# Salary Tsukuba



## intkap

Dear all,

I have a job offer from Tsukuba. However, the professor at the institute is until now somehow reluctant to call the precise figures I would earn. He mentioned in one email that the salary would start with 344866 Yen per month before tax. This will include health insurance and commutation. And further benefits and vacation systems (whatever the latter might be).

I also checked accommodation prices and it will be (special offered for researcher) at 68000 yen per month (not including electricity, water...).

BTW: I am 34 years old

The job in Germany I have right now is way overpaid if I have to be honest with 56K euro per month and although I am aware that I should not compare the two salaries with each other I am still wondering if I could live a comfortable life on the offered salary. Meaning that I can go eat out on a regular basis, follow my sport (need to go to a gym as boxer), and travel home at least twice per year. 

So does anybody of you has experience in this range of salary and would you recommend to try to negotiate (I dont know if in Japan this would be considered as rude)...

Thank you very much in advance,

S.


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## nevaeh

Did you say you're making 56,000 euros A MONTH? If that's the case then you'd better stay in Germany!
I'm going to guess you meant a year  

As you know, the Japanese offer is a significant pay cut, but I'm assuming it furthers your future in other ways.

Payroll in Japan Calculators by HTM - Monthly Payroll
For your reference.

I'm not sure what kind of social contributions visiting researchers have to make, but if you pay everything (health, pension, etc), for that kind of salary I think you'd be taking home about 280K Yen. From that deduct rent and utilities (phone, net, water, gas, electricity) and you're at +-185,000. Commuting costs are commonly reimbursed in Japan, so no need to budget for it. 

Assuming you're a quiet guy who mainly eats at home and at the university cafeteria, goes to the gym and has a homey lifestyle, I'd expect you to have +-140 thousand yen a month to spend on your leisure activities: shopping, dining out, travelling, etc.


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## intkap

Many thanks Nevaeh! I appreciate your help. 
Yes it is 56K per year, my bad  
Thanks also for the breaking down of costs. Yet, I am not a quite guy and very social...like to go out and travel. So I am thinking about negotiating about the salary, as I mentioned in my last post. But I don't know if this would be considered as rude in japan. Any experience with that?
Cheers


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## nevaeh

I'm culturally hardwired to bargain till I die so I'm a bit biased.

Generally Japanese do not negotiate much (unlike most Asian countries) and tend to accept the status quo. You might have more luck getting them to pay things than actually give you a salary increase. This is, it's easier to ask them to pay for your flight home or cover 20% of your rent than it is to ask for 12K extra a month, which would end up being a similar calculation. In my experience of course. Also, the flight back home is given to international graduate students with government scholarships, so it might be easier to negotiate.

Anyway, the salary you mentioned is considered a good salary for a single guy who isn't on an expat package. 
I know people who get by with 200,000 a month and seem to be fine. I know others who need 450,000 to cover their expenses... It depends a lot on personal preferences and lifestyle.


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## intkap

Thanks again, i am just worried as I want also do some saving...need to change my lifestyle though I guess. But the cultural experience and the employment at a famous research institute should play a bigger role than continuing the same lifestyle as I am used to have here. Anyway, thanks again!


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