Despite the idyllic dreams of hundreds if not thousands of foreigners planning on living in Japan one day, It seems it’s not all that rosy of late, for those who come to Japan to teach English.
Benesse corp,. the parent company of Berlitz reported “Net sales totaled ¥384 billion in fiscal 2007 (which ended March 31), an 8.4 percent increase over a year earlier; operating profits hit ¥34.9 billion, up 11.4 percent on fiscal 2006″ and they also boast ”the fifth consecutive year of record-breaking performance for the company.”
For the owner of Benesse Corp., Soichiro Fukutake it means he’s one fat cat, sitting at No. 843 on the Forbes rich list, with a personal net worth of $1.4 billion. At the other end of the scale there’s the English teachers earning ~250,000 Yen per month according to Japan Times.
Some chose strike action, i wonder what the outcome of that was? Did it work? Have the conditions improved? What was the expected outcome / demands of the strike?
Others have their own English Conversation schools, was this something more people could have done at the collapse of Nova? Are they better or worse off than working for the multi-national?
Still, whatever the best solution is for you, there are kids right across Japan, sat in classrooms today, ready and willing to learn English. It’s time to roll the sleeves up, and get to work and if you still really want that job teaching English in Japan then check the latest listings out here.
Image pilfered from Danny once again.
I would suggest if you come here to teach English that you get as up to speed as you can with speaking Japanese including Kanji before you do, it will help you considerably. See this post for learning Japanese.
Once again, here’s a great link to Jobs In Japan from Gaijin Pot.
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Thanks for the linking!!!!
F.Y.I.
I make 3x what I was making when I worked for someone else. So yeah, opening your own School (If you are a skilled teacher who gets results) is the pearl in the oyster
However I don’t think the photo is truly representative of your students…
Still, highly motivational.
My students? …. don’t have any …. wouldn’r mind setting up some private tuition if they looked like this though!
WOW!, where is the school that picture was taken at…???
Seriously, the fat cats are the ones who took the chances starting the business and now the reap the reward… If I was to start a company I certainly would take all the profits also…. I don’t think we can begrudge them that…
I can’t believe that English Teachers earn ~250,000 yen a month… thats like $675 a week… how can you possible live in Japan on that money.. it costs me ~$400 a week on food and beer not to mention the $2000 a month rent and utilities on top…
That article is a real eye opener for those who are thinking of comming to Japan to teach English… as far as strike action I couldn’t do that, after all I am not a citizen, I chose the job I’m in and salary and if I wasn’t happy I would leave and get another job….
That pic would make an AWESOME header!!!
With about 89-91 students I clear between 830,000 ish..to ??? depending on attendance. I love teaching, and when I started, I struggled to get students and survive off what I was making. I decided to be a hard-core, no bullsh__ kinda teacher and it has really worked out great!! Most of the adults are Japanese English teachers and their children study here as well.
P.T.A. mothers are THE best resource for a teacher trying to get students. The product is the English. Not what you wear or anything else. (I will be wearing surf shorts and a t-shirt today)
Do not be afraid to say no. Having good chemistry in the classroom is HUGE!! anything that bothers that ( a new student who doesn’t get along with the others) should be refused and given directions to another school that doesn’t give a f__k! and only counts the money.
4 years on, and I am thankful everyday for my good luck!!
My blog follows only 6 classes because students or parents in other classes were concerned about the internet ( I can respect that ). So everyone pictured has given their consent:)
Results > Everything else!!!
Thanks for sharing the stats there Chris. Looks like you can certainly make a tidy buck from it if you go out on your own … and of course it turns out a success like yours has!
No Problemo!!!
By the way….that is one of the most beautiful pictures I have ever seen!!!
Wow Neil, that picture just drives my eyes away from the text
-Mike
I’ve made it my personal goal to not apply for JET (or any other program). I know there are stories of those starting out in JET and getting deals with other schools or universities and whatnot, but from what I know, JET is just a way for people who know nothing about Japan to get there easily. I am definitely setting my sights higher, and attempting to prepare well for a better opportunity to be useful (not only for my english) in Japan.
Of course, I’ll always have teaching to fall back on.
Dave’s esl is a great resource for teachers. I used often and it’s one of the best sites out there.
Incidentally though, my post on monday dealt with teaching english overseas. great minds think a like neil!
eslHQ ,bogglesworld,Englipedia and Englishraven,
are my favorite sites for making flashcards etc. You don’t have to give your e-mail or any crap like that. The people who share their stuff for free are at the top of the food chain as far as I’m concerned.
If only the students really looked like that, I would have been a teacher a decade ago
Chris B. – thanks for sharing. Really enjoyed reading your comments.
Neil – Great write up – and what a pic.
No sweat!!! anytime!!
Neil, please try to incorporate that pic into your header!!How big was the orig? I have a 24″Dell and that would make a good wallpaper
You ask, and you shall receive. On it’s way Chris.
Thanks a lot Neil!!!!
Hope you have a great weekend!!
Hmm … I guess few people know about the Berlitz strike.
The strike involved only unionized members in the Tokyo area. No other unionized teachers took part in the walk-out. The reason was, of course, for more money. The union was demanding both a raise of 4.6%, and that the 5 minute break that teachers have between classes be paid breaks, since they’re often filling out paperwork or preparing for the next lesson during that time.
Why a 4.6% raise? Well … the advertisements you see all over Japan tell us that only 4.6% of all applicants are hired, so the union wanted to poke fun at the number.
So far, there has been no resolution to the matter. The walk-out was only temporary, and inconvenienced only a few hundred students. Since then, the union has started plastering the teachers rooms with hostile posters telling non-unionized members that they’re being ripped off, which is creating a hostile work environment. Although the management has asked that the union remove the posters, Japanese labor laws are on the side of the union regarding their right to post them. Because of this, some of the teachers who are nearing the end of their contract have decided to not renew for another year (so I’m told). There is talk of another walk-out in the Tokyo area, but nothing has been finalized.
Unionized members make up a very small percentage of Berlitz teachers, with the highest concentration being in Tokyo. The odds of such idiotic behaviour taking place in other areas are slim and, even if they were to happen, no more than one or two language instructors in a particular area would be forced to walk out of the classroom. In the Nagoya area, there are less than five unionized members. Suffice to say, any petty political action outside of the Tokyo area would be ineffective and create too much bad press for the union, which has been on shaky ground for several years already.
Despite what many people believe about the Berlitz salary, it’s not *that* bad. I generally earn between 270,000 and 334,000 per month, including 19,600 in commutation. I’ve been paid less for far more challenging jobs.
If you’d like, I can keep you updated on the farce in Tokyo
Thanks for the detailed reply Jason …. by all means update any changes to conditions.
Damn, I thank GOD I don’t have to go through any of that bull___t!!
If this my teacher in English I will set in the front..aehheh…:D
It’s been two months, so I guess this is as good a time as any to write a quite update regarding the strike situation at Berlitz. I can sum it up in one word, too: nadda.
There’s been absolutely no movement in the matter. The union seems to have gone quiet, and the staff have gone back to quietly grumbling when they’re especially angsty about something.
At the end of the day, I don’t think this will amount to much. The union isn’t so stupid that they’d jeopardize their cushy jobs while the language school industry suffers from a shortage of customers. Perhaps in the fall when more people feel the need to speak another language but, until then, they’ll keep their opinions to themselves.
Hopefully
I can’t say i’m surprised it’s all fizzled out Jason, i think the teachers will find it tough to get their demands with the readily available and willing volume of people wanting to take their place day in day out …. supply and demand controls the price i guess. Thanks for the update.
Hi Chris,
Your article has been inspirational.
By the way, how do you get yourselves a visa to set up english school in Japan?
thanks
I’m sure Chris will be able to point you in the right direction ….. http://www.waikiki2yanai.blogspot.com/ although i’m thinking you’d probably need to teach here for quite some time first and establish yourself with a teaching visa.
Thanks,
You need to get here first. Which means working for a chain or dispatch school. If you really love teaching, the experience will be like getting your unit sliced off and then getting it stuffed in your own ass. ( you’ll feel like you f__ked yourself ).
Fear not, If your a good teacher, you will rise above the mess.
Good Luck!!
If only students looked that good. What a difference it would make in my job.
Got plenty of hottie students around here!! (Yamaguchi Pref). Not as many as in Hawaii but still…Plenty
It seems that my estimate of the Union’s intelligence was greatly over-rated. Not only have unionized members (in both of the two unions) have continued their angsty demonstrations, but they’re doing so illegally according to Japan’s Labor Law regarding disputes.
According to the upper management at the company, they have tried to hold several open discussions with the instructors and staff who have grievances against the company. However, there have been many who have continued to protest in ways that are considered illegal according to Japanese Labor Laws. Here are some of the activities they’ve carried out:
* a rather harsh article in the Japan Times was published in late September
* unionized teachers are engaging in “personal walkouts” at their own convenience rather than with prior permission of the union
* union members are visiting corporate customers and handing out documents describing the dispute, which has made it incredibly difficult to keep customers
* union members are bad-mouthing the company during lessons, which means rather than speaking, language students are merely paying a premium price to listen to somebody complain
Although language centers are occasionally employing several (rather costly) tactics to ensure that customers will receive lessons in the event of an instantaneous strike, this does not bode well for the company at all in this ever-slowing economy. Clearly these people are forgetting the rules of negotiations, which are covered in the Level 6 Negotiations, Business, and Business II textbooks.
It’s a good thing I do not belong to the union, and their numbers are small and insignificant in my area. Although the pains in my chest are not quite as bad as they were last year, working with a large number of people who think the same way as Louis Carlet (the Japan Times article guy) would undoubtedly give me a heart attack, or just cause for an act that is punishable by deportation….
Seems like things have gone from bad to worse Jason, thanks for the update anyway.
I’d write about it on my site, but I have never actually mentioned the names of any employer on there, and I plan to keep it that way (not that Google wouldn’t bust me, anyways). That said, since I had mentioned I’d keep ya updated, I thought it would be good to let everyone know what was goin’ on, as it’s been pretty quiet in the (English) Blogosphere.
If you’d like another update next year, just let me know. That said, I’m not sure how much time I have left with the company. It seems that there might be a juicy translation + IT job for me in Kanigawa starting next year. All I need to do is play my cards right and keep my mouth shut … easier said than done
I appreciate you leaving the updates here Jason, i get quite a few people stop by this post so maybe others will find it useful to know what’s going on.
Man…
That sounds like a total mess.
Hope you get that IT job!!
Awesome site Neil and great input Jason.
I guess I always figured before reading this article that becoming an english teacher was my best shot at life in Japan (Tokyo area), but after reading this, I don’t know how probable and realistic it really is.
250,000 yen a month. Now, I don’t know much about the living situation there, nor the costs of living (yes, I read your other article, great work again btw) but it doesn’t seem very comfortable on this pay….
Also, 4.5% of applicants are actually hired? Very discouraging.
It seems after reading this information, I may have to disregard my dream of living in Japan some day, and most definitely as an english teacher.
If I am just dead wrong, I would so greatly appreciate it if you would shed more light on the situation.
I am not trying to come off as a jerk in this post, I guess just disappointed.
Thanks,
- Jay
Hey Jay, i cant really comment tooo much on the teaching because i dont do it. At the end of the day though, PLENTY of people do and they survive no probs on that money. The apartment you rent though will be extremely small compared to what your used to back home. I wouldn`t discount it as possible yewt, you just need to understand that you probably wont save too much money nor will you live an extravagant lifestyle here. Living in somewhere more remote would always be a good option. Maybe you just need to weigh up what you want to get out of living in Japan then go from there.
Thanks for the reply, Neil.
Well, I guess it is just the culture that embraces and interests me.
I guess I will have to be willing to make a sacrifice to live there?
Maybe I should take a trip there and get a feel for it first?
- Jay
I figured that’s why you wanted to come here … maybe the “payment / price” for living here for a few years is a small apartment and go without some things your used to from home ….. and probably not save money. Would still be a great few years and a great working holiday. Maybe a trip would be good first …. you may hate it!
You should take a trip regardless of anything else…just to see what it is as opposed to what you imagine it is.
IMO
You definitely are going to want to visit. I lived in Tokyo while working for Hino Motors (Toyota’s truck manufacturing division). I was given an apartment and left to fend for myself. It was eye opening to say the least. I had the good fortune of having my apartment expenses paid for. It is very expensive. I remember a loaf of bread (which is about the quarter size of an American loaf) was about $4 USD. A beer in a bar costs about $8 USD. But a train ticket to Shinjuku and back would cost me about $12 USD each direction (I was in Hamura). From my perspective, life is somewhat harder than it is in the US. Shopping, although enjoyable, is much more difficult because there’s more walking involved. You likely won’t be running down to the mall in your Corolla either. But the experiences were life changing for me. Although I am in my mid 40s and I’m not sure I would have appreciated it as much when I was younger. I didn’t see a lot of night life while in Tokyo. If you want that, I highly recommending going to Bangkok, Thailand instead. It is MUCH less expensive. It took me about 2 weeks to tire of Japan. So if you visit, try to go for a long visit. Perhaps afterwards you may re-think you’re desire to live there permanently. Good luck! John
Thanks for the comments John …. i’m sure some people will find them useful. I agree with Thailand … it’s CHEAP!!