[quote="djbambi"]Dear Mbovi,
I am desperately trying to get a job in Japan as a French teacher.I am a native speaker with 8 years IB experience.Do you have any suggestions?
Thank you. [/quote]

Interestingly enough, amongst the adults ( 20 - 40 ), there is a decent-sized demand for the acquisition of the French language. The Japanese seem to have a great deal of interest in European culture in the last recent years with many French restaurants popping up, French cultural hobbies and of course, a lot of Japanese women dating French men ( haha ). However, at international schools, French is not readily offered bc of the difficulty with Japanese students acquiring and mastering the English language. English is the priority. It's very rare to find a French position at international schools here, I'm afraid :( Your chances are quite low for English will always be the priority.

[quote="CaliPro"]Could one live outside of tokyo and commute in for work to cut costs etc?

Would one be able to save 1/2 their salary?

Are those figures pre tax or after tax?[/quote]

These figures are PRE-TAX.

And yes, you can save a fair bit on your salary. The accommodations are usually covered by the school ( school allowance ) and so, you can save a lot. I am not sure why people think Japan is insanely expensive that you can't save. If it was, then you would have a high turn over of international school teachers and this would NOT be a popular destination...but it is. In fact, it's extremely hard to get in Japan bc no one wants to leave.

[quote="KellyGuy"]mbovi, I'll ask you rather than starting another thread.

Teachers at my school here in Brazil have tried to scare me about the workload for teachers in Japan: "you'll be working 70 to 80 hours a week!" That sounds completely ridiculous. 80 hours a week is, what, working 12 hour days Monday through Saturday, plus another 8 hours on Sunday.

And they aren't talking about time spent grading and planning at home, they are talking about spending all that time AT the school.

What's the reality in your experience? I gather that teachers stay in Japan for many years once they land a good job, and I can't believe they would do that if they are working much more than a regular 40 hour week.[/quote]

It all depends on the school ( just like in EVERY single place ). Most Japanese international schools here ( except for the top ones like Yokohama and ASIJ ) have a Japanese administration ( i.e. owned by very rich Japanese corporation heads or businessmen ). This is NOT necessarily a bad thing like in many countries. For the most part, Japanese administration are highly efficient ( comes with the culture of working hard ) and they really take care of you. Even 2nd or 3rd tier schools are pretty good here in Japan ( especially in Tokyo ). In fact, a 3rd tier school here would be considered much better than your regular decent public school back home in North America.

As for the hours, NOBODY makes you work 70 - 80 hrs PAST your contract hours! That's just against the law. However, there is a " culture of obligation " where if you see all your teachers working or staying late until 7 pm every night, you feel that you have to...even though you DON'T HAVE TO. Don't listen to your co workers. I think it's just the whole hype about the Japanese culture being a workaholic one.

I currently work at the top international school in Tokyo right now. I've been working here for around 7 years. Most of my friends are international school teachers in Tokyo. Here are the rough estimates :

1) ESL Teacher ( No teaching license, no certification ) : 210, 000 - 250, 000 yen / month ( $ 2120 USD - $ 2500 USD / month )

2) LOWER TIER SCHOOLS

0-2 years experience ( starting ) : 300, 000 yen - 350, 000 yen / month
* The increments of increase depend on each school, but it's not more than 100, 000 yen EVERY 1 - 2 years ( approx. $ 1000 - $ 1200 USD EVERY 1 - 2 years ).

2 - 5 years experience ( approx ) : 400, 000 - 450, 000 yen / month

3) UPPER TIER SCHOOLS ( Mostly in Tokyo - international schools with a large number of expatriate students )

0 - 2 years experience ( starting ) : 500, 000 yen - 600, 000 yen / month

2 - 5 years experience ( approx ) : 650, 000 yen - 800, 000 yen / month

Overall, you make a lot of money in Japan as a teacher. If you are living in Kobe, 400, 000 yen - 450, 000 yen a month is a great salary, but that's if you have experience. Most Japanese international schools require that teachers have either 2 + years experience ( not just 0-2 years...but beyond 2 years ). It's quite competitive to get into Japan.

Also, I am surprised that they are asking you WHAT YOU WANT for a salary. Basically, depending on how many years you have been teaching, you should ask more than 350, 000 yen / month.

[quote="Snowbeavers"][quote="christyn2"]I just don't understand how reading and writing are actually TAUGHT in PYP schools? Can someone explain this to me? I obviously have not worked at one.[/quote]

The same way that it is taught in other schools through reading/writing workshops, mini-lessons, independent and shared reading.

The only difference is that reading and writing is also integrated into units of inquiry (which is how it should happen anyway in good teaching models). For example, students doing an ecosystem research project are taught context cues, reading comprehension strategies, note-taking and report writing. So the Unit of Inquiry becomes the backbone for all learning (reading/writing/math,IT, etc).

Hope that makes sense.[/quote]

Couldn't have said it better : Basically, in the PYP, the writing and reading are not taught as separate categories from each other ( this is how it was during " old school " days ). Everything is integrated so you have a natural way of actually applying the skills. Now of course, there has to be some time set aside to explicit teaching of writing, reading and representing.

Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai would have the largest concentration of top schools with the PYP.

[quote="CaliPro"]For a new teacher in Tokyo, how much could one save if they commuted to work from outside the main city / expensive spots and lived moderately?

Here's an example of how salaries would work at international schools in Tokyo. This is an example that I took from knowledge of colleagues, acquaintances that work in various types of international schools ( 1, 2, 3rd tiers etc ).

Let's assume the following :

1) YOU
- Newbie teacher ( 0-2 years of experience )
- Landed a job at a 2nd tier school in Tokyo
- Salary is at the very low end of the international school scales ( 4.0 million yen - 4.5 million yen starting ).

2) INCOMING SALARY : 300, 000 yen ( net ) / month
- 4.2 - 4.5 million yen / year ( gross )
- 350, 000 yen / month ( gross )
* 300, 000 - 310, 000 / month net ( Newbies do not get the income tax in the first year. It is in the 2nd year that they are hit and the income tax is not that high. However, since in Japan, you would have to pay 3 taxes, the taxes do add uo ).

3) COSTS OF LIVING :
- Rent : Usually subsidised or provided housing allowance ( Most teachers pay around 50, 000 yen per month after it has been subsidised as rent in Tokyo if NOT subsidised falls in this range 100, 000 yen - 200, 000 yen, depending on the area. Forget the Roppingi Hills, Ebisu, Daikanyama, Omotesando areas...you will be looking at $ 5000 and up for rent ).

- Transportation : If you live at least 1 hr outside of Tokyo, you are looking at 1200 yen per day ( 600 yen one way x 2 ). So, you would be spending a good 24 000 yen every month.

- Cell phone : 6000 yen / month ( iphones, smartphones etc )

- Utilities : Cheap in Japan ( electricity, water and such are very cheap ). 10, 000 - 12, 000 yen for everything every month.

- Internet : 5000 yen month.

- Groceries : 28 000 yen month ( if you eat at around 5000 - 7000 yen month ).

COSTS : 115 - 120 000 yen ( expenses ).

4) SAVINGS : You still have around 100, 000 yen to spend. You can be frugal or not. But ultimately, at a VERY LOW END SALARY ( 4.2 - 4.5 is actually a very low end salary in Tokyo ), you are still saving at last $ 1000 a month.

[quote="PsyGuy"]I dont buy the 50% savings, for the typical IT. Maybe if you had two incomes and no kids and subsidized housing or housing allowance you could save 1 salary (50%), or you were single and at ASIJ but otherwise no.[/quote]

Of course not, Lieguy, bc you're such an expert. However, many of my colleagues ( whether at the premier school or somewhere else ) do save a fair bit of money here. No one is broke, I will tell you that. Some are single...some are married...some are teaching couples...some have dependents. In my previous school, I was single and still saved a decent $ 40, 000 / year.

These are horror stories from colleagues :

1. One teacher was informed that he should be careful of the parents bc the parents ( a whole group of them ) practice voodoo. Hence, he was expected to raise the report card marks due to the administrations' " fear " of voodoo-practising group of rich parents.

2. Screaming tirades of a female administrator ( who was never a teacher but a recruiter and then eventually became a principal of a school in Doha, Qatar ). My colleague was left in tears for the screaming abuse was laden with threats and criticisms on everything she did ( including her dress, weight and looks ).

3. Sexual advances and comments from male high school students that were largely left ignored by the administration and brushed off as " Eh, it's part of the culture ". The teacher dared to respond that sexual harassment is not part of any culture. She was sacked for " not respecting the culture ".

I also have a few friends who currently work at 2nd tier or 3rd tier schools and they enjoy it well enough. Of course, the major complaint is salary or lack of certain benefits ( e.g. medical etc ), but housing is more often than not, provided, the locations are pretty amazing, the student & parent populations are small, friendly, highly supportive and there's a lot of adventure to be had. If the 3rd tier is truly a bad experience, at least, you can learn from it. Also, remember that bad experiences ( even godawful ones ) happen at any types of schools ( premier, 1st, 2nd, 3rd etc )...while the best ones can also happen at such schools.

In regards to students :

Don't let the student population deter you from applying at a specific school. Japanese students are AMAZING to teach. The parents are highly supportive and have such a great deal of respect for parents. In fact, most international schools have a high population of Japanese students ( some are biracial and some are just very wealthy Japanese nationals who can afford to go to international private schools ). The Japanese students who enter the international schools can already speak English fluently ( or near fluency ) bc there are tests that they have to take in order to get in.

In fact, that's another plus in working in Japan : The students are highly motivated, extremely polite, well-mannered with a great deal of respect and reverence for teachers bc of their parents. At parent interviews, Japanese parents are always the ones to dress up in their best attire and with the most humble demeanour, taking in your advice with the utmost respect.

But once more, I stress : It is quite difficult to get into Japan for it's a top destination for teachers bc of the a) Salary, b) Lifestyle, c) Students to teach and d) The country and culture itself. You have a lot of foreigners here ( especially males ) who avidly seek Japanese women to marry so that they can stay here forever. Many teaching couples have been here for over 10 years, some thinking retirement. Singles often stay for 5 years and over....and then end up coming back ( like me ). Japan has a very strong allure and it's quite an easy place to live in DESPITE the language barriers. Hence, not a lot of turn over bc the male teachers ( usually married to Japan ) are here for life. Sadly, the only time that there was a major " turn over " was largely due to the disaster in March 2011 when many foreign teachers and foreigners left Japan to avoid the natural disasters. However, after 2012, the foreigners are trickling / coming back to resume their jobs. Tokyo still has a massive expat population.

With BOTH schools that I worked for here in Tokyo, the head masters would always talk about the loooonnnnngggg line ups that our schools generate at fairs. Indeed, when I went to my first ( and only ) fair over many years ago, the Japanese schools ( YIS - Yokohama International School, ASIJ - American School in Japan, TIS - Tokyo International School and two schools in the Kansai regon ) all had the longest lines with aggressive looking teachers all vying for that one spot and one glimmer from the recruiter's eye.

Japan is a wonderful thing to have on your resume too.

Also, a few recruiters and interviewers I have met have expressed great interest in the fact that for a newbie ( when I was a newbie 7 years ago ), that I managed to get a prime spot in Tokyo. This gives them the predisposition to regard me bc they must be thinking, " Ah, new teacher in Tokyo...this person definitely won the tough challenge of getting the foot in the door...must be a decent teacher ". Another recruiter told me that it's also good to hire teachers coming from Japanese international schools bc it is guaranteed that the teachers probably worked very hard ( yes, you DO work VERY VERY HARD in international schools in Japan. For one thing, the Japanese work culture is insane. You have people who literally die at their desks from overwork in big companies and the country is known detrimentally as a workaholic country. Many teachers take stride with this and start to assume these very " Japanese qualities " at international schools to stay at the top of their game ). Hence, having Japan as your working post on your resume attracts a lot of recruiters from other countries already. I've had offers from Europe and Singapore every year.

I currently work at a really good ( premier / top ) international school in Tokyo. I save heaps of money in one of the most fascinating, vibrant, "alive" cities in the world. I have been here for 7 years.

Contrary to what people believe, you actually do get to save a lot on the salary. The yen has weakened considerably but for the most part, things are still greatly affordable with the salary. I am not frugal. I go out every weekend, spending a good 30, 000 yen each weekend. I shop...a lot. I also travel twice or three times a year somewhere outside of Japan ( this year, I traveled to Africa, Europe and back home ).

However, I will tell you now that it's very difficult to get into Japan ( especially Tokyo ). There is not a lot of turn over, even if the school was bad bc the salary and the lifestyle are pretty amazing. I think that's a lot on what hold people here.

However, stay away from K. International school. I applied there a few years ago ( not that long ago ) and was appalled at the salary table they showed me. At 6 years, you would be making only 4.0 - 4.2 million yen per year ( that is gross - you have to pay taxes in Japan which is quite high as you have to pay THREE taxes : a) National Health care, b) Income tax and c) City tax...depending on where you live and your salary bracket and I live in a very ritzy part of Tokyo, you could end up paying close to around $ 10, 000 USD for altogether every year ).

This is the typical STARTING AVERAGE salary in Tokyo ( at international schools - both good and bad ) : All the salary is GROSS.

Starting - 3rd Tier schools - ( 0 - 2 years of experience ) : 3.8 million yen - 4.2 million yen.

Starting - 1st Tier / Premier schools - ( 0 - 2 years of experience ) : 6.0 million yen - 6.5 million yen

Maximum salaries I have seen ( top ) : 10.0 - 12.0 million yen.

I am making close to 6 figures right now on my 7th year. I save close to 50 % of my salary every year and this does NOT include the investments. However, my position at the top tier school is an exception and not usually the norm.

Most teachers here with past 2 years experience make around 5.0 million yen - 7.0 million / year.

I totally agree with higgsboson here. If you are a young international teacher who doesn't mind spending 1 - 2 years getting their " feet wet " in working / traveling at the same time in the international circuit, 3rd tier schools can be quite positive. In fact, many of these 3rd tier schools are better than any inner city school in major cities in North America. But of course, if you do plan to make international education teaching as your career for a very long time, 1 - 2 years in these types of schools is enough. After the 2nd year, it's time to move onto "better" schools. However, if you're quite happy and satisfied teaching at a 3rd tier school bc of the excitement of challenges and certain positive rewards that go with it, then stay.

[quote="mamanaia"]@missy: I too interviewed with this school a few years ago and was offered a position. I recall the salary offered was a bit higher than what movie mentioned, but I also did not get a good feeling about the school. I think it might be an okay post, for someone still trying to get into international teaching, but I declined because I was just coming off a bad posting with a school head that didn't respect international teachers, and I wasn't willing to gambit in that happening again.[/quote]

I think that they offered me that salary bc at the time, I was a very young teacher ( relatively new in the game ). They probably thought that I would jump at the chance. As a teacher with certain credentials and also, starting up my 2nd post at a premier school in Tokyo ( the 1st one is a Tier 1 school as well ), I know that I can request the following : $ 50, 000 K ( net ) and over. Right now, I am making 6-figures.

I suppose it's the countries that one chooses. I could go to Turkey right now and get a salary of $ 24, 000 / year....but why would I want to do that when I know that East Asia, Europe and some ( very small percentage ) schools in the Middle East pay much more than that?

It may seem like money, money, money is on my mind...but as an international education teacher, I think we have to stop taking the whole " martyr " role and be a bit more shrewd when it comes to negotiating our finances that will sustain our living. After all, we don't receive pension from our home govts and we have made a conscious, informed decision to work abroad with all its challenges ( along with its great perks ).

Well, I believe that it's not just the salary but a few things that pervaded during the interview that made me realise : " This is definitely not the place I would want to work in, despite Marakkech being so beautiful and exciting ".

1. The Elementary Coordinator, Mouad Tijani : He didn't exactly invoke a great sense of trust, integrity and respect from me. Despite the fact that he was extremely polite, he had the air of a " suave salesman " trying to sell me something. Now, I know that in REALLY top tier or premier international schools, it's usually ME doing all the selling and persuading. However, I felt that it was the other way around with my interview. Furthermore, there was a pervading sense of power OVER the headmaster. The headmaster sat muted, shrivelled up in a chair while Tijani did all the talking and was leaning forward, often answering for the headmaster. In fact, I don't even remember the headmaster asking me a question...it was all about Tijani. Judging from the google search and so on, he seems to dabble ( if not control ), the business aspect of the school. Now, more often than not, in a struggling school such as the AMS, an educator dabbling in the business aspect of school cannot INHERENTLY be good for the professional vocation...as some things " have to give " ( e.g. maybe less books or less resources on things that really matter, so as to make way for things to look " good " to parents at schools - entice more business ).

2. NO DRINKING WATER : I know a few things in this world :
a) Drinking water is a necessity of life....especially in hot, dry countries.
b) Morocco is in Africa.
c) Africa is hot.

Why is there NO drinking water? Is it that difficult to get a plastic bottle that dispenses clean, filtered water for teachers, children and parents to drink?

Is this me imposing a " Westernised " view of how life should be? Nope, not really. Morocco is not a severely underdeveloped country with a great concentration of dying refugees due to civil war. Even more so, Marrakech is a high-destination / tourist area.

I thought of one thing : If I can't even have access to drinking water on regular days, I can imagine how hard it would be during the Ramadan where I would have to openly fast...without water....teaching a class of 26 or so, with unruly students.