Photo by naosuke ii

One of the many reasons people go to Japan is to teach English, typically through programs such as JET, AEON, or other companies. In such positions, native speakers serve as formal instructors sponsored by their organization and typically sign contracts for one year or more. However, anyone who has spent an extended period of time in Japan knows that a number of informal opportunities to teach English also appear from time to time, whether at the behest of a friend or because finances are tight and a little pocket cash is necessary.

When I studied abroad a couple years ago, I found myself in this latter situation. Although I was in Japan on a fellowship, the exchange rate had dropped to around 84, and my fellowship being in dollars, I was hurting. With a lot of penny pinching I could have made it by, but I also wanted to maintain more of a social life with my new classmates and go out to enjoy some local travel and restaurants. At the suggestion of a couple friends, I decided to pick up some informal teaching on the side. This article will briefly discuss the process and experience, with some caveats and the sites that were recommended to me.

Here are some of the things you should keep in mind:

Informal teaching in Japan is… informal.

This might seem like an obvious statement, but you should really remember that if you choose to do off-the-books teaching with friends, family, or strangers in Japan, this is not a professional job. You cannot obtain a visa for it, and just like in the states, if you’re making a certain amount of money from it you’re supposed to be reporting it for tax purposes. Every now and then I hear someone say to me, “Oh, I’m just going to go to Japan and start teaching some friends for extra cash and I’ll figure out the visa stuff later.” No. This is in all likelihood a terrible idea. Finding a real job, one that will get you the proper permits to stay in the country legally, is a really difficult endeavor, and teaching informally is no substitute.

Sign up online and fill out a profile

I had never done anything like teaching informally in Japan before, so I asked a good friend who had been doing it for some time what some of the websites were that she used. She directed me to the following:

http://www.findstudents.net/

http://www.my-sensei.com/sensei/

I won’t go into the specifics of each website because I think they’re both pretty self-explanatory. I’m sure there are also many others. You create a profile describing yourself and your experiences and put up a picture. Many people will have qualifications they’ll include, such as previous experience in programs like JET, advanced degrees they have, or just teaching experience in general back in their home country. You can either put up a profile in English or in Japanese. I found it most helpful to put up bilingual profiles so people could see my competence in both languages. Sometimes potential students are intimidated if you have no idea how to speak Japanese at all (and therefore cannot explain mistakes to them). The sites will also include a list of languages you can claim fluency in, a schedule for you to fill out about your available times, the area in which you will be able to teach (for example, I taught largely on the Tokaido train line because I had a teiki pass that allowed me free rides anywhere on my line—it was easy for me to travel to a student for free), and your desired pay. Concerning pay:

Set a reasonable price and don’t be shy about negotiating.

As far as pay goes, you’ll find people that make all kinds of different offers on here. Some people will charge 2000 yen an hour (about $20 USD before the economy tanked) and some will try to charge 6000 yen an hour (about $60 USD before the economy tanked). I originally charged about 2500 yen because I knew I wasn’t a fully qualified teacher. I had never formally taught the English language to anyone before (though I did have teaching experience), and I didn’t want to overcharge for services someone might not be satisfied with. My host mother chastised me for low-balling my services and I later changed it to 3000. I think this is a good average price if you’re competent at confidently talking to someone in a bilingual setting, have the skills to explain simple grammatical issues, are willing and able to produce short worksheets upon demand, etc. I was never making complex lesson plans, but I did put a lot of thought into what I did and what my partner wanted. But don’t be afraid to negotiate! Sometimes people I met with tried to stiff me despite the clarity of the cost (“Oh it’s only 2000 for the first session, right…?”), and I had to be firm with them. Or sometimes they wanted to pay a little less regularly (one man insisted he only wanted to pay 2000 when I asked for 3000, but his needs were lower maintenance and we struck a deal in the middle). Also keep in mind that it’s typical for your clients to meet with you at a coffeeshop or café where they are expected to purchase your drink and their own out of pocket (another reason I didn’t feel it was right to overcharge by 500 or 1000 yen!).

Types of learners you’ll encounter and lessons they’ll want

So who comes onto these sites looking for language partners? The answer is: absolutely anyone! All ages, all experiences. Many people go to these sites because they find that institutions or companies that offer English lessons/regular teachers by contract are far too expensive or not specific to their own needs. The type of students I had included:

• A 39 year old train station worker with limited English ability who wanted to learn English useful for traveling before taking his wife and daughter on a trip to Hawai’i
• A 61 year old businessman whose English was fairly good but he wanted to improve it because he often worked overseas where English was the only common language with locals he spent time with
• A 24 year old woman who had returned from study abroad and wanted to keep up with the English she’d lost for conversational purposes
•  A 62 year old man whose English was fabulous- he wanted to have conversations about current events, local politics, my studies and his life experiences, etc.
•  A 6 year old boy whose mother wanted someone to help him learn English grammar and sentence construction- he had already gone through a young-learners English program and had impeccable pronunciation and vocabulary sets, but couldn’t put a sentence together properly
• A 45 year old businessman who worked in international advertising who wanted me to edit his powerpoints and allow him to practice his presentations in English (which were meant for an international audience)

These were just six of my regulars. I also got contacted by people who wanted me to come do local community classes, people who wanted me to sing songs to their 1 year olds (just to expose them to proper pronunciation, culture), etc. There were also many people who only met with me once and decided not to again. It was really quite variable. Typically those who wanted to do lessons or conversations wanted to meet once or twice a week for an hour.

About responses

Photo by lovemaegan.

Just as I mentioned with my post about unaffiliated homestays in Japan, there tends to be an inherent bias involved when it comes to selecting English teachers for informal language lessons. On sites like these, people usually contact you instead of the other way around (although some have message boards for mutual requests). If you’re female (particularly a blonde female), you are far more likely to be contacted and asked to meet. People who tend to be disadvantaged in this kind of situation are men in general and both men and women of Asian descent. There are no 100% correct answers to why this is, and I’ve been told different things by different people. In some cases, students have told me that men want to keep the company of a young pretty lady to work on their English, or women who want a speaking partner feel safer with a female teacher. If there are children involved, they’ll feel more inclined to go with a female teacher. Some people look for the most stereotypically “Western” looking person—a blonde or blue-eyed foreigner. Others bring their own biases against people of Asian descent, others worry that people of Asian descent won’t have English as “authentic” as someone more “Western” looking. These are just some of the opinions I have been told.

But, on the other hand, there are those who want just the opposite, so there’s no reason to despair if you are male or of Asian heritage. I had several male friends, including ones of Asian descent, who were contacted by men who wanted a foreign male friend around the same age (someone they felt would understand them and be easier to talk to than a female who they might be shy around) or older men who wanted to have conversations relevant to them with a male counterpart. Of course, tossed into this mix are women who want to meet Western men, as well as people of all sexes and ages who are willing to talk to anyone and everyone! So by no means should you think you’ll never have a chance at finding a client. These are just the experiences I have had or have heard of.

Be safe about it!

This is also something that should go without saying, but merits stating. Remember, just like in America, meeting people you don’t know off of the internet can be dangerous and should be undertaken with the utmost caution. Just because it’s Japan does not mean it is safe. There is no one moderating who creates profiles or responds to requests on these sites. It’s typical for English lesson meetings to take place at a local coffee shop, café, or restaurant. In other words: somewhere public. Don’t venture into places you’re not terribly familiar with. It’s also a good rule of thumb to keep it close to the train station for everyone’s convenience, and if it’s your home train station, it’s probably best not to let the other person know that. As a woman in a foreign country, I tried to be particularly cautious about letting the other party leave first and staying unspecific about where I lived and went to school. The only exception I ever made to coffee shop meetings was in the case of the 6 year old boy I taught. The mother offered me extra to make home visits, where it was easier on her and her child, and I made sure we met up in public first (with the little boy present to make sure, you know, that he existed), and I was sure to exchange her contact information (including home address and phone numbers) with my host family, so that they knew exactly where I would be and with whom. Some people still would not be comfortable with this, and that is just fine. There is always a risk involved and you should consider carefully before agreeing to a home visit.

It is also not unusual for clients to try to offer other get-togethers, if you have a particularly friendly relationship with them. One of my older gentleman clients was always getting free passes to events through his job, and frequently offered to take me to baseball games, etc. While it was very kind, I was never quite comfortable with the idea of meeting up for extracurricular events with a client (particularly an older male one) and wanted to maintain the professional element of the relationship, so I politely declined. The only exception I made was a visit to the home of one of the businessmen I taught because his wife offered to make a thank-you dinner for teaching her husband, but in this case the client was someone I met through a colleague, so the complete stranger element was not there. Again, use your best judgment!

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Well, that about sums up the limited advice I can give on this subject. Remember about being safe, practical, logical, and legal if you’re considering picking up teaching informally in Japan. It’s a great way to earn some spare cash, but certainly not a way to earn a living or something to be done frivolously. Best of luck!