The previous two parts in this series detailed some misunderstandings about the costs involved in living in Japan, broke down a teacher’s salary, and offered some tips on saving money. Today’s blog is about how you can supplement your salary.
The rules
There are two common ways of supplementing your teaching income: private lessons, and company lessons. The first thing you want to be sure of is that you are not invalidating either your employment contract or your visa regulations by taking on extra work. Check your contract carefully for any stipulations regarding this.
The second thing to be aware of once you’re above board and ready to go is taking note of what you earn. You will probably have to pay your own tax on your private earnings so it is wise to keep a clear record of what you earn.
Earnings and visas
How much you can earn is seriously affected by how much time you have left after your regular job, and the going rate of pay in your area. One thing to keep in mind is that private earnings won’t help your next visa application so your priority should be your regular employer (unless you intend to self-sponsor your next visa – check back for a blog on that soon).
Private lessons
Private English lessons are very common in Japan and, without having conducted any research into this whatsoever, I think it’s safe to say that most English teachers supplement their income with private lessons.
Private lessons are one-to-one or group lessons that have been entirely arranged by you. No middleman is taking his cut. These lessons usually take place in a home (yours or the students), a public place (a café or study area) or your student’s place of business.
Reliable or not?
The problem with private lessons is that there is no security. Your students can quit without warning, or not turn up to the lesson. Another issue is that you have to prepare the material on your own. Private lessons also put a lot more pressure on the teacher as you have to be in total control. Being good at your job and building a good relationship with your students solves most of these issues.
The major advantage to private lessons is pay. How much you charge depends on the competition around you, so ask your colleagues and other private teachers what going rate is.
How much to charge
Generally speaking, 3000yen is the minimum and 5000yen is the average for a one-to-one lesson. Group lessons are where the real money is to be had. Obviously you have to lower the rate per student for private group lessons but building a bigger number of students makes a higher hourly wage for you.
Finding students can be a challenge. There are many websites that can help you, although I personally find them to be rather useless (others disagree). See the bottom of this page for useful links.
Marketing in Japan relies heavily on word of mouth, and so will you. If you are a good teacher, your students should recommend you to others. You can offer incentives for referrals, thus encouraging your students to tell their friends about you. Some teachers advertise in more traditional formats, dropping flyers through hundreds of letterboxes in their neighborhood.
Make the money
Supplementing your income through private lessons can really boost your earnings. Most teachers find that things snowball after the first 6 months or so. Some patience and a lot of hard work is needed, but the rewards are great.
Next week I will be looking at supplementing your earnings through company lessons, a more reliable source of extra income. I hope this series of Earning Money in Japan has been helpful to you. Leave your comments below!
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