Depends on the company you are going to work at, I think a couple of companies will provide a loan to help you setup.

With a $1-2k loan, you will want $2-3k saved. If you are getting a loan from any of these companies, you will want at least $4-6k saved. Most of this will be used to secure the apartment. A rule of thumb I came up with for apartments is apartment rent per month * 5.

Then I must have over estimated on my end. That a lot lower then the 22k I was thinking of (year of rent , plus emergency plane ticket in case of any family back home have an emergency). So while working and looking for a higher paying job, if im making the basic alt rate is there any leg room for saving for the next place you want to stay, or is it just enough to earn a living.

It depends how frugal you are. ALT salaries range from $2,000 to 2,400 a month usually. If you are frugal and don't spend a lot, you can probably save enough for the next place your stay. This is the case at most dispatch companies. JET is different since some places function differently. I'd budget for about $1500 a month in living expenses in the rural area, more if you somehow end up in Tokyo or a metro area depending on your apartment.

sounds good and logical for a city and outside areas for me. Its kinda funny for me in a way since I live in Westchester county, the 1500 dollar price you mention for rural areas is quite the same, with NYC going way above 2k. If I do end up in tokyo that salary would preatty much pay for rent and your expenses like water, power, and do not know how true but maybe heat and ac if the building is really nice, I was told from a friend who teached years ago his experence using a kerosene burner for heat. I believe living in toyko you would be on the next higher paying job by then. if starting as an ALT in tokyo at that pay, well you can get by but your forced to be frugal to make it. To me that is a welcomed challenge, but reailty highly unlikey to be in tokyo. To be honest living in a city for about 2k in rent is appealing, for me it is since living outside NYC my whole life those are the standards I deal with so being frugal is a survial need.

Sorry been away for a bit. I guess next question to improve my english or appeal as an teacher beside TEFL cert what else i need to start on? I feel less worry and more of a chance now. To bad I cannot get a second non teaching job while teaching in the future like cooking or something with art like inking manga. Oh can you work two jobs in time that differ in career? That a little ahead of myself sorry one step at a time.

Tokyo living expenses can go up depending on how much you want in terms of room space. I lived in a 1K when I was rural, this is pretty common.
This is the run of the mill floor layout for a 1K pretty much anywhere in Japan.

The layout might change ever so slightly, such as where you can put a washer, and how the bathroom and toilet are placed.

Let me explain how I came up with the $1.5k budget as well.
Rent: $600, this an average, it might range from $400-$800, maybe on the lower end for rural areas and for older apartments in Tokyo's outer reaches. The higher range 550+ is going to be newer buildings, and apartments closer to the center of Tokyo. Keep in mind that in Tokyo, where you [are forced] to work will dictate probably where you look for an apartment, unless you really want to commute 1hr+ everyday.

If that style of room is too confining or claustrophobic then a 2(D)K will run you about 800-1500 a month easily. I got a largish 2K when I got to Tokyo because I got tired of living and sleeping in the same room. That was in Koto-ku and costed me about $1050 a month.

Gas: $40 Your hot water is almost always heated by gas, and your cook on gas usually. Newer apartments might have electric induction stoves.
Electric: $80 Dependent on how often you use your Heater/AC unit and whether you use an electric coil heater (ie: kotatsu).
Water: $20
Internet: $50-ish
Phone: $80 - This will vary wildly depending on your plan and how you decide to pay for your phone (pay off in 1 year? or 2 years?)
Food: $300 - Basically $10 bucks a day on average.
Health insurance: $30-150 - This one is weird because your first year in Japan will be really cheap because the amount you pay for the National Health insurance is based off of your prior years income, but since you just arrived, that amount is $0 so its cheap. The next year it will go up quite significantly.
Transport: Usually this should be reimbursed by your company, but it would usually total around $100.

This comes to about $1200-1400, so I rounded up to $1500 to be on the safe side in case I'm forgetting an expense.

Keep in mind apartments don't come with washers or refrigerators either. They might not even have a gas range/stove you can use, so you have to buy that stuff.

Quote:I guess next question to improve my english or appeal as an teacher beside TEFL cert what else i need to start on? I feel less worry and more of a chance now. To bad I cannot get a second non teaching job while teaching in the future like cooking or something with art like inking manga. Oh can you work two jobs in time that differ in career? That a little ahead of myself sorry one step at a time.

Did you do (one of) your 4-year degree at a school where courses were done in English? Some companies will turn you down if your schooling wasn't in English.

TEFL Cert is probably a worthless investment. Not many ALTs have TEFL certs. Keep in mind, JET/Dispatch companies and even Eikaiwas will usually give you a week long orientation where they teach you their style of classroom teaching and that's what they want you to use. So all a TEFL cert will do is give you more pointers and maybe make you a little less nervous when you do your first class.

You can get a special waiver added to your visa that lets you work outside your visa's parameters. I'm not 100% sure you can apply for this on your own though, your visa sponsor may have to be the ones that requests it. Usually this entails submitting a letter with the waiver application; the letter specifies what you will be doing outside your visa's parameters and maybe the reason for it.

That is the need to know! Sorry Reading that made me at ease cause now I have a full understanding of living conditions and progressing to comfertable taste in time.

The floor plan is great visial guide for me, dealing with house plans i. the philopeans (long story, some other time) I can figure it out.

expenses, now I know what to expect

Yep seems TEFL is a waste, but I like the idea being less nervous lol. Does having my degree from Purchase, NY count as english collage? I know sounds dumb as nails but had to ask.

This is great knowledge! I cannot ask any more because I do not have much else to ask really hehe.

CELTA or TESOL???

can I get both (is there even a point) and now ask somethings I seen on the forms. N1 N2??

I got some years and I need to get my english up to native tongue (problems when your parent is a immagrant and you hate english class growing up)

No excuses for me I got a 4 year degree and noted before I do not need certs to start but I saw one science school in Tokyo that requires any if the above certs along with experience (2 years) I really like to know how and where the nest certs are. I'm in New York and cambridge has CELTA classes with hands on teaching and lesson plan development, and seen TESOL online courses.

Difference (if any) and veiws. I had one more question it seems lol

I don't know certs, but CELTA is the best you can get from what I've heard because actual classroom teaching is required to get it.

Edit: CELTA is expensive though. Any kind of TEFL certification program online will probably be good enough. Just find a cheap 80-100 hour-ish course and do that if you want to save money.

Ahhh understood. Ok I'm not disappearing but now I got my plans and ideas to develop from all this great advice. I'm going to be a be blunt, but this will save my life of sorts. Without much detail I can say its become more then a life long dream and goal, my life is pushing it to be my reailty because my responsibility and happiness depends on it. I will post around other parts of the forums, however you all have my thanks for my seem simple advice

Ok its go time, got some work and training to do