I’ve been teaching 3 years in Korea planning to do one more year in Korea and than looking to teach in Japan next.
I spent 2 years in Seoul and 1 year in Jeju island 🏝 going for 1 more before leaving Korea.
I’m sure the differences mainly involve Korea being more relaxed versus Japan more strict.
Just curious about teaching and living expenses.
In Korea
1. Dress how we want at work (within reason)
2. Classes can be more relaxed and casual (smaller private schools)
3. Apartment is paid for
4. More money than Japan
5. Bills are pretty cheap here
I wanna add I came with my wife and we both taught at hagwons and saved 50,000 dollars in 2.5 years
Is saving even an option in Japan?
12 comments
Depends. Do you mean licensed teaching at an international school or ESL?
I can’t speak to Korea since I’ve never been there, but #1-3 on your list are highly dependent upon your company in Japan. There are extremes on both ends.
As for pay, it’s bad in Japan and it won’t get better. The industry will die completely before they raise pay. Bills are pretty cheap in Japan, too, though.
https://www.reddit.com/r/teachinginjapan/comments/w9fqjr/is_japan_worse_than_korea_in_terms_of/
https://www.reddit.com/r/teachinginjapan/comments/lw8l3e/has_anyone_here_taught_in_both_korea_and_japan/
There are other results in the search but these are most recent as they cover post-COVID times.
I’ve never seen a position in Japan offer fully paid for accommodation.
Pay is low and only getting lower, you’re not going to be able to enjoy yourself and save some money unless you are the super frugal type.
Bills are cheap. You pay for housing. The most I got including gas and seniority bonus was 275,000. But you can pay bills in the convenience store.
My first job was business casual, and my second job was work designated shirt and any type of khakis or long pants
My current job has no preference but I’ve stuck with business casual
I’m assuming you work at a hagwon so I’ll compare with eikaiwa.
1. Shirt and tie usually.
2. You often strictly follow the school’s “method” meaning very little freedom.
3. Pay your own rent. Start up costs are high. Also, it is unusual that you get your hand held like Korea in terms of immigration and renting a phone and etc. You need to be independent.
4. Yup
Extra: You will probably work weekends here.
Benefit of Japan: you can leave your job whenever you want. Teaching private classes is legal. Kids aren’t as rowdy.
Consider r/jetprogramme
Are you qualified to teach or are you a “teacher” at a business that charges people money to pretend to learn English? If you are asking general questions like this I am going to assume you currently work in a hagwon. You won’t find similar jobs in Japan. Eikaiwa and ALT work do not involve teaching at all and pay about half of what you are currently making.
1. Google man. It’s Japan. Uniform or formal at work.
2. They will have you sit in as many classes as they possibly can. They make money by having a foreigner sit in a room with Japanese people. If you aren’t “teaching” you aren’t making them any money. Most, today, are only paying for the time you are in a class.
3. LOL They will deduct “rent” from your paycheck at a rate of 15% or more above market.
4. Pay will be about half of what you earn in Korea.
5. Bills are expensive and your social payments are too. By the time your company deducts social payments, tax and “rent” you will lose more than half your pay. Most ALTs walk home with about $600 USD a month and Eikaiwa workers probably get about $1,300. From there you still have to pay utilities, cell phone, internet, and buy food.
None of the people that take the fake teaching jobs save any money. Many, if not most, get some kind of support from friends and family in their home nation.
$50,000 in 2.5 years?! That’s a pipe-dream in Japanese English teaching jobs. Actually, it’s a dream in many places. I applaud you for being able to save so much in such a short time.
If you get a countryside placement and you’re on JET you can be making 3.3-3.9 million yen a year with a relatively low cost of living (apartment not included but relatively cheap) and I’d say it’s well within reason to save 100,000 or more a month if you’re not going out an partying a lot. Before the yen crash it wouldn’t have been unreasonable to think a couple could save a similar amount. I think the English education system itself / experience is probably not as good, though.
WHOA, I also taught on Jeju. I’ve never encountered another Jeju human in the wild…
My personal account: I found I have less classroom responsibiliies. I am fully an assistant in my schools here in Japan, sometimes I grade the odd journal, check students speaking abilities but compared to Korea, I am “working” less. Kids are respectful, play well and enjoy school life.
Agreed, Japan is more strict. Often following contract to a T, sending out a clause in an email as a reminder. I’m in a medium sized city, so around 25,000 for rent. Getting trickier and trickier to use paid leave. Because I have student loans, my savings will be minimal once I leave.
I LOVED working in Korea (2 years Jeju), made great connections and, as the lead in my classrooms, grew as a teacher! I would love to go back one day…
Reading this i come to the conclusion that saving 220000 yen a month is not possible. That’s what I need to save in order to pay my bills, loans and feel comfortable about my savings and travelling options. If an apartment costs 50000 a month and my expenses are 90000 I’ll need a salary of at least 340000 in cash. Is that even possible. I’m a qualified English teacher.