>be me
>want to to teach english in japan for a year or two before settling down with a more permanent career in my home country
>decide to do some research (admittely, a lot it is on reddit)
>most of it is negative stories about how awful it is, how shitty the companies are, how it's basically modern slavery, etc

I don't intend to make it my life career, but if I just want to live in japan in a small apartment and live a modest lifestyle for a couple years, is it really that bad?

have any anons here taught english in japan, and if so, what advice would you give?

You will be trapped in the lifestyle and never be able to pivot to a real job unless you completely start over and do something like nursing.

Why would anyone hire you while you wasted two years in a third world country while everyone else was working and gaining connections/experience in a field.

>>2797758
well I do plan on doing law school afterwards

>>2797756 (OP)
Didn't teach in Japan but I teach in Taiwan. You'll probably have shitty working hours (think 2:00-10:00), shitty pay, a tiny apartment, a bad reputation amongst locals, few days off, etc. With English teaching you will not really have enough money to get out and experience Japan with the money you are making. Depending on your lifestyle you may even lose money while working if you're not careful.

As another anon said, have an exit plan in mind. Save a certain amount of money per paycheck. Consider how much you will need to move back to your home country and buy the things you will need. I have a background in education so teaching here is fine for me but I don't think most companies will look fondly on your work experience abroad.

tldr: go for it but keep in mind that it will not be a free ride- have a way out planned before you go

>>2797774
Oh I forgot to mention this but it should be self evident— if you don't like kids and don't have patience for them, please don't teach. You'll hate your life and the kids will hate you. You do have to at least have a marginal interest in teaching for you to not go insane and if you don't have experience with kids then your first time teaching while in an entirely different country in a cram school will be one hell of an introduction to being a teacher.

>>2797756 (OP)
I had a good time.

>>2797758
Eh not really.

Having experiences living in another country isn't really a bad thing from a future employer perspective.
t. taught in Korea, now I work a real job in USA

Had a few friends who were JET most all were treading water on bills or barely saving much money. I remember them just telling me they were more babysitters in the rooms working whatever hours people made up on the spot that morning, rather than doing anything useful maybe helping the <5 students per year who actually gave a damn about learning English. Most all of them were burnt out in the 2ish years I was friends with them always asking me what they can do to change into my career path(tech).

Biggest hurdle I know they faced after JET was
1) their resume for JET back home was more or less useless for further teaching jobs
2) most were dumb as brick glue eaters or pickled their brain

Wish I knew some with a happy ending but sadly I don't, all basically moved back home and are more or less MIA in deadend work.

if you have money to fall back on you'll have a better time
english teaching here is the equivalent of working at a grocery store or gas station making minimum wage back in the states
aim for something higher, you'll have a much better time

>>2797756 (OP)
Yes, China is much better.

You fucking weebs need to tighten the ship, this thread was not necessary. Mods need to sort their shit out. Pretty sure I’m missing a thread also
>>2794857
>>2780145
>>2798604
>>2795234
>>2798045
>>2798752
>>2797756 (OP)
>>2794634
>>2798512

>Is teaching english in japan really that bad?
It depends on how you look at it.

Pros:
You get decent healthcare.
The job is pretty easy and even rewarding.
You get to talk to Japanese people and learn about their perspectives.
Most places can sponsor a work visa, so you get to live in Japan.

Cons:
The pay sucks and you live paycheck to paycheck.
The hours suck and you work every weekend.
If you're not doing JET, the pay structure is identical to working in a brothel. You're basically a prostitute.
Even if you take vacation, you won't be able to afford to travel outside of Japan.

Does this all sound okay to you, as in better than your current situation? Then yeah man, go right ahead. I think it's not all bad. It beats living in North America.

>>2800554
>Does this all sound okay to you, as in better than your current situation?

its ok for no girlfriend, no friend kissless virgins dorks.

maybe, just maybe, dork dweeb can kiss a maid.

>>2797756 (OP)
you'd probably end up wasting years of your life in a dead-end job, plus you'd be isolated from friends and family. and you wouldn't save any money either.
if you're totally stuck and just need a change maybe. but you could probably find a better way to do that close to where you are.

>>2797760
>shit job with shit pay
>leaves to study 3 years for another shit job with shit pay

>>2797756 (OP)
It's even worse. You are a shitty paid dance monkey everyone laughs about and the worst part of it you have to be in Chinkland.
>well I do plan on doing law school afterwards
Well you found something that's even worse than being a dance monkey engurish techu, grats bro.
Now you will learn the most important sentence of your entire career: Do you want fries with that?

Doesn’t seem to be very resultative, certainly.

>>2797760
you and every other ALT

>>2800554
>>2800737
I'm just really desperate for a change to my boring, monotonous life. I'm just sort of coasting through life, don't really have any friends etc. I

I see working in japan as sort of like a "reset" so to speak. I feel like even if the job itself is shit, it still beats my current loser situation. and honestly, i'd rather be depressed in japan than in my shitty north american city

also,
>you work every weekend.
doesn't that only apply if you work at an eikaiwa?

>>2802310
>boring, monotonous life
Your life will be boring and monotonous in Japan. You aren't going to make enough money to really explore Japan and enjoy it. If you're a homebody, you might get enough enjoyment out of just "existing" in a different country for it to be worthwhile, but it sounds like you're looking for something more exciting.
>don't really have any friends
You likely won't make any friends in Japan either. Japanese people don't want to be your friend. You might make friends with other foreigners but don't count on it. These types of jobs attract some weird people, and I say that as someone who also teaches English.

If you want to experience life in a very different culture for a year or two before you move on with your life then teaching in Japan might be for you. Just don't think it will be glamorous or that it will solve anything in your life.

>>2797756 (OP)
Just take a couple week to month vacation to Japan and do whatever you wanted to do there before coming back and going onto your new career
You are not going to enjoy the long-term realities of this teaching in japan meme and the trapped cycle you will be in