Whenever I tell people back home in Singapore that I live and work in Japan, people become somewhat envious of me — at least superficially. But I have sacrificed a lot to walk this path, and it’s not one that I can recommend to many.
Quite a number of those who move to Japan initially do so through the path of teaching English. For many, based on my experience, there are only 3 exit plans — continue to teach English, move on to recruiting (usually for foreign companies in Japan), or go home.
Unfortunately, English teaching in Japan is not particularly highly valued. As
, shares in his piece “Why I’m Leaving Japan,” his annual salary in Japan as an English teacher on the JET program is only 3,600,000 yen (before tax) which converts to USD 24,758 at current exchange rates (USD/JPY = 145).
The alternative — apart from becoming an entrepreneur — is to pursue a regular corporate career in Japan. Obviously, this is fraught with difficulties that make it extremely difficult for Japanese people — let alone foreigners — to succeed.
If you are keen to move to Japan and make a life out of it, I hope the path I have taken can be of reference to you. A major caveat though — it requires extremely long-term planning, networking, sacrifice, and even a bit of luck to fully execute.