A person working as Elementary School Teacher in Japan typically earns around 379,000 JPY. Salaries range from 182,000 JPY (lowest) to 595,000 JPY (highest).
This is the average salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. Elementary School Teacher salaries in Japan vary drastically based on experience, skills, gender, or location. Below you will find a detailed breakdown based on many different criteria.
Minimum Salary 182,000 JPY |
Median 357,000 JPY |
Maximum 595,000 JPY |
Salaries for the position Elementary School Teacher in Japan range from 182,000 JPY (starting salary) to 595,000 JPY (maximum salary). It should be noted that the given figure is not the legally mandated minimum wage; rather, it represents the lowest figure reported in a salary survey that included thousands of participants and professionals from all regions of the country.
With a median salary of 357,000 JPY, half of the professionals who work as Elementary School Teacher in Japan earn less than this amount, and the other half earn more. The median salary denotes the middle value of salaries. Ideally, you would want to belong to the group earning more than the median salary, located on the right side of the salary distribution graph.
The median is closely associated with two other values known as the 25th and 75th percentiles. By examining the salary distribution chart, it can be determined that 25% of professionals employed as Elementary School Teacher in Japan earn less than 290,000 JPY, while 75% earn more. Similarly, the chart shows that 75% earn less than 409,000 JPY while 25% earn more.
To provide a better understanding of expected salaries, we categorized the frequently occurring salaries into different ranges. This approach provides a more precise representation of salary distribution for the job title Elementary School Teacher in Japan compared to simply calculating the average. The majority of reported salaries, approximately 65%, fall within the range of 219,000 JPY to 312,000 JPY. About 20% of salaries are below the 219,000 JPY mark, while 10% fall within the range of 312,000 JPY to 354,000 JPY. Only 5% of individuals have salaries exceeding 354,000 JPY.
0 - 2 Years | 213,000 JPY | |
2 - 5 Years | +42% | 302,000 JPY |
5 - 10 Years | +31% | 397,000 JPY |
10 - 15 Years | +23% | 488,000 JPY |
15 - 20 Years | +6% | 519,000 JPY |
20+ Years | +10% | 568,000 JPY |
The experience level is the most important factor in determining the salary. Naturally, the more years of experience the higher the wage. We broke down salaries by experience level for people working as Elementary School Teacher and this is what we found.
Employees with less than two years of experience earn approximately 213,000 JPY.
While someone with an experience level between two and five years is expected to earn 302,000 JPY, 42% more than someone with less than two year's experience.
Moving forward, an experience level between five and ten years lands a salary of 397,000 JPY, 31% more than someone with two to five years of experience.
Additionally, professionals whose expertise span anywhere between ten and fifteen years get a salary equivalent to 488,000 JPY, 23% more than someone with five to ten years of experience.
If the experience level is between fifteen and twenty years, then the expected wage is 519,000 JPY, 6% more than someone with ten to fifteen years of experience.
Lastly, employees with more than twenty years of professional experience get a salary of 568,000 JPY, 10% more than people with fifteen to twenty years of experience.
Bachelor's Degree | 335,000 JPY | |
Master's Degree | +43% | 479,000 JPY |
We all know that higher education equals a bigger salary, but how much more money can a degree add to your income? We broke down salaries by education level for the position Elementary School Teacher in order to make a comparison.
Employees at this education level have an average salary of 335,000 JPY.
At this level, the average salary becomes 479,000 JPY, 43% more than the previous level.
A Master's degree program or any post-graduate program in Japan costs anywhere from 2,580,000 JPY to 7,750,000 JPY and lasts approximately two years. That is quite an investment.
You can't really expect any salary increases during the study period, assuming you already have a job. In most cases, a salary review is conducted once education is completed and the degree has been attained.
Many people pursue higher education as a tactic to switch to a higher-paying job. The numbers seem to support the theory. The average increase in compensation while changing jobs is approximately 10% more than the customary salary increment.
If you can afford the costs of higher education, the return on investment is definitely worth it. You should be able to recover the costs in roughly a year or so.
Though gender should not have an effect on pay, in reality, it does. So who gets paid more: men or women? For the people who work as Elementary School Teacher in Japan, the average difference between the salary of male and female employees is 5%.
Male | 371,000 JPY | |
Female | +5% | 390,000 JPY |
Individuals working as Elementary School Teacher in Japan are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately 10% every 17 months. The national average annual increment for all professions combined is 8% granted to employees every 16 months.
The term Annual Salary Increase usually refers to the increase in 12 calendar month period, but because it is rare that people get their salaries reviewed exactly on the one-year mark, it is more meaningful to know the frequency and the rate at the time of the increase.
The annual salary Increase in a calendar year (12 months) can be easily calculated as follows: Annual Salary Increase = Increase Rate x 12 / Increase Frequency
Not all compensation increases are reflected directly in the salary. Some companies offer upgraded packages to their staff instead of cash money. The figures displayed here account only for direct increments to the base salary.
66% of surveyed staff reported that they haven't received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while 34% said that they received at least one form of monetary bonus.
Those who got bonuses reported rates ranging from 0% to 4% of their annual salary.
Received Bonus | 34% | |
No Bonus | 66% |
The most standard form of bonus, where the employee is awarded based on their exceptional performance.
Company Performance BonusesOccasionally, some companies like to celebrate excess earnings and profits with their staff collectively in the form of bonuses that are granted to everyone. The amount of the bonus will probably be different from person to person depending on their role within the organization.
Goal-Based BonusesGranted upon achieving an important goal or milestone.
Holiday / End of Year BonusesThese types of bonuses are given without a reason and usually resemble an appreciation token.
People tend to confuse bonuses with commissions. A commission is a prefixed rate at which someone gets paid for items sold or deals completed while a bonus is in most cases arbitrary and unplanned.
The main two types of jobs | |
Revenue Generators | Supporting Cast |
Employees that are directly involved in generating revenue or profit for the organization. Their field of expertise usually matches the type of business. | Employees that support and facilitate the work of revenue generators. Their expertise is usually different from that of the core business operations. |
Example: | Example: |
Revenue generators usually get more and higher bonuses, higher salaries, and more frequent salary increments. The reason is quite simple: it is easier to quantify your value to the company in monetary terms when you participate in revenue generation.
Top management personnel and senior employees naturally exhibit higher bonus rates and frequencies than juniors. This is very predictable due to the inherent responsibilities of being higher in the hierarchy. People in top positions can easily get double or triple bonus rates than employees down the pyramid.
The hourly wage is the salary paid in one worked hour. Usually, jobs are classified into two categories: salaried jobs and hourly jobs. Salaried jobs pay a fixed amount regardless of the hours worked. Hourly jobs pay per worked hour. To convert salary into hourly wage the above formula is used (assuming 5 working days in a week and 8 working hours per day which is the standard for most jobs). The hourly wage calculation may differ slightly depending on the worked hours per week and the annual vacation allowance. The figures mentioned above are good approximations and are considered to be the standard. One major difference between salaried employees and hourly paid employees is overtime eligibility. Salaried employees are usually exempt from overtime as opposed to hourly paid staff.
The minimum pay rate per hour for people working as Elementary School Teacher in Japan is 1,050 JPY. This is the minimum as per the gathered data in the salary survey not the minimum hourly rate mandated by law.
Job Title | Average Salary |
Teaching / Education | -100% | |
Academic Advisor | 559,000 JPY | +47% |
Academic Assistant | 405,000 JPY | +7% |
Academic Coach | 566,000 JPY | +49% |
Academic Librarian | 383,000 JPY | +1% |
Academic Manager | 670,000 JPY | +77% |
Academic Specialist | 509,000 JPY | +34% |
Academic Staff | 443,000 JPY | +17% |
Accompanist | 475,000 JPY | +25% |
Achievement Coach | 586,000 JPY | +55% |
Admissions Specialist | 512,000 JPY | +35% |
Agricultural Sciences Teacher | 439,000 JPY | +16% |
Anthropology Teacher | 444,000 JPY | +17% |
Arabic Language Teacher | 411,000 JPY | +8% |
Archeology Teacher | 464,000 JPY | +22% |
Architecture Teacher | 508,000 JPY | +34% |
Archivist | 363,000 JPY | -4% |
Art Teacher | 414,000 JPY | +9% |
Assistant School Principal | 589,000 JPY | +55% |
Assistant Teacher | 369,000 JPY | -3% |
Biochemistry Professor | 822,000 JPY | +120% |
Biology Teacher | 463,000 JPY | +22% |
Blended Learning Specialist | 561,000 JPY | +48% |
Bursary Scheme Manager | 542,000 JPY | +43% |
Business Teacher | 446,000 JPY | +18% |
Careers Advisor | 545,000 JPY | +44% |
Careers Consultant | 546,000 JPY | +44% |
Chemistry Teacher | 446,000 JPY | +18% |
Chief Remote Learning Officer | 689,000 JPY | +82% |
Child Care Coordinator | 463,000 JPY | +22% |
Child Care Worker | 375,000 JPY | -1% |
Childcare Worker | 350,000 JPY | -8% |
Classroom Assistant | 360,000 JPY | -5% |
Clinical School Psychologist | 680,000 JPY | +79% |
Coding Coach | 502,000 JPY | +32% |
College Aide | 547,000 JPY | +44% |
College and Career Readiness Specialist | 583,000 JPY | +54% |
College Dean | 1,050,000 JPY | +180% |
College President | 988,000 JPY | +160% |
Communications Teacher | 455,000 JPY | +20% |
Community Education Officer | 388,000 JPY | +2% |
Computer Science Teacher | 413,000 JPY | +9% |
Computer Teacher | 408,000 JPY | +8% |
Creative Writing Trainer | 518,000 JPY | +37% |
Credit Counselor | 566,000 JPY | +49% |
Cultural Studies Teacher | 420,000 JPY | +11% |
Curriculum Coordinator | 544,000 JPY | +43% |
Curriculum Developer | 594,000 JPY | +57% |
Curriculum Specialist | 560,000 JPY | +48% |
Dean of Faculty | 965,000 JPY | +150% |
Demonstrator | 382,000 JPY | +1% |
Deputy Controller of Examinations | 539,000 JPY | +42% |
Digital Citizenship Educator | 453,000 JPY | +19% |
Digital Literacy Instructor | 465,000 JPY | +23% |
Director of Learning Technology | 581,000 JPY | +53% |
Distance Learning Coordinator | 487,000 JPY | +28% |
E-Learning Consultant | 629,000 JPY | +66% |
E-learning Content Developer | 609,000 JPY | +61% |
E-Learning Designer | 589,000 JPY | +55% |
Economics Lecturer | 780,000 JPY | +110% |
Economics Teacher | 457,000 JPY | +21% |
EdTech Compliance Manager | 465,000 JPY | +23% |
EdTech Consultant | 483,000 JPY | +27% |
EdTech Content Creator | 456,000 JPY | +20% |
Education Administrator | 524,000 JPY | +38% |
Education Assistant | 405,000 JPY | +7% |
Education Assistant Director | 585,000 JPY | +54% |
Education Assistant Librarian | 349,000 JPY | -8% |
Education Assistant Principal | 477,000 JPY | +26% |
Education Assistant Professor | 652,000 JPY | +72% |
Education Associate | 415,000 JPY | +9% |
Education Consultant | 539,000 JPY | +42% |
Education Coordinator | 491,000 JPY | +30% |
Education Counselor | 543,000 JPY | +43% |
Education Director | 749,000 JPY | +98% |
Education Policy Analyst | 607,000 JPY | +60% |
Education Program Specialist | 546,000 JPY | +44% |
Education Researcher | 621,000 JPY | +64% |
Education Resource Specialist | 476,000 JPY | +26% |
Education Services Facilitator | 506,000 JPY | +33% |
Education Technology Specialist | 494,000 JPY | +30% |
Educational Content Writer | 553,000 JPY | +46% |
Educational Data Privacy Officer | 533,000 JPY | +41% |
Educational Psychologist | 688,000 JPY | +81% |
EFL Teacher | 435,000 JPY | +15% |
eLearning Trainer | 423,000 JPY | +12% |
Elementary School Teacher | 379,000 JPY | -0% |
Engineering Lecturer | 723,000 JPY | +91% |
Engineering Teacher | 642,000 JPY | +69% |
English Teacher | 431,000 JPY | +14% |
ESL Teacher | 439,000 JPY | +16% |
Faculty Assistant | 577,000 JPY | +52% |
Foreign Language Teacher | 392,000 JPY | +3% |
GED Teacher | 401,000 JPY | +6% |
Geography Teacher | 411,000 JPY | +8% |
Head of Mathematics Department | 628,000 JPY | +66% |
Head of School | 712,000 JPY | +88% |
High School Teacher | 503,000 JPY | +33% |
History Teacher | 443,000 JPY | +17% |
Infant Teacher | 329,000 JPY | -13% |
Instructional Assistant | 469,000 JPY | +24% |
Instructional Coach | 506,000 JPY | +33% |
Instructor | 496,000 JPY | +31% |
Kindergarten Teacher | 351,000 JPY | -7% |
Language Instructor For Expatriate | 361,000 JPY | -5% |
Law Teacher | 657,000 JPY | +73% |
Learning Designer | 509,000 JPY | +34% |
Learning Experience Designer | 608,000 JPY | +60% |
Learning Management System Administrator | 481,000 JPY | +27% |
Lecturer | 732,000 JPY | +93% |
Librarian | 361,000 JPY | -5% |
Library Assistant | 293,000 JPY | -23% |
Library Director | 526,000 JPY | +39% |
Library Specialist | 373,000 JPY | -2% |
Library Technician | 331,000 JPY | -13% |
Life Sciences Teacher | 431,000 JPY | +14% |
Makerspace Coordinator and Facilitator | 397,000 JPY | +5% |
Math Lecturer | 826,000 JPY | +120% |
Math Teacher | 483,000 JPY | +27% |
Mathematics Teacher | 521,000 JPY | +37% |
Mentor | 511,000 JPY | +35% |
Middle School Teacher | 475,000 JPY | +25% |
Music Teacher | 422,000 JPY | +11% |
Nursery Manager | 651,000 JPY | +72% |
Nursery Worker | 271,000 JPY | -29% |
Online Course Developer | 516,000 JPY | +36% |
Online Course Instructor | 488,000 JPY | +29% |
Online Learning Facilitator | 460,000 JPY | +21% |
Online Tutor | 400,000 JPY | +6% |
Paraprofessional | 629,000 JPY | +66% |
Personalized Learning Specialist | 585,000 JPY | +54% |
Physical Education Specialist | 474,000 JPY | +25% |
Physical Education Teacher | 384,000 JPY | +1% |
Physics Teacher | 455,000 JPY | +20% |
Political Science Teacher | 467,000 JPY | +23% |
Post Doctoral Researcher | 711,000 JPY | +88% |
Preschool Education Administrator | 482,000 JPY | +27% |
Preschool Teacher | 351,000 JPY | -7% |
Primary School Teacher | 381,000 JPY | +0% |
Principal | 631,000 JPY | +66% |
Product Specialist | 488,000 JPY | +29% |
Professor - Accounting | 794,000 JPY | +110% |
Professor - Architecture | 813,000 JPY | +110% |
Professor - Biology | 791,000 JPY | +110% |
Professor - Business Administration | 777,000 JPY | +100% |
Professor - Chemical Engineering | 857,000 JPY | +130% |
Professor - Chemistry | 849,000 JPY | +120% |
Professor - Civil Engineering | 793,000 JPY | +110% |
Professor - Communication | 791,000 JPY | +110% |
Professor - Computer Science | 838,000 JPY | +120% |
Professor - Dentistry | 796,000 JPY | +110% |
Professor - Drama | 738,000 JPY | +95% |
Professor - Economics | 801,000 JPY | +110% |
Professor - Education | 794,000 JPY | +110% |
Professor - Electrical Engineering | 832,000 JPY | +120% |
Professor - English | 759,000 JPY | +100% |
Professor - Environmental Engineering | 818,000 JPY | +120% |
Professor - Foreign Languages | 763,000 JPY | +100% |
Professor - Geological Sciences | 795,000 JPY | +110% |
Professor - History | 808,000 JPY | +110% |
Professor - Industrial Engineering | 806,000 JPY | +110% |
Professor - Law | 881,000 JPY | +130% |
Professor - Legal Support | 790,000 JPY | +110% |
Professor - Liberal Arts | 830,000 JPY | +120% |
Professor - Marketing | 836,000 JPY | +120% |
Professor - Mathematics | 826,000 JPY | +120% |
Professor - Mechanical Engineering | 813,000 JPY | +110% |
Professor - Medical Administration | 825,000 JPY | +120% |
Professor - Medicine | 935,000 JPY | +150% |
Professor - Music | 719,000 JPY | +90% |
Professor - Nursing | 744,000 JPY | +96% |
Professor - Pharmaceutical Sciences | 789,000 JPY | +110% |
Professor - Philosophy | 802,000 JPY | +110% |
Professor - Physical Therapy | 848,000 JPY | +120% |
Professor - Physics | 881,000 JPY | +130% |
Professor - Psychology | 805,000 JPY | +110% |
Professor - Rehabilitation | 755,000 JPY | +99% |
Professor - Social Work | 747,000 JPY | +97% |
Professor - Sociology | 821,000 JPY | +120% |
Professor - Special Education | 761,000 JPY | +100% |
Psychology Teacher | 663,000 JPY | +75% |
Public Management Assistant Professor | 687,000 JPY | +81% |
School Counselor | 628,000 JPY | +66% |
Science Educator | 443,000 JPY | +17% |
Science Laboratory Assistant | 383,000 JPY | +1% |
Science Teacher | 431,000 JPY | +14% |
Secondary Mathematics Teacher | 453,000 JPY | +19% |
Secondary School Teacher | 412,000 JPY | +9% |
Special Education Advocate | 594,000 JPY | +57% |
Special Education Teacher | 469,000 JPY | +24% |
Special Needs Assistant | 366,000 JPY | -3% |
Statistics Lecturer | 787,000 JPY | +110% |
STEAM Educator | 416,000 JPY | +10% |
STEM Educator | 411,000 JPY | +8% |
Student Accounts Coordinator | 440,000 JPY | +16% |
Student Development Specialist | 499,000 JPY | +32% |
Student Employment Specialist | 477,000 JPY | +26% |
Student Services | 411,000 JPY | +8% |
Student Services Coordinator | 415,000 JPY | +9% |
Student Support Manager | 557,000 JPY | +47% |
Substitute Teacher | 382,000 JPY | +1% |
Teacher | 394,000 JPY | +4% |
Teacher Aide | 341,000 JPY | -10% |
Teacher Trainer | 508,000 JPY | +34% |
Teaching Assistant | 333,000 JPY | -12% |
TEFL Teacher | 449,000 JPY | +18% |
Training and Development Specialist | 570,000 JPY | +50% |
Training Coordinator | 400,000 JPY | +6% |
Tutor | 452,000 JPY | +19% |
University Teacher | 755,000 JPY | +99% |
Virtual Teacher | 396,000 JPY | +4% |
Vocational Education Teacher | 429,000 JPY | +13% |
Where can you get paid more, working in a private company or the government? The difference between the public or government sector salaries and the private sector salaries in Japan is 4% on average across all career fields.
Private Sector | 506,000 JPY | |
Public Sector | +4% | 527,000 JPY |
A good and competitive compensation would range anywhere between 357,000 JPY and 409,000 JPY. This is a very rough estimate. Experience and education play a very huge part in the final earnings.
All salary and compensation figures displayed here are gross salary figures, that is the salary before tax deductions. Because taxes may differ across sectors and locations, it is difficult to accurately calculate the net salary after tax for every career.
The base salary for a careers like Elementary School Teacher in Japan ranges from 182,000 JPY to 290,000 JPY. The base salary depends on many factors including experience and education. It is not easy to provide a figure with very little information, so take this range with a grain of salt.
Both are indicators. If your salary is higher than both the average and the median then you are doing very well. If your salary is lower than both, then many people earn more than you and there is plenty of room for improvement. If your wage is between the average and the median, then things can be a bit complicated. We wrote a guide to explain all about the different scenarios. How to compare your salary