I HATE my job but I’m wondering if it’s the best I’ll get, it’s a unique situation I’ll explain below
Me: 30’s, 10+ years teaching abroad, BA, IB License, US Teaching License, shit CV since COVID started (1 year at every job), in Tokyo since 2020, no Japanese
The job: A completely dysfunctional “international school”, I teach a mix of 3rd-6th grade with alternating days, the kids are all over the place in ability and it makes having a consistent course work IMPOSSIBLE
We have constant turnover (since August we’ve hired 10 teachers, lost 6, gonna lose more, and more coming on after January). Every 6 weeks we’re rebooting the school.
There’s a lot of implied admin that I used to bust ass on but now I just leave at 4-430 PM every day and ignore the owner (other staff openly fights with him verbally so I kinda slink through)
I have to do ALLLLLLLL of my own lesson planning including finding teaching resources, textbooks, scheduling, standards, grading, I have no assistants of any sort and I have the kids for every single period except 1 hour for PE
400,000 yen a month, full time (40 hours) but I only work like 32-35 and do everything outside of teaching very half assed
In April I’ll move to part time (29 hours) for the same 400,000 yen a month
Kicker: It’s 15 minutes from my apartment by bike, 25 by train
I’ve done interviews with a bunch of other schools, worked at others, every offer I get is more work for less money
I’m working my ass off to get into programming and doing my Masters in Com sci on the side.
Am I nuts for staying? Is this a secretly great job?
EDIT: I should add I get almost no days off. For Christmas I’ll have 1 5-day week off, thats it. Over Summer I had 2 weeks then I had to teach “Summer Camp” daycare. The owner does everything he can to fuck me out of time off.
31 comments
Its not a bad job. You have no commute. You earn a better salary than most japanese your age. You are free to teach whatever you want and implement meaningful changes that a lot of other teachers are unable to.
Do you really expect your comp sci to lead directly into something in japan? Not judging just curious, arent all NETs doing the exact same thing
Gees. I’d like to apply there. I have a strong skin against chaos. Am licensed and could handle any mess for 2 years….
Meh. Nobody is impressed with your salary ($40,000 a year) but you’re also not in squalor like some English teachers here
Lack of time off makes this unimpressive too
No Japanese? That’s your main problem here IMO. Get to N3 level at least if you plan on staying long term, then re assess.
wow I teach IB and don’t get paid as much as you. and I have to commute almost 2 hours. the only good thing is that despite my contract saying my hours end at 5:30, I could leave early if I want to.
Why are you moving to part time? Whose idea was that? Are you enrolled in shakai hokken and will that continue?
You should leave Japan and teach at a real international school. It looks like you have the skills and certs on paper to do so. I can’t gaurantee the pay will be better, but you’ll get more time off/planning and you’ll likely enjoy the work more as you won’t be rebooting every 6 months.
It is now the peak of hiring season in the international school circuit. Get your resume out there. Can’t hurt and best case scenario you’ll find something you like better.
You make about the same as some entry level university gigs. Probably making more than me currently. Although I get 4 months off a year. Do you get summer and winter off?
Many many teachers work double your hours for half the pay.
Also with no Japanese ability you’ll be extremely limited if you jump ship. For reference I’m 30, c1 Japanese,BA teaching experience, certs, all that stuff, I’ve applied to over 100 jobs this year and met with several recruiters and have yet to land a job. So if I were you, I’d step down from that ledge
This is an opportunity to take over and make the school your own. Keep churning through staff until you get a crew that obeys your every order. Make yourself an indisputable resource to the owner, you don’t have to like them, just keep them on your side. Once you stabilize the staff & curriculum in a few months, you can sit back and enjoy that sweet security and make all the noobs do your bidding.
Imagine complaining earning 400,000 a month teaching English for less than 40 hours a week, only 15 minutes from your house lol.
Lots of people would kill for that.
Do you get a bonus?
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> For Christmas I’ll have 1 5-day week off
Xmas is not a holiday here, period. The place I worked at, and where my wife worked, it was a school/work day. (Emperor’s birthday used to be 12/23rd.) I never had xmas off, for years and years. (Our kids in school here also never had xmas off.)
New years is the holiday here, and my time off for that was usually 12/29 or 12/30 thru 1/3rd–so five or six days. Then back to teaching.
Your two weeks off in summer is more than I ever had.
Honestly, maybe you should through some money towards a therapist. I am not suggesting you need one clinically, but having an hour a week / every two weeks might help you decompress and stay focused on that long term goal.
You are at risk of ‘burn out’, but if you find a way to stay the course and be good to yourself, even if you don’t get what you want, you might find yourself open to opportunities that just sometimes happen.
I say stay the course find some perspective, don’t fixative on one thing alone. I have a very similar job situation, not as good money, I’m older, but I know the best way to deal with this is not to panic..
*Ahem*….yeesh ..”keep calm and carry on.”
How’s the sex life and how’s the alcohol? In other words, how are your hobbies? Your interests? Are you enjoying life?
That ongoing education sounds great.
That job is a good foundation on which to build. If you can build your next step, or at least have a good time, then steady on, steady on.
“400,000 yen a month” just to teach English, with zero Japanese. IN JAPAN. You are extremely lucky.
Don’t like it? Then leave japan, but we all know you would never do that. Quit complaining.
My word, your job sounds kinda amazing. I teach science at a private school here as well as English classes, I work more than 40 hours a week, plan and do everything myself, same kinda holiday as you’re saying you get and I get less than your pay. If that’s 3rd to 6th grade elementary school English level, then you are absolutely not going to get a better deal anywhere else. Wow!! I absolutely *absolutely* understand how much you hate things and how things are awful; it’s only because I’ve got the science which is why I stay here. But gosh yes, I really don’t know how or where you’ll get a better “easier” English teaching-well paying-job than you’ve got now. Sorry.
This might be helpful but maybe try class dojo. I started it with a few difficult classes and seeing that they got points, added for good behavior or taken away for bad really calmed them down.
Could this be considered a humblebrag?
Wow. PM me. Im looking to relocate and I love chaos.
Keep looking for that magical better job, but I wouldn’t leave this one without a better one lined up. You sound like you’re doing half the work of most of us for 100k+ more pay. I don’t think you’re going to find much sympathy here.
I did the same thing but for like less than half of what your making now. So while the place sounds like bullshit it’s kind of an alright deal imo.
But of course I hope you can move on to something more fulfilling for you in the future. It doesn’t sound like you enjoy this job much so I say take the money and run when you can!
I mean as far as teaching goes that’s pretty close to the best I have seen pay/hour ratio. As far as shittyness they are all shit. Depends on your goals… That’s enough to consider having a family as long is there is some security to it.
It’s not a great job but your current skills limit your alternatives. I would bust my ass to get a decent enough github profile to get an entry-level dev job ASAP.
I wanna see what a day in your shoes looks like on video…
Is it 400,00 a month AFTER taxes? Because that’s pretty good. 400,000 before taxes and there are some Kanto and Hokkaido direct hire ALTs that are practically in your same bracket for alot less Bs.
That people say this is a good gig, really says all you need to know about teaching in Japan.
They’re not wrong that there are a lot of worse gigs out there where you’d have to be putting up with all the same shit for not nearly the pay. But a terrible work place environment is a terrible work place environment. That place sounds terrible, and there are better jobs out there. I’d start searching immediately.
I think if you’re not happy then it’s not a good job for **YOU.** Any job could be classified as good or bad, but what makes it a good job is, is – is it good for **YOU**? But you seem to have a plan to get out of it so that’s a start. Money is good and all but job satisfaction is also very important. You can never get your time or years back….
What subject did you teach abroad? Any experience with junior high (7-8th grade)?