[Bushido]

(09-05-2013 02:22 AM)youngmobileglobal Wrote:  

In regards to Japan - yes, I was also initially skeptical but I personally know two guys and one girl who were able to average about 10-12K USD annually by living and saving as teachers in Japan. That is the only reason that I am putting it on that list but I do not suggest it anyone's first choice. To really enjoy Japan, it appears you will have to drop dough.

I should point out that two of them worked in Nagasaki and the other worked in an even more boondocks rural spot. They all supplemented their teaching with some private tutoring gigs too.

Nobody should get the impression that you are going to be balling out in Tokyo.

Interesting. I wonder if your friends were there on the JET Program. It's a government scheme that is pretty tough to get into but pays MUCH better than your average English teaching gig in Japan. From what I hear, the starting pay is 300,000/month (roughly $3k) and your flight tickets are covered.

http://www.jetprogramme.org/

Contrast this to 230,000-250,000/month ($2.3-2.5k) with longer hours, no benefits, no health insurance and no plane tickets included that is standard fare for the McEnglish teaching jobs here. The bottom has unfortunately fallen out of the English education market in Japan. In the 80s and 90s you could make serious coin here but it's not as good as it used to be.

The hours for JET's are cushy too (20-25 hours per week max) so there would definitely be a lot of time free for building other skills. There also seems to a be a decent network of JET's who "graduated" from the program. Many later go on to work in business/journalism/IT in Japan so you have a fraternity there for you already if you go this route. I imagine it would be quite useful if you plan to build a career over here. If not, it's respectable international experience to take home with you.

So if your friends were on JET I can maybe believe that they saved that much. Maybe. It sounds like a boring lifestyle though! As you correctly stated, placements aren't usually in major cities. The goal of JET is to spread "internationalization" across Japan which basically means you are going to be living in the middle of nowhere. There are close to zero placements in Tokyo. Good for some perhaps but probably not what most guys on here are looking for.

South Korea gets a lot of criticism but I like it. Good food, slutty girls, fun drinking culture, cheap shit everywhere and great nightlife in Seoul. Would definitely recommend it to new graduates with student debt. Only do Japan if you have a special love for it already and you don't care about money.