Now I'm considering this ...

[fushigi_na_chou]

~.: Sarah brought to my attention how great it could be to teach English in Japan. Until today, I'd only been passively considering it, since I wanted to do something more mental health related, and not completely education related. Also ... JAPAN. I had a hard time being there for four months. I missed my family and friends ridiculously, and I

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[hideincarnate]

My advice: IM me. XD I can answer any of your questions a lot faster in person, if we're ever on at the same time.

Anyway quick list of pros and cons:

Pros: The pay. with the US economy as it is, you'd be making way more money over here just being a white person and going "Do you play soccer?" for 45 minutes each day. (Seriously. 90 yen to the dollar. Been this way for a few months actually. It makes my heart ache but also makes me glad to be here buying Japanese stuff and not back home buying Japanese stuff.)
You could improve your Japanese? I think mine has improved, I am not certain though.
Easy access to Japanese things. XD; IDK MAN.
The kids - they really make my day sometimes.
The compliments - omg you can use chopsticks! omg you know japanese! omg you are you! WE LOVE JESSICA SENSEI!
Work experience, at least related to Japan and education.

Cons: If you really can not tolerate Japan, don't come.
Chances are you will not be in Tokyo or any major city. You might be several hours commuting distances from a big city. It depends on who you work for and where they put you. This will also determine if you need a car to get to your schools. Some people spend time commuting to the schools they teach at.
You can't really chose where you'll work - unless you're applying to fulfill empty positions via gaijinpot and a lot of those require you to already be in Japan with a visa. =/ You can see what companies only work where - some are isolated to one part of the nation; mine is nationwide.
Stress. I don't like how stressful it can be at times. Some of it is due to language barrier/misunderstandings, a lot of it is how the schools work. They're not always organized and that can make your job harder.
The kids - sometimes I want to slap them. There are good and bad kids.
Isolation - it often gets to me and I find myself lonely or angry/depressed, especially when friends are out doing fun things in cities and I'm not. You might also be the only foreigner in your town so you might not even be able to hang out with other non-Japanese speakers. So you have to be prepared to be totally cut off from the familiar.

Um...that's all I can really think of. I know there seems to be a lot more cons than pro but it all depends on how you approach it. My one friend is having a ball because she can go to Tokyo every weekend, has a lot of friends there, and this is her first time here. It's like her honeymoon period. For me, this is my fourth time here. Hiroshima is nothing like Tokyo. My friends don't really live near me, and the one friend who does is in the same boat as me and she doesn't always want to get together. I can spend a whole week or two just going to work, coming home, over and over. It can drive me nuts as my town isn't big and doesn't offer a lot of things for me to do. I also think I might be stressed and depressed. Sure, I can be genki at work - teaching is like acting. But at home I can spend hours just doing nothing. I don't even draw or play video games or watch the DVDs I brought with me. It's like I have no energy for my favorite hobbies... Believe it or not, I am only continuing this job because a) I need consistent work experience in one place for more than like a year, b) I want to take the JLPT so I can prove I know my shit back home, c) uh being employed and getting paid, d) the kids. I feel bad that they can go through as many as 6 different teachers in their elementary school years because the ALT turn over rate is so high. I know that's how it is but I think it hinders their learning.

So yeah. It depends on how you feel about Japan, about working here, and what your work situation is. Some people are having the times of their lives, some don't know how to do anything else, and some hate it.

Anyway, feel free to IM me to ask me any questions. My LJ also holds a lot of info but you already read that. XD;

[fushigi_na_chou]

Wow, that is certainly alot of information, and alot of good advice. This is why I'd only been passively considering it, because I don't know if I'd be ready to go back any time soon. I'd love to jump on a plane now to visit for a week or two maybe, with friends in tow, with a bunch of money, with a dictionary (or someone whose Japanese hasn't decreased as much as mine), but that's not the situation, and so I'm wary. I'll continue to think about it, and if I've got anymore questions, I'll definitely ask you. Thank you~~~ ♥

[on_dragon_wings]

I know that the company I told you about, Amity, has schools in most of the major cities. They even let you give your preference and they try to give it to you (or at least something close to it).

Plus, with the paid vacation you could always come home (or have your family come and visit in Japan like mine want to, lol). Like I said, the home sickness may not be as much of an issue once you settle yourself in and get into a routine (and be making money on your own). It would be just like moving to New York, only a "tad" farther away, lol. Homesickness is natural your first time moving out on your own, it doesn't really matter where you move to. XD

[fushigi_na_chou]

Well, it wouldn't really be that much money after all. Our economy is so bad that the salary would only be about $3000 a month, and you still have to pay for your own amenities and living expenses like groceries and transportation. Also, Jess said that the pay is offset for two months (no matter what company you go through (she also said that Amity is not her first choice of companies to go through to work in Japan)), so you'd have to go with quite a chunk of money to begin with. :/

[on_dragon_wings]

There would be hurdles no matter what company you go through, I'm sure. and $3000 a month is ok for just one person, as long as you're careful with you money. I plotted out what my monthly expenses would be (on average) and it's definitely doable.

I'm not trying to talk you in or out of it, I'm just trying to look at it from all angles. *shrug* But yeah, Jess is actually over there doing it, so her advice is definitely worth listening to. XD (Though the experiance differs for everyone, I hear).

[fushigi_na_chou]

Well yeah, the experience will differ from person to person, depending on how much you like being there, how much you enjoy working there, and such. I just know that my main goal is to attempt to save money while still paying off school loans. Jess also said that it's likely we could get paid less than what the site posts up as the salary, though I'm not sure how true that is, depending on the company.

If there was a way to contact the people at the company to find out how much our expenses would be, it would be easier to plot out a budget. If we're paying for all of our rent, all of our utilities and amenities, plus groceries and transportation, that might not leave us with much to send home afterward, you know? I have loans that I apparently need to start paying off NEXT MONTH (my dad took out parent PLUS loans in his name for me, and those need to start getting paid next month :x I have no idea how I'm going to manage that unless I get this job that I'm interviewing for on Thursday).

I'm definitely keeping it in mind though. :)

[on_dragon_wings]

Well, I perused the Amity site a while back, and they kept saying that the apartment you get is subsidized, which means they pay for part of the rent, and all we'd have to pay would be 42,000/month, which is only, like, $450? That's an amazing price for Japan. And they're furnished, so that's a plus. I'm not sure about utilities, but I'm pretty sure there was some mention about a discount on those too.

But yeah, for any company it would definitely be a benefit to call them. I'm not applying any place unless I talk to someone first.

I also know that you wouldn't leave for several months anyway, because of legal stuff (getting your visa, etc etc), so you'd have to time to work and save up some money before you go. You give them your estimate of when you'll be able to leave and they work around that.

But anyway, good luck on the interview on Thursday! Ganbatte! I'll be sending prayers your way.

[fushigi_na_chou]

The rent would be about $473 a month. Groceries would probably be close to $100 a month (lets say, if you don't splurge). Transportation could easily be $100 a month or more, depending on how far away you are from you school, and whether you use that same transportation to get groceries, and whether or not you ever leave your apartment otherwise. Who knows how much utilities would be?

I just have the feeling that when it's all said and done, all I'll be sending home is about $1000, which is nothing I can save, because it would all go towards paying off my bills. Sure, I might get all my loans paid off, and then still be living in my parents' basement when I'm thirty. :/ But who knows, maybe this job won't pay very much either. -sigh- It's just alot to weigh. :<

Thanks for the prayers. ^-^