EARNING POTENTIAL
Upon completing Gaba’s Initial Certification program, instructors begin teaching. All Instructors start at the competitive rate of 1630 yen per 40 minute lesson taught (1430 yen basic rate + 200 yen man-to-man remuneration). Of course, as each instructor designs his or her own schedule, monthly earnings will vary from person to person. To earn more, instructors make themselves available to teach more. An Instructor’s income in any given month will consist of per-lesson payment for all the lessons they teach, booked lessons that were cancelled last-minute, and other incentives the Instructor has earned. In order for Instructors to increase their per-lesson pay rate, Gaba designed the “belt system” to reward high performers. Both incentives and the belt system are covered below.
For many, Gaba is their primary source of income. These instructors regularly teach over 200 lessons a month with top performers taking home well over 300,000 yen for their efforts.
The Belt System
Gaba has 18 lesson rates or “Skill Band” levels to recognize professionalism and quality. Moving up beyond the entry level rate is a matter of merit, not tenure. There are minimum performance requirements for each level and meeting them gives the instructor the potential to move up in skill band. Criteria include lesson quality as judged by the clients, performance as gauged by studio staff, and voluntary participation in certification programs.
| Skill Band | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | S | SS | SSS |
| Basic Rate | ¥1,430 | ¥1,450 | ¥1,470 | ¥1,490 | ¥1,510 | ¥1,530 | ¥1,550 | ¥1,570 | ¥1,590 | ¥1,610 | ¥1,630 | ¥1,650 | ¥1,670 | ¥1,690 | ¥1,710 | ¥1,730 | ¥1,750 | ¥1,770 |
| Man-to-man Remuneration | ¥200 | ¥200 | ¥200 | ¥200 | ¥200 | ¥200 | ¥200 | ¥200 | ¥200 | ¥200 | ¥200 | ¥200 | ¥200 | ¥200 | ¥200 | ¥200 | ¥200 | ¥200 |
| Basic Total Per Lesson | ¥1,630 | ¥1,650 | ¥1,670 | ¥1,690 | ¥1,710 | ¥1,730 | ¥1,750 | ¥1,770 | ¥1,790 | ¥1,810 | ¥1,830 | ¥1,850 | ¥1,870 | ¥1,890 | ¥1,910 | ¥1,930 | ¥1,950 | ¥1,970 |
Opening Hours and Peak Times
Gaba’s Learning Studios are open early and close late. Weekend hours are shorter but often the busiest days of the week.
Opening Times*
Weekday hours: 7:00am – 10:00pm
Weekend hours: 8:40am – 8:20pm
*NOTE: Opening times in some Learning Studios vary slightly from the above
As our clients are working adults for the most part, they tend to study with us outside of standard office hours – we get busy on weekdays in the morning and evenings before or after work, and then all day at the weekends. In recognition of this fact, we designate specific times as “peak lessons”, where demand for Instructors is higher. Lessons made available during these times have a much greater chance of being booked by a client.
Peak times
Weekday mornings: 7:00am – 9:20am (where available)
Weekends and holidays: All day (all lesson slots)
Lifestyles in Detail
Sara
Sara has been in Japan for about 6 months and is here on a Gaba sponsored visa. Gaba is her sole source of income.
Accommodation:
Lives in a share house in central Tokyo with a mix of expat and Japanese housemates.
Commute:
15 minute train ride to the Learning Studio.
Schedule:
Teaches on Monday, Thursday, and Friday afternoon/evenings and all day on weekends. Takes Tuesdays and Wednesdays off.
Free Time:
Saving up to explore and travel Japan. Enjoys snowboarding, karaoke, and photography. Visits the local sports center twice a week.
Income (after taxes):
¥242,640
Ben
Ben has been living in Japan and teaching with Gaba for 5 years. Gaba is his sole source of income.
Accommodation:
Lives in an apartment in east Tokyo.
Commute:
20 minute train ride from the Learning Studio. *see schedule for more details.
Schedule:
Teaches mornings and evenings on Tuesdays and Fridays, only evenings on Wednesdays, all day on Saturdays, and half days on Sundays. Takes Monday and Thursdays off.
Free Time:
Takes Japanese lessons once a week. Plays football on Sunday afternoons. Travels overseas at least twice a year.
Income (after taxes):
¥262,330
Daniel
Daniel has lived in Japan for over 15 years and is on a spouse visa with his family. Gaba supplements his income to support his family in addition to his other freelance work.
Accommodation:
Lives in a larger apartment in a suburban area north of Tokyo.
Commute:
Rides a bike to the Learning Studio (15 minutes). *see schedule for more details.
Schedule:
Teaches weekday mornings and all day on Saturdays.
Free Time:
Spends time with family in the evenings and all day on Sundays. Works on his freelance translation work in the daytime.
Income (after taxes):
¥188,167
Lisa
Lisa has just recently arrived in Japan and her primary focus is to study Japanese, but Gaba is a good way to assist with her living expenses while she studies.
Accommodation:
Lives in a guesthouse with mostly Japanese housemates in Kawasaki with easy access to Tokyo and Yokohama.
Commute:
Takes the train 10 minutes from her Japanese language school and 30 minutes from home. *see schedule for more details.
Schedule:
Teaches all day on Sundays and Monday to Wednesday evenings. Takes Thursday-Saturdays off.
Free Time:
Goes to a Japanese language school in the mornings/afternoons on Monday to Friday.
Income (after taxes):
¥146,985
Instructor Comparison
| Instructor | Sara | Ben | Daniel | Lisa |
| Available Lessons / Month | 208 | 200 | 148 | 128 |
| Booked Rate | 75% | 80% | 80% | 75% |
| Total Lessons Taught | 156 | 160 | 118 | 96 |
Weekend Peak Lessons Taught |
64 |
55 |
38 | 36 |
Morning Peak Lessons Taught |
0 | 18 | 48 | 0 |
Non-Peak Lessons Taught |
92 | 87 | 32 | 60 |
| Skill Band Level | Band B | Band F | Band A | Band A |
Basic Lesson Rate |
¥1,450 | ¥1,530 | ¥1,430 | ¥1,430 |
Man-to-man Remuneration |
¥200 | ¥200 | ¥200 | ¥200 |
| Basic Earnings from Lessons | ¥257,400 | ¥276,800 | ¥192,340 | ¥156,480 |
| Weekend Incentive (+¥200) | ¥12,800 | ¥11,000 | ¥7,600 | ¥7,200 |
| Morning Incentive (+¥200) | – | ¥3,600 | ¥9,600 | – |
| Total Before Taxes | ¥270,200 | ¥291,400 | ¥209,540 | ¥163,680 |
| Withholding Tax (-10.2%) | – ¥27,560 | – ¥29,070 | – ¥21,373 | – ¥16,695 |
| Total After Taxes | ¥242,640 | ¥262,330 | ¥188,167 | ¥146,985 |
Incentives
Early Morning Incentive
Studying in the early morning (Monday to Friday) is particularly popular among our business clients. They like to sneak in a lesson before heading to the office. For those instructors who rise early to provide lessons at 7:00, 7:50, and 8:40am, an additional 200 yen is added to their lesson rate. Teach in the early morning and receive this incentive. Simple as that!
Weekend Incentive
Many of our clients like to make Gaba part of their weekend routine, making Saturdays and Sundays some of the busiest days at the Learning Studio. For those instructors who teach on these days, an additional 200 yen is added to their lesson rate.
FM Incentives
For instructors interested in sales, Gaba offers certification and support in how to perform “First Meetings”. These are lessons provided to prospective clients. Once certified, each successful FM conducted will earn the instructor an incentive in addition to their usual lesson rate. FM-certified instructors are eligible for a 3000 yen incentive per successful lesson (i.e. where the clients decides to continue studying with Gaba).
And more...
There are periodically other incentives. Two examples are referral incentives and seasonal peak lesson incentives. The former is paid out to instructors who encourage acquaintances to apply to teach with Gaba. Speak to a recruiter at the time of application if such an incentive is in place. The latter, seasonal peak lesson incentives, are introduced at times of increased lesson demand. The summer months are often busy with clients free to take additional lessons but instructors off on vacation. Instructors available to teach are rewarded and Gaba avoids the need to recruit additional instructors to cover the temporary surge in demand. Win-win!