I’ve been focused for decades on living and working in Japan, but I went where opportunities arose in my 20’s and ended up teaching in Hong Kong for now 11 years. I’m from the States where I got a Japanese bachelors degree, but never taught there, only had unrelated part time jobs then immediately after graduation worked in Hong Kong for teaching full time. I’m on the NET Scheme which is paying well enough to keep me away from Japan all this time, so a pay cut is inevitable. I’ve always thought I’ll be trading riches for rags if I move to Tokyo, but I want to know if my worries are unfounded, and to get a general sense of my options based on what I have now.
I have Bachelors in Japanese from USA, TESOL from London, PGDE and Masters in Education from Hong Kong, and teacher registration in Hong Kong. I have experience teaching English 1 year at Kindergarten and 10 years at elementary (8 are the NET Scheme). Current contract will end in summer 2026 so add two more years of NET experience by the time I can leave. I don’t have IB certification, teaching license from the States, or any experience working in international schools or American schools. I’ll turn 39 years old right when my contract ends. If need be, I’ll gladly take IB certification course between now and then.
Whenever I do my own searches into teacher salaries in Japan (mainly Tokyo because, well it’s Tokyo) I feel like I’m not equipped to correctly interpret the numbers because of the difference in country systems and how money is taxed and spent. My current perks are airfare and gratuity every two years (per contract), and housing allowance is treated as salary and taxed, so the NET salary is usually reported inclusive of that. I’m able to safely save money for retirement now, but not sure what salary in Japan would be necessary for similar savings options. Hong Kong doesn’t have mandatory health insurance as government is available and nearly free, but private insurance is pushed and another perk of NET Scheme is about $200USD per year reimbursement for having private insurance. I keep reading about a transportation allowance in Japan but no such thing exists in Hong Kong that I’ve heard of, so I don’t know how to guess that amount.
I have very little idea what offers I’m likely to get and if my experience is applicable at all to something well paid, and in my 20’s I thought I’d pursue JET program but now perhaps I need to do better (looking at international schools). Any and all insight you can provide will be much appreciated, even little things you may take for granted might be first time knowledge for me. Thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to read all the way to the end of this giant post and responds. Haha
by kaybosasuke