230,000 p/m

[akatsuka]

I've been offered a bulk standard eikaiwa type of job in Kobe. The school is privately owned, not a big school like broken giants NOVA or GEOS. Its open 12-8pm Monday to Friday, and 9-5 on Saturdays. I work 25 hours a week during those times (however, I'll probably have to be at the school twiddling my thumbs for some hours....) The school pays 25 days holiday a year (probably that includes national holidays...) I'll work a '5 minute work' away from the school (therefore the apartment is probably miles away).

Now, 6 days a week is not ideal. Working those hours is not ideal. However, I'm not looking for an 'ideal' job. I'm looking for an opportunity to get me to Japan so I can pursue a different career in the midst... I'm a freelance photographer and illustrator. My aim is to get my foot in Japan in order to try and advertise myself. Its practically impossible from my sofa in Europe. Don't ask me why thats what I want to do.. dont try & dissuade me, thats not what I'm here for.

What I want to ask is, can I live in a city in Kobe with 230,000 a month? I'm not going to be partying all night, (I'll be working...) I dont plan to travel around japan, I've been there, done that. All I want to do is have enough for my apartment, bills, food and a bit of leisure. Is this realistic?

I'm scared to apply for a job in a major eikaiwa due to the collapse of NOVA and now GEOS. I have an interview with GABA but I dont want to get there only for them to go bust. I'm not a 'special person' so therefore cant go with JET (I'm over their age limit).

The school that I've got the offer from looks genuine and has good press. But.. 230,000? Thats like minimum wage??

Thoughts would be appreciated.

[samuraiwig]

[blah blah] can I live in a city in Kobe with 230,000 a month? I'm not going to be partying all night, (I'll be working...) I dont plan to travel around japan, I've been there, done that. All I want to do is have enough for my apartment, bills, food and a bit of leisure. Is this realistic?

Yes.

[blah blah] 230,000? Thats like minimum wage?

It's not a lot of money, but if your needs are limited to what you mention above it'll suffice and you may even be able to save a little each month.

Minimum wage is less than 1,000 yen an hour, so you're well above the poverty line.

[Taka-Okami]

For being required to work 6 days for a mere 230K is shit.

It's people like you accepting these low wages is what is driving down engrish job salaries for everyone else. But I guess these days since the GFC there is no end of cheap western trash available for exploitation in the land of the rising sun....

[Samurai_Jerk]

What I want to ask is, can I live in a city in Kobe with 230,000 a month?

You can but your life will fucking suck.

How much is your rent going to be by the way?

I'm not going to be partying all night, (I'll be working...)

Yeah, right.

[Iraira]

From what I've heard, most eikaiwas paid 250,000 a month, so they may have lowered that to make more money, especially since there is a perceived glut of teachers willing to take any job to continue living in Japan.
Keep in mind that your pay probably does not include health insurance or any social security, unemployment, etc., benefits. The health insurance thing is scary as weird shit can happen out of the blue and w/o health insurance, you're dead in the water.
You can survive on 230,000 yen/month (assuming your rent is reasonable...first month in Kansai can be a doozy with up to 6-8 times the monthly rent due at lease signing).
If you are this set on coming to Japan and willing to put up with a slightly underweight wallet for awhile, by all means take the job, but try to get out of it ASAP. Keep in mind there are and continues to be an influx of a lot of people with the same career goals as you, so unless you already got a great resume and mad J-skills in your field, it's gonna be a steep uphill.

[Behan]

If you are this set on coming to Japan and willing to put up with a slightly underweight wallet for awhile, by all means take the job, but try to get out of it ASAP...

I agree. Just use this as a way of getting over here. 6 day-a-week jobs are getting rarer and they can really do you in physically and mentally. 23-man is not a lot for that amount of work.

There are probably some ALT jobs that still pay 25-man and you only work 5 days a week, and many of the give you all the summer vacation off.

[BigInJapan]

But.. 230,000? Thats like minimum wage??

You did not mention your visa status, or whether the school will be sponsoring you.
When I first entered a Japanese company in the early 90's, the company had to indicate that they were paying a minimum of 250,000 yen/month (total 3 m/year) in order to sponsor me (on a Specialist in Humanities visa). Most eikaiwa at the time were paying that much, or they fudged the figures for immigration.
Have you confirmed how much your rent and utilities will be?
It may be safe to assume there will be no key money if it is an existing teacher apt. in the eikaiwa school's name, but you should confirm that.
I have been out of the eikaiwa racket for a long time, but from what I see on FB and other forums, the market has long since passed the saturation point, meaning schools can pick from the cream of the crop already here. Which should make you wonder, why are they willing to hire you from overseas? Often, schools like that have a bad rep locally, and/or a high turnover rate.

[Coligny]

Which should make you wonder, why are they willing to hire you from overseas? Often, schools like that have a bad rep locally, and/or a high turnover rate.

Wuz thinking the same... don't expect it to be a milk run and better have a return ticket ready... I have no experience in the field but look like they'd rather enslave someone from outside...

[Behan]

Wuz thinking the same... don't expect it to be a milk run and better have a return ticket ready... I have no experience in the field but look like they'd rather enslave someone from outside...

Some eikaiwa sweat factories only recruit from overseas so their meat is fresh and unsuspecting.

[akatsuka]

they are sponsoring my visa. thanks for the info about being required to pay me 250,000 in order to sponsor my visa, i'll look into that.

they are providing my apartment which is closeby. rent is 50,000 which is part-furnished. i have my own kitchen but they state a bathroom 'is outside'... i'm thinking gaijin house. Its in a small suburb quite a way from the centre of kobe. I used to pay this much for a small room in tokyo so i'm thinking i'm being ripped off.

Its not looking too rosey for this company. I'm going to do some more investigative work and use my ways of persuasion. (meh, i'll fail...)

[AssKissinger]

Dude

I know times are bad but you need a regular five day work week and 250,000.

Keep looking.

[akatsuka]

In today's climate??

[Taro Toporific]

.... thanks for the info about being required to pay me 250,000 in order to sponsor my visa, i'll look into that.

That's not really true now.

That 250,000 minimum to sponsor a teacher WAS a guideline 10 years ago. Now, any wage is "ok" that above the minimum wage, which varies from region to region but averages 855 yen/hour throughout Japan. As a practical matter, I have heard of engrish teaching wages as low as 180,000 yen/month for English play-group teacher for little kids and 220,000 yen/month is becoming the new low-but-standard eikaiwa wage.

You really should set a time limit to your Japan stay. Something like---No more than 2 years teaching the engrish without real sucess in your goal as a freelance photographer and illustrator.

[nottu]

[akatsuka]

That's not really true now.

That 250,000 minimum to sponsor a teacher WAS a guideline 10 years ago. Now, any wage is "ok" that above the minimum wage, which varies from region to region but averages 855 yen/hour throughout Japan. As a practical matter, I have heard of engrish teaching wages as low as 180,000 yen/month for English play-group teacher for little kids and 220,000 yen/month is becoming the new low-but-standard eikaiwa wage.

thanks for the info, much appreciated.

[Iraira]

Some eikaiwa sweat factories only recruit from overseas so their meat is fresh and unsuspecting.

You should never have given up your job as a porn writer....I'm so turgid right now.

[Kanchou]

I remember doing a phone interview for an eikaiwa that does six days a week.

I was thinking, but didn't say, that forcing six days a week is totally unreasonable, unless you're paying by the hour and you're working overtime (since then you're getting paid decent money).

The interviewer even bitched about their high turnover rate, and chastised people who said they didn't have time for themselves...

But the fact of the matter is that any company that will take you and get a visa for you is at least worth a little bit, since you can get to Japan and find start looking for jobs, which is a lot easier than trying to get hired while you're overseas.

From a business standpoint, I can understand the need to operate an eikaiwa 7 days a week, since the vast majority of your business will be at night when people are off work or out of school. There simply isn't a way to justify paying someone 25 man a month to work eight hour days five days a week when they're only doing five hours of work a day, but could be working six six-hour days a week, or something along those lines.

[akatsuka]

If anyone knows where I can read up on/request up-to-date information about insurances and my rights in Japan, please let me know. It would be muchly appreciated!

[dimwit]

The problem, and I suppose it is related to the GEOS collipse is that since public schools have started to extend their hours there is less and less time for English lessons. For example, when I first came to Japan the prime time rate for English started after 3:30 when most kids finished school. These days however, most kids are usually not home until 5:00 so that most teachers are only needed 4 hours a day. Smaller schools generally offer part time work but there are only so many people that have the visas and don't mind limited hours. So when schools do hire they look they go for the 6 day -4 hour schedule.

Back to the question of survival on 230 a month. It can be done in Matsuyama but Kobe may be a different kettle of fish as the cost of living is a lot higher.

[Mike Oxlong]

It's gotten so bad, that some businesses are playing both ways. So-called language schools offer Japanese lessons AND interships in Japan, and then send their students to work as AETs short-term in local schools. They don't pay the interns, naturally. So, these students pay a hefty tuition, the schools they are sent to for interships pay some sort of finder's fee to the language institute, and what few jobs remaining for unskilled foreigners dry up...

http://www.studyandinternjapan.com/

[Kanchou]

That's problem the smartest and most evil idea I've ever heard.

[Osakadave]

If anyone knows where I can read up on/request up-to-date information about insurances and my rights in Japan, please let me know. It would be muchly appreciated!

http://www.generalunion.org/handbook

That's a start. PM me for any questions you have on insurance.

[akatsuka]

Thanks for that link OsakaDave - its just what I've been looking for.

[Marked Trail]

As a student long ago in 1985, I came to Japan for a summer abroad from high school. Besides meeting a lot of broads, I bumped into a young, handsome CharismaMan, let's call him "Leroy", who regaled me with his depraved J-stories and how he now was happily "graduating fuckin Japan."

Flash-forward 25 years and now I have been living in Japan for 10+ years. I was looking to pick up extra hours engrish teaching and at a job interview I open up the school's brochure to see this sad-sack photo of leaving-fuckin-Japan Leroy working at the school working for 2,000yen/hr.



Moral-of-the-story: If you say are leaving "this shithole" don't stay, or you end up like leaving Leroy.

[waruta]

Moral-of-the-story: If you say are leaving "this shithole" don't stay, or you end up like leaving Leroy.

Ouch that's kind of harsh....maybe he liked the mamasan's a little too much to leave....

[Guest]

The school is privately owned, not a big school like broken giants NOVA or GEOS. Its open 12-8pm Monday to Friday, and 9-5 on Saturdays. I work 25 hours a week during those times (however, I'll probably have to be at the school twiddling my thumbs for some hours....)

Now, 6 days a week is not ideal. Working those hours is not ideal. However, I'm not looking for an 'ideal' job. I'm looking for an opportunity to get me to Japan so I can pursue a different career in the midst...

What I want to ask is, can I live in a city in Kobe with 230,000 a month?

That is awful.

6 days and probably more than 60 hours a week for 230,000? Not only will you be poor and exhausted, but after you burn out they are going to ship you out of the country. After your three months probation is up and your energy and will to live is gone, there will "be a problem with your visa" and you'll be sent on your way without receiving your last pay check.

They aren't going to give you the Visa right off the bat correct? I am sure they want you to start working first. It is an impossible situation for you.

When are you going to pursue your illustrating and photography dreams? After you come crawling home around 9:00 at night and on Sundays? LOL

It is sad to see what a gaijin will sign up for, just for a Visa. Often they don't even get that.

akatsuka, you do understand that after your tourist visa expires three months after landing they are going to send you away don't you?

[FG Lurker]

[Guest]

The 6 day week, likely long working hours, and 230000/month pay all suck. However as he is getting an offer while outside Japan it is a reasonable assumption that the company will take care of the paperwork before he comes and that he will have a 1 year working visa upon arrival.

Let's see what the OP has to say about this...