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In Reply to: Re: to answer your questions posted by Advice on March 14, 2005 at 19:16:03:
You may not want to rush back to the States. It depends on your situation there. I know you want to get your kids back in their own English-speaking culture & in school which is free if you pay any kind of taxes & in a place where your family can get some kind of gov't benefits...maybe, but it may be a little harder to earn a living as an ESL teacher in the States than it is living in Japan.
My brother teaches ESL in Korea & is doing very well even though he has no ESL certificates or teaching experience... He used to teach in a little kids' school (hogwan) but didn't do too well... Now he sits home in his pyjamas & talks to businessmen & professionals all day in 15 minute intervals & gets paid well. Since there are few foreigners over there compared to Koreans, he's a premium... & since he's probably working under the table he doesn't pay taxes.
If he came back to the States he'd be at a big disadvantage. First thing is that the whole country here speaks English & even kids in high school teach ESL, at least home tutoring, & as a result there's more competition for the work & the pay is not that high.... At least it's probably not comparable to what it is over there. The only good paying ESL jobs require years of study & certification... My sister who lives over here has taken the years of certification.
I don't mean to seem like a wet blanket, but I'd advise you not to be in a huge huge rush to get back over here if the main breadwinner is your husband.... There are many benefits for sure, but in some ways it might be harder. Maybe check out on the web to see what kind of wages he can expect to earn teaching ESL (tutoring) in the States without certification. Do a long hard look...Remember, you'll have to pay taxes over here which you might not be paying at this time in Japan, I don't know... So factor that in.
