Everything You Need to Know About English Teaching Companies in Japan ll 2022/2023 

Thanks for the video, really interesting to compare different companies! I'm on JET at the moment, so just to clarify a few points: - JET contracts are determined by your contracting organisation, so they do vary. Therefore, not everyone gets 20 days PTO - I know some ALTs who only get 10. - Similarly, some COs will subsidise rent but not all. Mine does not subsidise our rent. - JET does provide a basic online Japanese course, but it's kinda terrible so yeah not really a replacement for proper classes.

I did JET and after that I worked for 2 different eikaiwa companies before finally getting out of teaching English to work in a Japanese company. My experience with JET was great but eikaika was absolutely horrendous. They’re horrible places just focused on sales trying to get rich off the backs of foreigners while showing them no respect. I always tell everyone I ever meet never go work in an eikaiwa.

Thank you for this informative video!!

So informative! Thanks.

Thanks so much for this great information.

Thanks so much for the info updates- I haven't heard of a few of these companies 🤞🤞🍀

As a fellow new yorker and resident in Japan I salute you.

Just some updated information on Altia, their pay has gone down from 2.8 to 2.4 this year. About the time off, you don't truly get the whole month of August off. Your expected to do speech practices and contests with junior high students for at least 2 weeks. So you only end up getting 2 weeks in August off. You do get 5 PTO days. Also be aware that if you can't speak N4 level Japanese, they will tell you during orientation not to worry and they will help you, but when you ask for help they'll say they can't help you. It's quite frustrating. With driving the car, if you choose to be able to drive it only to school to save money, you're not allowed to stop anywhere not even the conbini. If you do the plan to be able to drive somewhere their are strict limits on how far you can drive from your placement town, they pay no gas and you'll have several appointments you'll have to go to for maintenance. It's just not as freeing as it sounds. Also be aware that the apartments are quite claustrophobic and the towns you're placed in are so small that you will need a higher level of Japanese to try to get an apartment, but in small towns it's common for many places not to rent to foreigners. It's quite difficult and the company will not help you. Also if you leave before the contract you have to give them a set amount of money for each month you won't live in the apartment. They trap you in many ways, this is just one example. Just be careful and really ask the right questions during interviews is my advice.

Thank you!

I find it very useful as I was looking for the same thanks a lot for making this video ❤️🙏 Love from India

thank you for this video

Thank you so much ❣️

Loving the videos! I want to move to Japan myself so this kind of information is extremely helpful

Good job! Can I add a couple of minor things? JET isn't a company in the same sense that the others are. At least it wasn't many years ago when I considered it as an option. It was considered to be more of a cultural exchange organization, and it had the very best package overall. It might have been worthwhile to mention the basic difference between the eikaiwa (English conversation school) companies and the companies whose prime business is ALTs, but I am not sure whether you have had experience of both. Anyway, good job.

I'm currently teaching in Korea, and I landed a not so good job. I get 3 sick days and they make you feel guilty as HECK if you have to take one. We get 2 weeks of fixed vacation, and it is a friday-thursday, so you can't even use that last weekend. I was pretty naive when I was looking for work and was always told not to ask about vacation time. That is something at the top of my list now. Now I just need to decide on a country or attempt Korea again. Thanks for this information!

Hi Amber.its uncle Joe.Great video. Hope to see you soon! Xo

Thank you for the videos ☺️ the original one you did really helped me last year and now I’m here working! This isn’t really related so please don’t feel like you have to answer. One thing I’m struggling with is finding friends and having a social life outside of school (especially with covid). How did you find your people?

Hi Amber Thank you so much for such an informative video. I would like to find out when does AEON pay your first salary? Is it at the end of the month you started working on (e.g. April work paid at the end of April) or do they pay on the following month (e.g. April work paid in May) as I've heard other dispatch companies do...I'm not sure if my question makes sense🙈

Thanks for the info. I'm a medic contracting in Japan, and once my contract is finished, I'm looking to teach in Kobe Japan so I can stay in country. This was very informative. 😊

Wow thank you. Do you have any info about ECC?

Thanks for this, got a job offer from one of these places and I'm... eh, nervous tbh. Used to be at one you didn't talk about and it was fairly good with holidays, and had a fixed salary, so might wait until they're recruiting again.

Hey. Great channel. Thanks for the information. I want to apply for a job now but do i have to wait until September for hiring season?

Thank you for the information, I plan to study Japanese in uni but because it's a 4-year, hard course, I wasn't going to do anything else on the side. To work in Japan, are there any classes I should pick for after-school? Also with these programs, should I apply to them while in my final year of uni or after?

Hello hope you are doing good. Can you share details of Border link ALT’s position.. About their housing etc

Please really be careful of that ALTIA CENTRAL! Lots of red flags ( I’d stay away from them! ) I had a bad experience with them two times I don’t trust the deals they make on their cars or on their August off . After 12 years of working in Japan - and I started out in Nagoya where that one is -- and that one turns out to be really scary! You can also work directly for city and pref BofEs They tend to pay well with lots of NENKYU ( PTO ) set up. Osaka and Kobe BofEs are two examples. There are many! I used LEO PALACE to take care of most of my housing needs while in Japan. ( the Kyoto office is a bit cool or stand off ish but that’s just Kyoto ) Getting a car set up was not too hard.

Thanks for much for this info! Any chance we could get a video on your monthly expenses teaching in Japan/Tokyo and how much you are able to save every month?

Is it ok o apply for multiple at a time so that you can have backups?

I was teaching back in 1995 , at a small independent eikaiwa, for 3.2 million yen per year and a subsidized apartment (45,000 per month). After a year I had overtime for another 40,000 a month and the apartment was fully subsidized. But still….. that was a step down for me as a Canada high school teacher. Yes the responsibility was less and there were no report cards or parent teacher meetings etc. Now here we are 29 years later and these Japanese companies are still offering the same low pay. Prices have gone way up and the yen is much lower to most currencies. So I feel that teaching English in Japan is no longer worth it. Not by a long shot.

Thanks a lot for the video! God bless ya! I am working on going to Japan as well and teach English! Super excellent info! And @danifordphoto, thanks a lot for sharing those details about Altia, it opens my perspective a lot, and helps me to understand how thinga can develop. Gid bless ya too!

So NOVA actually does pay for your flight(s) but there a bunch of restrictions. its 100,000yen and its split between your first and last paychecks. this money is also only for those outside Asia and only for one type of contract you sign. as for Japanese lessons, I asked about this and they give a 50% discount to take the lessons, so they aren't free.

Hi Amber. Sorry for jumping out of blue in one of your old videos. I really like your content and channel regarding TEFL Japan thing. I have a question for you. What was the category of your teaching visa at Japan? And after is it considered as an HSP visa leading to residency?

I've been looking at AEON lately, but I feel I'm better off elsewhere. Have you ever heard of anything about Berlitz Japan? I see many comparable reviews, comparable pay, and more holidays and career growth opportunities. What's your impression of Berlitz? Or is there something terrible about it I'm not aware of?

Thank you for sharing this information. Just a few questions: - Does your pay get increased each time you renew your contract? - Does your pay increase commensurate with inflation? - If you're based in Tokyo/other expensive cities, do they pay you more to cover the higher cost of living? - Do you get any time off between one contract ending and another beginning? Cheers again!

Thank you very much for the video :) I saw somewhere that if your rent is paid for or subsidised that it actually comes out of your wages. Is that true, or do companies like JET actually subsidise your rent, and then proceed to pay your full wage?

Hey there. Thanks your reply to my previous message. One last question. I've applied for AEON. If things go well o should start in a few months in about August/September. I just couldn't wait for Jet as it takes too long and is very competitive. I do however want to work for jet after my year contract is over. My question is should i apply for the jet problem this year? 😅

Interac I got to choose the prefecture I’m being placed! But I don’t leave until March so can’t speak to anything else about them

For the Aeon part of flight payment is it like so let’s say if a flight is 1,000 and Aeon pays for 700 of it would u have to pay 300?

Thank you so much for the info! I would just like to know if non-native English speakers are also considered. I have a bachelor in English teaching and a master’s degree in English Linguistics. I would love to apply but I have heard that we might get paid less. Is that true?

I’m from the Hudson valley in New York I’m planning on moving to Japan and hopefully doing this type of job

Please, can someone talk about JIEC. I'm finding it difficult to navigate their website. Any reviews?

For Jet or Altia, what could you expect your work schedule to be? Is it feasible to work full time while being a full time student in a Japanese language school? Thanks.

I’m currently living in Japan and after the drama with the school I am at. I don’t know if I want to be here in the long haul anymore. Especially hearing that what I went through is pretty common… I really don’t know what to think anymore besides all of the money I wasted moving here.

I'm a government school teacher here in Pakistan. I have taught two years at secondary level in government sector on temporary basis, now I'm working as an elementary school teacher here in our country. How can I become a teacher in Japan please, share all the terms and conditions

Are you still working for AEON - How do they feel about these Videos? I mean I love these because I working for the #redflags.

Hi..is there a company name springwell kindergarten japan?

These salaries may look few money for American, but I live in Brazil and is complete different reality. I'm an architect & urbanist looking to go to Asia to live or get experience of different countries living and not as a tourist (I think I prefer, and is also not affordable for me). And in Brazil I live with a salary of 500 USD/monthly. So I think 200,000 yen/monthly is quite a great salary for people that don't live in a developed country like US. Also, usually in Japan and other Asia countries you don't need to worry that much with transportation because cities are differently from US well connected through public transportation system. Another thing I think makes teaching also a deal is that usually companies pay (subsidized in Japan case as you said) for housing. I wanted to share mainly the comparison of the salary with ours (Brazil) reality.

Thank you so much for this video I am currently a high school student who will graduate in May of this year I was wondering (anyone who has information on this please fill free to reply I’ll take any kind of help) should I work a english teaching job in america first I’ve tried researching (I got really mixed answers) and asking teachers they weren’t much help as many just didn’t have an answer If anyone could help I would appreciate ❤️

Hii do you know by any chance which program allows people that are not from native speaking countries

Good day, I hope you are well? I am interested in teaching English in Japan. I am from South Africa. How do I go about doing an extensive course and getting the necessary certifications?

hi and sorry to bother you! Im myrto and im from greece and i would LOVE to move to japan! After my research on the subject i decided that im going to get a bachelors degree on english, learn japanese and then get a tefl and move. However, since im not a native english speaker do you think from your experience that ill be able to find a job ? Im pretty good with languages and i am confident that ill speak japanese good because i also watch tons of anime and manga etc. Thank you so much in advance !!

hi!!! do you know if in the event of getting a job like this with housing / housing assistance, if you'd be able to bring / have pet(s) along with you to the apartment, or would it have to be pet-free?

Are these companies 100% protected? I know JET for sure is but with the other ones, are they also protected? (Getting pay on time, getting paid what they say they will pay, etc.) or are they like other private institutions where they can be a 50/50 shot? Please let me know. Thanks!

How hard is it to teach English? Is it Monday to Friday with homework?

Ma'am, I completed my post graduation in English literature. Is there any chance for me... if there.. How can I apply ? Please kindly reply 🥹

Hi ma'am how we can contact in case of inquiry.

Do you need to be in person for these companies, or can some be thought online

Hi there, very interested in getting a job with Jet! Do you know if they provide families with visas or is it only for individuals? My partner works online and we have a 5m old. We'd love to do a year or so in Japan but wondering if this is suitable for us...

Hie Amber, which one of these companies hire English teachers from Africa, lm from Zimbabwe, lv a diploma in education, BSc in special needs education and a Masters degree in special needs education?

Hi there! Great vid! 😊 Originally Im from Hungary but having british cirizenship also (dual citizenship). My degree (master in law n political scienses comes from Hungary). Degree from a non-english speaking country is also accepted? What job can i get there? Thank u forward!

Hi, are these companies for online teaching or face to face?

I have some questions regarding to this topic 1. Do I have to have a degree in English to get the job? 2. What are the criteria to get a job there as an English teacher. 3. Can I get PR or citizenship by working there? I hope you will answer my questions miss, thank you.

Thanks for the video, all the information is helpful for me! I just moved from Oxford to Kyoto and try to find a English teaching job now. Hope we could have a coffee or lunch in Kyoto if possible:)

On nova they kick you out and get mad at you , especially the managers and students when you take days off. They want you to work always and they wont grand you long holidays. The payment is always different every month. Holidays are not paid and you always struggle

Do any of these companies accept couples together ?

Is one still able to save money while working as an English Teacher in Japan? In the 90's, if you had a modest lifestyle in Japan, you were able to save 50,000 to 100,000 yen a month. Is that still possible?

I’ll be honest I feel like those salaries are atrocious. I lived in China for seven years and came there in 2014 x 2015. I was making double your salary living in a tier 2 city. I’m not bragging here but I’m just trying to figure out how does one survive in Japan where the cost-of-living is astronomically higherbut the pay is not so good

I am working in Tamilnadu.. can I become science teacher in Japan? Why so much vacancy only for English?

New Yorker: I'm interested in teaching English for universities in Japan or people over 18. Is this even possible or do they only hire for K-12? 🤔 Oh...I'm from America too, Kentucky.

is it 5 day work week????????????

I’m currently in the interview process for an eikawa job (I find out mid-July if I got the job!). You are paid per lesson with this job. The main reasons I chose this program vs an ALT or some other eikawa companies are: - from my research, every if not all ALT programs base you in countryside/rural areas, or areas that are not considered major cities. I have no desire to live outside of a major city, and the company I’m interviewing with is only based in major cities and there’s a very good chance I could live/work in Tokyo. - you are paid per lesson, which is a little scary as you said, but the way lessons are often scheduled are early morning or evening (after 5pm), and on weekends and holidays. This means mon-fri I would have practically all of midday off (approx 11am-5pm) so I could shop, study, sleep, whatever. I’m a night owl so working late is better for me. - an ALT job would require me to get up very early 5 days a week, AND potentially teach a class of children, which I’m not interested in. I can’t wake up super early and I don’t like kids. The eikawa I’m interviewing with said the majority of students are adults. - I think the one on one teaching style sounds a lot more interesting and effective to me vs classroom teaching - I’ve been told that many schools don’t have air conditioning, but all of the eikawa offices do - as you said some companies provide housing which can have pros and cons. For me, every ALT I looked into provided or had preferred housing, and because of this they all told me I could not bring my cats. I’m not going to abandon my pets to move to Japan. The eikawa I’m interviewing with doesn’t care if I bring my pets because finding housing and getting my cats to Japan (I’ve already started the process for their international travel should I get the job) is on me. One thing I don’t think you touched on which might be of interest to some people is the contract type. The eikawa where I’m interviewing hires independent contractors vs salaried employees. So, doing taxes will be a lot different. I also think (though haven’t really looked into it) that because I would be an independent contractor, I could potentially get a second job if needed/wanted (at least that’s how it works in the states).

Is it possible to have a job like this with no bachelors degree or degree at all?

What if your a single parent?

Hi mum i want to be an alt my qualification is ma in english literature language

A big thing about NOVA is that they don't hire you as an employee, but rather as an independent contractor. This allows them to rob you of your rights to paid leave and and any kind of benefits. In Japan if you work more than 20 hours a week and if the total work force is above 500 (maybe), then the company must provide you with health insurance and pension. It used to be 30 hours or more for this, but it was changed recently to 20 hours. NOVA used to offer employee contracts alongside independent contracts, but they rigged it so you worked 29 hours to rob you of health insurance and pension benefits. So nowadays it seems NOVA only does independent contracts to avoid all their obligations. You get NOTHING working for them. When I was there I had to pay THEM to take a day off because I was an independent contractor. It was 500 yen per lesson off, so 8 lessons a day means 4000 yen per day. So my advice is stay far away from them.

I let the like here, because you have a Beautiful and shining smile...

Wouldn’t you get in trouble with these companies for this video?

Your very veautyful

So any teaching jobs that doesn't require a degree?

Hello, I am in China at the moment.. been here for way longer than I originally had planned. Here we have to do covid tests every single day, show BAAcodes to enter everywhere with a door - no kidding, including car parks, malls, little shops, parks and beaches.. we are made to wear covid masks when entering all these places and even at work (even though they say its not mandatory!) i'm getting real sick of this sh!t now, the pay is way less in japan but I keep reminding myself that people died fighting for freedom - thats how important freedom is, every video I find online about working in japan is bad bad bad and even badder.. I seen one website for japan jobs and they said i had to attend an in-person interview in a native speaking country but thats not possible because i live and work in cn and its only next door to japan, I want to go from here straight to japan.. I already lived in the countryside of china for 2 years and they were the darkest, loneliest and most depressing days beyond my wildest imagination - I spiritually could not suffer like that again, so worried to end up in the same situation in japan or even worse - get slaved and worked into the ground with no balance for a life or fair work hours/fair weekend off.. wish I could contact you privately but I guess thats never happening!. Btw you are serious wifey material!

What ever you do, do not apply to gaba or nova. They are shit companys and they only caused trouble

I feel as though the Japanese are racist. I would rather teach in Thailand or South Korea.

Can you please make a video explaining how to pay bills? Rent, utilities, etc. I really want to become a teacher there, and honestly the only thing that scares me, or makes me nervous, is the thought of me not being able to pay my bills because of the language barrier. 🥲

Can you write in Yen how much earn in each company please?🥲🙏🏻