 |
|
||
Teaching in Japan: Inside Contracts |
|||
|
Monk
in the Toji Market in Kyoto who loved to speak English and welcomed
visitors to his temple. InsideOut Travel. |
Hundreds of smaller schools are always looking for native English speakers and although their job offers don’t always mention sponsorship, it never hurts to ask as many will help you.
Finally, if you are a citizen of Australia, New Zealand, Canada or France, you can apply for a free working-holiday visa from your home country that will allow you to work approximately 20 to 25 hours per week for up to one year.
Because most people don’t know about this visa, it’s still very easy to obtain. A letter of intent and proof that you have $2,000 USD in the bank should do the job. Check out the Japanese embassy’s website in your country to get the downloadable application.
2. Length of Contract
A school will most likely sponsor someone who commits to one year. As they know (and as you will soon find out), a contract can be broken at any time and it’s not unusual for teachers to leave in the middle of the school year.
So, some schools have made finishing your contract sound a lot more exciting by adding an end-of-contract bonus that would be silly to refuse.
The best places to start are: For jobs in the Kyoto area: |
Let’s say you got your bonus and you want to stay longer. Most schools will be more than happy to renew your contract and visa. When talking to teachers, I found out many decided to work for the big schools just to renew their contract after a year and get a two-year visa renewal instead of the usual one year. They could then look for something better and quit.
With a renewed visa in hand, former Nova, Aeon, and Geos teachers can then choose from a wider selection of schools and gigs.
Working-holiday visa holders can skip the aforementioned big three and choose from one-day to several-month contracts. Job offers are listed in English-language publications such as Kansai Time Out and Japan Times, or on websites like www.gaijinpot.com, and in international centers.
3. Round-trip or One-way Ticket
With so many schools arranging group flights for soon-to-be teachers, most people don’t have to worry about tickets anymore. But will the company pay for your way back home too?
Considering that you will be making approximately $2,300 a month before taxes and fees, which isn’t much in Japan, discount tickets and charter flights will usually fit the poor teacher’s budget.
However, making flight arrangements early is the only way to assure a good deal, especially when it comes to one-way tickets. Those are usually more expensive than round-trip deals, so an around-the-world ticket may be worthwhile.
You may find yourself saving a few bucks by stopping in Thailand on your way home. Considering that a ticket from Osaka to Bangkok usually costs less than $300, it would be a shame not to enjoy the Thai lifestyle for a while. And, if youre stopping there, why not go on a backpacking adventure through Southeast Asia before heading back.
4.
Housing
Housing can be tough in Japan so don’t refuse if your company
is willing to give you an apartment. A foreigner looking to rent on
her own will be asked to pay big deposits which, contrary to usual ones,
won’t be returned when he or she leaves.
If your contract doesn’t address the housing issue, see if the school can help you look for a place. Some may be able to find you an apartment without deposits, or at least something temporary.
For a monthly fee, anywhere from $300 to $600, big schools such as Nova will put up teachers in a shared apartment. Although it saves you the worry of finding a place to sleep right away, living with your co-workers may not be an ideal situation. So, check if you can get out of the living situation before you commit to it for an entire year.
Finding housing on your own is difficult but not impossible. It just takes time and a lot of money. Long-term hostels could be a solution as many cost less than apartments and don’t require deposits.
6.
Health Insurance
After rent, health insurance and transportation are the next big costs
when living in Japan. Luckily, many schools, such as Aeon and Geos,
offer it as part of their benefits. Nova, on the other hand, takes out
a monthly fee of around $100.
Should you have to find health insurance, look into the National Health Insurance which offers the lowest premiums. Private insurance companies also advertise in the English publications mentioned above.
"When they realize it’s nearly impossible to do so in the most expensive country in the world, a lot of them decide to pack up and go!"
6. Transportation Costs
To give you an idea on how much transportation costs in Japan, I taught at four locations and spent approximately $200 a month on trains, buses and taxis. Fortunately, many companies cover travel expenses so you won’t have to worry about it.
However, be prepared to shell out serious cash for your first month’s expenses because you probably won’t be reimbursed until your first paycheck, which in Japan only comes once a month. The company I worked for was used to this problem and gave a loan to full-time teachers to cover their first expenses.
7 . Vacation Time
Although teaching gave me more free time than a traditional career, I still wished I would have more time off than the standard ten days per year plus national holidays.
Out of the three big schools, Geos teachers seem to get the best deal with four weeks off their first year. So, be sure to ask if it’s possible to get more free time. With only ten extra days, you could escape the cold winter nights of Tokyo and take a break in sunny Okinawa.
8. Administrative Tasks
Contracts always mention the number of weekly teaching hours. But, keep
an
eye out for time spent on administrative tasks. Schools need to know
if their students are progressing so you may be asked to fill out reports.
Whether that means two or ten extra hours per week, ask if your time will be paid for, or you may find yourself filling out paperwork for free. In comparison to other teachers I talked to, I was lucky—I only had to write one weekly report per class and individual reports every six months.
9. Textbooks and Lesson Plans
Textbooks are usually given to you at the beginning of the term. Lesson plans, on the other hand, are different.
If you have never taught before, a printed lesson plan can be a blessing on your first day of school. But, if creativity and freedom are important to you, it’s better to work for a school that lets you decide if you really want to do another boring grammar exercise or if you’re ready to sit down and have students play a conversation game.
Nova is a big believer in ready-to-go photocopied lesson plans that can be used over and over, and over again. Nicknamed the “McDonald’s of English schools,” the school doesn’t give teachers much freedom in what to cover in a forty-minute lesson.
10.
Breaking the Contract
Hiring native English speakers isn’t a problem for most English
schools in Japan. Keeping them is another story.
Many college graduates think teaching English in Japan is a good way to save money. When they realize it’s nearly impossible to do so in the most expensive country in the world, a lot of them decide to pack up and go! To help lower the turnover, some companies try to tie things to your contract to make sure you will want to finish it.
In some cases, if you break your contract you may find yourself having to pay for the rest of your housing fees. In other cases, you just won’t receive your end-of-contract bonus.
The bottom
line is that there is nothing truly binding in a contract. The teacher
has the option to leave the country at any time he or she chooses. In
the worst-case scenario, a teacher will leave the country when they
feel they've had enough, minus a bonus or
last month’s paycheck.
Enjoying
karaoke at a goodbye party with friends from Japan. InsideOut
Travel. |
By the end of your stay, I think you’ll be surprised how personally rewarding teaching in Japan can be. Even if you don’t stay until the end to get your end-of-contract bonus, you will take home a thousand new experiences that you never would have imagined from home.
My teaching contract didn’t worry me, but hearing the complaints of other teachers, I think I got lucky. So, before you sign that great contract and become an “Eigo no sensei” (English teacher) as students will call you, make sure you read the small print.
Helene Goupil is the editor of InsideOut Travel.
