Before I jump the gun to even consider moving out to Japan and applying to dev jobs there. It seems as International Schools for my kids would be a better choice because we’re foreigners. Do any of these Japanese companies or start ups offer some kind of tuition assistance for International Schools? I’ve heard some expat’s companies do this but not sure if this applies to IT related companies?
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My understanding is that international school support is typically provided by companies when they relocate an employee from their home country to another country (i.e. an expat package). This is different than if you’re explicitly seeking to be hired in another country, where you’re more likely to be treated the same as a local hire (and Japanese companies don’t offer to subsidize private school for their employees).
None of the companies I have talked to have ever explicitly mentioned international school support as a benefit for international developers, but I haven’t asked them about it either. Perhaps it’s something some might offer, but I’d expect it only for senior positions.
My understanding is that international school costs about ¥3 million per year. Salaries for experienced international developers are around ¥8 to ¥12 million. So even though software developers are relatively well paid compared to other professions here, unless both parents are working, it’s going to be challenging to afford international school.
Whether your children need to attend international school depends on their age. If they’re about to graduate from high school, it might be challenging for them to adopt to Japanese school. But if they’re in early elementary school, it might not be so difficult for them to adapt. Particularly if you’re living in somewhere like Tokyo’s Minato-ku, I think there are already other western children in similar situations, and the school might have some support. This is something that larger companies with experience in relocating lots of people, such as Mercari or LINE should be able to guide you through if you got hired by them.
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Thank you so much for your advice!