I only know or have known three who’ve left Japan. All the others are still here (after from 30 down to 7 or 8 years).
I’ve seen plenty stay long term, and it can go either way, depending on the person. I see some that really really get into teaching and end up becoming official teachers at schools or professors at universities. And then there’s the ones that stay here for over a decade, make no career development, and are trying to raise a Japanese family on low wages from their dead end job.
Depends on the person and their job. Most ALTs I knew left after 1-3 years or got “stuck” here. I know English teachers who have lived here 10-20 years and still can’t read Hiragana and Katakana.
1 year or forever are the most common.
If I were to guess…
– 75% stay for 1 year and no longer
– 20% stay for ~5 years and either leave when the time’s right, or have to hang-on a little bit while waiting for other ideas/opportunities to pop up
– 4% stay for life (or until divorce) but are freaks who hate Japan (that or really nice dudes who are trying their best, but lack the spine to uproot themselves from a bad job/relationship as they think they’re gonna hurt the people who are hurting them… I don’t dis these guys BTW but some are too nice to the most undeserving so and so’s)
– 1% stay for life and thrive… for example one American woman I know is in her 70’s and still does a bit of casual ALT work. She stayed up until 3am every night in her 20’s mastering Japanese, met the man of her dreams (he’s a seriously nice dude) and they’ve run some reasonably successful business ventures in a small town. I dunno any white gaijins with better Japanese (including diplomats who know heaps of complex stuff but suck at idioms/conversation). Her husband and adult kids don’t speak English at all.
I’d say if you stay longer than 3 years you’ll get the Japan bug and won’t want to leave/meet a girl. Once your passed that point you get embedded into life here and tbh find it difficult to give up everything you become used to here. Former co-worker described falling in and out of love with Japan a lot and I tend to agree with him, some days commuting and being a constant outsider here can be annoying, and other days it’s bliss to be different living in Japan..
Women: one to two years
Men: one to 60 years depending on how quickly they meet a girl
To a point, it also depends on what type of teaching gig they first came to Japan on. I came on JET originally, and of the hundreds that came through my prefecture on JET while I was there, I only know of a dozen or so who are still here 15 years later (I’m one of them). It’s probably changed now, but then JET was largely aimed at people who planned to return home after a few years, and preferably take with them a positive impression of Japan which they then carry forth in their lives in their home countries. When I did my original JET interview that was very much what they were looking for.
I was on JET for three years and I’m now teaching at an international school and am on my second year. Planning on being at this school for at least one more year.
I am here for the long term. Two of my coworkers are also here long term and have both been here for over 2 decades
I’d say you have 2 groups: around 2 years (3 for JET), or forever. Obviously there are exceptions. I think 2 years is about when the novelty of living in Japan starts to wear off. I also think for a lot of weeb types the reality of Japan is a bit of a shock to the system and they end up leaving in the first year. Most people end up staying because they get hitched, but I know some people who left after settling down, having a family, and running their own successful schools for decades. Possible mid-life crisis?
For Interac, I think 50% left after 1 year, 80% left after 2 and 95% left after 3.
In university teaching, most are long-termers. In ALT or eikaiwa, most are short-termers.
The non-Japanese in my neighborhood – school owners, private school teachers, and university instructors – are all lifers. They have family and property here.
Some professional teachers (licensed, TESOL quals, etc.) I’ve met stay for a year or two for experience to put on their CVs and then move on to better positions back home.
I have friends who’ve been here 10+ years (Filipino) and then I have friends who couldn’t make it past 2.
I’ve been here 22 years. Of the people that came with me to Sendai on JET, three out of thirty or so are still here.
When I came to Japan a wise man said to me there are five types of people
1 year
3 years
5 years
10 years
Lifers
I stayed for five years.
Dispatch ALT here, planning to stay as an ALT for 3ish years and then either find a better job with future prospects or leave. Most of my coworkers and other non-JET foreign friends have been here for 5+ years, some even 10+. JETs I’ve met generally leave after however many years of JET they do. I speak decent Japanese and am an introvert, so I enjoy the quiet life here and don’t have issues getting by or making enough friends or ignoring the microaggressions, and wouldn’t be opposed to staying long-term provided i find a viable career to pursue here. Definitely not staying longer than a few years as an ALT, though, because the money I make is just enough to be livable as a temporary experience thing and I’m not saving anything or paying my student loans on this salary.
The happiest foreigners I know are generally the ones who moved on to better jobs and learned Japanese. The most miserable are generally the ones who didn’t, and who rushed into language-barred marriages that are now loveless and controlling. There are some who are long-term ALTs and still dont speak Japanese and *aren’t* miserable, but they’re definitely the minority and still have money issues even if they’re not unhappy. I’m in the inaka so the ALT salary is perfectly *liveable* unlike in many cities, so bear that in mind too. I’m sure those friends wouldn’t be as content living on this salary in Tokyo, lol.
I would say very very few stay past the 1year or so mark
I’ve stayed for 7. Most people I’ve met/ been friends with have left.
I’m here until it’s no longer fun. And the US isn’t exactly doing too hot right now anyways from what I’ve seen.
I know people in this subreddit love shitting on eikaiwa but I love my current jobs. I work part time and make above the typical full-time job pay. (Yes, if you play your cards right you can do that.)
Some advice for people thinking of staying for the long haul:
A lot of people in Osaka will work part-time eikaiwa and then do other things on the side. There is no rule that says you can’t do that as long as the side gig is within your visa category. Just an FYI. I’ve gotten a three year work visa twice. As long as you’re able to pay your way and stay out of trouble you’re good with immigration.
The longer you’re here the bigger your network of connections can become. A lot of jobs flow from word of mouth.
A lot of people in this subreddit harp on being “trapped” in eikaiwa hell or whatever, but it doesn’t have to be that way. They also claim that we have no skills. If we don’t come here on a spousal/dependent visa, then we’re required to have a four year degree. I’ve known music composers, game designers, translators, and programmers who do part time eikaiwa work. Why? Because of the flexibility. It’s also easy steady income. There are no meetings after work, etc. Once we’re done with our classes we get to leave.
I’ve been here 13 years in three stints. I left JET after two years because I wanted a ‘real job’ (I had one of the endless round of self introductions at 35 schools jobs, but having now done real jobs I’m not sure what I was thinking). Got N1 by the skin of my teeth. Left the Monbusho scholarship after a year due to my supervisor getting his own overseas scholarship 😩
I came back to teach in university after getting the qualifications and teaching experience. No current plans to leave.
Since I’ve been in Japan for the last ten years, most of the people I know are longer-term expats, which skews my data set. There are university jobs that recruit overseas, and those teachers often only stay for the length of their contract, which ends up being a maximum of five years. Many others are jostling for tenured gigs, but you do need Japanese ability for those.
From my Interac training group that has 80 people, majority left after a year or less (some only lasted a few months). Majority of the rest left after year 2. I’m at 4 and half years in Japan and there are only 5 of us still in Japan from that group that I’m aware of.
Of those 5 only one is still an ALT and that’s cause he got placed in a super remote area and for some reason either got stuck or decided to stay there.
I teach university and all the teachers have been here longer than 10 years. .. some can speak Japanese some can’t…,most have a Japanese wife
25 comments
1 year
I only know or have known three who’ve left Japan. All the others are still here (after from 30 down to 7 or 8 years).
I’ve seen plenty stay long term, and it can go either way, depending on the person. I see some that really really get into teaching and end up becoming official teachers at schools or professors at universities. And then there’s the ones that stay here for over a decade, make no career development, and are trying to raise a Japanese family on low wages from their dead end job.
Depends on the person and their job. Most ALTs I knew left after 1-3 years or got “stuck” here. I know English teachers who have lived here 10-20 years and still can’t read Hiragana and Katakana.
1 year or forever are the most common.
If I were to guess…
– 75% stay for 1 year and no longer
– 20% stay for ~5 years and either leave when the time’s right, or have to hang-on a little bit while waiting for other ideas/opportunities to pop up
– 4% stay for life (or until divorce) but are freaks who hate Japan (that or really nice dudes who are trying their best, but lack the spine to uproot themselves from a bad job/relationship as they think they’re gonna hurt the people who are hurting them… I don’t dis these guys BTW but some are too nice to the most undeserving so and so’s)
– 1% stay for life and thrive… for example one American woman I know is in her 70’s and still does a bit of casual ALT work. She stayed up until 3am every night in her 20’s mastering Japanese, met the man of her dreams (he’s a seriously nice dude) and they’ve run some reasonably successful business ventures in a small town. I dunno any white gaijins with better Japanese (including diplomats who know heaps of complex stuff but suck at idioms/conversation). Her husband and adult kids don’t speak English at all.
I’d say if you stay longer than 3 years you’ll get the Japan bug and won’t want to leave/meet a girl. Once your passed that point you get embedded into life here and tbh find it difficult to give up everything you become used to here. Former co-worker described falling in and out of love with Japan a lot and I tend to agree with him, some days commuting and being a constant outsider here can be annoying, and other days it’s bliss to be different living in Japan..
Women: one to two years
Men: one to 60 years depending on how quickly they meet a girl
To a point, it also depends on what type of teaching gig they first came to Japan on. I came on JET originally, and of the hundreds that came through my prefecture on JET while I was there, I only know of a dozen or so who are still here 15 years later (I’m one of them). It’s probably changed now, but then JET was largely aimed at people who planned to return home after a few years, and preferably take with them a positive impression of Japan which they then carry forth in their lives in their home countries. When I did my original JET interview that was very much what they were looking for.
I was on JET for three years and I’m
now teaching at an international school and am on my second year. Planning on being at this school for at least one more year.
I am here for the long term. Two of my coworkers are also here long term and have both been here for over 2 decades
I’d say you have 2 groups: around 2 years (3 for JET), or forever. Obviously there are exceptions. I think 2 years is about when the novelty of living in Japan starts to wear off. I also think for a lot of weeb types the reality of Japan is a bit of a shock to the system and they end up leaving in the first year. Most people end up staying because they get hitched, but I know some people who left after settling down, having a family, and running their own successful schools for decades. Possible mid-life crisis?
For Interac, I think 50% left after 1 year, 80% left after 2 and 95% left after 3.
In university teaching, most are long-termers. In ALT or eikaiwa, most are short-termers.
The non-Japanese in my neighborhood – school owners, private school teachers, and university instructors – are all lifers. They have family and property here.
Some professional teachers (licensed, TESOL quals, etc.) I’ve met stay for a year or two for experience to put on their CVs and then move on to better positions back home.
I have friends who’ve been here 10+ years (Filipino) and then I have friends who couldn’t make it past 2.
I’ve been here 22 years. Of the people that came with me to Sendai on JET, three out of thirty or so are still here.
When I came to Japan a wise man said to me there are five types of people
1 year
3 years
5 years
10 years
Lifers
I stayed for five years.
Dispatch ALT here, planning to stay as an ALT for 3ish years and then either find a better job with future prospects or leave. Most of my coworkers and other non-JET foreign friends have been here for 5+ years, some even 10+. JETs I’ve met generally leave after however many years of JET they do. I speak decent Japanese and am an introvert, so I enjoy the quiet life here and don’t have issues getting by or making enough friends or ignoring the microaggressions, and wouldn’t be opposed to staying long-term provided i find a viable career to pursue here. Definitely not staying longer than a few years as an ALT, though, because the money I make is just enough to be livable as a temporary experience thing and I’m not saving anything or paying my student loans on this salary.
The happiest foreigners I know are generally the ones who moved on to better jobs and learned Japanese. The most miserable are generally the ones who didn’t, and who rushed into language-barred marriages that are now loveless and controlling. There are some who are long-term ALTs and still dont speak Japanese and *aren’t* miserable, but they’re definitely the minority and still have money issues even if they’re not unhappy. I’m in the inaka so the ALT salary is perfectly *liveable* unlike in many cities, so bear that in mind too. I’m sure those friends wouldn’t be as content living on this salary in Tokyo, lol.
I would say very very few stay past the 1year or so mark
I’ve stayed for 7. Most people I’ve met/ been friends with have left.
I’m here until it’s no longer fun. And the US isn’t exactly doing too hot right now anyways from what I’ve seen.
I know people in this subreddit love shitting on eikaiwa but I love my current jobs. I work part time and make above the typical full-time job pay. (Yes, if you play your cards right you can do that.)
Some advice for people thinking of staying for the long haul:
A lot of people in Osaka will work part-time eikaiwa and then do other things on the side. There is no rule that says you can’t do that as long as the side gig is within your visa category. Just an FYI. I’ve gotten a three year work visa twice. As long as you’re able to pay your way and stay out of trouble you’re good with immigration.
The longer you’re here the bigger your network of connections can become. A lot of jobs flow from word of mouth.
A lot of people in this subreddit harp on being “trapped” in eikaiwa hell or whatever, but it doesn’t have to be that way. They also claim that we have no skills. If we don’t come here on a spousal/dependent visa, then we’re required to have a four year degree. I’ve known music composers, game designers, translators, and programmers who do part time eikaiwa work. Why? Because of the flexibility. It’s also easy steady income. There are no meetings after work, etc. Once we’re done with our classes we get to leave.
I’ve been here 13 years in three stints. I left JET after two years because I wanted a ‘real job’ (I had one of the endless round of self introductions at 35 schools jobs, but having now done real jobs I’m not sure what I was thinking). Got N1 by the skin of my teeth. Left the Monbusho scholarship after a year due to my supervisor getting his own overseas scholarship 😩
I came back to teach in university after getting the qualifications and teaching experience. No current plans to leave.
Since I’ve been in Japan for the last ten years, most of the people I know are longer-term expats, which skews my data set. There are university jobs that recruit overseas, and those teachers often only stay for the length of their contract, which ends up being a maximum of five years. Many others are jostling for tenured gigs, but you do need Japanese ability for those.
From my Interac training group that has 80 people, majority left after a year or less (some only lasted a few months). Majority of the rest left after year 2. I’m at 4 and half years in Japan and there are only 5 of us still in Japan from that group that I’m aware of.
Of those 5 only one is still an ALT and that’s cause he got placed in a super remote area and for some reason either got stuck or decided to stay there.
I teach university and all the teachers have been here longer than 10 years. .. some can speak Japanese some can’t…,most have a Japanese wife