"I Worked Around the Clock and Made ¥280K a Month"
The hospital where Ms. G worked as a nurse is an acute-care hospital in Saitama Prefecture. Night shifts, overtime, holiday work. And still her take-home was around ¥280,000 a month. What five years of working there taught her was the fact that "it doesn't get any higher than this."
"Nursing is a socially respected job, isn't it? You do work involving people's lives, you hold a national license. But the pay is no different from a typical office worker — sometimes even less. That gap eventually pushed me to my mental limit."
She joined First Class Ruby a year and a half ago. From the decision to change careers to the phone call, it was "within three days," she says.
The Deciding Factor
— What was the trigger for deciding to quit nursing?
G: It was when the head nurse told me, right after a night shift, "I'd like you to take the next shift too." My body was at its limit. But if I refused, there was the guilt of "I'm causing trouble for everyone." "Oh — I'm being exploited by this workplace" — that was the moment I first recognized it clearly.
That night, I got home and searched job sites. At first I was thinking "transfer to a different hospital," but wherever I looked, the conditions were about the same. So I started researching "non-nursing," and for the first time I seriously looked at fuzoku job listings.
— Why did you choose Ruby?
G: The way they handled my call was the biggest deciding factor. The medical world has a strict hierarchy, and I'd grown sensitive to "what footing I'm being talked to on." Ruby's staff talked to me as an equal from the start. The person asked, "What do you want to do?", and I felt "this is a shop that respects my own will."
The First Three Months: "Nursing Skills" as an Unexpected Weapon
— What was your impression after joining?
G: "This job uses the body less than I thought" was my first impression (laughs). Nursing has a lot of heavy lifting, and you sometimes work 12 hours on your feet. Compared to that, the physical burden is far lighter.
The mental pressure was also less than I expected. I'd imagined customers yelling, or suddenly demanding weird things, but in reality there are almost no customers like that. Ruby's customers are high quality.
— Were there parts where your nursing experience helped?
G: It helped a lot. As a nurse, you naturally acquire three skills: "listening to people," "easing anxiety," and "a low resistance to touching bodies." All of these are exactly what you need at a soapland.
Just like explaining things to patients, I can talk in a tone that loosens up a customer's tension. I'm also good at reading "what state this person is in right now." I never thought my experience as a nurse would come alive in this form.
The Road to Over ¥1 Million a Month
— Tell us the concrete progression of your income.
G: Month one was ¥450,000. Month two ¥580,000, month three ¥720,000. Nominations started increasing from month three, and from months four through six my monthly income stabilized at ¥800,000–900,000. Then in month eight I topped ¥1.2 million for the first time.
— What was the turning point to ¥1.2 million a month?
G: It was the moment my regular nominators passed ten. When ten people come three or four times a month, that alone builds the pillar of your monthly income. It's a matter of math.
To reach ten nominators, what I focused on was "creating a reason to come back next time." I took notes so that, in the middle of small talk, I could ask "By the way, that thing you mentioned the other day — how did it turn out?" To get someone to think "I want to see her again," the experience of "being remembered" is what works best.
— How did you manage your health?
G: I'd been strict about health management since my nursing days, so that came naturally. Two regular checkups a month, securing seven hours of sleep, one full day off a week. If you wreck your body, it's all over. Ruby also has an atmosphere of "don't push yourself," and on days I felt bad I could genuinely rest.
How She Uses the Money, and the Future
— Now that you make ¥1.2 million a month, how do you use the money?
G: ¥300,000 a month for living costs, taxes, and social insurance. Of the remaining ¥900,000, ¥600,000 goes to asset management and ¥300,000 I use freely. The assets I've built in a year and a half are about ¥8 million. Next year I expect to pass ¥10 million.
— When do you feel "I'm glad I earned this"?
G: The moment "I was completely freed from money worries" is the biggest. As a nurse I'd check my balance at the end of the month and sigh. Now I always have the security of "even if something happens, I'll be fine." That security even affects my work performance. Without the panic of "I can't afford to make mistakes because I have no money," my judgment stays calm.
— Are you thinking about your future career?
G: I'm planning to save at Ruby until I turn 30, and then to "go independent as a home-visit nurse." Launching a personal home-visit nursing business takes capital, and Ruby is the prep period for that. I still hold my nursing license, and I did love medical work. I want to choose the path of "earn at Ruby, then start a business as a nurse."
— Finally, a word for those who are hesitating.
G: Tossing out the idea that it's "a waste" is important. I honestly had resistance to throwing away the title of "nurse." But more than a title, my own life matters more. Rather than staying bound to a title and continuing a job I didn't even like, living by a job I chose myself suited me better.
You don't need to summon courage — just "hear them out once." That tells you everything.
First Class Ruby — Recruitment Information - Official site: https://www.tfr-ruby.com/ - Location: Urawa Ward, Saitama City, Saitama Prefecture - Hours: 06:00–24:00 (fully flexible scheduling) - Application hotline: 070-1462-0622 (available 24 hours) - LINE ID: ruby2017s