# Teaching English for Gaba Corporation



## Vesper007

Hello!
I'm going through my interview rounds for Gaba Corporation, an English language center which wants to hire me. They are going to provide me with a visa and I'll be working as an independent contractor. With my pay rate I should earn $240,000 yen a month after taxes and I'm wondering if one can get by on that if I have a monthly payment of USD $400 in terms of student debt. I am alright with having a room in an apartment/house of other folks where we share a living room/kitchen/bathroom but I do insist upon having my own room. Is this enough to get by? I'd most likely be based in Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto, or one of the sleeper cities near Tokyo like Chiba. 
I like to go out and shop but within reason (I always set myself a budget before I leave the house and stick to it!) and they usually aren't fancy outings. I also want to see some local sites, do Disney Tokyo once and Universal Studios Osaka once.... can't help myself but I'm ok with waiting a few months and saving up to do those things. 
Would that money be enough to get by, pay off debts, and live a little bit? And how much would you expect start up expenses to be if I rent furnished accommodation?
Thanks!


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## xenocrisis0153

hi Vesper,

GABA is kind of a strange set-up. You are paid per lesson that you teach. They have a client base to offer, but it's up to the clients on whether or not they want to choose you. If you're a good teacher and word gets around, you can become one of their more popular teachers and make more money. However, for that to happen, you'd basically have to ALWAYS be working at their peak hours, which are weekday evenings and weekends.

Also, beware that when you are not teaching, you are NOT getting paid. No holiday pay, no vacation pay. GABA is lame like that. I am very doubtful you would be getting 240,000 after taxes anytime soon. Maybe if you stick with it for a year or two, you could get to that rate, but probably not right from that start.

So... with that said, assuming you ARE making 240,000/month... it is enough to get by in Osaka/Kobe, but only if you get an average apartment (the rule of 1/3 says you could afford a place that's around 80,000/month, but my advice on such an untrustworthy income would be to find something more around 45,000 - 60,000... try Amagasaki, Itami or Osaka-Yodogawa). I don't know many people who have roommates, so you should be able to live on your own.

Taking out that 40,000/month for the student debt is really gonna cut into your savings and entertainment funds, but if you scrimp on food, alcohol, and travel for a while, you should be able to get by. When I was making 200,000/month in Nishinomiya with a 64,000/month apartment, I wasn't saving much, nor could I travel as much as I used to when I was making 250,000/month. Although if it's your first time here, there will be plenty to see in Osaka/Kyoto to keep you busy.

USJ is 6,800/visit... but annual passes are just around 15,000 which are well worth it if you like theme parks. I've been 10 times since last October.

Regarding furnished apartments, they don't seem to be any higher than non-furnished ones. In fact, the place I'm living now in Kobe is the only unfurnished apartment I've ever had, and ironically enough, it's the most expensive place, haha. But it's also the best location, so maybe that's why.

Any other questions, I'll try to respond. Good luck and enjoy.


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## Vesper007

Hi xenocrisis!

First of all, I cannot thank you enough. I'll be asking quite a few questions along the way if I go through with all this (and get the job) because it seems like you know quite a bit.

I read through GABA's "independent contractor" ways and it makes sense. I'm planning on working Weds-Fri peak hours and all of the weekends. A good 80% of my work experience is late nights and weekends and I must say I actually prefer it to 9-5 so I don't mind.  Hopefully this improves my chances of getting clients faster.

I'm so happy to hear there are apartments out there within the 45,000-60,000 because so far I've only found houseshares and flatshares and was willing to settle for that (perhaps because the sites I found those on had a way of dodging key money). Any suggestions which websites to look at for that range? I'm ok with 45min-1hr of commuting to work each way (most of my life's been like that... I don't want to live with 90 min commutes again though!) in order to make rent affordable as yeah, 80,000 a month seems too much. 

I'll probably keep my travels and adventures to very local in the first year and then try South Korea/Thailand later on when I'm (hopefully) on a higher "belt" at Gaba. And it seems like Universal is worth saving up for the annual pass for and then going. Good call!

Also, how much is a cell phone plan (I have a Samsung S4 that's paid for... I'd like some internet to check emails and Google maps around when I get lost) and how much is monthly public transport? I can't seem to figure this out and I want to try and put together a budget.

Anyhow, thanks again! I've got my Gaba interview in 3 days and hope it flies through.

PS - If you have any questions about Dubai/Abu Dhabi, don't be afraid to ask. I am in Dubai at the moment and figured info for info is fair.


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## xenocrisis0153

hey, No problem, I'm happy to help. Let's see what's up for this round...



Vesper007 said:


> I read through GABA's "independent contractor" ways and it makes sense. I'm planning on working Weds-Fri peak hours and all of the weekends. A good 80% of my work experience is late nights and weekends and I must say I actually prefer it to 9-5 so I don't mind.  Hopefully this improves my chances of getting clients faster.


So what you're saying is you'd like to work Weds/Thurs/Fri during the peak hours (which if I recall, go as late as 10pm) and then all day on Saturdays and Sundays? That should work out, since those will be the high-traffic periods.

Bare in mind, however, that I believe GABA really operates as a "supplemental" income provider. I know they like to highlight the few people who make the big incomes in the 250-350k range, but I think those are very very rare instances. I could be wrong, though. I did interview with them a year and a half ago, and they explained how their system works, but they were basically trying to make me realize that it shouldn't be used as a primary income.

Have you tried any of the eikaiwa schools like ECC, AEON, or COCO Juku?



Vesper007 said:


> I'm so happy to hear there are apartments out there within the 45,000-60,000 because so far I've only found houseshares and flatshares and was willing to settle for that (perhaps because the sites I found those on had a way of dodging key money). Any suggestions which websites to look at for that range? I'm ok with 45min-1hr of commuting to work each way (most of my life's been like that... I don't want to live with 90 min commutes again though!) in order to make rent affordable as yeah, 80,000 a month seems too much.


oh, yeah, there are plenty of places around with cheap rents... some even as low as 30,000/month. I work in Osaka-Yodogawa, and the realtor shops around the train station advertise local places for all ranges. Japanese apartments are pretty small, so it's not so much the size that influences price as much as it is the age of the building and the neighborhood.

As for which agencies to us, try searching for UR Apartments. They are very cheap to get set up and they cater to foreigners. LeoPalace has furnished places and they can have more to offer, but their prices are a little higher (but at least the rooms are modern). Ummmm... some of the top agencies around here are CLASMO (that's who I used), PITAT House, Century 21, and Anpaman Shop. Sorry, I don't know their websites off-hand, plus it's no guarantee they speak English.

Also try ‚¢‚¢•”‰®ƒlƒbƒg�@‘å“ŒŒš‘õ[’À‘ÝƒAƒp�[ƒg�E’À‘Ýƒ}ƒ“ƒVƒ‡ƒ“�Z‘î�î•ñ–ž�Ú�I] if your Japanese is any good.

Don't worry about the commute at all. I live in Kobe but work in Osaka. Despite being 4 cities apart, it still only takes me 25 minutes by train. The only thing that would add to your commute would be the distance your home is from the nearest station. The GABA offices in Kobe-Sannomiya, Osaka-Umeda, and Osaka-Chihayamachi are all about a 5-10 minute walk from the train stations. 




> I'll probably keep my travels and adventures to very local in the first year and then try South Korea/Thailand later on when I'm (hopefully) on a higher "belt" at Gaba. And it seems like Universal is worth saving up for the annual pass for and then going. Good call!
> 
> Also, how much is a cell phone plan (I have a Samsung S4 that's paid for... I'd like some internet to check emails and Google maps around when I get lost) and how much is monthly public transport? I can't seem to figure this out and I want to try and put together a budget.


I love Universal ("USJ"). If you're ever bored on a weekend or day off, it's always available for guaranteed fun. It's open year-round... and they have special events for every season. Definitely check it out in October when they have the Halloween zombie-events.

Cell phone plans are typically between 4,000 - 7,000/month. I'm paying 6,800/month for my ipad, but it's also because I got the ipad from them for "free."

Public transportation... bookmark this website: www.hyperdia.com. It's the most reliable schedule route-finder. Plug in your stations and it will tell you the one-time cost, the 1-month cost, 3-month cost, and the 6-month cost. For example, my pass is Kobe---Osaka... for the 6-month, it's Y59,100. Not bad, I suppose.



> Anyhow, thanks again! I've got my Gaba interview in 3 days and hope it flies through.
> 
> PS - If you have any questions about Dubai/Abu Dhabi, don't be afraid to ask. I am in Dubai at the moment and figured info for info is fair.


Good luck! Just smile an incredible amount and let them know that you are "flexible" to handle any requests and schedules. That's all they want to hear.

haha, and yes!! Dubai advice, please. What are you doing there? I'm trying to find a job doing loss prevention/safety planning for any facility there... preferably one of the large swanky hotels. I'm looking to move there in September, so I've been sending out applications like crazy. No one seems to be paying attention to resumes, though. If you have any connections or advice, I'd be greatly appreciative. PM me and we can swap details. I can give you more day-by-day advice on Japan after you've moved, too.

see ya!


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## Vesper007

xenocrisis0153 said:


> So what you're saying is you'd like to work Weds/Thurs/Fri during the peak hours (which if I recall, go as late as 10pm) and then all day on Saturdays and Sundays? That should work out, since those will be the high-traffic periods.


Exactly, that's the plan!  I put that I'm willing to do Gaba Kids as well on my form so that may get me a few more hours on Weds/Thurs/Fri afternoon before peak. 



xenocrisis0153 said:


> Bare in mind, however, that I believe GABA really operates as a "supplemental" income provider. I know they like to highlight the few people who make the big incomes in the 250-350k range, but I think those are very very rare instances. I could be wrong, though. I did interview with them a year and a half ago, and they explained how their system works, but they were basically trying to make me realize that it shouldn't be used as a primary income.
> 
> Have you tried any of the eikaiwa schools like ECC, AEON, or COCO Juku?


 I applied to AEON and I didn't hear back although I'll give ECC and COCO Juku a shot. I can't do JET and Interac due to having a Croatian passport (most useless passport ever I swear!) and no secondary citizenship even though all my schooling has been in English and my BA + MA gotten in the USA. If you know of any other language schools to apply to, please let me know. 




xenocrisis0153 said:


> oh, yeah, there are plenty of places around with cheap rents... some even as low as 30,000/month. I work in Osaka-Yodogawa, and the realtor shops around the train station advertise local places for all ranges. Japanese apartments are pretty small, so it's not so much the size that influences price as much as it is the age of the building and the neighborhood.
> 
> As for which agencies to us, try searching for UR Apartments. They are very cheap to get set up and they cater to foreigners. LeoPalace has furnished places and they can have more to offer, but their prices are a little higher (but at least the rooms are modern). Ummmm... some of the top agencies around here are CLASMO (that's who I used), PITAT House, Century 21, and Anpaman Shop. Sorry, I don't know their websites off-hand, plus it's no guarantee they speak English.
> 
> Also try ‚¢‚¢•”‰®ƒlƒbƒg�@‘å“ŒŒš‘õ[’À‘ÝƒAƒp�[ƒg�E’À‘Ýƒ}ƒ“ƒVƒ‡ƒ“�Z‘î�î•ñ–ž�Ú�I] if your Japanese is any good.


Most excellent to hear! I'll look into some of those places but given my Japanese is severely limited I need to stick to the English websites. Oh well, am looking forwards to learning it better once I hopefully move there.



xenocrisis0153 said:


> Don't worry about the commute at all. I live in Kobe but work in Osaka. Despite being 4 cities apart, it still only takes me 25 minutes by train. The only thing that would add to your commute would be the distance your home is from the nearest station. The GABA offices in Kobe-Sannomiya, Osaka-Umeda, and Osaka-Chihayamachi are all about a 5-10 minute walk from the train stations.


Once again, awesome info.  And I'm glad that the trains are so awesome. I did sign up for all the Kansai region so I'll keep this in mind. My commute to school when I lived in NYC was 1 hr and some of my commutes to my job were 90 mins and I do not want to do that again. Phew!




xenocrisis0153 said:


> I love Universal ("USJ"). If you're ever bored on a weekend or day off, it's always available for guaranteed fun. It's open year-round... and they have special events for every season. Definitely check it out in October when they have the Halloween zombie-events.
> 
> Cell phone plans are typically between 4,000 - 7,000/month. I'm paying 6,800/month for my ipad, but it's also because I got the ipad from them for "free."
> 
> Public transportation... bookmark this website: www.hyperdia.com. It's the most reliable schedule route-finder. Plug in your stations and it will tell you the one-time cost, the 1-month cost, 3-month cost, and the 6-month cost. For example, my pass is Kobe---Osaka... for the 6-month, it's Y59,100. Not bad, I suppose.
> 
> 
> Good luck! Just smile an incredible amount and let them know that you are "flexible" to handle any requests and schedules. That's all they want to hear.


Universal at Halloween was great when I lived in Orlando, FL so I can only imagine what the Japanese version must be like. I'm all excited now!
Awesome that cell phone plans are cheaper than in the USA and I bookmarked the website.  
And I'll take your advice regarding the interview. It's in 2 days. 



xenocrisis0153 said:


> haha, and yes!! Dubai advice, please. What are you doing there? I'm trying to find a job doing loss prevention/safety planning for any facility there... preferably one of the large swanky hotels. I'm looking to move there in September, so I've been sending out applications like crazy. No one seems to be paying attention to resumes, though. If you have any connections or advice, I'd be greatly appreciative. PM me and we can swap details. I can give you more day-by-day advice on Japan after you've moved, too.
> 
> see ya!


PMing you regarding Dubai to keep this thread on topic. Don't want them friendly neighbourhood mods after us. :lol:


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## Paul-1000

Hi Vesper,

I am also applying to GABA at the moment, so I thought I would say hello!

I was thinking that it would be best for me to live in a shared house with other teachers if possible, but it seems like people tend to live solo. It seems like the accommodation in Japan is small and expensive, though!

-Paul


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## Vesper007

Paul-1000 said:


> Hi Vesper,
> 
> I am also applying to GABA at the moment, so I thought I would say hello!
> 
> I was thinking that it would be best for me to live in a shared house with other teachers if possible, but it seems like people tend to live solo. It seems like the accommodation in Japan is small and expensive, though!
> 
> -Paul


Hi Paul!

So glad to hear I'm not the only one in this boat. Which cities did you pick? My interview is tomorrow so if you need any tips I'll pass them on once I get through mine. 

As for accommodation, yeah, small and expensive seems to be how it is. Although it's still cheaper than when I lived in NYC although yeah, smaller still than that. I'm going to try and think of it as cozy.


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## Paul-1000

I'm actually re-applying, I had an interview last winter with them. I can't remember exactly what the questions were, just typical interview questions, nothing too tricky. They did ask about why I wanted to come to Japan, that I can remember.

I actually got there late and sweaty from running there (!) and I still passed, so you should be fine.

I said that I would be willing to live in any of the regions. I'm guessing Tokyo is the most crowded and expensive, so even though it is appealing, I'm not too bothered about going there!


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## Vesper007

Paul-1000 said:


> I'm actually re-applying, I had an interview last winter with them. I can't remember exactly what the questions were, just typical interview questions, nothing too tricky. They did ask about why I wanted to come to Japan, that I can remember.
> 
> I actually got there late and sweaty from running there (!) and I still passed, so you should be fine.
> 
> I said that I would be willing to live in any of the regions. I'm guessing Tokyo is the most crowded and expensive, so even though it is appealing, I'm not too bothered about going there!


Fantastic news! I'm having Skype interview w/them so I figured just get my webcam to work and do the whole black business suit thing which should help plenty. I've always been super curious about the Japanese culture so I guess that's reason enough. 

I've never been to Tokyo although I really want to see it, even if I wind up working in Osaka and making a day trip. My student debt is the reason I'm leaning away from living in Tokyo though just to make it easier to survive. Alas, if it comes to just that I'll think of a way to get through.


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## BBCWatcher

Vesper007 said:


> ....due to having a Croatian passport (most useless passport ever I swear!)....


Getting _very_ much more useful within the next few years now that Croatia is part of the European Union, and after the new entrant immigration quotas are lifted.


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## Vesper007

BBCWatcher said:


> Getting _very_ much more useful within the next few years now that Croatia is part of the European Union, and after the new entrant immigration quotas are lifted.


Within a few years, yes. For now, I'm trying to work elsewhere rather than Croatia because in your twenties with a humanities degree your pay in Croatia is basically peanuts compared to what I could get in other countries. But yeah, hopefully these restrictions will be lifted sooner rather than later (ie 4 yrs until we are allowed to work in certain countries rather than 7).


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## Rubber Ducky

So Vesper, I get the Impression that you're here for a "long term holiday"?
not to rain on your parade, but
I have never worked for GABA. But I did apply once, they sent me a very swift email saying that I should bring a ridiculous amount of money, something like 650000 Japanese yen and stay in Tokyo while I undergo "training"... needless to say, I didn't take them up on it. as for the pay of 240000 after tax, you won't be doing much travelling. But if you want to save money, then why not give it a go. 

Lastly I must ask,
Is there a reason why you don't want to work in the public school section of English teaching?


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## Vesper007

Hi Rubber Ducky!
Yes, it's pretty much an extended holiday to explore Japan. Although I have looked into other schools, there are a few setbacks. Namely my Croatian passport when the JET Program and most ALT positions do not make it possible for people of my nationality to work there.  That's the big elephant in the room for most jobs, even though English is my first language and all my schooling has been completed in it. AEON contacted me back but I'm living w/family in Dubai (due to my dad's job) until I find my own job and I can't just travel to London/US/Canada for an interview that easily due to funds (read: saving funds to get the plane ticket to the job I get if airfare isn't provided).


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## Rubber Ducky

A big elephant indeed. 

But it's not impossible

I work for a board of education in Japan. And some of my co workers,( like you) are from non English speaking countries, Malaysia, Philippines, just to name a few. And just like you, English is their first language. Needless to say, The pay and hours are much better than your average language school. 

As with most Boards of Education here, once they hold interviews and they speak with you, If you can sell yourself, you're in. 
If you get some experience under your belt, and wanna continue in the public sector, I'll give you all the information you will need. 

Let me know. 

There is also the nightmare of health insurance that you will have to learn about too. 

Best of luck


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## Vesper007

Rubber Ducky said:


> A big elephant indeed.
> 
> But it's not impossible
> 
> I work for a board of education in Japan. And some of my co workers,( like you) are from non English speaking countries, Malaysia, Philippines, just to name a few. And just like you, English is their first language. Needless to say, The pay and hours are much better than your average language school.
> 
> As with most Boards of Education here, once they hold interviews and they speak with you, If you can sell yourself, you're in.
> If you get some experience under your belt, and wanna continue in the public sector, I'll give you all the information you will need.
> 
> Let me know.
> 
> There is also the nightmare of health insurance that you will have to learn about too.
> 
> Best of luck


Sorry for not replying for a while, but yes please I would really appreciate some information on that.  Seems like a good way to continue one's career. So far I've mostly got an internship, a volunteer office position at a museum, a year with a theme park job at Walt Disney, and lots of private babysitting/tutoring experience as well as acting/drama projects in school so I need to work my way up. 

I passed the first interview with Gaba, got the language assessment done, and just had my second interview yesterday morning. The interviewer told me he was very impressed with my improv/role-play abilities and creativity so I'm hoping. I'll find out in 5-10 business days.

Ooooh and do fill me in about health insurance. I asked at the interview roughly how much it costs and it is income based. Apparently in my first year I pay the minimum which is like USD $50ish a month but yes, fill me in.


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## Rubber Ducky

Vesper007;4982817
I passed the first interview with Gaba said:


> Sounds like things are going well. Hopefully you'll get the job.
> 
> Health Insurance in Japan is mandatory, and as your interviewer said, it is income based and it works like this.
> 
> there are 2 main types of insurance. 1, National health Insurance. 2. Social insurance
> 
> NHI covers 70% of your bill at hospitals and dentists, and is based on your previous years income. (there are things that wll not be covered. such as cosmetic surgery and other various things)
> In my case I was enrolled in NHI for my first year and it was some minuscule amount of $150 US a year this divided by 10 payments worked out to about $12 a month. it was awesome
> 
> you are required to enroll for NHI as soon as you are eligible. Which is usually as soon as you have a visa that states you can stay in Japan for longer than 3 months. If you do not register when you become eligible and register later, you can be charged for up to two years of back payments.
> 
> Now comes the crunch. I remember you saying you wanted to earn about 240,000 a month - so that puts your yearly salary at 2.8 million. that means your yearly health insurance premium will be about 200,000 yen (MINIMUM) for the next year, so about 18,000 per month. I have heard horror stories of people having to pay double or triple that amount per month. It can get really expensive, really quickly, and will escalate astronomically if you repetitively visit the doctor.
> 
> Social insurance.
> 
> The law is, if you are working more than 30 hours a week you must be enrolled in this system. companies will get out of this by making you sign a contract that states you work only 29.5 hours a week and that anything after that is "volunteer work" the reason is that in this system, your employer must pay 1/2 of your premium plus 1/2 your pension. and totals 30 - 50,000 a month, it also stays around the same amount even if you visit the doctor a lot.
> 
> the coverage is the same as NHI but this is MUCH cheaper. and to be honest, finding the time to head to the city office or bank to pay your insurance bills can be a pain.


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