Background: I am currently in my 30s and living here in Vietnam (Hanoi) as a teacher at their equivalent of an eikaiwa. I also started studying for my MTESOL online, but of course that won’t be completed for a couple years. I studied abroad in Japan for a year and then worked as a JET for a few years right after graduation. I can honestly that those were the best years of my life: first time living on my own, first time living abroad, first time living in a “dream country” of Japan (while I had grown out of weeb stuff by that time, I quite liked that stuff as a kid and teenager), etc. It changed my life completely and 100% for the better. I left in the late 2010s because I wanted to spread my wings a bit, but still retain a sentimental attachment to it for having made me who I am today.
Situation: I began working here in Vietnam this year for their equivalent of an eikaiwa. Things are going alright: I only have to show up at work about 30 minutes for class and can leave right after. I have about 20 class hours a week and am paid per class hour. That means if I go on vacation, I don’t get paid, but it also means I don’t have to be at work at all when there is no class. It’s very nice for having free time, which is easily the biggest perk of the job. The pay is alright – about 180,000 yen pre-tax once all classes are accounted for. For reference, my rent is about 45,000 yen and a typical Vietnamese meal is about 280 yen averaged out. Socially, I hate to say it, but the dating game with the locals is much, much better for me here than anywhere else I’ve ever lived, though I’ve found that the expat community here is a real mixed bunch. People here tend to be quite friendly and personable in a way that they aren’t in Japan, and there is a certain casual, relaxed atmosphere and flexibility that doesn’t exist in Japan.
That said, Vietnam doesn’t quite pique my passion or interest in the way that Japan does. Japan came at a key time in my life, and so I feel Vietnam will never be able to match that. Vietnam also has certain aspects, such as undrinkable tap water, the constant heat, the constant smell of motorcycle fumes, and an aversion to planning more than 24 hours in advance as they prefer to just wing it (in both personal and work lives), that can be grating. And while my job offers me plenty of free time and isn’t demanding, I also can’t help but feel like just another foreign body to them in a way I haven’t felt for prior employers, including a prospective Japanese employer I will shortly introduce, that have been more personable and less overly corporate in their demeanor.
Currently in Vietnam, I am on a three month contract and, at the end of those three months, can choose to either extend to a full year or just leave. So I have an opportunity to leave without breaking any sort of contract, if I so choose.
The Japan Offer: Not long after I started work here, I actually heard back from ALTIA Central (who I also applied to during the job hunt phase) that they wished to hire me. I said I couldn’t make it in spring of course, but they said they would be willing to have me come in later, just I have a lot less flexibility with location choice. They said I could of course transfer come spring to another location, something I could never do with JET. They’ve treated me quite well in the application, interview, and job offer process vs the literal copy and paste of Vietnam, which has been nice. I also am quite familiar with the ALT gig, having done it before with JET, and know it has a lot of free time to study. It would also get me back to a country that is closer to my heart than any other. Pay is 240,000 yen pre-tax vs my current amount of 180,000 yen, though of course living costs are going to be higher in Japan.
I am very conscious of Japan’s flaws, so I’m not worried about a sudden rude awakening regarding those aspects. However, I am conscious that ALTIA Central is not JET, 2023 Japan is not 2010s Japan, and while a rural placement was just fine with JET, it might be harder for me after having been in urban locales since then. I’m also at a different phase of my life, and so it’s certainly possible Japan is best left as a fond memory.
The Question: Should I make the change to Japan once my initial three months here are up? Or should I stay here in Vietnam and just visit Japan on vacation?
7 comments
This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.
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**Move to Japan or Stay in Vietnam?**
Background: I am currently in my 30s and living here in Vietnam (Hanoi) as a teacher at their equivalent of an eikaiwa. I also started studying for my MTESOL online, but of course that won’t be done for a couple years. I studied abroad in Japan for a year and then worked as a JET for a few years right after graduation. I can honestly that those were the best years of my life: first time living on my own, first time living abroad, first time living in a “dream country” of Japan (while I had grown out of weeb stuff by that time, I quite liked that stuff as a kid and teenager), etc. It changed my life completely and 100% for the better. I left in the late 2010s because I wanted to spread my wings a bit, but still retain a sentimental attachment to it for having made me who I am today.
Situation: I began working here in Vietnam this year for their equivalent of an eikaiwa. Things are going alright: I only have to show up at work about 30 minutes for class and can leave right after. I have about 20 class hours a week and am paid per class hour. That means if I go on vacation, I don’t get paid, but it also means I don’t have to be at work at all when there is no class. It’s very nice for having free time, which is easily the biggest perk of the job. The pay is alright – about 180,000 yen pre-tax once all classes are accounted for. For reference, my rent is about 45,000 yen and a typical Vietnamese meal is about 280 yen averaged out. Socially, I hate to say it, but the dating game with the locals is much, much better for me here than anywhere else I’ve ever lived, though I’ve found that the expat community here is a real mixed bunch. People here tend to be quite friendly and personable in a way that they aren’t in Japan, and there is a certain casual, relaxed atmosphere and flexibility that doesn’t exist in Japan.
That said, Vietnam doesn’t quite pique my passion or interest in the way that Japan does. Japan came at a key time in my life, and so I feel Vietnam will never be able to match that. Vietnam also has certain aspects, such as undrinkable tap water, the constant heat, the constant smell of motorcycle fumes, and an aversion to planning more than 24 hours in advance as they prefer to just wing it (in both personal and work lives), that can be grating. And while my job offers me plenty of free time and isn’t demanding, I also can’t help but feel like just another foreign body to them in a way I haven’t felt for prior employers, including a prospective Japanese employer I will shortly introduce, that have been more personable and less overly corporate in their demeanor.
Currently in Vietnam, I am on a three month contract and, at the end of those three months, can choose to either extend to a full year or just leave. So I have an opportunity to leave without breaking any sort of contract, if I so choose.
The Japan Offer: Not long after I started work here, I actually heard back from ALTIA Central (who I also applied to during the job hunt phase) that they wished to hire me. I said I couldn’t make it in spring of course, but they said they would be willing to have me come in later, just I have a lot less flexibility with location choice. They’ve treated me quite well in the application, interview, and job offer process vs the literal copy and paste of Vietnam, which has been nice. I also am quite familiar with the ALT gig, having done it before with JET, and know it has a lot of free time to study. It would also get me back to a country that is closer to my heart than any other. Pay is 240,000 yen pre-tax vs my current amount of 180,000 yen, though of course living costs are going to be higher in Japan.
I am very conscious of Japan’s flaws, so I’m not worried about a sudden rude awakening regarding those aspects. However, I am conscious that ALTIA Central is not JET, 2023 Japan is not 2010s Japan, and while a rural placement was just fine with JET, it might be harder for me after having been in urban locales since then. I’m also at a different phase of my life, and so it’s certainly possible Japan is best left as a fond memory.
The Question: Should I make the change to Japan once my initial three months here are up? Or should I stay here in Vietnam and just visit Japan on vacation?
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Would you plan on becoming a salaried teacher long-term in Japan or do you just want to give it a go to experience it once more? From the sounds of it, you don’t really risk much going and sound like you could always return to Vietnam (do correct me if this is wrong, google mentions some stuff about how the rules are stricter now for incoming teachers) if you wanted.
What are your plans about your career? Do you plan to do Eikaiwa for the rest of your life?
I used to live in Vietnam. I’m going to assume you’re a guy because as a woman… is there dating in Vietnam???
I had lived in Japan prior to living in Vietnam, also as a JET. I spent just over a year in Hanoi at a university and frankly, for all the frustrations you mentioned and more, found it tough going. I applied for a five-year contract at a Japanese university and then got tenure somewhere else – I’ve been teaching in universities since 2012.
The biggest difference between our two cases is that I’d finished my Masters before looking for work in Japan. That can give you a substantial leg up if you’re concerned that language school pay and conditions might not live up to your expectations.
Dating in Japan will be much harder. You won’t be as special as you are in Vietnam.
you’d probably be going from middle income in Vietnam to bottom quartile or lower in Japan, so have this in consideration as well
I’m currently an ALT in Gunma. Just a heads up. All that time off is non-existent in Japan. That’s pretty unilateral across the board except for international schools.
So I’d be prepared to have to be at work even if they’re no classes.