I am on my second (last year) of JET making a good salary of 280,000 after taxes in the inaka so my quality of living/savings is high. I started to look for work in Tokyo starting February of this year. It’s my dream to live and work in Tokyo. I’m in talks with a Japanese company that hired me in March. They are a smaller company with not a lot of foreign employees before, but they have a good company culture that I like and their business model is cool.
They said I would be making a base salary of 265,000 yen a month, and with a commuter refund and rent subsidy, it’s supposed to jump up to 297,000 yen. I talked to a couple people who I both trust and have experience working in a company in Japan and they said I should go for it.
But I recently decided that I would check in with this company to ask about whether the salary was taxed or not. I had already assumed that the above amount was after tax. And much to my disappointment….it’s before taxes. Now that I know I’m only gonna be getting a 237,035 yen even with the commuter and rent support after taxes, I’m absolutely gutted. That’s 50,000 less than I’m making now. And I’m gonna be in Tokyo. I’m really freaking out.
This is a tech company that was at the JET career fair, and I don’t think JET would invite a black company to a career fair. And, I do remember some JETs coming on here and saying to expect a lower starting salary after JET, but they are paying me what I think is very little. I mean I don’t really have any real work experience other than working as an ALT, so that might also be factor, but I still feel like I’m getting played. There are yearly bonuses but that’s the thing. They’re yearly. I don’t know if it’ll help all that much.
My family is telling me to look for another job while also trying to negotiate my salary. But I am halfway though getting my visa submitted and it’s been MONTHS since I’ve said yes. To suddenly bring this up after all’s been said and done would probably annoy them. I have not signed anything with this company, so nothing is binding. I still have some flexibility, but I’ve told everyone I know. I’m moving to Tokyo and I was really excited for the move until now.
So here’s the big question – what should I do? I’ve come up with several potential paths.
1. This is a normal starting salary. You’ll have to pinch your pennies in the beginning, but it’s only going up from here. Keep going with the visa.
2. Fight for more money. Negotiate salary and see what they say. If they don’t, look for other work asap.
3. Keep with this company and sign up for the visa in the meantime, but also look for other work on the side.
4. Jump ship. This company isn’t worth it.
Any help on this would be appreciated.
16 comments
How much experience do you have in the field of the company you’re joining? If not much then I would use this opportunity to grow your experience and then find a new job later.
If you’re on the higher end of the experience side then I would still go for the job because of how far you’ve come with the visa but spend time trying to find a higher paying job while you’re in the centre of Tokyo where it’s easier to go to interviews.
JET salary is higher than many starting salaries here in Japan.
How much of a commuting subsidy are you looking at?
I wouldn’t even want to try surviving in Tokyo at the 297k you were talking about. Find somewhere in one of the commuter towns and go to Tokyo on the weekend, if you still love it so much, especially if your commuter pass can be a 7-day one. I found that working in Tokyo made my desire to be in Tokyo plummet.
Japanese salaries are abysmal. You start from dirt pay and after 20 years you’ll make a mild salary. After 40 years you’ll be robbing the youth blind.
I wouldn’t switch unless you’re hellbent on Tokyo work grind life.
This company offer biannual bonuses? That should cover the gap.
You also need to have a conversation with HR and your friends about how quickly folks at this company move up the pay ladder.
Also, the standard is for companies to pay for 100% of your commute costs + a rent subsidy (30,000 and up).
that’s more than i take home and i get by…
Have you looked at rent outside of Tokyo? Lots of towns surrounding Tokyo are commuter towns. I live in southern Ibaraki and people primarily use it to commute to Tokyo while enjoying a lower cost of living. It’s not inaka cheap but it’s still far cheaper than living in the big city.
Option 1. It’s a pretty standard starting salary for someone with little to no (I’m assuming) experience. Rent is the biggest worry, but a lot of people live comfortably with it.
I suggest looking into apartments on the west side of Tokyo. Someone told me just to avoid all of the 区s for cheaper apartments. I have also dreamed of living and working in Tokyo (and I will start after my contract with JET is over), but didn’t want an apartment in one of the expensive 23 wards. Up to Hachioji, the commute is bearable (20-45 min to Shinjuku) as long as you’re close to a station. Living towards the west of Tokyo will save you some money while fulfilling your dream of having 東京都 written on your address.
>And, I do remember some JETs coming on here and saying to expect a lower starting salary after JET, but they are paying me what I think is very little.
This is the sad reality for a lot of Japanese companies. My recommendation is to look for foreign companies within Japan. It’s not great but at least it will be professional experience you can use to get a better job in the future.
Assuming your mid 20s that’s a fairly average salary for that age group in Japan. Bonuses typically equal 2-5 months pay which will bump your annual earning up considerably. Especially considering it’s an entry level job and you have no experience, it’s not bad.
Most fresh grads are earning about 20-22万 per month, even in large, established companies.
The average annual income from people 20-24 is about 264万. For 25-29 year olds it’s 369.4万. This figure is total annual income, which means it includes bonuses so the average monthly base pay for 25-29yr olds will probably be around 25-26万 per month. All of these figures are gross pay before deductions. (Btw I’m not making these figures up, they’re based on data from the tax office’s annual report, which you can find online. )
The fact of the matter is that JET is incredibly well paid, especially considering the hours worked, low level of responsibility, number of holidays and it requires zero experience or qualifications.
Unless you are *extremely* lucky, you will not find an entry level job that pays close to what JET pays.
For what it’s worth, I’m currently on 26万/month with no bonuses or housing allowance and I’m perfectly comfortable. Albeit I am in Osaka which has a somewhat lower cost of living than Tokyo.
That’s a decent starting salary for a non-JET position. Is 237,000 after health insurance and pension deductions as well? With a yearly bonus and other benefits I think it’s not bad. With that being said, no need to be satisfied. Just use it as a stepping stone.
I vote for #3.
Once in Tokyo you may be able to network and/or find better opportunities.
Companies in Japan usually post their job salaries before taxes unfortunately, and sometimes even mention that it’s including e.g., 10 hours of overtime per week (before being able to get paid overtime). 🙁
That’s a pretty good starting salary for a new grad, which, lets face it, you basically are one if JET is your only work experience. Many CIRs with high proficiency in Japanese and English also have trouble finding good jobs after JET because the job market is just that demanding. Companies that are hiring for specific roles want you to have work experience in your field and specific skills. Otherwise, they may hire you in a general role and train you from the ground up (Nitori does this).
Knowing English is a really powerful tool but you can’t really do much with it alone. If you’re an experienced software engineer (a highly desired role in the job market rn) who has a high level of proficiency in Japanese and English, you are immediately highly valued as an asset because in addition to creating software that matches the companies needs, you can potentially train off shored talent in order to cut costs for the company. And oh boy, do companies in Japan love off-shoring and outsourcing.
If you’re a fresh CS grad however, with no projects under your belt, why would the company expect you to bring anything of value? Showing them the calculator or roman numeral converter you made in Javascript class isn’t going to impress anyone because it doesn’t provide tangible value for the company. If you can’t prove your immediate value, you simply don’t have the experience to get paid the salary you want.
This is why the company invests time and money in you, they train you so you can produce value to the company. If you’ve done any research on company culture in Japan this shouldn’t come as a surprise to you.
It sucks, but it’s all a competition. As long as there is a supply of people willing to suck it up (there is) and work hard for low wages until they become skilled, that’s the reality you have to work with.
Back in Canada, where I’m from, you’re expected to graduate with a relevant degree, get an internship and or make a portfolio and if you get a half-decent entry job you can thank your stars that you don’t have to suffer for 1-2 years to get work experience before applying to a better job in your field.
Japan’s not perfect by any means but I wouldn’t say you’re getting fleeced unless you’re an experienced professional.
The year I went to the career fair interac was there so absolutely black companies are there.*
* this was years ago and I/others blasted them for it in feedback
This thread should be archived on the side bar and thrown at the next person complaining JET salary is “too low.”
I’ll be blunt, you are essentially entry level in the eyes of any company and this is standard or honestly even slightly better starting salary in Japan. Is it fairly crap compared to home? Yes. Japanese salaries suck and if money and high earnings is important to you you have to seriously consider whether you want to work in Japan long term. It’s just the truth- there are many positives to living in Japan but earning a high salary in your 20s and 30s is just simply not one of them
Do not try to go back and negotiate if you’ve accepted already. This won’t go over well and in some cases I wouldn’t be surprised if they pulled the offer if you push too much.
If you want to stay in Japan then the best bet is to stay here a few years and keep looking and try to move to another job with better salary, but you need some experience to have any chance at that.
>This is a normal starting salary. You’ll have to pinch your pennies in the beginning, but it’s only going up from here. Keep going with the visa.
This. Once your bonus comes in you’ll probably make more money in the long term. Also you will have potential for a raise.
This is normal. Welcome to the real world. Suck it up and deal with it unless it becomes impossible to deal with. The amount you are making is plenty to live off.