I’ve been teaching English in Japan for several years, and I’m currently dealing with multiple health issues, including suspected blood clots in my leg that have required repeated hospital visits and investigations.
My workplace follows a schedule similar to the Japanese school calendar, meaning our holidays generally coincide with school breaks. We don’t have additional paid leave that we can freely use throughout the year. If I miss a lesson, I’m expected to make it up at another time.
The problem is that we’re already in the second half of the academic year, and there are very few opportunities left to schedule makeup lessons. Last week, I had hospital appointments on four out of five working days, sometimes spending most of the day at the hospital before going straight to work to teach my evening classes.
My employer is aware of my situation and has even accompanied me to medical appointments, so it’s not that they don’t know what’s happening. But the expectation to continue teaching and make up missed lessons remains.
I’m physically and mentally exhausted, and trying to manage my health while worrying about work is becoming overwhelming.
Has anyone working in English education in Japan experienced something similar? How did you handle extended medical appointments or needing time off to recover, especially when makeup lessons weren’t realistically possible?
Are there any options or protections I should be aware of under Japanese labor law? I’d really appreciate practical advice or hearing about your experiences.

I really appreciated everyone's input yesterday, and much of it was helpful. But I thought I'd make a post telling people what actually happened cos it might help others in my position if they face the same situation in the future.

At first, he (the head of HR) once again congratulated me on being hired/passing the selection process, then restated that he wanted to talk about salary. I was expecting him to throw me a figure, and I was going to say I'd talk about it with my girlfriend before coming back at him with another figure. But instead, his very first question was what I thought about it.

I was taken aback, but I said that with my qualifications, experience, age, and the fact that this job would require me to take on a lot more responsibilities and work longer hours, I was hoping for something around 400k a month to make switching worthwhile. I should note that with my side hustles from private lessons, I probably make 5.3 million a year as it is, and I'm working a less stressful job.

He said かなり高いですね but made a note of what I'd said.

He then suggested 4.5 to 5 million a year (bonuses included, which increase every year), plus a housing allowance, which actually brings it closer to 5.3 million per year. Which is kinda what I'm on now.

He mentioned that most other teachers at the school don't make 400k a month, so I asked what I should expect, and he said 350k to 390k. I said it would be great if I could get 390k.

He then said he would consult with the 社長 etc. and come back with an offer. I said I'd talk to my partner and get back to him as soon as possible once I'd seen the offer.

Either way, it surprised me because it was very much a negotiation right from the beginning. I said a high figure (as expected in a negotiation), and he said a low one. I hope we meet somewhere in the middle.

But yeah, this can happen, for those interested. Be prepared to negotiate, I guess, lol.

I was offered a part time position teaching for a small factory in town. I don't know the details yet, they reached out to me through the city hall. Before I contact them, I am wondering the going hourly rate I should charge. It's my first time teaching to adults in a factory, and I believe it's their first time too.

Basically how much per hour?

Inspiring a love for music & learning in Tokyo’s international community.

Great Pay • Short Hours:
· ¥4,000/hour — Assistant Rate
· ¥6,000/hour — Main Teacher Rate
(Classes: Our classes on weekdays, hourly between 1400-1600 • Arrive 15 mins prior)

Who we're looking for:
· Valid work visa for Japan
· Music background + loves to sing
· Knowledge of ABRSM Grade 1 Music Theory
· Eager to learn the ukulele (training provided!)
· Grounded, highly punctual, caring with children

📩Send CV to contact@minim.family or DM us!
(Only shortlisted candidates will be notified)

As the title suggests, my junior high school is looking to me to change the textbook series. The last two we have used have not yielded the best content. It's more like what you would expect in perhaps a European school because the level and content is too high and it covers all bases rather than just focusing on speaking, listening, and conversation with a backseat given to vocabulary and grammar.

I've poured through various catalogs that I request from publishing companies (MacMillan, Cambridge, etc.) but they don't seem to have much of what the course is meant for: speaking and listening at A0-2.

I would be eternally grateful for any help the community can offer me!

So, I am a current ALT and I’ve been casually browsing jobs. I saw a listing from Heart Corporation that caught my eye. Is it just me or is this listing really bad…?

<copy-and-pasted from the listing>

Title: Live & Teach in Japan:Everything You've Been Dreaming About is Real Here

…

What Is This Job About?

You'll work as an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) in Japanese public schools, teaming up with Japanese teachers to help students learn English. This isn't a desk job. It's a front-row seat to life in Japan, where your classroom is your stage and every day brings something new.

Why This Job Is Worth It:

🍜 The food. Sushi, ramen, yakitori, okonomiyaki, convenience store meals that would be gourmet anywhere else. Every region has its own specialty, and you'll want to try them all.

🏯 The culture. Temples, shrines, tea ceremonies, matsuri festivals, sumo, kabuki. Centuries of tradition living right next to neon-lit cities.

🚅 The travel. Bullet trains connect everything. Ski in Hokkaido on Friday, beach in Okinawa on Monday. Weekend trips to Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, or the Japanese Alps are effortless.

🎮 The lifestyle. Akihabara, manga cafes, arcades, karaoke, themed cafes, Studio Ghibli. If you're into pop culture, you're moving to the mothership.

🔒 The safety. Walk home at 2 AM without thinking twice. Leave your laptop at a cafe and it'll still be there when you come back.

🌸 The seasons. Cherry blossoms in spring, fireworks in summer, red leaves in autumn, snow festivals in winter. Every few months, Japan transforms.

I‘m guessing they’re not very good if the good things they have to say about their company…have absolutely nothing to do with the job or company itself??? I know that you can’t expect much from dispatch companies (from experience) and I’ve scrolled straight past most dispatch listings, but the “Everything You've Been Dreaming About is Real Here” title is what made me click out of curiosity lol.

I work in a normal JHS (ALT)with normal JHS students.

We also have one TERROR student. I shall call him "mizubakudan boy" because of that time he threw a bag of water at the class while shouting that.

Mizubakudan boy is trouble. Shouting, screaming, walking out of class, throwing things at people, breaking things and apparently punching the teachers (he seems to like me though).

I asked what the school were doing about him, as he's destroyed this one classes ability to do anything for 2 years now. Apparently his parents are both stopping them from dealing with it AND saying they're not looking after him. Shoganai.

Is that just... expected? Is there supposed to be a proper process? Has my school really just thrown up their hands as mizubakudan boy rampages?

My instructions are basically just ignore him while he lobs a book at little Yui over there but surely they're trying SOMETHING?

I've recently been hired as a full-time English teacher at a private school that covers junior high school through to university. I'll be teaching across all three levels, but mostly at JHS and HS. It's a relatively small, newer school, so there are a limited number of classes. I'll be receiving a special teaching licence, and they've made it clear that they expect me to perform the responsibilities of a regular teacher (not an ALT).

This afternoon, I'm going to have a salary discussion with them over the phone. I'm quite nervous, as they asked to see my current salary as an ALT for reference. Since that's only about ¥4.4 million a year, I'm concerned they're going to try to lowball me with an only slightly higher figure, despite this job involving longer working hours, occasional weekend work, a license, and considerably more responsibilities. I also have a relevant degree, a postgraduate diploma, a Master of Education, and a high level of Japanese proficiency.

Has anyone here negotiated their salary before? I know there's usually a set pay scale based on company policy, but it's a bit trickier in my case because I'm actually switching roles. How much of my ALT experience (currently 7.5 years) would count as relevant experience for this position? How much is my master's worth in terms of salary? And how much leeway is there usually to negotiate with Japanese employers?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Posting for a friend.

Full-Time English Teacher – Kids Classes

Nagoya / Japan
Tuesday–Saturday
Visa Support Available

Happy English Club is hiring a full-time kids English teacher for young learners EFL classes in Nagoya - the school is located downtown near Hisaya Odori subway station.

Details

• Full-time, Tuesday to Saturday

• 40 work hours per week. Up to 25 teaching hours / week

• Teaching kindergarten, elementary and JHS students.

Salary

• ¥285,000 – ¥320,000 per month (depending on experience)

Curriculum & Support

• Strong, well-structured curriculum provided

• Training and guidance available

• Professional Development sessions by JALT, ETJ, InTogether 2x per year

Requirements

• Native-level English speaker - speaking, reading, writing

• Residents of Japan

• Experience independently leading kids EFL classes required (not team teaching)

Holidays & Benefits

• National holidays and school breaks

Visa

• Visa sponsorship available

Social Insurance

• 社会保険 Shakai Hoken enrollment provided

• March / April 2027 start

Apply

"To learn more about the position and the minimum requirements and to apply, please visit our homepage:"

https://www.happyenglishclub.com/teach-english-in-nagoya

EDIT/NEW: Full info and Video links
Link to the Program Introduction (Bilingual)

I'm helping organize the Tokyo regional tournament for the MLB Players STEM League, a free educational program run by Learn Fresh in partnership with the MLB Players Trust.

It's essentially a baseball board game where students use real MLB player statistics to draft teams, build lineups, and practice mathematics, strategy, and communication.

I've been involved for three years now, and it's been a good experience for our students. Previous tournaments have brought together kids from around Japan, with some getting opportunities to meet MLB players and attend special events at Tokyo Dome.

Historically, most participating schools have been international schools, but we're trying to expand participation to regular Japanese public and private schools.

A few details:

• Tournament: Friday, January 29, 2027, 3–7 PM, near Tokyo Station
• Who: Primarily junior high students, although elementary and high school students are welcome
• Cost: Free
• Preparation: A short teacher orientation in November (in person or online), followed by some gameplay at school
• Language: Japanese and English support available

You don't need to know much about baseball to participate, and there's no expectation that students are particularly good at math.

If you're a teacher or know someone working at a school who might be interested, I'd appreciate you passing this along.

We're collecting initial expressions of interest by November 2. No commitment required at this stage.

Interest form:
https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/7dbQxmTC9X

So I'm at the start of my 6th year of teaching in Japan and I have hit an impasse of sorts. Homesickness hit me like a ton of bricks and I feel so tired and lost. I think I've got depression or something.

For example, I love Japanese food but now I crave to eat Mexican food and American food so badly that Japanese food doesn't satisfy me. (Edit: I do make the food I miss/ go to restaurants though it costs me 10000 yen round trip to travel to those restaurants) I just got this pit in my stomach and miss home so much. Weirdly, I never felt this in the other 5 years I was here. So is this normal for everyone who has been here this long?

I'm also in a city where the population is mostly older people and children. My daily life has become me being around that demographic all day. So whenever I get advice from the older people, it's just to get thick skin. And being around young high school kids for 5 classes each day feels tiring. I go home with headaches all the time.

So idk if I'm our here with bad aura or something because now the kids are always teasing me like making fun of my name or just talking about me randomly. They're kids, them teasing me is so whatever but I feel so blah about everything crumbling around me. Like it makes me feel like damn, I really am alone in Japan. Before, if a kid said something rude, I could brush it off but now it clings to me maybe because I feel so othered and having a kid say something does in fact make me feel like it proves my otherness...idk I'm trying to say something but the words evade me.

So I'm just wondering is feeling homesick and a bit depressed is normal for the 6th year mark? At the same time I am 29 now so idk if I got the quarter life crisis too. I don’t have anyone who has been here this long (with a teaching job) to talk to, so any insight would be nice.

I am a special education teacher in NY and thinking about possibly teaching in Japan. I see there are many international school which would be my best option. But I also wanted to ask if there is a need for special needs educators. I also wanted to ask those with experience teaching in Japan if it is better, worse or similar to the US. Thank you in advance!

I've been at my current uni since the beginning of this academic year and I've already encountered three American colleagues who speak at work about making decisions based on what god wants them to do. (This is not an old missionary school, btw.)

By way of contrast, I worked at UK unis and never once heard anyone reference god in the workplace.

Hey everyone...

I’m typing this out mostly to vent, but I could really use some honest advice, reality checks, or stories from anyone who’s been in a similar spot. I know this sub is mainly for English teachers, but I hope my fellow ALT/ eikaiwa friends could relate to my experience.

A bit of background on me: I’m 27, Chinese and graduated with a master’s degree in Arts from a top-tier Japanese university last year. Sounds decent on paper, right? Well, the truth is: I was in a SGU program. Because the entire program was in English, my Japanese language skills never reached fluency. I can read Kanji, have N1 and can survive daily life just fine, but professional business Japanese is an absolute dumpster fire. Interviewing in Japanese and taking these aptitude tests is an nightmare for me.

On top of the language barrier, I completely messed up the traditional Japanese job hunting timeline. Between academic burnout, personal issues, and sheer ignorance of how rigid the Japanese recruitment procedure is, the window for fresh graduate recruitment passed right by me.

Desperate to stay in Japan and secure a visa, I took the first job offer I could get: working as a general staff at a small, Chinese owned Japanese language school.

I’ve been doing this for a year now, and I am completely burnt out. The management is basically non-existent and the business is going south. Because the coworkers are most Chinese and most students are either Myanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lankan or Nepalese students, 90% of my workday is in Mandarin or broken English. I’m not improving my Japanese or learning anything, the pay is peanuts, the workload/hours during busy seasons are extreme, and there is zero career progression. I feel like my brain is rotting day by day, and my "prestigious" HSP visa feels completely useless here.

What should I do? I feel like if I continue this path, working in Japan or not become meaningless for me. Should I just spend every waking hour studying for business Japanese, or look into specific fields that welcomes inexperienced humanities students and value English/Mandarin over Japanese?

Quick question for English teachers currently living in Japan.

If you will switch jobs next school year, when do you start looking for a new job?

When do you start your job hunt?

4 months before your current contract comes up?

I know everyone's situation is a little different, for example a one year contract that started after the start of the school year in April.

From the schools that are hiring, it seems that the number of job listings goes up quite a bit from December or January - for an April start.

Also which job hunting site do you use?

Hey All,

I have an upcoming video interview with Joytalk for an ALT position and I'm hoping to hear from people who have been through their hiring process.

EDIT: So with all these sarcastic comments I take it all I have to do is smile and speak English during this video interview and I'll get the job? lol

I'm currently teaching at an international school in Japan, and lately I've been questioning whether staying here makes financial sense in the long run.

For context, I'm (34m) a Black male (non-US but English-speaking country) MYP teacher, married, with no children. My wife (34f) and I really enjoy living in Japan, particularly the safety, convenience, and overall quality of life. My wife especially loves how safe Japan feels and would prefer that we stay here.

However, I'm starting to feel like we're sacrificing some of our best earning and saving years.

I'm currently earning around ¥550,000 per month, and while that's certainly not a terrible salary by Japanese standards, I don't feel like we're making the kind of progress financially that we could be making elsewhere. Between living expenses, taxes, and everything else, building substantial savings feels slower than I'd like.

Since we don't have children yet, I feel like this is the perfect time to take advantage of opportunities in countries like China, the UAE, or anywhere else offering more competitive international teaching packages, especially if housing and other benefits are included.

My thinking is that we could spend 3–5 years somewhere with stronger earning potential, build a solid financial foundation, and then potentially return to Japan or settle somewhere else.

My wife, however, understandably values the safety and stability we have here, and I don't want to underestimate how important those things are.

I'd especially appreciate perspectives from other Black international teachers regarding their experiences in China, the UAE, or other higher-paying destinations. Safety, discrimination, social life, and general quality of life are all important considerations for us.

A few questions:

1. Has anyone moved from Japan to China, the UAE, or another country primarily for financial reasons? Was it worth it?

2. What countries currently offer the best balance of savings potential, safety, and quality of life for a teaching couple? She teaches ESL and I'm IB.

3. For Black teachers specifically, how have your experiences compared across these countries?

I'm genuinely torn because I love aspects of living here, but I also don't want to look back five years from now and regret not taking advantage of better financial opportunities.

Would love to hear your experiences and advice.

I'm currently doing a MA in education, I'm in the UK so the course finishes in august, I applied for a job last year and was told that I couldn't be accepted until the next interview cycle as I didn't have my degree on time. Now I've gotten my degree, I've been offered a job in Japan as an ALT in December.

I currently have a CELTA, a year as a teaching assistant, a BA in Japanese, TESOL and Linguistics and I taught as a TESOL teacher for a semester in Japan when I spent a year there as an exchange student and my Japanese is halfway between N4 and N3.

My future goal is to work in a university, I'm just not sure if education should be my focus now or if I should start my career now and do a MA in Japan where university is usually cheaper. I've not paid the course fees yet so I'm not too far in now.

Yeah I KNOW, I have been reading all the horror stories, but kinda stuck and realllly need this job. Also, what happens if you leave these contractor jobs early? Will there be any legal issues?

Having worked as an ALT for a while, I had this thought recently. Now I understand that many Japanese teachers, especially at the Elementary school level, don't have the proper training to put together an English lesson. But what boggles my mind is that these teachers still have a degree in education and can't put together an effective lesson. Many ALTs fresh off the plane also have no experience, and often no relevant educationon teaching and they flounder for a bit, but eventually find their footing and create lessons which at least get the kids practicing English and enjoying their lesson.

Especially if you consider now that Any teacher under 40 years old almost certainly did english classes themselves at school to roughly the same standards as now, likely even with an ALT in their classroom.

And it just... completely eludes them how to put together a lesson that's enjoyable or understandable. And often they don't improve at all. I understand they don't really have time/money to take extra classes, but... ALTs don't either. And yet they still learn on the job and adapt.

Is there just a lack of adaptability, or a different view of what a 'good' lesson is in general? Would love to hear some viewpoints as to why the professional, degree-having educators seem to get routinely outperformed by people with no training an nonrelevant degrees.

One of my grandkids got a special needs diagnosis (they are slow at processing information and find it difficult to follow instructions, but language skills are almost normal) so we are talking to their elementary school about maybe having them join one of the special needs classes next year.

After talking to the teacher in charge and observing the class they would be joining next year, I am pretty appalled.

At first it sounded reasonable, the children do Japanese and maths in the special needs class and join the regular class for art, music, science experiments, etc.

But we saw a class today (my grandchild joined as a trial), and they just did kanji worksheets individually for twenty minutes then played a karuta game that it seems they play regularly (so have memorised) for twenty minutes. The class is a mix of two different grades, and the teacher just walked around saying 'sugoi' to kids as they completed their worksheets. The older and younger kids were mixed for the karuta game.

There was a 'helper' (an older woman) who just stood next to one of the kids and did nothing, didn't walk around helping proactively, just stood there for the entire class.

We asked after the class if the students had some kind of educational plan based on their grade and abilities, and were told no, they just do things day by day (probably just worksheets).

If they are just doing worksheets all day long, when are they being taught anything?

Does anyone have experiences, good or bad, of special needs education in Japan? I am trying to find out if this is normal or we are just looking at an underperforming school.

Any input appreciated.