldn’t look back to my old life or job; even for the money anymore.
I still will do web work but now it’s purely just for fun or for me.
I was a graphic designer and left for jet when I was 25 cause I was burnt out. Changed my life. Best choice I ever made. 10 years later I’m living here working as a software engineer. The decision to change it up turned out be to be the greatest adventure of my life. You’re not crazy.
I was basically in your shoes many years ago, was looking at quitting my decently paid overseas job to come to Japan. Burnout, mostly. Interviewed for a few schools, even. My career is a bit unusual so I didn’t think it was possible to shift that career to Japan.
I ended up taking some time off (~8 months) and travelling. Ended up making connections to continue my career in Japan and have been here ever since (going on 20 years at this point). I’m glad I didn’t take a teaching job in the end as I wouldn’t have the career I have now.
I didn’t speak Japanese very well when I came over (perhaps N4) and it wasn’t an impediment to start. I feel strongly that a good level of fluency is necessary for a happy personal life in Japan, though.
It’s honestly not a crazy idea at all. Just do it
This was me at 27 last year, on the verge of wasting away with panic attacks on a daily basis. I’m in Japan right now and its the best decision I’ve ever made. I can always go back to finance/corporate, but this is where I need to be right now and I have the time and the mental space to rethink what I want to do with my future.
My buddy did this exact thing in Thailand. He has a degree in finance, burnt out working for a bank, and came here to teach and relax.
I’m pretty sure the work-life balance is harder in Japan than it is here but it’s nice working 20 hours a week and being considered full time. In other countries we’d have to work 40+ hours and still have more to do.
I’d recommend just visiting like others have said or getting a student visa and exploring Japan while you learn Japanese. I didn’t do this because I don’t have a source of income unless I teach.
I had the same thing. 10 years ago was making 75K + bonus in fintech.
You are considering making the worst decision I ever made in my life
I’m not a teacher, never have been a teacher, so take my advice with a grain of salt, but I suggest coming to Japan for 1 year at a language school instead of teaching. When you’re working full-time you will have a lot less time/drive to travel than you might think.
That’s how I came to Japan initially and I loved it, I made friends (which is very hard while working in Japan, especially if you don’t speak Japanese), learned Japanese, and got to see Japan.
Suggestion: Fill your gap year with some sustenance for your resume, perhaps consider studying for your masters while teaching for a year 🙂 that way to gap doesn’t look too off
Yes, you are crazy.
Get a new job, and in between jobs take a month or 2 off. Spend that time doing nothing
I love teaching in Japan. I came over to work at an eikaiwa (language school). Then I switched to an ALT while I got my Masters degree in Teaching. Now I teach English at a few universities.
Not only do I love my job and my home (I recently financed a home), but Japan is a wonderful place to be a foreigner. The few annoyances I encounter as a foreigner far outweigh the problems I had working back in America. Been here 9 years now, and never going back (I also got my permanent residency a year or two ago).
I wouldn’t go back to America even if they doubled my salary. My wife and I both have nice careers and no kids. I can’t imagine life being any better short of winning the lottery.
That all being said, I would recommend trying it in stages. I came over fully intending to only stay for one year, then go back to America to get my teaching degree. Things changed over time, and I rolled with it. Taking a chance on Japan was the best decision of my life.
I’m 29 and was working in finance as well. My job was pretty cushy, but also in many ways soul sucking, so I decided I’d give teaching a try and ended up choosing Japan what I’d call an educated whim. I’ve been here 9 months and based on what I’ve read on this sub I think maybe I’ve gotten lucky because I honestly couldn’t be happier. I love my job and while living here has had its ups and down my overall lookout and quality of life has greatly improved. Obviously everyone’s experiences will vary, but I think trying it and knowing is much better than always wondering “what if”