Teaching English while traveling in Japan...
A section where it's me who's asking

Having heard numerous stories on how hard it can be, I sometimes feel discouraged to even try. And I'm not sure if I meant the several tons of paperwork that needs to get administered before I could set my feet in the classroom.

Working conditions in Japan seem to vary greatly on their own already, and if you add "female instructor" and "foreigner" to the mix, it can turn into a creepy experience. Just as anywhere else in the world for that matter. I've came across a thousand articles describing what work is like for a foreign English teacher in Japan, and I've learned to dismiss the claims that now seem all too pessimistic and personal.

Full time vs part time

I'd like to be as free as possible while in Japan. Not grounded to a company or school, teaching the same or similar lessons to uninterested students all day long. I'd like to stay just as independent as I am right now, but would that cancel me out as a possible ELT candidate? It's quite different than in Budapest, and in Hungary, where you can get to any part of the city within an hour or two even in the biggest traffic jam, and go to Balaton or to the mountains... the scale on which distance is measured can only be cut with a lot of money... plane or shinkansen bullet train tickets, which I may not be able to afford. But who knows, it could be that it's my plan that's wrong.

There are a lot of arbeito, or part time jobs which will allow me to do just that, teach English without developing bonds I didn't want to. However it's quite rare that a company or school, or even individual will be able to persuade the Ministry of Foreign Affairs ( MOFA ) of Japan, by mail of course, and through the regular forms, that they should provide this freelance a work permit to roam about in the country. There seems to be some leeway though.

A student VISA, that allows one to work up to 20 hours a week, and no more.

For that, yet again, I'd need to find a school that can provide me with one, and since I'll only be eligible for such a VISA as long as I actually stay their student, that will cost money. It's becoming more and more expensive, even though such a permit allows me to earn less money.

Cutting back on expenses - for the sake of travel

It's nowadays widely known that if you're up for it, you can crash in a guesthouse for one third of the rent of the cheapest apartments, with no "key" and "guarantor" money needed, just a single month's deposit, which in fact is but you paying the rent up front. Now that's an adventure, living in a house with other people from all around the world, doing approximately the same things I do, except that perhaps they don't teach English, but are learning Art or Computer Science...

Any ideas on this would be welcome, I have my own experiences with hostels and cheap accommodation, but most of them were in Europe, and staying for shorter period, a couple of weeks at most.

Alternatives in seeking a job

Also, I'd be interested in knowing whether this "working hour limit" is to be taken very very seriously, or just simply seriously?

I've heard from people who went there that just by roaming around downtown Tokyo, especially the areas where there're a lot of young people like Shibuya and Harajuku, you can find some locals who'd like to have their own private "friends" who teach them English! People had walked up to the person and asked whether he knew English, and wanted to have regular conversations, just for the sake of the students' understanding of the language, and some practice with pronunciation. In a different situation some people walked up to him and asked if they could take a photo for the record, for they sought out possible models for low campaign. Modeling is still one of the most lucrative jobs in Japan... but I'm not sure if I'd be up for that much work in a sector I don't know at all! ( Oh wait. Would that be the only problem ? Where does this confidence come from ? )

Either way, it seems to me that there are a lot of instances where there's no employer in a legal sense, just some young managers, or students or whoever, looking for the first foreigner who looks nice enough to be spoken to. Most of them will know English anyway. But relying on such income - looking up part time jobs in classifieds, networking through friends and waiting for others to walk up to me - seems a bit idealistic. I mean unreliable.

So far the cheapest guesthouse rent -- and an apartment I could live with -- was about 60.000 Y a month... which is about 90.000 Ft, which isn't that much. All I'd need to do is share the kitchen and the bathroom with a complete stranger, right? No problem. ( You bet it's a problem, if the other person is a freak. But you won't know until you get there, this isn't homestay after all. ) As far as I know, it's the food and other expenses, a phone, and transportation that would take up most of the expenses, at least another 4-5000 Y every day, and that means I'd need to really stay on alert with my spending.

... and even so, a full time job, that wouldn't even allow me to travel, isn't all that inviting.

Companies and schools that hire people out of the blue as full time employees, will most likely have some housing in their plan, provided within, or deducted from your salary, at a discount price. But again, you wouldn't be able to choose the location ( correct me if I'm wrong here, but so far I've never heard of them just passing you the money to choose your own room ). You would probably end up far away from downtown, and find yourself bound to the grace of your employers. That's just not a good idea, anywhere in the world. Let alone on the other side of it, thousands of kilometers from your first friend or family member.

Seems like a rough road ahead... planning all this.

But to me it's Japan that attracts me the most, and not necessarily teaching English to Japanese. If possible I'd like to learn Japanese myself, at least to some degree, and that'd be pretty hard if my friends were always talking to me in English. The teaching part I'm more or less satisfied with in Hungary as well.

As you see not all options are listed, I may not even know of some important points, and the plan is still in the making. So if you have anything to add to it, correct... if you have some experiences in these regards, or can share your own sources, please let me know! I'll be happy to receive any such message.

Anita Deri

- My choice of accommodation is Sakura House right now. Not that I know all that many.
- I'm thinking of getting myself into a Japanese Language School to get a student VISA
- As for the location, probably Aoyama, or if that's too costly, somewhere nice in Tokyo... : )
- As for food, I can live on water and rice for long periods of time.
- As for trasportation... how complicated is it to get the best discounts locals have ? Like a pass.
- Not the Japan Rail Pass. Although if that's the best, I think I'll take it in the end.

Thanks goes out for PhotoPassJapan! Go and see their pictures of Japan ( especially Tokyo )...
There are thousands more. Ideal for learning more before you go.

More information to those who found this article ( or open letter ) more informative than disturbing can be found in the TEFL, ELT jobs Japan page.