Japan Vs Thailand

[DragonQuest]

Hello all,

Just curious to know about all who have experienced both countries first hand, I literally cant decide where to teach , half of me wants japan the other half of me wants to stay in thailand lol any suggestions or comments appreciated.

[Jonson83]

Good question m8.I hope to teach in Japan after i earn my degree and would also like to know what its like teaching in Japan.

I think IJWT compared the expat life there to bill murrays existance in the film 'lost in translation'

[DragonQuest]

actually i saw that movie when it first came out many years ago, and i thought it was really boring, but i forgot about the movie so i have to rent it again, also didnt that movie win like some oscars and 4 stars? it didnt seems so to me lol my x-girlfriend said it sucked lol

[jjspitz]

I taught quite a few years in Japan and now I've been in Thailand for several years too. It 's kind of hard to sum up which is better. It depends on a number of things like your age, how long you're planning to stay, whether you're more interested in a career or lifstyle..... The golden days are over in Japan. It used to be you could find a real good job fairly easy in Japan, regardless of your qualifications. Now, they seem to have two or three types. The language school jobs,(easy to get but long hours and not good pay) public school teaching assistant(pretty good pay and conditions, but a lot depends on where and who you're placed with) or the usually excellent university posts (will need to be well qualified, Post Graduate degree in TEFL or Linguistcs..) Any of these jobs is likely to have much better working conditions in Japan than the same category jobs here in Thailand. Age is a big factor in Japan. If you are over 35 then many jobs aren't available to you. it doesn't make it impossible, but your options are more limited.

Lifestyle is much nicer in Thailand. Good weather, cheap food and drink, affordable nitelife and shopping are all good reasons to prefer it here. So it really comes down to what's important for you at the moment. If I were young, single, and not qualifed to get a good job in Thailand, then I'd be off to Japan in a second.

I can't imagine why anyone wants to slog it out here, just scraping by on 30,000 or less. At least in Japan you'd have some money in the bank each month. Fly back to Thailand on one of your holidays, have a piss up and throw the mighty Yen around for a few days. Still i enjoy my life here, and my job. Just wish the financial side of things were a little more comfortable.

[DragonQuest]

great explanation jjspitz now thats what im talking about baby!

[Ijustwannateach]

This is an area where I'm pretty well qualified to comment. Since there seems to be some interest, I'll try to come up with one of my long rambling posts before long, but I'm too tired tonight. JJspitz's post is right on the money. As Jonson83 says, I compared life there for the expat *AT ITS BEST* to Lost In Translation- remember that most foreigners don't have it that good there. A sobering thought.

"Steven"

[DragonQuest]

And I hope to hear more information from Ijustwanna and other forums dwellers on this thread as well heheh.^^ hopefully Im here now so maby Japan in the future will see how this thread turns out.

[Jonson83]

"If I were young, single, and not qualifed to get a good job in Thailand, then I'd be off to Japan in a second."

What do you mean by this jjspitz?

I would have thougth that if you werent qualified to get a good job in Thailand,it would be even harder to get a decent job in Japan?

Saying that,ive just been reading up on the subject and as things stand.You need more qualifcations to teach in Thailand than you do to teach in Japan!

[DragonQuest]

Well guys I made my decision, im off to Japan by the end of the year. My friend got a job teaching and then she decided to do hostessing in tokyo lol, probably making more then teaching I'd assume, any advice or tips for me would greatly be appreciated.

[dbm]

IMO your best bet is to do what I do. Work in J, or Korea, for 6 months --where you can SAVE as much as you would EARN in 18 months in T--- and spend the other 6 months on the beach in T. cheers

[Losangels]

then she decided to do hostessing in tokyo lol, probably making more then teaching

Not directly relating to teaching however I'll be wary doing hostessing in a bar in Japan because many are either directly or indirectly connected to the Yakuza(mafia)

[DragonQuest]

HAHAH true, so does anyone recommend a nice city to teach in Japan? aslo do they have like a ajarn.com for japan? anyone know a good site? thx XD

[Ijustwannateach]

Kansai area for pleasant surroundings, Tokyo for contact with other foreigners and more entry-level work. Good luck and stay in touch with our forum once in awhile.

[dbm]

It all depends on what type of experience you're looking for. I prefer the south-- the weather is nicer, good beaches and seafood and the people are more chilled out compared to Tokyo or Kansai ( though Kansai jin are really funny ). I really liked Nagasaki-- sort of like a San Fran in Asia. Kagoshima is also a great place, as is Matsuyama in Ehime and Hiroshima. The cost of living is also less so you can save more. Matsuyama was great because in the winter you can drive about 2 hours into the mountains and go skiing on the largest mountains in W. Japan, and then back down to the coast in the afternoon to do some sailing/fishing. Also, the onsens are superb.Better range of housing options away from the mega cities too.Also close to Hiroshima for some baseball, shopping, clubs etc...

Cheers

[think_too_mut]

IMO your best bet is to do what I do. Work in J, or Korea, for 6 months --where you can SAVE as much as you would EARN in 18 months in T--- and spend the other 6 months on the beach in T. cheers

I know of several English teachers in Tokyo. They are all under 30, some as young as 21-22.

Don't know what money you guys are talking about but I pay my apartment at Shinjuku, out of my pocket, just under 250,000Y per month. That is whole monthly income of an English teacher here, if that.

They live in faraway bed-towns 2 hours commute each way or share rooms. I can't imagine anyone in in Thailand on 40K baht living so poorly.

One even shares a 1 room studio with someone who works in a nightclub so they take sleep turns in 1 bed that they have.

18 months in Thai is about 700,000B. That's 2 million yen.

In japan 6 months salary would be 250K x 6 = 1.5 mil yen total pay.

How could anyone save 2 mil yen then then? Even with private lessons it's looks impossible.

Edited August 28, 2007 by think_too_mut

[dbm]

Depends on your situation. I've been working in both J and T ( and Korea) for about 14 years now. In J I 1. Dont pay rent on my 2 bed apt. 2. Dont pay tax as I do in T. 3. I receive a pension in J comparable to 1 months salary at the end of my 6 months.4.A 1 month completion bonus.5. Free return flight to BKK.6. Free private health care ( unlike T)---so really the only thing I do pay for in J is food and entertainment. Not hard to save at all--especially as I basically work weekends aswell ( and weekday evenings) with privates as since I only work 6 months at a time I pack my schedule so I can relax without worrying for my 6 months in T. As I said too--stay away from Tokyo and Kansai and you can save a lot more

[think_too_mut]

Depends on your situation. I've been working in both J and T ( and Korea) for about 14 years now. In J I 1. Dont pay rent on my 2 bed apt. 2. Dont pay tax as I do in T. 3. I receive a pension in J comparable to 1 months salary at the end of my 6 months.4.A 1 month completion bonus.5. Free return flight to BKK.6. Free private health care ( unlike T)---so really the only thing I do pay for in J is food and entertainment. Not hard to save at all--especially as I basically work weekends aswell ( and weekday evenings) with privates as since I only work 6 months at a time I pack my schedule so I can relax without worrying for my 6 months in T. As I said too--stay away from Tokyo and Kansai and you can save a lot more

And you call it a life?

That was my point - anyone in Thai on 30-40K baht lives better.

Try teaching English on an oil rig in the ocean.

[toptuan]

If you teach primarily because you love it, something needs to be said about the type of student in each country. Working ten years in Japan and five in Thailand affords me a few observations for you:

Getting Japanese students to respond to you as a teacher (discussions, answering questions, etc.) is like pulling teeth with 10-foot roots. This is especially vexing if you are an English teacher entrusted with teaching English conversation courses. There is a Japanese proverb, "The nail that sticks up shall be pounded down." Translation: "Never do anything to stand out in a crowd--and that especially means don't raise your hand in class, or be the one to answer questions." Students risk becoming social outcasts if they stick out in any way.

Thailand has its shy students, but with enough teaching skills and experience you can draw them out much easier than Japanese students. Thai culture includes the "sanook" factor (in education: have fun while learning) that helps to make the classroom experience a much more satisfying one than in Japan, in my opinion. You can use this cultural handle to turn the classroom into an effective interactive experience, particularly when imparting verbal skills.

Yeah, the pay is lousy in Thailand compared to Japan, but some of us think that feeling satisfied at the end of a teaching day is a priceless commodity not to be ignored as well.

[dbm]

And you call it a life?

That was my point - anyone in Thai on 30-40K baht lives better.

Try teaching English on an oil rig in the ocean

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You gotta be joking....

I get 6 months vacation a year and have enough cash to live comfortably in my house on the beach.Yes, I call that a life and a darn good one.Also enjoy a once a year trip to my home country and once in a while I'll pop over to India for a few weeks. You'd be crazy not to do this.