Teaching in Japan: Student Loans

[Mikenter]

I'm trying to work towards teaching English in Japan. As far as I've gotten I understand I need a B.A. Degree to get a working visa, the average starter wage is 250,000yen, and rent is normally 65,000yen-80,000yen.

Right now I'm fresh out of high school and looking into this. I've always been interested in Japan. Though to teach I need a degree and to get a degree I'll need to take out student loans. On the ESL teachers salary in Japan would I be able to get by, and pay off student loans? (Is there any possibility of saving a little money each month too?)

[Hector]

you will not get a working visa without a valid degree, that is for sure.
the average "starter" wage stays the same irrespective of your experience, you will not get pay rises but teaching experience in Japan does open doors to more lucrative work, such as teaching business English.
The pay is not a salary, it is a monthly wage, and you will not be paid for the summer months or only in part as a retainer, you also may receive a retainer for the winter break.
I have have had over ten years experience teaching English in Tokyo and Yokohama, and am sure other people with similar years exp will attest to this.
Also, under Japanese labor law, you cannot be hired if you are under the age of 20 as you are not legally an adult in Japan and as such would not be covered by workplace insurance, nor would you be covered by the dispatch requirements for workers (i.e: being sent offsite to teach, to an elementary school for example).
I have no idea about repaying a student loan as i am not a money lender.
Rent can be as little as 30k a month if you live in shared accommodation in what is known as a gaijin house. Hope this helps you.

[Alex Case]

Getting a degree first is definitely the best approach.

If you are careful with your money you can earn enough to pay off your student loans, although Korea is much better for this.

Conversation schools (Eikaiwa) work year round, so you will not have the problem of long unpaid holidays that the previous poster mentioned. However, it is quite a bit more work for the same money as an ALT (Assistant Language Teacher) in state schools, which I guess that person is talking about.