Current Teachers Job Situation in Japan?

Was just wondering what the English teaching job situation is now like in Japan, plenty of work, etc.

It's been a few years since I departed and heading back soon.

All help is much appreciated, even more so coming fROm the Kyoto, and Nara areas.

I do not know the teaching position in Kyoto, but you should be careful to upload photos of your students or friends.

Even Akiba Soken which tells us about lots of weird cosplay/anime-loving people/events in Akihabara has a strict privacy policy. Just take a look.
You may think Japan is getting harder to live in, though...

pipokun said:

you should be careful to upload photos of your students or friends.

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Photos removed.

Thanks Pipokun

Anyone? (Message to short LOL)

In response to this thread and another one you started, Kyoto Returnee...

Many NOVA teachers were rehired under G-COM. Google it for the news. At last count about 65 NOVA schools were reopened. I haven't paid attention for a week or two.

Is the market flooded? Yes, IMO it is. NOVA employed 5000 or so teachers, and although some went home, some chose not to (or couldn't even afford to). Nobody has the exact numbers, but since Oct to Jan is the deadest time for hiring, just imagine a huge number of eikaiwa teachers (many with practically zero experience, hired just recently by NOVA) on the street looking for work.

Did some work for food? Yes. They gave short lessons to get paid by a meal with the student.

What is the overall teaching situation here?
Please specify. Teaching could mean eikaiwa, business English, K-12 (public or private school), university, or just private lessons. Basically, it is becoming a tighter proposition, with salaries falling in most sectors. What used to be a standard 250,000 yen/month minimum starting wage for newbies has dropped to 200,000-230,000 in some areas. Mainstream schools are closing because of the declining birthrate. Dispatch agencies (grrr) are growing despite the fact that most operate illegally (government looks the other way) and despite the fact that they have a bad reputation. They are making inroads into the public schools and universities.

Want to know more? Ask more detailed questions.

Glenski said:

What is the overall teaching situation here?

Want to know more? Ask more detailed questions.

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Hello Glenski:

Appreciate your response.

I guess we are on different wave lengths with the word overall.

I guess it all depends on where you live in Japan.

What I guess I meant was that any given day I could pick up the local Kansai English job magazines, and they would be flooded with Teacher Wanted ads.

It was never a case of if I can get a job, but rather, which job.

Maybe that's just me with a lot of teaching experience.

I would never work for NOVA and never have.

I had fantastic positions in Japan, probably the largest was with a company named Kyoshin which had English Jukus. I was Shi-in (spelling) means full time.

Now that you tell me that ex-Nova teachers are on the lose with no experience, I can now guess that the job situation in Japan "overall" is as good as always for teachers with experience and skills to boot!

Kyoto Returnee said:

Hello Glenski:

Appreciate your response.

I guess we are on different wave lengths with the word overall.

I guess it all depends on where you live in Japan.

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...and what type of teaching job one is looking for.

What I guess I meant was that any given day I could pick up the local Kansai English job magazines, and they would be flooded with Teacher Wanted ads.

Click to expand...

As far as I know, it's still the same.

It was never a case of if I can get a job, but rather, which job.

Maybe that's just me with a lot of teaching experience.

Click to expand...

In the past 20-25 years, lots of teaching experience has hardly been the norm for newcomers landing jobs, so again I don't know where you are coming from.

Lately (past 2-3 years), aside from dispatch agencies growing in size, what I have seen is that salaries are dropping, and that there are more part-time jobs available than before. Maybe on the latter point I'm imagining things, so I hope others can chime in on that one.

Now that you tell me that ex-Nova teachers are on the lose with no experience, I can now guess that the job situation in Japan "overall" is as good as always for teachers with experience and skills to boot!

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If you are thinking in terms of your competition, perhaps. Mind you, only the recent hires by NOVA are usually the ones with no experience. There are plenty of ex-NOVA teachers that have been around for a few years.

If you are thinking in terms of sheer numbers of people out there and physically present instead of just looking from abroad, I don't agree. It's a buyer's market here. Teachers are accepting jobs at 150,000 yen/month or just for meals. Private lessons are going for 1500-2000 yen/hour. Online services provide free access for teachers to advertise themselves in larger cities, yet they have to continue to update their profile or they will be pushed to the bottom of the list because so many people join the lists.

Glenski said:

...and what type of teaching job one is looking for.

As far as I know, it's still the same.

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It would be a full time, kids prefered.

Great to know that the job vacancies are "still the same".

I taught many scenarios when I was living their.

I really would be looking short term unless I find something I felt happy with.

I have friends with successful establishments and I would look towards the same, or I may continue to expand my shopping site and continue to work from home when we move their.

We are looking to purchase a home so I am just trying to get opinions from different people out their and add it all up..

I have posted on a few other Japan forums specifically targetting different areas as we are once again in deciding area mode, also with jobs, making a life in mind, etc.

When you live their for eight years, then leave for over two, one tends to lose the "Japan feel" if you get my grip.

Appreciate your response thus far, agree would be great for anyone else who reads the thread to chip in what they know..

My advice would be to bring some marketable job skills other than teaching English conversation and at least give yourself the option of opting out of the racket.

I didn't say the number of job vacancies are the same. I meant the TYPE of vacancies are roughly the same (with dispatch ALTs growing in number).

You want something short-term? How short? You are still going to need a visa to work here, and most job offers are for a year minimum.

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With the huge demand for learning English in; Japan, South-Korea, and probably Taiwan.

Why don't these teachers start a small private school. Then make the private school slowly bigger.

Several out-of-work foreign English teachers, could start a hot dynamic private school very quickly. Just locate in the right place (near a University with a specialty with International Economics, and International study).

Get togethor, live togethor to save money.


Or just go back to your native country for awhile (Britain, Australia, United States or Canada).

Or hell, take a long vacation, see the world. Then worry about it.


_.

Glenski said:

You want something short-term? How short?
You are still going to need a visa to work here, and most job offers are for a year minimum.

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Have you got something on offer?

Yes, spouse visa.

TuskCracker said:

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With the huge demand for learning English in; Japan, South-Korea, and probably Taiwan.

Why don't these teachers start a small private school. Then make the private school slowly bigger.

Click to expand...

I would be doing that, although that long vacation sounds good:beer1:

Kyoto Returnee,
I'm very intrested on how your return to Japan is going. I've posted a thread I would love some of your feedback on.
Were about the same age and I'm just looking to gather some incitfull thoughts on returning to Japan.
I don't have enough posts to add a url but,
It's under the introduction section titled starting a business in Japan, True Intuition

True Intuition said:

Kyoto Returnee,
I'm very intrested on how your return to Japan is going. I've posted a thread I would love some of your feedback on.
Were about the same age and I'm just looking to gather some incitfull thoughts on returning to Japan.
I don't have enough posts to add a url but,
It's under the introduction section titled starting a business in Japan, True Intuition

Click to expand...

Hi True Inuition:

PM me at ozshock@gmail.com anytime..

We are making ground slowly..

Many things going on from organizing our cat which is going to cost around $2,500, sorting out the inn's and out's of our soon to be one year old Kai, my wife and I still pondering what, if, when and how, here or their, and our house in the first stage of a buyer process with legalities, toppled in with my online website business, and other going on here..

I am still on call for the airport where I work in Customs so that keeps me busy with all the Chinese tourists, etc.

I've been researching new cars tonight for when we arrive and it's going to be (I think) a toss up between a Subaru Forester and Honda CRV.. Any hints, please feel free..

As for starting a business once we arrive, more than likely..

I have a good mate who recently sold his house in Cairns and is now back in Fukkuoka... No doubt he has also started something (again).

This time around, I think we will be back for good so it will be a serious thing..

Sorry about finding the thread.. The forum is very jumbled hunting through them all...

best to email me for a chat I guess, and maybe we can meet up once their..

Any thoughts on what you are thinking of?