I currently work twice a week a few hours a day at an English School. I never told them that I grew up here for a few years and speak near fluent Japanese.
My boss just found out and offered me a full time sales position to teach and do sales. He wants me to recruit students and explain the contract and the school.
What compensation package should I be seeking? Base pay? Commission?
How do Japanese people react to a non Japanese trying to sell them something or sign a contract? I want to go into this with eyes wide open.
9 comments
Eikaiwa sales/desk staff make the same as or less than the teaching staff.
If you are actually near-bilingual you need to develop skills in something so you can use your language ability to amplify your income. Tech is a common one, but if you prefer sales you could try recruiting or some other sales role.
You listed two jobs, sales and teaching. What is he proposing? What is the balance between the two? That will partly dictate your pay, of course.
Will your teaching hours get cut if your recruiting isn’t successful? That’s a concern.
And at some point you’ll want to consider if you need your boss. If you’re recruiting and teaching, you could cut out the middle man. Perhaps later, if you’re lacking confidence right now.
Why on earth would you work in an eikaiwa if you’re nearly fluent? Literally almost any other job would be better than that.
I don’t think Japanese people would be shocked at a foreigner trying to sell them something when it’s an eikaiwa school program though. They probably prefer that
I’d be surprised if you were offered much in the way of commission.
You will most likely be set target KPI (Key performance indicators).
What you should not do is settle for any less salary (basic) than you are getting already. Figure out what the commission or bonus structure is first and figure out what works for you. If you’re in a small company, i.e. one branch, remember growth will be limited.
Get everything written down before you agree to anything. Good Luck.
To be honest the sales team makes a bit less then teachers at eikaiwas and it’s even more stressful than a teaching job so I would just politely pass lol.
In Addition to what everyone else is saying: Do you like doing sales? It’s really a question of character. E.g. do you enjoy approaching and chatting with strangers. Some thrive in it, for others it’s an absolute nightmare.
You’re a student living in Okinawa.
Will you have enough time to continue your studies properly? I’d negotiate the contract to 30 hours a week for 200,000 yen/month. No overtime.
If it’s commission based, ask how many enquiries he gets a month (get the answer in writing) and calculate the commission on half signing up. If you get a lot fewer enquiries than your boss quoted, it’s a chance to renegotiate the contract, and to know he’s a liar.
First of all, Pam, shut up.
>How do Japanese people react to a non Japanese trying to sell them something or sign a contract? I want to go into this with eyes wide open.
If you can do it well, most people won’t care. As with anything, some people will be assholes, but more people will be impressed. As a business angle, it can be beneficial too. If you can’t close, you can have a Japanese person follow up with them for a second chance.
Assuming there is an established sales process, I think it is a great learning experience. It will build confidence and make you quick on your feet. If it matches your personality, it is really fun too.