As far as work is concerned, I’m not sure what’s different from one job to the next. A big part of me wants to go to Japan to explore and travel while learning the language (translation work is my end goal) but to do that I’ll need a job that gets me a visa and enough money to live off of and travel.
I’m assuming I’d have to work a lot of hours, given Japan’s work culture, for that amount of money but I don’t want to work so much that I miss out on everything fun and beautiful about their culture. I know myself and when I get overloaded with work I become a shut-in (it’s easier to stay inside, relax, and do nothing when I’m overwhelmed) but when I have some free time and I’m not drowning in work I tend to explore more and immerse myself.
I guess my ultimate question is are there any teaching jobs that offer a good work-life balance and livable pay? I’m a native English speaker, I have a bachelor’s and a TEFL, and I’m thinking of moving to Japan in 2024 since going next year isn’t a possibility.
Not sure if such a job exists but it’s at least worth asking. Thanks!
5 comments
The JET Programme if your country participates. JET ALTs are assistants, not teachers. It’s the best compensation you’ll get from abroad with only a TEFL.
Why do you want to live in Japan? Why not just come here for a vacation?
ALT work is the only work that doesn’t force a lot of classes on you every day, and gives you weekends and holidays off. But it doesn’t pay well at all, and you’ll usually be in some rural area where it will not be easy to travel from. E.g., just getting to the nearest shinkansen station so you can get the train to Tokyo, Kyoto, etc., will take you a few hours. ALT work is also a crapshoot in regard to how much responsibility you’ll be given. Some positions are practically no work at all, while others try to make you the sole teacher, which will require a lot of your free time.
Eikaiwa work pays more, but often has you teaching 6-8 classes a day, and your days off may not be consecutive or weekends, e.g., Tues/Wed off. You also won’t have days off on holidays (Japanese holidays, Christmas) and only get 10 paid holidays per year, which will never increase.
Really, if you are coming here just to travel around you’d be better off saving up and then coming on vacation. s
As an aside, your TESOL cert means nothing here. They don’t require it, and many places actually don’t want to hire experienced teachers.
That’s just what the job market here is like.
If you specifically want to be a translator then JET or ALT work might be a good choice. You’ll be in a real Japanese community situation where everyone speaks Japanese all the time (except for English classes). Also it’s good for free time, and I definitely studied Japanese a bit when I didn’t have classes. On the other hand, you’ll have to deal with the low salary and also it can be unpredictable what kind of situation you’ll be in. The Japanese teachers tend to vary in their approach to how they deploy you.
The yen is terrible right now so you need to understand that you will be earning a very low salary compared to western countries. I would just come for an extended vacation if I were you.