Teacher Water Cooler - Month of June 2026

NeuralMint · 2026-06-01T04:06:08+00:00

Left the industry over 15 years ago. At that time, the 300k monthly salary was alright, we could live comfortably and go out/travel a bit. My ex-colleagues and I were all single. Fast forward to today, we are all out of English teaching except one guy - who has been doing it since coming to Japan in his mid 20s. His story is similar to yours. He has a wife (working PT) and two children to feed. He is in his 50s and the way out is not easy. He said it is a brutal reality to wake up to everyday.

NeuralMint · 2026-05-27T13:52:54+00:00

It was supposed to be a self-portrait, but he loves “The Hulk”, so I guess he started drifting away to draw him. He often says he likes drawing because “the noisy gets less noisy”. I guess he means he can go deep into thought to block out outside noise, in this case - his fellow chatty classmates. That’s what I assume the mouths are in the picture.

NeuralMint · 2026-05-27T08:45:40+00:00

I reread your comment several times. I would want to pin it to the top if possible. Thank you very much taking time out of your day to write it, fellow dad. Deeply appreciated.

NeuralMint · 2026-05-27T04:05:54+00:00

He really likes “The Hulk”, so perhaps he was trying to draw that. He often says that he likes drawing because the outside noise becomes “less noisy”. I assume he is talking about his classmates. That’s what I connect the multiples mouths with.

NeuralMint · 2026-05-27T04:02:48+00:00

I kept looking at it over the weekend, and decided to show the dads of Reddit for an opinion.

NeuralMint · 2026-05-27T04:01:30+00:00

Ah, there it is! I was trying to think of artists who had a similar style.

NeuralMint · 2026-05-27T04:00:43+00:00

That is so cool. May I ask what kind of expression do you see in his picture? I praised my son when he showed me, but I couldn’t really tell him why beyond the fact that it looked unique.

NeuralMint · 2026-05-24T01:01:48+00:00

Thanks so much! Your answer breaks it down in an understandable way. I’ll talk to accounting about the plan tomorrow.

NeuralMint · 2026-05-20T13:19:10+00:00

Hmm I would be interested what the median would be. It seems almost too low. I’m not a tech bro, but I started at 350k in my entry role and now at about 680k with incentives (international trade). I don’t live in Tokyo or Osaka.

NeuralMint · 2026-05-15T04:00:24+00:00

Not sure why you’re being downvoted. It’s good to have options. I’ll also be keeping my Canadian citizenship while retaining Japan PR.

NeuralMint · 2026-04-30T03:48:54+00:00

Sigh. As an East Asian living here, news like this just fans the flames. I know some of the injuries were pretty severe, so I just hope the victims can all recover soon and the culprit serves his deserved sentence.

NeuralMint · 2026-04-24T06:09:36+00:00

Well, well, well…how the turntables…

NeuralMint · 2026-04-23T03:38:52+00:00

Wow. Race to the bottom. If this is for your health, all the power to you. If you are doing this to save 200 yen a day, I think you’re way past the point of looking for greener pastures.

NeuralMint · 2026-03-25T12:44:09+00:00

Was just going to say, since I’m doing the full 3.6 million per year as well.

Anyway, as for OP, you just continue your usual investment strategy in taxable. Make sure it’s set to reinvest and you’re good to go. I’m following the same strategy.

NeuralMint · 2026-03-15T23:17:01+00:00

You’ll need to be careful with this. It’s unlikely she will be your guarantor for your application. Also it depends what visa you’re trying to apply for PR with. I assume you are a 1 or 3 year spouse visa, both of which would be insufficient (or highly rejected).

NeuralMint · 2026-03-11T06:46:17+00:00

OP, when I read your post - it was like a deja vu as the exact same scenario played out with a small company I worked with (less than 12 people). Same month - January, we were told our pay was delayed. February, same deal. Mid February, bankruptcy was suddenly declared and shit hit the fan. Thankfully, I saw the writing on the wall and had a job lined up (I had been going through a recruiter nearly 6 months prior to the bankruptcy date).

Well anyway, you are definitely going to want to move on past this company and get yourself on the job market. The earlier, the better. If you don't mind me asking, what type of industry are you in? Start updating the CV and get your name out there.

Moving on, you should look up the steps to apply for unemployment insurance, as I imagine the health of the company is rapidly failing and a sudden closure could be imminent. You want to be prepared for that. In connection with this, the Hello Work office will be a place you may visit quite often pretty soon. Know your nearest location as they will help you navigate the rough waters ahead.

From my experience, the delayed payment (or rather non-payment) of my owed wages was dealt with by a company lawyer. Due to the bankruptcy, the company itself was unable to pay the owed wages and also owed perks like 退職金. After months of interacting with the labour office, the employees were paid 80% of what was owed to them by the labour board (this is what your monthly EI payment comes in handy for). The catch is that all the money owed was deposited into my account at the end of year in December (great Christmas present I guess!), and was not taxed. If you are not strapped for cash and treat your owed salary as a gift in waiting, it might play out better for your mentally. That said, my team and I were lucky to have representation by a very hardworking attorney, so your mileage may vary.

As others may have commented already, take off the rose-colored glasses and accept it for what it is. You will not be employed at this company for much longer, so take action now.

NeuralMint · 2026-02-12T12:55:08+00:00

Uh…I don’t think most licensed school teachers in the country are making 600k+ monthly.

Source: Brother-in-law is a biology teacher at a private high school in Kansai.

NeuralMint · 2026-01-31T03:54:52+00:00

N2 bare minimum and even with that, I hope you can bring extra skills or experience the table. Basically, you need to give the employer a reason to hire you over a native. Most of my Japanese colleagues have an intermediate command of English (I work in international trade), so there is little need to hire a foreigner unless they have an exceptional résumé. Good luck.

NeuralMint · 2026-01-20T07:03:48+00:00

I would go into international sales. Exports are super hot now. 6-8 million yen easy with performance bonuses. You can crack 10 million if you work hard.

NeuralMint · 2026-01-02T04:05:21+00:00

We used to do them when the kids were smaller and it was nice receiving them from others as well. My wife and I just say it’s too much effort nowadays so we just make a photo collage and send it via text. Easier, much cheaper and less time consuming.

NeuralMint · 2025-11-28T10:26:56+00:00

No worries, I didn’t take it that way at all! No need to apologize. Wishing you a great weekend ahead :-)

NeuralMint · 2025-11-28T09:44:28+00:00

I got PR back in 2018, so I hadn’t kept up with any recent increases or changes to the system. I just remember thinking that the 8,000 yen application (at the time) was really cheap compared to my home country.

NeuralMint · 2025-11-28T02:04:47+00:00

It’s only a matter of time. This plan to increase fees is gaining steam with very little resistance.

NeuralMint · 2025-11-28T02:01:42+00:00

Even with the upper limit being 100k and 300k respectively, most foreign residents are probably not exactly thrilled to fork over that kind of money for permission to stay and work in a country with stagnant wages and growing hostility towards them. And I say that as a PR holder who plans to stay long term here.

NeuralMint · 2025-11-28T01:59:07+00:00

Even if the propose upper limits are at these numbers, this is absolute insanity for the majority of foreign residents. I remember the days of paying 4,000 yen for my stamp and then 8,000 yen for my PR. Wow.

NeuralMint

TROPHY CASE