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Ever wondered what life is like as an English teacher in Japan? Meet Lilah, an ESL instructor based in Tokyo, who’s traded the familiar comforts of home for a fast-paced, culturally rich life in Japan’s bustling capital. In this blog, she shares an insider’s look at her typical day—from navigating Tokyo’s train system to building connections with her students and adapting to Japan’s unique work culture. For anyone curious about teaching abroad, Lilah’s experience offers a glimpse into the joys, challenges, and unforgettable moments that come with life as a teacher in Japan.
Hey everyone, it’s me again! My name is Lilah and I am currently working as an English teacher in Tokyo, Japan. Today I’d like to share an example of a typical day in my life here as an ESL instructor and provide some insight to future teachers on what to expect to find in your own daily routines!
Morning Routine: Starting the Day in Tokyo
My working hours are between 11am-8pm, so my day usually starts around 9am. I try to eat something before heading out, and normally I like to opt for something light like cereal or a pastry! This is because my lunch break is quite early into my shift, so I want to make sure I’m hungry enough to eat a full meal before teaching. After eating, I get ready for work and pack my bag for school before getting on the train. My company encourages teachers to wear jeans and sneakers, so my outfits are pretty casual! I don’t need to pack much since the school provides everything needed for the day’s lessons, but I always like to have some emergency essentials with me just in case.
I’m pretty lucky that my commute ended up being so short with only one transfer before arriving at my school’s station. First, I board the local train near my sharehouse, which will terminate at Yokohama Station. This much larger station allows me to transfer to the JR Lines (Japan Rail) that will take me into Tokyo! I only need to travel for a total of about 45 minutes from my place before arriving at the school, which is pretty fast for a Tokyo commute.
Mid-Morning Prep Time: Lesson Planning and Team Collaboration
Around 10:45am, I arrive at my school and clock in at the front. Then, I begin preparing for my lessons for the day during my 1-hour prep period – along with my co-teachers, we need to prepare the textbooks, upload the correct lesson pages onto the iPads, and plan any activities that are on the schedule for the day. We typically finish this work around noon, at which point we take our 1-hour lunch break.
Afternoon Classes: Connecting with Students
After lunch, it’s time to begin teaching! The kids start to arrive around 1:30pm and will continue to sporadically arrive until around 4:30pm. During this time, we facilitate arrival games, provide snacks, and play games with the kids before English lessons properly start later in the afternoon. I especially enjoy this time because it gives me the opportunity to personally chat and connect with my students outside of the context of our everyday lessons. This period is followed by the Phonics, English, and Public Speaking lessons, which commence back-to-back starting from 5pm. I think the kids really appreciate having a couple of hours to release some energy after school before sitting down to study, so I like this schedule a lot.
Wrapping Up the Day: Closing Duties and Commuting Home
When lessons are finished for the day, we have the kids loaded onto the buses to go home and then get to work closing the school. At 8pm, it’s time to go home! From here I get back on the train and make the journey back to my residence in Yokohama. Since I usually arrive home around 9pm, there isn’t time for much aside from a quick dinner and a shower before getting to bed so I can be prepared to teach for the next day of lessons. I think before moving to Japan, it’s important to know that working hours are quite long here for many people, so the trains are usually very busy any time of the day, all the way up until the final trains at midnight. While the set hours for teachers in Japan will more than likely be pretty regular, some overwork should be expected and companies will expect you to adequately prepare for the next day before concluding the current one.
Adjusting to Japanese Work Culture
Moving to a country that has a culture of hard work ethics and longer working hours can be a bit of an adjustment, but if cultural immersion is your goal, then I think it’s important to experience the “downsides” of life abroad just as much as the benefits. As long as you are diligent about managing your own time and striking a good work-life balance (which can be achieved by setting aside time to see friends, using your weekends to take day trips, or even just focusing your attention on something aside from your job) then I think these changes are completely manageable and easy to adapt to the longer you stay in-country.
That’s all from me today! If you’d like to read more about how I juggle my teaching job with continuing my exploration of Japan and upkeep of my social life, keep your eyes peeled for my next post on the blog!
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