Jobs in Japan.

[Scott]

This comes up so often and the answers are almost always the same... I was wondering why we don't just have a single stickied thread with a few categories so that people can consult here instead of posting five or six new threads per page. Additionally, we could keep company feedback/tips in here as well. If this isn't needed, then it isn't needed, but it just seems like it would be a nice idea at this point...

As it is, I'm just going to list the places I can think of off of the top of my head.

Thanks for your contributions, people! keep them rolling in if you think of anything.

ALT (Assistant Language Teacher)
JET - http://www.jetprogramme.org/
Interac - http://www.interac.co.jp/recruit/cgi-bin/index.cgi/welcome/home.html
Altia - http://altiacentral.com/index.php
RCS - http://www.rcs-japan.com/en/index.htm
Global Partners - http://www.globalpartners.co.jp/english/index.html

Eikaiwa
GEOS - http://www.geoscareer.com/
AEON - http://www.aeonet.com/
NOVA - http://www.teachinjapan.com/
ECC - http://www.japanbound.com/
Berlitz - http://careers.berlitz.com/Asia/jp/default.asp?aInfo=1&cInfo=JP&cCode=44

General Job Sites
Jobs in Japan (technical) - http://www.seekjapan.jp/job_seekers.php?regionNo=0&industryNo=0
Gaijinpot - http://www.gaijinpot.com
Dave's ESL Cafe - http://www.eslcafe.com/search/Jobs/Asia/Japan/index.html
Technical Field Jobs - http://www.daijob.com/

[Scott]

What, nobody has any other resources? Or nobody's interested in the thread?

[Crowley]

You've just covered the basics a bit well... maybe some links to Japanese CV help and interviews?

[ZaichikArky]

hmm somehow, I know about all of that. i start applying in just a few months. I don't think I'll get into JET, so I'll need a few backups. I have several more links actually...

Altia should be an ALT- http://altiacentral.com/index.php
ECC- http://www.japanbound.com/
A smaller business- http://www.rcs-japan.com/en/index.htm

Yup. I wonder how many of those I'll apply for. Maybe all of them! That would be a huge pain later on. Maybe I can narrow it down somehow...

[Pierrot le Fou]

Technical Field Jobs:
http://www.daijob.com

[Crowley]

A smaller business- http://www.rcs-japan.com/en/index.htm

Company car! Heh.

[Scott]

Thanks for the input, guys... just need to get a mod to sticky this, heh.

[ZaichikArky]

Company car! Heh.

Yeah. You can tell it's pretty small-scale. Although I think it'd be exciting to drive around your own company car! I wonder if you'd be able to drive it around for non-work related purposes :p

[jindojim]

I might work for RCS, so I know a bit about them.

Here's the deal w/ the company car: it costs you 18000 yen per month to use it. Beyond that, you can use it all you want, but you have to pay for gas.

[Crowley]

That's really not a bad price for a car you don't have to pay for the maintenance on.

[erbiumfiber]

$1600-$1700 PER MONTH?!?! Am I reading that correctly or have my eyes played tricks on me with the zeroes? I think I could have a taxi take me wherever I need to go at that rate. If you're only making say 300,000 yen a month and 180,000 is going for a car, it doesn't seem like much of a deal. Plus gas??

[jindojim]

Shit, my bad. I meant 18000 yen per month :bang:

[Crowley]

Oh, I thought you said per year ;)

[Scott]

I'mm starting to get irritated at the listings on gaijinpot that aren't marked with the red asterisk designating them as jobs that you need to be in Japan to apply for, but still require you to be in Japan in the actual description. A lot of them are from Interac.

[erbiumfiber]

Shit, my bad. I meant 18000 yen per month :bang:

Well that's a pretty good deal then. As long as parking isn't too expensive (unless that includes parking, in which case it is a SMOKING DEAL!).

My last building, parking was 55,000 yen per month...

[six-eight-ten]

Keep an eye on some of the local city papers/ websites. Last month I got a one day job (took about an hour and a hlaf) recording lines for a character in an upcoming Xbox 360 game. That led to an audition this week for a role in a TV commercial. Haven't gotten the results of the audition yet. It might not be regular work, but it's a nice bit of bonus pay.

[rameek]

Global Partners - http://www.globalpartners.co.jp/english/index.html

[Plekto]

Keep an eye on some of the local city papers/ websites. Last month I got a one day job (took about an hour and a half) recording lines for a character in an upcoming Xbox 360 game. That led to an audition this week for a role in a TV commercial. Haven't gotten the results of the audition yet. It might not be regular work, but it's a nice bit of bonus pay.

Nice! There are several fields where foriegn language skills are a must or are always going to be in demand, and entertainment is one of the best. Of course, you are on the Japanese side speaking Engligh, but so what? :)

the new Apple as running here in the U.S. has a VERY cute Japanese girl in it - so it happens here as well. Good find!.

:clap:

[OaklandZoo]

I remember when I used to go to the Japanese school back in Pittsburgh, people who were making an Apple commercial came because they wanted to use some Asians in it. I guess the marketing firm was from the area, but I didn't hear anybody actually getting to be in the commercial.

But to get back on topic, is this thread really necessary if people who are interested in finding jobs already seem to know stuff like Dave's and Gaijinpot and Ohayo Sensei? I mean, if you type "jobs" and "japan" together in a google search, those websites will come up, right? I don't quite see the point of making this a sticky.

[Scott]

I think it is. Try doing a search for 'jobs' here and see how many threads have come up. Not everyone who's interested in a job in Japan knows everything listed here.

Even Az and PLF have asked for advice from people.

[OaklandZoo]

Every time I see the Aquos Keitai commercial with the 予想GUY in it, I keep thinking Az could have gotten the role.

[HeartSchool]

*Post deleted by mod, no advertising without site owners permission*

[Pierrot le Fou]

You don't mind if it's legal, yet pay under the legal wage of 2.7 million/year?

(roughly 250k/month)

Reported.

[RoxFontaine]

^ Word.

Is this what it's come to now? Whoring message boards for employees?

[HeartSchool]

You don't mind if it's legal, yet pay under the legal wage of 2.7 million/year?

(roughly 250k/month)

Reported.

Um, we pay much higher than the minimum wage and I just mentioned the typical range after expenses? In Ibaraki it's 5,600 yen per day and we range in 11,000 to 13,000. My girlfriend works more than an ALT at 1000 yen per hour and makes a lot less... As a staff member I make only 240,000 per month which is still 30% higher than the newer office staff here (and less than some ALTs). So, I hope you report it, I guess?

The 250,000 yen per month rate is standard in conversation schools with 20-25 8 hour days a month, but hasn't been the case in private ALT companies for years. If any school board wanted the JET-standard 240 8 hour days a year, we could match their salary, but again, we focus on contracts requiring less work. We couldn't pay 250,000 yen per month for someone working 6 hours a day (perhaps half of that actually "working"), 160 days a year. That's an average of a 20 hour workweek... So for those who want that little work, we can offer it. Those who want more, we can offer it.

Our yearly pay is the same as Interac (notorious for paying less than half salary for "slim months" and informing potential employees only at contract signing and after making the commitment to move to Japan) and RCS (who seem OK in my book). You should report them? Or maybe you should use your detective work to tip off the authorities that NOVA doesn't force their employees to have insurance or report them for social security. Don't forget to report the public school systems that set the price for ALTs and pay us much less than 250,000 per month for the service.

There are plenty of misconceptions about the industry in Japan. The 2.5-3 million yen (people usually pick the number they like) per year minimum wage is one of them that I thought died years back. I didn't, though, expect that a post of introduction would lead to such a response of revulsion. I hope you one day learn that there are good, hard working companies scraping along and doing everything they can to satisfy both their customers and employees...

Perhaps it is my fault for not lurking and getting to know the population here. I just saw the first post of the thread and thought that an actual introduction of the company and position would be appropriate and appreciated. If I personally cared on the company side and was trying to be sneaky, I could have signed on under a different name and submitted the link as is. If the jobs are of no use for those who are here I am content to move along and leave my post count here at 2.

[jindojim]

Ok, they're definitely skirting the pay per month issue.

According to Heart English School's posting in gaijinpot.com, they pay from 179K - 220K per month.

That's not very much...

[erbiumfiber]

From what I've been seeing on gaijinpot.com (and this latest ad), it seems to be getting harder and harder to find full-time (non-JET) ALT positions. And with the hours and travelling that are required, it's probably impossible to cobble together a full-time job from 2 or more part-time jobs. Which leaves the newcomer to Japan with the daunting task of finding private students from the start, or finding a really low cost-of-living area of Japan to be able to survive on less that 200,000 yen a month (nearly impossible task in Tokyo).

There was a cool job on gaijinpot looking for a public relations person to be basically the marketing specialist for English-speaking countries (mainly requiring translating and JLPT Level 1). But it's one of the more interesting jobs I've seen posted there...

[Pierrot le Fou]

The worst justification in the world for offering a pittance in wages, or really any other fucked up behaviour is, 'but other people are doing it!'

I've got an idea. How about I take your passport, hold your wages against the cost it took you to come here, and then pimp you out to drunk horny salarymen? After all, other people are doing it.

Don't advertise shitty jobs and expect me to somehow think it's okay because others are doing it. I don't agree with them doing it, I don't agree with you doing it, and I sure as Hell am not going to fight the system that does that wholesale, because people should look before they leap.

I don't take on drunk driving single handed, but I do stop blatant offenses before my eyes.

God forbid.

[six-eight-ten]

Keep an eye on some of the local city papers/ websites. Last month I got a one day job (took about an hour and a hlaf) recording lines for a character in an upcoming Xbox 360 game. That led to an audition this week for a role in a TV commercial. Haven't gotten the results of the audition yet. It might not be regular work, but it's a nice bit of bonus pay.

The TV commercial started playing (maybe in Hokkaido only?) last week. It's a Maruhan (pachinko place) commercial, I'm one of the "students". The recording of the commercial took most of the day, but for us "actors" it was a lot of sitting around waiting.

The video game isn't out yet, but there's a demo available for it on Xbox live. Fuzion Frenzy 2, if anyone is interested.

Both jobs were a lot of fun, both paid ￥30,000. I could handle more jobs like that.

[Suneru]

I found another site for searching for jobs. Its mostly Kanto based but there are some for other areas. It also has listings for lots of different industries

www.careercross.com

[stsparky]

Have any of you tried the Rotarians or other local civic groups or the sister city approach to employment or study abroad?
http://www.rotary.org/foundation/educational/amb_scho/prospect/award/type.html
http://www.rotary.org/foundation/educational/amb_scho/current/index.html
http://www.rotary.org/foundation/educational/amb_scho/centers/index.html

[Azrael]

Quick ettiquette question.

I'm currently applying for a job at a company. I had to take a qualifications test, which they are now reviewing. If I pass that, they'll interview me.

Now, within the past day or two I see that that company has posted another job opening. It's in the same division, but for a slightly different job. Now, I want to work at this company, so I'm thinking of applying for the second job as well. I really want the first one, but I would be more than thrilled with the second one as well. The contact info for the second job is a different guy than the first.

Here's what I've been thinking about. Should I....

1. Apply for the second job and let the guy know I'm also applying for the first? I want to say something like "I don't mean to cause conflict within my applications, I just really want to work at this company and this is another job that I can do well."

2. Tell the first guy that if I don't get the first job, please consider me for the second? I kind of don't want to say "If I don't get this job..." because it feels too negative to me. I don't want to do anything to jinx my chances to get the first job.

3. Wait it out? Wait to see if I don't get the first job, and if I don't then proceed with the first. I responded to the first job almost three weeks after it was initially posted, thinking I was too late, but I got a response. Since the posting for the second job is only a day or so old, maybe I have time...but then again, they just might fill the position while I'm waiting...who knows?

For the record, the guys I contact for both jobs are foreign, not Japanese.

Any advice would be 'preciated.

[erbiumfiber]

Would you take the same qualifications test for both the first and the second job? If so, you could wait until you see if you passed the qualification test and then use that result to apply to the second job. The best thing I think you can do is wait until the results of the first job, but if they take too long (never a good sign anyway) then I would apply to the second job as well.

I guess to really answer I would need to know how large the company is (will person A ever run across person B?). If you apply to the second job while waiting for the results of the first, I would probably admit to applying to both jobs with the (very honest) explanation that you really want to work for their company.

Good luck in any event!

Umm, so I'm guessing your current job is less than perfect?

[Azrael]

Well, the first job involves translating, so I the test I took was all about translating.

The second job, incidentally, is checking the first person's translations, and then regionalizing it. As such, it seems Japanese isn't necessary.

The company...I don't want to say too much. This is a personal thing of mine - I don't like going into too many details until things are confirmed. I hate having to say stuff like "I'm interviewing for job X!" and then come back a week or so later and have to say "Well, I didn't get it..." The company is pretty big, but I think it's the same department. In other words, I don't think I can apply for job B without the job A folks knowing about it.

And the current job........it's allright I guess. I'm just really, really, really tired of English teaching.

[Crowley]

1. Apply for the second job and let the guy know I'm also applying for the first? I want to say something like "I don't mean to cause conflict within my applications, I just really want to work at this company and this is another job that I can do well."

Clear win.

[RoxFontaine]

Number 1 without question, Az.

[japanat]

Az, #1 is definitely the way to go.


Job notice
I have been told about a kindergarten in Himeji looking for:
Female full-time instructor, M-F 9-5. Salary about 200K/mo plus transportation costs (I've recommended they sweeten the pot, but haven't heard back, yet). No visa sponsorship

Male part-time instructor, Saturdays (9-5?), 2500/hr. Again, I recommended they raise the salary to 3K or 3500, but haven't heard back.


If anyone is interested in talking to this school, send me info, and I'll forward it to them.

[Azrael]

Does anyone know anything about the possibility of getting a baito in Japan? I'm gonna be inbetween jobs in a month, and a baito could be a good way to ensure that I'm not pitifully broke.

Would most places even hire a foreigner?

[Pierrot le Fou]

Smaller businesses would be the way to go. Pop in with a Resume or somesuch in hand, and check out places with signs saying they're looking for workers. Larger chains and the like may have far more trouble hiring you because of legalities and the like, and the fact that they would likely just avoid the headache.

I'm sure you can find something.

Alternatively, you can look into Unemployment Insurance. If you work under the table for several months, you can collect unemployment for 2.5 months, then sign up for a course and learn a trade for another 3 months while collecting 60% or so of your salary I believe (and yes, foreigners can receive this bounty from the government). Hell, you could probably even teach privates on the side and make more money than you are now.

[Azrael]

I heard that by taking a new job after JET, my unemployment time period kind of reset or something - I'd have to work this job for six months (which isn't gonna happen) and then wait another two to get the unemployment. I don't quite understand how it works, I should look into it at least.

The market is kind of stale at the moment, so I'm just looking for a way to make some money from December until April or so. I figure the market will pick up around Feb/Mar, so I'm banking on more opportunities and hopefully I'll be able to find at least one. If I could find a new, full time job, great, but in the meantime I don't want to just sit around all day and play video games (as appealing as that does sound...eating appeals to me more).

And, I'm really just burned out on English teaching. I can't do it anymore, I just can't.

So really, anything in the meantime that I could do. I still maintain, I'd whore my body out if I knew the right channels to go through.

[Lan]

I still maintain, I'd whore my body out if I knew the right channels to go through.

BACK TO JAPAN!






kidding.

[mikem]

So really, anything in the meantime that I could do. I still maintain, I'd whore my body out if I knew the right channels to go through.

In all seriousness: I thought the normal way was to just go straight into the host club and ask for a job?

Also, there have to be bars in Osaka that would be willing to hire a Japanese speaking foreigner. Maybe that's too far away though.

[Niki]

Azrael: but isn't what I hear, that working as English instructor, is supposed to be full of FUN, and relaxing, and enjoyable??
Why this "burnt-out" thing in ur post??...
I'm actually thinking of just going to Japan (I love many things about this country! that's the main reason why I wanna go there: curiosity!!), and risks taking the English instructor job there!

[Azrael]

ARGH! Why are pretty much 99% of the jobs directed towards foreigners in Japan ALL English teaching?!* In Kansai at least. I don't want to be an English teacher anymore. I can't do it. Isn't there a job for me that doesn't put me as the performing English monkey in front of kids/adults?

*I know the answer to my own question. Just ranting.

[Pierrot le Fou]

Yes. Every last one of them. Sucker.

[Cherub Rock]

edit: Damn these old threads and their bumping.

[Azrael]

And, incidentally, what the hell is consulting/recruiting?

[Pierrot le Fou]

It's conning people into taking jobs that suck and that they'll hate by being an obnoxious prick to foreigners.

[Azrael]

...Right. I knew it was something I didn't want to do.

[japanat]

Az,

It may be a long shot, but what about talking to the following companies, all of which have a heavy presence in Kansai, especially in PLF and my neighborhood: Kawasaki Heavy Industries (Akashi and Harima plants), Mitsubishi Heavy (Kakogawa and Takasago), Kobe Steel (Kobe, Harima, Akko(?)), Nestle (west of Himeji) and P&G (Akashi), among others. P&G, especially, is bringing in foreign staff for cross-training all the time. Apply for regular positions, and if you don't think that's gonna work, apply as a life-style consultant. A friend of mine did that, spent all her time introducing new foreign staff and their dependents to life in Japan: shopping, money, bank, get the kids in school, etc.

If you have a science background, there is the International Science Research Center in Okubo, Akashi (I can't remember the exact name, I'll try to find the translation project from there). If you know programming and/or can translate technical manuals, try TechnoTree in Akashi.

Smaller shops, if you have a visa in hand, might be willing to give you a shot. Just brush up on your keigo and go. You might even consider taking your girlfriend along on these trips - it'll make you look much more like a long-term, responsible person in their eyes.

And if you don't mind getting dirty and can do a trade, many of the factories in south Akashi, south Harima, Kakogawa and Himeji are always looking for qualified workers. My Iranian friend, a welder and general steel-worker, actually has firms trying to take him from his current company.

If you don't want to teach English, work in a club, or don't want to be the token foreigner sitting at a visible desk, get your ass out of Kyoto/Osaka/Kobe! Out here in the boonies, there's lots less of us furriners (and we're closer to Kobe than Kyoto is, just on the wrong side of the tracks).

[Pierrot le Fou]

My girlfriend actually just got a job in P&G, and they seem to have many positions open. But, well, it's a totally different life from Kyoto. Lots of factories, lots of Yaks, lots of Yankees, lots of uneducated folk, and a much 'grittier' feel to life. But cheap as shit and the best damned beef around.

[japanat]

My girlfriend actually just got a job in P&G, and they seem to have many positions open. But, well, it's a totally different life from Kyoto. Lots of factories, lots of Yaks, lots of Yankees, lots of uneducated folk, and a much 'grittier' feel to life. But cheap as shit and the best damned beef around.
Lots of Yaks, Yankees, bosozoku! Girls in bumpkin clothes compared to the styles of Kobe-Kyoto (you can see the difference immediately!).

But at the risk of sounding not like a foreigner, I'm not that fond of Kyoto. Some nice architecture and individual buildings, but the city overall is nearly as ugly as any other city around here, especially after they built Frankenstein's train station. The people are often overly formal and cold and the cost of living is horrendous.

When I first got married, we rented a nice, new 3LDK out here in the 'west 40' for 50K/mo. If I feel a need for the sophistication of Kobe, or a trip to CostCo, it's only a couple K roundtrip. But, to be fair, I have 4 kids, which has pretty much shut down the party life, which is much better in Kobe/Osaka.

[Pierrot le Fou]

When we first found this 50 square meter 2LDK in a brand new manshon right next to the station for 75k/month, we thought it was a steal. Now knowing real costs around here, I realize how much we're paying. Yowza.

Kyoto is nice because of all the universities, young people, and culture. Yes, it's ugly, but the type of people you run into are far more pleasant, and that makes it nice.

[Azrael]

I'm kind of stuck in Kyoto. I actually ended up getting the apartment before I even had a job. As you know, it's not exactly easy to foreigners to find decent places to live. I don't have any Japanese co-signers lined up, and my girlfriend actually barely has any herself (we weren't even sure it was going to work for this place!) I actually really like the apartment and I love the area/placement, so I don't particularly want to move. I really like Kyoto, and there are a number of other reasons keeping me here as well.

I don't mind commuting at all. It sucks, but I figure it might just be unavoidable. Osaka's no problem, and Kobe city (like Sannomiya) wouldn't be too hard.

I guess I'll try some outreach with some of the companies you mentioned. The job pickings are really scarce right now - I believe/hope it's just a bad time. Things should hopefully pick up after Christmas (I heard some people stick around long enough to get their bonus, and then leave), and then around Feb/Mar as we get closer to the new fiscal year. I just have to tough it out until then.

There are a lot of IT/programming jobs, but unfortunately I really can't do those. I failed out of CS in college.

I've been to several interviews, and I always ended up as the top runner-up/one of the top 3/4 candidates or whatever, but it just never translated into a job.

It's all still pretty nerve-racking though.

[Pierrot le Fou]

Don't forget to look into under the table part time work while collecting unemployment...

[Azrael]

Supposedly, I can't get unemployment. Because I took another job (and didn't keep it) after JET, I have to wait like 6 months or something. I dunno, just what I heard.

[Pierrot le Fou]

Incorrect. Quitting a job makes you unemployed. Having paid into the system, you can withdraw from it. Check the web. There is information out there. You just gotta wait 3 months after losing employment before collecting, hence the under the table gigs. After 2.5 months of collecting unemployment, you can then start a class for training in some skill for an additional 3 months, for which you get paid (with transport fees).

And keep the under teh table gig on the side.

[Azrael]

Hmm. Finding some info, but some of it is contradictory.

Maybe I'll just go down to the Gaikokujin Employment center down in Osaka.

[Pierrot le Fou]

You can do it in Kyoto too, my girlfriend informed me that there was a foreign guy doing just that when she was there taking a class. Contact your local unemployment bureau by telephone and ask what the requirements are mayhaps?

[Smallredbox]

What kind of jobs in Japan could an english-speaking individual do that

does not

require a college degree?

I am finding some difficulty in finding them, if they even exist at all.

[Pierrot le Fou]

Skilled manual labor, specifically factories. Are you desperate for cash, female, and willing to get groped and/or perform sexual acts for money? That could work too.

[Smallredbox]

Skilled manual labor, specifically factories. Are you desperate for cash, female, and willing to get groped and/or perform sexual acts for money? That could work too.

Jee-zus you responded fast!

o___O';


And no, I'm not female. :knockout:


So, factories, eh?

[CoryInJapan]

My girlfriend actually just got a job in P&G, and they seem to have many positions open. But, well, it's a totally different life from Kyoto. Lots of factories, lots of Yaks, lots of Yankees, lots of uneducated folk, and a much 'grittier' feel to life. But cheap as shit and the best damned beef around.
SO ur saying you dont need a college degree to work out there?

[Danistar]

I'm pretty sure that if you use "ur" on a job application, college degree or not you're not getting the job.

[Pierrot le Fou]

SO ur saying you dont need a college degree to work out there?
No. I'm saying that midgets have populated the space between your earlobes causing the loss of higher motor functions.

You just read it wrong.

[Lisa M]

Depends on what country you're from. If you're from the US, you need a BA at least in order to get a work visa, if I'm not mistaken, unless you want to work illegally in a sweatshop.

[japanat]

Depends on what country you're from. If you're from the US, you need a BA at least in order to get a work visa, if I'm not mistaken, unless you want to work illegally in a sweatshop.
You need a BA/BS to get a teaching visa. Manual labor/factory work doesn't need that.

[CoryInJapan]

You need a BA/BS to get a teaching visa. Manual labor/factory work doesn't need that.
Ahh, thanks,Manual labor is what I was talking about because I don't want to teach.

[japanat]

Ahh, thanks,Manual labor is what I was talking about because I don't want to teach.Cory, do you have any special skills that would make them want to hire you, or will you have a visa for other purposes?

Working in Japan is much like working in the States; most places don't want to go through the hassle of setting up and guaranteeing a visa if they can get someone with the same skills domestically (they probably can't even get the visa if such people are available). If you already have a visa, like a student visa or some such, you can probably find manual work (under the table, probably). If not, they're more likely to hire a Japanese, or a South American of Japanese descent (the visa process was stream-lined a few years ago). There's also the prejudice that dealing with foreigners is so-o-o-o-o much more difficult, what with language differences, culture, perceived work ethics, etc.

If you want to work here, go for it, but do your homework in advance.

[aargon]

I wont pretend to know how difficult it is to get a job in Japan (given i was seconded/transferred here), but so you know, there are quite a few ex-Nova, ex-JET, ex-ELT people all working in my firm. And i work in finance/banking.

Here i was thinking that my fellow gaijins were harvard, oxford type students with flawless academic records, when instead most of them were just ex- english teachers. The catch is that most did their stint in Japan then went back home to do a finance major before coming back to Japan and getting a job working for a multi- national firm.

With Japan slowly opening its markets allowing international firms to do business here, there is an ever growing need for bi-lingual speaking people with the right skillset. If you have a business degree and can speak fluent english and abit of japanese (throw in the fact that you have lived here before or currently are), trust me, you will be in hot demand from all the recruitment companies.

I guess the only question you need to ask yourself is whether you would be willing to sacrifice yourself to further education before getting employment that would set you up for a very long time. Fun time is over as they say. Time to think about the rest of your life.
________
iolite reviews (http://vaporizers.net/iolite-vaporizer)

[sumosan]

I was looking for sometime while teaching English to land that ideal job where Japanese wasn't a big factor. The first two sites aree for ENG/JAP workers, the last strictly Japanese.

General Job Sites

Try
http://www.jobgiant.jp
http://www.careercross.com
http://www.dipjobs.co.jp

Goodluck,
Sumo

[Archaic]

With Japan slowly opening its markets allowing international firms to do business here, there is an ever growing need for bi-lingual speaking people with the right skillset. If you have a business degree and can speak fluent english and abit of japanese (throw in the fact that you have lived here before or currently are), trust me, you will be in hot demand from all the recruitment companies.

Please, do tell. I've got a Bachelor of International Business, with Japanese Language specialization, including a year of exchange at Meijo Daigaku in Nagoya. I'm currently about to start a Graduate Certificate in International Business (should finish that within a semester), while working part time at a Market Research firm, mainly doing telephone surveys. With my general lack of experience, I was despairing of ever getting to Japan except as an English teacher.

[silentplummet]

If you do have a degree you can always join a translation agency and work in the field of your specialization. You have to be really good at Japanese for this, probably better than JLPT level 1. There are tougher exams specifically for translators, but if you've got the skills, join an agency.

There's also interpretation, but I've heard it's a total mindfuck. Even the best interpreters breakdown after 2-3 hours of work. Very highly paid work, mind you, if you have the skills. But it's really something you'd want to combine with other sources of income.

[Knife-Fingered Sue Sanderson]

Hey! Quick question...
So I have an interview with AEON in a couple weeks and as many of you probably know, you have to present a lesson you've prepared yourself. Any tips on this? Thanks!

[japanat]

Hey! Quick question...
So I have an interview with AEON in a couple weeks and as many of you probably know, you have to present a lesson you've prepared yourself. Any tips on this? Thanks! When I interviewed, there were groups of 6-8, doing lessons to each other; so your lesson only had to be about 5 min long.

I used paired worksheets with complementary information blanked out so that they had to practice question forms to get the information necessary (the subject doesn't matter: it could be about the planets' names and diameters, or about frogs' and tigers' sizes and speeds...). Took 2 min to have them repeat the forms, then set them loose on each other. Some will intentionally make mistakes (trying to trip you up, or 'challenge' you); be sure to correct them, as that is a skill they're looking for.

Greeting and introduction Q&As, while simple, are so often done that you might want to try something else.

Most important for AEON, etc, is to keep the lesson upbeat and lively, and to be willing to switch tracks completely if the lesson isn't working. Don't let it bog down. Remember that English is entertainment for these places, but still needs to be lesson-worthy.

Look at Dave's ESL Cafe for some lesson ideas, or go to publishers' sites, like Oxford University Press, and Cambridge Japan.

[OaklandZoo]

Please, do tell. I've got a Bachelor of International Business, with Japanese Language specialization, including a year of exchange at Meijo Daigaku in Nagoya. I'm currently about to start a Graduate Certificate in International Business (should finish that within a semester), while working part time at a Market Research firm, mainly doing telephone surveys. With my general lack of experience, I was despairing of ever getting to Japan except as an English teacher.

Let me remind you that there are bunch of Japanese nationals who have spent some time overseas who cans peak fluent enough English, called 帰国子女 (I'm one myself). It's not completely false that bilingual people are a hot commodity, but don't bring your hopes up too much.

[Archaic]

Yes, to be honest, I wasn't really expecting much. I've heard similar things before, and it's usually turned out to be a dead-end, or requiring much more advanced Japanese than I've managed to acquire (I haven't done the test, but I'd be approx a JLPT 3).

[Knife-Fingered Sue Sanderson]

Thanks japanat!

[gar-ry]

I have heard that there are jobs in Japan for people with a background in IT or banking who speak Japanese, but does anybody know of the job prospects having a Law degree as well as Japanese ability?

[bakagaijin]

I have heard that there are jobs in Japan for people with a background in IT or banking who speak Japanese, but does anybody know of the job prospects having a Law degree as well as Japanese ability?

My friend is a recruiter in Tokyo and he says that lawyers who speak Japanese are a hot commodity.

[Overkongen]

I'm studying to be a teacher, so basically, getting into an ALT position should be kinda easy. Ma girl tho, she holds an education that would basically translate into biological analysist, or laboratory assistant. Is getting a job within that field possible for foreigners?

[Knife-Fingered Sue Sanderson]

Thanks again for the help, japanat! I just got a call from AEON today and they offered me a job! Yay~

[japanat]

Thanks again for the help, japanat! I just got a call from AEON today and they offered me a job! Yay~That's great! Did they tell you at which branch?

[Knife-Fingered Sue Sanderson]

No, I won't know until March or April. Also, since I'm graduating in May, I won't even be leaving for Japan until late August or September.
But I'm excited :)

[japanat]

Let us know when you find out. I know you've been here a fair amount, but if it's an area you're not familiar with, I'm sure somebody here has spent some time there.

[gentlemanandscholar]

I didn't want to make a new thread for this but had to get it out.
I got back from an interview from one of the big 5 recently and there was a gentleman there who embodied everything you SHOULD NOT do in these interviews.
A list:
DO NOT
- Constantly inquire about English assistance ad nauseam. You're going to Japan, not an extension of the US.
- Criticize the curriculum your potential company embraces... ad nauseam.
- Relate an anecdote of not being able to live with someone and how you would have scrapped with said person if you were a little more muscular.
- Criticize the written test.
- Ask how you are doing in comparison to other people in front of the whole group (don't even ask individually).

For your presentation:
DO
- Listen to what they're looking for and adapt to that need.
DO NOT
- Ignore "suggestions"(read: demands) for the curriculum and then self-promote your own system as better and smarter.
- Purposely and very obviously try and sabotage other people's presentations.

And finally, a huge emphasis
DO NOT use Japanese. Especially if you don't know it and have spelled the terms incorrectly (ie きくうです instead of けっこうです）.


I'm finished now.


edit: Congrats panda!

[Knife-Fingered Sue Sanderson]

I just got a call from AEON today. I'll be living in Matsudo in Chiba on the Joban line. I can't wait! It's just what I was hoping for, too - in Chiba, close to Tokyo, and on a JR line. Woot!

[gentlemanandscholar]

I just got a call from AEON today. I'll be living in Matsudo in Chiba on the Joban line. I can't wait! It's just what I was hoping for, too - in Chiba, close to Tokyo, and on a JR line. Woot!

Damn you, I'm still waiting to find out where I'll be positioned.

[Knife-Fingered Sue Sanderson]

Damn you, I'm still waiting to find out where I'll be positioned.


Are you going through AEON, too?

[gentlemanandscholar]

They were my second choice, but no, I'm going with ECC. Hoorah.

[mikem]

Awesome! Will you be here in time for the JET orientation? Seems like everyone does a nomikai in Tokyo when the JETs are in town. (Around August 4th if my info is correct ...)

[gentlemanandscholar]

That's my birthday... god I hope I can.

[koku]

How well would an education in communications help in Japan (mixed with Japanese language ability)? Things like having cross-cultural seminars, or training in a group of Japanese or US employees who are about to work overseas -- or even, who knows, mentoring group communication and such. Lately I've been thinking of mixing learning Japanese with Communications.... A couple teachers told me it's a good mix, but you guys have lived and worked in Japan so you'd probably know more about it.

[Suneru]

I’ve been living in Japan for a time (over four years...) I worked as a teacher for over three years, and then I got a job at a recruiting company. I used to post a lot on this forum, but fortunately/unfortunately most of my time has been taken up with work now.

Just advice for those looking at teaching positions. If you need a visa then take the job and secure your visa. But for everyone get out as soon as you can (unless of course, your interest is in teaching).

As a recruiter I see companies reaction to people with teaching experience. They see it as the "easy way." They very often deny resumes because of "we are concerned about their career goals."

Looking back I see why it took me almost 6 months of daily struggle to find a position not related to teaching. It was not because of my Japanese skill, because I have 2 kyu of the JLPT (this is enough to work in a Japanese company), but because of my teaching experience.

Ok I'm rambling. Point is for those of you wanting to find a position on your own try websites like:
www.daijob.com
www.careercross.com　(I actually was scouted by my company through this site)

I wouldn't have suggested it 8 months ago, because I had no idea. But recruiting companies are a good choice. It is a recruiters job to find you a job. Try:

www.Robertwalters.com (they are headhunters, but also do recruitment in a wide range of industries)
Of course you could use my own company www.skillhouse.co.jp (sean.lampe@skillhouse.co.jp), we mostly focus on foreign companies in the IT field, but we do sometimes have "non-core" positions.

There are other recruiters as well, I just can't seem to find their websites... I'll post the websites later if I can.

[Hikoku-Y]

I have heard that there are jobs in Japan for people with a background in IT or banking who speak Japanese, but does anybody know of the job prospects having a Law degree as well as Japanese ability?

I just finished my first year of a law school, so I can speak to this a little bit. I was a Japanese major in undergrad, and I spent a year of college in Japan and then spent the past summer working for a Japanese company in Tokyo. The representatives I spoke to from large law firms with Tokyo offices (Morrison & Foerster, Jones Day, White & Case, Sullivan & Cromwell, Orrick, etc.) were very, very enthusiastic in encouraging me to interview with them next year (large law firms generally give permanent offers to law students at the end of their second-year summer). I also ended up getting an offer to work at a large firm's Tokyo office this summer.

I am definitely not fluent in business-level Japanese, but the combination of a Japanese major, two months in an all-Japanese company, and a law degree does seem to make firms very interested. The one qualification to all of this is that I'm at a law school with an excellent national and international reputation, and I do think that makes a big difference in terms of the opportunities you'll have for work in Japan. Also, pretty much any work you do at a foreign law firm will be in Tokyo, so if Tokyo's not your thing you'll either have to look for work at a Japanese firm or find another career path...

[assassin]

how about this? join nova, get to japan then find a job here in japan (another english job or soemthing better than nova) and then quit nova as soon as you find that job (or maybe you already have one in mind that you found before in the US)

does this sound crazy?

[Hikoku-Y]

how about this? join nova, get to japan then find a job here in japan (another english job or soemthing better than nova) and then quit nova as soon as you find that job (or maybe you already have one in mind that you found before in the US)

does this sound crazy?

I've never worked for Nova, so I can't speak from personal experience, but literally everyone I know who's worked there has had a bad experience with them. Sometimes that bad experience can be outweighed by the pros of being in Japan, but Nova's reputation is really awful. I'd suggest trying to get a job at ECC, AEON, or GEOS before you resort to Nova. Depending on what kind of a person you are, it might be easy to transition from being a Nova instructor to doing private English lessons, but that will (at least initially) increase the instability of your income and may present visa problems as well. Experienced private instructors seem to do very well for themselves, but it proably takes a while to learn the system, so be prepared.

Also be prepared for potential housing difficulties. If Nova provides an apartment for you (or provides you with a partially subsidized apartment), you can bet that your employment contract will contain a clause allowing them to kick you out if you breach the contract (for example, by quitting before the term of the contract is up). Finding housing in Japan without someone to sponsor you can be very difficult. Maybe someone who's been through this can shed a little more light on it, because I'm somewhat out of my depth here.

All of that said, it is definitely possible to go to Japan through Nova and transition into something else. Many people have done it. But make sure you know what you're getting into, especially if your Japanese isn't fluent.

[assassin]

yeah i understand the whole housing system and how insanely crappy nova is. i am here studying abroad in japan but will soon be going back to finish my last year of college. then i plan to come back here, and the only real way i see my self making any living here is teaching english while at the same time secretly improving my japanese (im about 2-kyuu level right now).

so thats why i came up with this bogus plan to come with nova. it seems hard to come to japan to teach english without somehing like nova or jet, and most of the english jobs i looked up online say you must be curretly in japan to get this job. thus my problem is getting a visa.

[Hikoku-Y]

yeah i understand the whole housing system and how insanely crappy nova is. i am here studying abroad in japan but will soon be going back to finish my last year of college. then i plan to come back here, and the only real way i see my self making any living here is teaching english while at the same time secretly improving my japanese (im about 2-kyuu level right now).

so thats why i came up with this bogus plan to come with nova. it seems hard to come to japan to teach english without somehing like nova or jet, and most of the english jobs i looked up online say you must be curretly in japan to get this job. thus my problem is getting a visa.

I've heard good things about ECC, so you might consider doing that for a year and just transitioning to something else when your contract expires. I think with them you work 35 hours per week and get 7 weeks of vacation per year. And you can definitely apply from America.

[assassin]

what does ECC stand for?

[EIJI]

what does ECC stand for?
http://www.ecc.co.jp/htm/english/general_01.html

[assassin]

thank you!

[assassin]

ok i looked up that site and also found this one: http://www.japanbound.com/aboutECC.html looks like the same thing.

anyone done or doing this program? is this like nova or like jet?

[Murakumo]

First off, I'll just start by saying I'm going on JET... hurrah!?!

I'll be in Kasai City in Hyogo... anyone else around or semi-close (Kansai at least?)

The orientation for the first group is July 29th to August 1st... if you wanna meet up or go drinking or something, let me know.


Also, anyone know any language schools for Korean? Both to find as a student and for employment. My girlfriend is going to try and make it closer to me, and she's got a MA in TESOL and a TESL cert equivalent for Korean language (native Korean speaker, near-native English with no accent).


Anyway, thanks for any help in advance. If you're gonna be at the JET orientation in Tokyo, let me know. :clap:

~Curtis

[MEGA SATAN 3000]

A couple questions. . .

Is a Bachelor's degree in Psychology at all useful in Japan? I'm assuming not, since it's completely worthless in the US.

How about Master's degrees? What kind of Master's degree might I be able to go for that would be useful in both Japan and the US? I plan on applying for JET, but I want to be able to keep my options open.

[assassin]

how about a bachelors degree in philosophy which is what i have loloolol

[japanat]

First off, I'll just start by saying I'm going on JET... hurrah!?!

I'll be in Kasai City in Hyogo... anyone else around or semi-close (Kansai at least?)

Also, anyone know any language schools for Korean? Both to find as a student and for employment. My girlfriend is going to try and make it closer to me, and she's got a MA in TESOL and a TESL cert equivalent for Korean language (native Korean speaker, near-native English with no accent).


Anyway, thanks for any help in advance. If you're gonna be at the JET orientation in Tokyo, let me know. :clap:

~CurtisKasai's an all right town. There's a nice flower park, pretty large. I take my kids there about once a year. It's about a 30-45 drive north of Kakogawa, NE of Himeji. The train is a single line, single coach...　and stops at 10pm, I think. Most people take the bus. Welcome to small-town Japan! But Kobe is about an hour away by train, Osaka another 30min.

Re: Korean, I really don't know. After the success of the ROK TV show "Winter Sonata", all things Korean went through a boom. I don't know about now. Also, the Kobe-Himeji area has a lot of ethnic Koreans living in the area, so I don't know if there are jobs available or not. I'm pretty sure NOVA has Korean language classes.

[japanat]

A couple questions. . .

Is a Bachelor's degree in Psychology at all useful in Japan? I'm assuming not, since it's completely worthless in the US.

How about Master's degrees? What kind of Master's degree might I be able to go for that would be useful in both Japan and the US? I plan on applying for JET, but I want to be able to keep my options open.Depends on what kind of job you're looking for. For teaching, any BA/BS will do - even underwater basket-weaving. Again if you want to teach, get your MA in TESOL/TEFL or get the Cambridge Certificate.

For business? Do like PLF and Az, and get your butt in Japan (JET or otherwise), and start networking. Finish your contract and try to hook up with something else.

[mikem]

Is a Bachelor's degree in Psychology at all useful in Japan?

In order to get a work visa you must have a four-year degree. Congrats on that even if you think its "useless".

If you don't want to teach English for the rest of your life you need to learn Japanese well enough to pass at least JLPT-2. At that point its likely that your specific degree won't matter at all to your employer.

[Plekto]

Actually, you don't need a degree at all if the employer can explain it. This is common in IT fields and so on, where work experience is several times more important than a degree.(3/4 of the people in my company don't have degrees - not that it matters, really)

But a degree helps a lot, especially if you are young and don't have 5-10 years in a career to back up the request.

[assassin]

In order to get a work visa you must have a four-year degree. Congrats on that even if you think its "useless".

If you don't want to teach English for the rest of your life you need to learn Japanese well enough to pass at least JLPT-2. At that point its likely that your specific degree won't matter at all to your employer.

yeah i got the jlpt 2. i was just joking around. lol cuz phil is so useless...

[mikem]

Actually, you don't need a degree at all if the employer can explain it. This is common in IT fields and so on, where work experience is several times more important than a degree.(3/4 of the people in my company don't have degrees - not that it matters, really)

But a degree helps a lot, especially if you are young and don't have 5-10 years in a career to back up the request.

I've only talked to one company who was willing to go through the hassle of doing this. They have a lawyer who they retain just for this purpose and one of the founders has no degree, so ... Everyone else denied it was possible and then suggested I would have to deal with it on my own.

When I did check in to it the minimum, even in the IT field, was 10 years of documented experience. Since several of my early companies no longer exist I figured all-in-all it was time to just get a degree. :)

Yeah, it can be done, just expect maximum resistance.

[Plekto]

Like I said - you do need relevant experience in a real career. Basically it boils down to if you are over 35 or so, it's easily possible, degree or not, with a job. A good way though is to get a U.S. company with a Japan branch to sponsor you. That's often much easier, though like I said, that's pretty much legal, IT, engineering, or military related these days. My business, for instance, opened up a tiny Japan branch last year.(three people in an office plus a SQL stack the size of a refrigerator in the corner) I'm not a paralegal - I work more on the IT side, so there's no place even though I asked - heh.

Of course, there's always the permanently rotating visa/Korea trick. And a few places will hire you reguardless, just like in the U.S. - just don't expect to make close to a a living wage(same with the U.S. - funny how that works). Of course, JLPT 2 or similar fluency is going to have to be proven(1 is better of course), since we're talking more rural areas where they just don't give a damn or are harder pressed to find skilled workers. But I have heard of a *few* people who have managed to do odd jobs and make a living.

[Pierrot le Fou]

DO NOT do the rotating Japan-Korea thing. A certain Kyoto JET (not Az) was stopped on his third re-entrance, hauled into an immigration questioning booth, and was told that if he ever did it again, that he would NOT be let in the country. His passport was marked, and after several hours of questioning he was released.

Get a working visa if you're going to work.

[Murakumo]

What do you mean by rotating? Jobs? I figured I'd likely be flying out to South Korea a couple times a year to see my girlfriend. I didn't see as how I would rotate jobs, but are the pissed about people going to and from Korea frequently?

BTW, I'm doing JET, and I should probably already know for sure, but don't you get a working visa through JET? ... or do they grant some other kind of visa?

[japanat]

What do you mean by rotating? Jobs? I figured I'd likely be flying out to South Korea a couple times a year to see my girlfriend. I didn't see as how I would rotate jobs, but are the pissed about people going to and from Korea frequently?

BTW, I'm doing JET, and I should probably already know for sure, but don't you get a working visa through JET? ... or do they grant some other kind of visa?

Of course, there's always the permanently rotating visa/Korea trick.This is the trick: People used to come in on a 90-day visa and work illegally, then head to Korea and come back in to Japan on another 90-day; and like the Everready bunny, they'd keep going and going and going.

Well, immigration finally wised up and realized that SE Asians weren't the only people working here illegally. And as PLF said, they now take a very dim view of the practice. Generally, they'll let you do it once (2 entries - 180 days), then they will ask some very pointed questions.

As a JET, you'll have a teaching visa, which will be enough. Make sure you get the multiple re-entry permit (6000yen - if you leave the country without one, it will invalidate your visa), and multiple trips to Korea won't be a problem. But be prepared for them to start searching your luggage pretty thoroughly from around the 2nd or 3rd time you go to Korea in a year (it fits the profile of a drug smuggler pretty well, so don't be dumb enough to bring anything illegal back with you...)

[Murakumo]

Thanks a ton for the explanation. I guess my next question would have to be...
Do you know where and how I can obtain a multiple re-entry permit?

Thanks again for all the help! :clap:

~Curtis

[japanat]

Thanks a ton for the explanation. I guess my next question would have to be...
Do you know where and how I can obtain a multiple re-entry permit?

Thanks again for all the help! :clap:

~CurtisWhen you go to the Japanese consulate to get your visa stamp, apply for it then. If you already have your stamp, you have the choice of going back to the embassy/consulate or of going to immigration once you're in country. Going to immigration when in country, you'll need your foreigner registration card and a 6000yen revenue stamp (often sold in the canteen in the same building).

[Murakumo]

Thanks again... the consulate hate my passport and visa right now and said they're brining everyone's papers to the airport the morning we leave. I'll try giving them a call on Monday to ask about it, and if I can't get that before I leave then I guess I'll take care of it at immigration once I'm over there.

Thanks again for all the help. I'm sure this ill help me avoid many potential problems!

~Curtis

[SoulPlay]

Is it a bad idea to go to Japan on a tourists visa (90 days) to look for a job and then try to get your employer to sponsor your visa? a friend of mine is planning to study japanese at auniversity there next february.. because he missed the deadline for fall..however... he was wondering if he could try to get a job in Japan for 6 or 7 months.... would it be possible? How would he approach the situation?

[ミュー]

Is it a bad idea to go to Japan on a tourists visa (90 days) to look for a job and then try to get your employer to sponsor your visa? a friend of mine is planning to study japanese at auniversity there next february.. because he missed the deadline for fall..however... he was wondering if he could try to get a job in Japan for 6 or 7 months.... would it be possible? How would he approach the situation?
How about he joins a big eikaiwa chain (AEON, ECC, GEOS etc. *not NOVA) and then come to Japan with a work visa. Most companies will not sponsor your visa unless someone has already sponsored you IMO. It's a LOT easier to have your initial work visa taken care of by an eikaiwa. It he hates it, he can alwayhs quit and look for another job. I came here on a 90-day and I'm switching status right now but the racist cocksuckers at immigration still have not changed it although I have all of the needed paperwork.

[assassin]

How about he joins a big eikaiwa chain (AEON, ECC, GEOS etc. *not NOVA) and then come to Japan with a work visa. Most companies will not sponsor your visa unless someone has already sponsored you IMO. It's a LOT easier to have your initial work visa taken care of by an eikaiwa. It he hates it, he can alwayhs quit and look for another job. I came here on a 90-day and I'm switching status right now but the racist cocksuckers at immigration still have not changed it although I have all of the needed paperwork.

i was looking into ECC and for coming to the kanto area they said applicants must already be living in the kanto area to get the job. i really want to come back to japan into the tokyo/chiba area where all my friends are. so what about coming with one program at nagoya or something with ECC then switching out later or finding another job? any one have any good advice?

[digable]

[QUOTE=ミュー]How about he joins a big eikaiwa chain (AEON, ECC, GEOS etc. *not NOVA) QUOTE]

I did NOVA for three years. It's not the worse you can do as far as eikaiwas go, but it is better than some of those shady smaller eikaiwas. From what I've seen and heard, it is the worse of the big eikaiwas, though. That being said, it's more than possible to get a visa and job through NOVA, get to Japan, and quit and go with ECC or the other ones.

I had an Aussie roommate who did that. He was with NOVA for all of three days, and never even went to orientation. Woke up that morning and called in sick to Foreign Personnel to tell them he threw his back out and was going up to Iwate where his sister was a Jet to get a nice mattress. Never saw him again. Takes me a while to remember who he was when I look at the pictures of a welcome party me and some other NOVA threw for him.

[assassin]

[QUOTE=ミュー]How about he joins a big eikaiwa chain (AEON, ECC, GEOS etc. *not NOVA) QUOTE]

I did NOVA for three years. It's not the worse you can do as far as eikaiwas go, but it is better than some of those shady smaller eikaiwas. From what I've seen and heard, it is the worse of the big eikaiwas, though. That being said, it's more than possible to get a visa and job through NOVA, get to Japan, and quit and go with ECC or the other ones.

I had an Aussie roommate who did that. He was with NOVA for all of three days, and never even went to orientation. Woke up that morning and called in sick to Foreign Personnel to tell them he threw his back out and was going up to Iwate where his sister was a Jet to get a nice mattress. Never saw him again. Takes me a while to remember who he was when I look at the pictures of a welcome party me and some other NOVA threw for him.



but what happens if you quit nova? like does your visa go away? do you become a criminal? can you really just strait up leave like that? arent there some sort of contract agreements?

[digable]

[QUOTE=digable]



but what happens if you quit nova? like does your visa go away? do you become a criminal? can you really just strait up leave like that? arent there some sort of contract agreements?

I've been back from Japan four years now, and things have changed since then. I'm not sure if NOVA revokes your visa right away when you quit now, but back then IIRC, they didn't. I know the length of their visas now have changed, and we all thought it was b/c of the people quitting NOVA for other schools. When I went to Japan, a full time teacher could get a 3 visa. Now, I believe they only give out 1 year visas.

[digable]

That should read: When I went to Japan, a full time teacher could get a 3 year visa. Now, I believe they only give out 1 year visas.

[assassin]

That should read: When I went to Japan, a full time teacher could get a 3 year visa. Now, I believe they only give out 1 year visas.


hmm well 1 year is plenty of time to find another job. I just hope they don't take my visa when i quit lol

[Pierrot le Fou]

RULE #1:

Your visa is YOUR VISA. Your employer CANNOT take it away. It is NOT something they own. Never let yourself get bullied by an employer who claims otherwise.

[japanat]

Your employer can't take your visa away (although they all claim to be able to), but if you really piss them off, they can file a complaint with immigration, notifying them that you have quit the job which sponsored your visa. Then immigration can choose whether to pursue you (which isn't likely to happen unless your ex-employer claims that you left to do something illegal, like selling drugs).

But don't forget that you'll need to figure out housing before breaking a contract with one of the eikaiwas, because they usually provide the apartment for teachers recruited overseas as part of the sponsorship deal - in their name, not yours. So, if you leave the job, you leave the apartment same time.

BTW: ECC doesn't really 'hire' most of its Kanto staff in-country. The Tokyo positions are saved for staff with seniority and experience; the ones best able to help them in the highly competitive Tokyo market. While a few of those positions may be filled with new hires, the current staff gets priority.

[assassin]

ah i see thank you for all your helpful advice.

yeah i mean i have many friends in the tokyo area so if i just packed my shit up and left i would definitely have a place to crash for a while before i figured things out.

so an employer cant take your visa away? i mean seems logical as its a stamp in your passport, they cant just erase it.

but lets say i come with nova, and quit, then i have a one year visa, which gives me one year to find another job right? and after that if i do find a job they will most likely take care of my visa for me and extend it, etc. right?

[Plekto]

In theory, at least. But, remember, employers won't like that you jumped ship. They'll worry that you'll repeat the process with them.

It's better to stay employed and jump to another job. Most employers don't mind you quitting your current job if you are coming to work for them.)ie - they know the reason you are leaving) As good employer will have no problem extending your visa for years.

[assassin]

yeah thats what i kinda of meant, find another job then quit. i guess i was thinking get out of nova asap, but i guess there is no need to rush.

[Barns]

I would recommend ECC as a good starting point. I'm a couple of months into a one-year contract in Kanto, and they've been supportive thus far. You're very much just another number - there are so many teachers, and they're all interchangeable - but the work isn't difficult and the people at Kanto HQ are approachable.

With that said, I don't really see myself staying in the job past the current contract. Great jumping off point, not such a great long-term option. Unfortunately, with my BA in Psychology and distinct lack of Japanese language ability, my options aren't too wide open.

[assassin]

yeah i mean i hope to use my language ability to weasel something out...

[Kai]

How does AEON compare to the others like ECC and NOVA? I'm also looking at JET.

[japanat]

They're all really pretty much the same: good policies/bad policies, good branches/bad branches, good mgrs/bad mgrs.

I worked for AEON and had 2 fantastic managers, but some of my friends had horrible times. I even heard the Vice-President of Marketing say that "Gaijin are a necessary evil" when I was brought into head office for a text-book project. My friend worked for GEOS for 6 years and had absolutely no complaints, but another acquaintance bailed after 3 months. NOVA has the worst reputation, but has the most opportunities (at least, pre-sanction).

I would say that GEOS has the most pay grades; NOVA has been the easiest to get a job with, as well as being a decent job if your goal is just to have a wanderjahr and party. AEON is very similar to GEOS, but only had 2 pay levels when I was there. ECC has always had the rep. of being the most professional of the big eikaiwas.

I would recommend, however, that you look at the medium- to small-sized eikaiwas, as well as junior colleges. The minimum salary for a visa-sponsored foreign teacher is set by law, so there won't be any salary difference. If anything, the smaller place might even pay more. There's also the possibility of a mini-car being provided, some jukus even provide free housing (NOVA puts 4 teachers into what would be a small 2BR Stateside and charges them a fair amount).

Just be careful not to go with a Medium that's bucking for Large status. Those are the ones that always go under with no warning, leaving staff unpaid.

[Kai]

Thanks for the info, I really appreciate it. I just graduated college with a degree in political science and have almost no teaching experience whatsoever. One of my big concerns is receiving decent enough training.

[mikem]

I've never heard anyone complain about Berlitz. However, I've only known three people that work there. They only have a few pay levels and most of the time the better pay is when you are hourly rather than contract ...

[ミュー]

Does anyone know what working opportunities are afforded to people with a student visa and E/J capibilities? I've been thinking about getting a proper job soon, but I have no idea what to expect as far as options. Certainly not English, though... I'm a TERRIBLE teacher.

example:
"Hau issu mai engurishu supeekingu sukiiruzu?"
"Fuck this shit, I'm going to Korea!"

[mikem]

Does anyone know what working opportunities are afforded to people with a student visa and E/J capibilities? I've been thinking about getting a proper job soon, but I have no idea what to expect as far as options. Certainly not English, though... I'm a TERRIBLE teacher.

You can work anywhere that is willing to put up with your restrictions and any personal limitations.

The entertainment business for example is always a possibility.

[Azrael]

Suppose I wanted to work a job on the nights/weekends. What are my options, and where would I look?

All of the options I can think of are English teacher, and stuff 9-5 on the weekdays.

[Chuckles]

Only thing I can think of is only part time, so... yeah.

(Well, I guess... only speculation really.)

[japanat]

Suppose I wanted to work a job on the nights/weekends. What are my options, and where would I look?

All of the options I can think of are English teacher, and stuff 9-5 on the weekdays.Depends what kind of money you're looking for, what hours, how hard you want to work (you really want to work nights/weekends?): Bartender, Taxi Driver, Road construction, convenience store, international hotel. You could even do property title research over the 'net.

Myuu,
Student visa = under-the-table work. Legally can't work at all, so they'd need to take cash-only jobs.

[Knife-Fingered Sue Sanderson]

That should read: When I went to Japan, a full time teacher could get a 3 year visa. Now, I believe they only give out 1 year visas.


I think they may have changed it again. I just got my visa back, and even though I only put down 1 year on the application the visa is good for 3. Even my AEON recruiter was a little surprised.

Either that or Japan just wants me there soooooooo badly they're willing to bend the rules a little :cool:

[Azrael]

Basically, I have a job, but I need more money than my current salary. So whatever I can work outside of my current 9-5, that won't drive me completely insane.

[Chuckles]

Maybe check in with UPS then. I don't know how they operate over there, however, what with there being a lot less landmass to cover. Over here the guys who load/unload boxes from/to trucks work from 3-8AM, or 5-10PM.

May be worth checking into.

[Pierrot le Fou]

Grab English lessons on the side, Az. It's the quickest easiest work you can do. The alternative is trying to get a job working as a bartender somewhere. Just check regular izakayas that are hiring around your apartment, dictate what hours you want to work, and get 1000 yen/hour for your trouble.

[six-eight-ten]

I've been wondering- just how much leeway is there under the visa categories for part time jobs? For instance, if I'm teaching English on the humanities and etc. visa, but doing some artwork as a hobby, is it possible for me to sell that artwork even though there's a separate category of visa for artists? Or if Az does go the bartending route- would that fall under the entertainer visa?

[mikem]

Basically, I have a job, but I need more money than my current salary. So whatever I can work outside of my current 9-5, that won't drive me completely insane.

You could go for 援助外際* and sign up at http://senseisagasu.com/. All of the profiles have pictures though so your students generally pick you because of your looks. I knew a girl that was getting 7500～/hr from her "students" plus dinner at nice resturants.

(*For those who don't get the joke look up 援助交際.) AKA Enjo kosai or compensated dating.

[stsparky]

CRISSCROSS .NET PROGRAMMER

Crisscross Social Network (http://www.crisscross.com) has an immediate vacancy for a full-time .NET/C# Programmer for a two/three month contract to complete feature set. Must know latest .NET and AJAX techniques and have strong CSS skills. Competitive salary. Work in Omotesando office or remotely. Send cover letter, resume, work samples to jobs@crisscross.com.

[rameek]

Well unfortunately I am one of those Nova people. I dont know what to do now. I do the government kids work for Nova which is basically ALT.

I have applied for teaching positions in International Schools although I dont have a teachers license I have tons of experience. I did received some positive feed back but there positions are limited and being that I dont have a license and no masters makes it even more challenging.

I also have a degree in accounting and auditing but I dont speak or write Japanese as of yet.

What are the options and I am open for suggestions....:bang: :gloomy:

Acting and Modeling is an option but I'd rather secure something else as well.

[gentlemanandscholar]

I don't understand this. They're on the verge of going under (seemingly) and they're still hiring like no tomorrow. An old friend of mine just went over to Nagoya with NOVA... I wonder if he's receiving the same problems after immediately getting off the plane?

[Matt W]

I'm a Nova teacher too, I'm not sure what to do right now either. Yesterday at my branch the took away the floor mat at the entrance, I guess it was a rental and Nova hadn't paid. Not a good sign. My AT still hasn't been paid either. I just hope if they go under they actually declare bankruptcy so we can collect unemployment. I'm looking for other jobs in Japan, and thinking about maybe Taiwan too.

Also, there have been lots of articles regarding Nova here for those interested:
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/

[ZaichikArky]

By the way, has anyone tried ohayo sensei in their job searches? It's primarily small companies searching for english teachers. I got my job through them and my job is great for an eikaiwa : ).

[SlickWilly440]

NOVA employs roughly 7000 foreigners — more than any other Japanese company. Australians make up the backbone of its 5000-strong teaching staff. The company has more than 400,000 students, accounting for the biggest share of Japan's multibillion-dollar private English teaching industry.

Looks like the Japanese government is trying to bring down this company, to get all the foreigners out of Japan.

[japanat]

Phhhpppttt. Yeah, right!

[ミュー]

I'm getting the exception for my student visa that allows for part-time work. Will I be able to work in jobs other than eikaiwa if I possess it?

[mikem]

I'm getting the exception for my student visa that allows for part-time work. Will I be able to work in jobs other than eikaiwa if I possess it?

I do. I'll PM you some details that should put your mind at ease. :)

[Kyletherealninja]

Just out of curiosity, what kinds of jobs are available to foreigners in Japan beyond the English teaching gig? I may do that for a few years, but it wouldn't hurt to think about future options right now. I'm more interested in language-related stuff than business or computer-intensive jobs like programming. Any ideas?

[sumosan]

Just out of curiosity, what kinds of jobs are available to foreigners in Japan beyond the English teaching gig? I may do that for a few years, but it wouldn't hurt to think about future options right now. I'm more interested in language-related stuff than business or computer-intensive jobs like programming. Any ideas?

Hey Kyletherealninja,

If your looking for IT Jobs, check out this Bi-lingual job board, www.jobgiant.jp
Best of luck,
Sumo
:karate:

[sumosan]

Looks like the Japanese government is trying to bring down this company, to get all the foreigners out of Japan.

So why did they go broke, we all still haven't been paid either. Like many of my co-workers, there will be a mass exodus from Japan if our Visa's are not renewed. This is a HUGE problem, the Gov needs to do more and quickly.....

Sumo
:karate:

[mikem]

This is a HUGE problem, the Gov needs to do more and quickly.....


Why? You aren't a voter.

[farstrider]

I'm not sure if this is the proper thread for this, but it looks promising, so here goes.

I'm currently teaching English in Korea. I recently visited Japan, and fell in love. I really want to get a job and move there, but my time in Korea has soured me on the whole teaching thing.

My degree is in Communications, with an emphasis on technology. I have about 6 years of professional experience as a web programmer (PHP, specifically) behind me, and was even in charge of the Internet presence for the American chapter of a well-known, international organization for 2 years. However, I don't speak much Japanese (probably not even 4-kyuu level); but I'm willing, and even eager, to learn.

So, what are my options (if I even have any), and where do I start looking?

[All-American Alfonse]

I'm not sure if this is the proper thread for this, but it looks promising, so here goes.

I'm currently teaching English in Korea. I recently visited Japan, and fell in love. I really want to get a job and move there, but my time in Korea has soured me on the whole teaching thing.

My degree is in Communications, with an emphasis on technology. I have about 6 years of professional experience as a web programmer (PHP, specifically) behind me, and was even in charge of the Internet presence for the American chapter of a well-known, international organization for 2 years. However, I don't speak much Japanese (probably not even 4-kyuu level); but I'm willing, and even eager, to learn.

So, what are my options (if I even have any), and where do I start looking?There are masses of IT jobs on the websites linked at the start of this thread (especially daijob and careers cross) look there and you may be able to find something that can suit you. The visa may be another issue though....

[farstrider]

So, might my situation be one of those where it would be expedient to get a teaching job, for the visa, and then jump to a tech job as soon as I can find one?

[All-American Alfonse]

So, might my situation be one of those where it would be expedient to get a teaching job, for the visa, and then jump to a tech job as soon as I can find one?Possibly, but if you are what the company is looking for then they may sponsor you.

[erbiumfiber]

If you can manage to teach part-time (but enough hours to sponsor you) and go to one of the many freestanding language schools for the 4-hour per day 5-days-per week course (it's only a few thousand dollars per year at most places- might be able to take a student loan of some kind) then you could get your Japanese level up to the point where it would be pretty easy to find work. In about a year (intensive course, as above) you can reach almost 2-kyuu (unless you suck at Japanese, like I do).

I recommend this school in Tokyo, but there are many, many others in major cities:

http://www.naganuma-school.or.jp/school_2/en/home/index.html

My daughter went there for a summer (8 weeks) and that plus a year of (really, really basic) high school Japanese was enough to pass 3-kyuu in 10th grade. A colleague went there and is 1-kyuu. These programs are super-intense as they prepare you to study at the college level in Japan.

You might be very poor for a year but I think the language skills would be worth it. I wish I could work part-time for a year and go to this school. I'm finally getting to the point where Japanese is making sense (grammar, speaking, it's all coming together) so I'd really like to make some progress. But right now my daughter is in college so I need the money...

[theunraveler]

hello all,

i have a question; are veterinarians in demand in japan?

[japanat]

hello all,

i have a question; are veterinarians in demand in japan?
Not in my area. There are 5 vets and an overnight emergency clinic all within a 5 min. drive from my home.

Are you currently a vet, or thinking of studying in Japan? Getting into vet school in Japan is very hard, the entrance exams are some of the higher level ones around. If your Japanese isn't up to at least a very strong JLPT Level 2, if not a true 1, it would be very hard.

If you're currently a vet in another country, you'd still have to restudy to get a license in Japan. I don't know, but I imagine that it would at least 2 years of schooling, as well.

[theunraveler]

Not in my area. There are 5 vets and an overnight emergency clinic all within a 5 min. drive from my home.

Are you currently a vet, or thinking of studying in Japan? Getting into vet school in Japan is very hard, the entrance exams are some of the higher level ones around. If your Japanese isn't up to at least a very strong JLPT Level 2, if not a true 1, it would be very hard.

If you're currently a vet in another country, you'd still have to restudy to get a license in Japan. I don't know, but I imagine that it would at least 2 years of schooling, as well.
i am currently in a vet school and will be graduating in 2010...at this point of time i am interested to work overseas but not too far from my country so japan , korea, hongkong are the few places i am looking at, at this moment

i know there is an exam that all vets are required to take in order to practice in japan but besides being a veterinarian, i was wondering if i can use my degree to get a job at bio-pharmaceutical company there? wats the prospect for this type of job?

[Azrael]

Anyone know of any job opportunities in the Kansai region?
I'd prefer almost anything other than English teacher, but I suppose beggars can't be choosers.

[Digital Masta]

I'm just curious are you 100% adamant that it has to be Kansai meaning relocation is absolutely off the table? Not that I know of anything but I'm asking.

[rameek]

Is there a good source to find summer jobs?

[erbiumfiber]

Anyone know of any job opportunities in the Kansai region?
I'd prefer almost anything other than English teacher, but I suppose beggars can't be choosers.


There is a job fair (yes, it's in Tokyo but I'm going to guess that the jobs are all over Japan) by daijob this Friday at Tokyo International Forum (practically IN Tokyo station if you decide to come up).

Here is the link:

https://www.daijob.com/en/cfair/summer2008/

I know it would mean taking time off work (and cost money to get up here) but look and see if there's anything interesting. You might even find a new full-time job (I'm assuming you're just looking to supplement your current job but keep an open mind). Seems like some foreign companies on the list.

The other thing that I see advertised a lot (granted, Tokyo area) is people to manage gaijin houses that are bilingual. They seem to get an apartment and a small salary- you might be able to do something like that still keep your current job. Even if you were at a smaller place and managed it in exchange for free rent and utilities I'm guessing that would be a big help. There's got to be gaijin houses in Osaka and Kyoto (although probably not as many).

And that's all I can think of. Good luck!

[shinraunit]

Hello all,

I just got back from my first visit to Japan, and have so decided that I would be quite happy working there for a year. I think English teaching is the only practical option given my qualifications--a BA in psychology with no real work experience. However, I studied Japanese for a couple years in college. I haven't taken the JLPT, but I'd estimate that my conversation ability is somewhere around 3-kyuu. I won't even bother to mention kanji.

I've been doing a lot of research on the eikaiwas that recruit internationally. The firms I'm looking at right now are GEOS, AEON/Amity, and ECC. I'm a bit reluctant to try GABA. Unfortunately, all the overseas offices tend to be in faraway places. Toronto seems to be the most commonly-used locale. I'm thinking about driving up there around July 25th, as that's when the summer semester ends and my buddies at university could join me (gotta have some fun if I'm paying $300 in bus fare, right?) For the Toronto office, AEON/Amity says they recruit year-round, but ECC has just started interviewing for "positions starting mid September through November (numerous positions/start dates in this period). "

Would the last week of July be too late to apply for a position on this timeline? I heard I should leave three months or so for visa processing, but if I'm going to be spending lots of money travelling across North America, I might as well time it to get the most from my trip.
On the same note, any information regarding these or other companies, and whether or not they'd be worth making a cross-continental journey, would be greatly appreciated.

[japanat]

I've been doing a lot of research on the eikaiwas that recruit internationally. The firms I'm looking at right now are GEOS, AEON/Amity, and ECC. Unfortunately, all the overseas offices tend to be in faraway places. Toronto seems to be the most commonly-used locale. I'm thinking about driving up there around July 25th, as that's when the summer semester ends For the Toronto office, AEON/Amity says they recruit year-round, but ECC has just started interviewing for "positions starting mid September through November (numerous positions/start dates in this period). "

Would the last week of July be too late to apply for a position on this timeline? I heard I should leave three months or so for visa processing, but if I'm going to be spending lots of money travelling across North America, I might as well time it to get the most from my trip.
On the same note, any information regarding these or other companies, and whether or not they'd be worth making a cross-continental journey, would be greatly appreciated.If you're not in too big of a hurry, AEON and GEOS usually travel to select cities across the US and Canada to do interviews (I don't know about ECC). If money's a factor, think about this.

Look at the information throughout this thread, as well as the AEON thread that's active right now, and numerous archived threads about teaching English in Japan. That should give you some info to help you decide if they are what you're interested in.

[atomiton]

Just curious... are there many web developers on this board? I've always wondered what the demand for foreigner web developers... given that the internet is pretty much written in English... (or at least programming languages are written in English)

[japanat]

Just curious... are there many web developers on this board? I've always wondered what the demand for foreigner web developers... given that the internet is pretty much written in English... (or at least programming languages are written in English)But html programming doesn't really need English. And most Japanese don't head out to the www that often, they tend to stay in the .jp area, where flash is king. Large companies that need bilingual websites usually just tap someone on staff who's bilingual to translate the Japanese pages into English and that person usually talks to someone like me to make sure the English isn't too bad (or not, which is sometimes immediately apparent).

There probably wouldn't be enough business just in English web development, but if you combined it with other things such as translation of product manuals, videos, promotional materials, etc, there may be a niche (one of my friends has a company that does this).

[mikem]

Just curious... are there many web developers on this board? I've always wondered what the demand for foreigner web developers... given that the internet is pretty much written in English... (or at least programming languages are written in English)

Most Japanese programmers can read and understand a programming book in English by the time they graduate college. The guys I work with don't claim to be able to speak English at all. Yet suddenly when we're faced with a technical issue we are hashing it out 90% in English.

It's sort of like they just associate all of those concepts with programming itself.

*Edit: I said high school, but I meant college. Doh!

[six-eight-ten]

More of a visa question, but...

Over the last year I've been doing some artwork as a hobby. I've had several people interested in my work, and I'm looking at making and selling T-shirts, post cards, etc based off my artwork, as well as selling the originals if anyone is interested. However, I'm here on the specialist in Humanities visa, and income from artwork would be considered under the artist visa category. I've looked into getting permission to engage in activity outside my original visa status, the problem is they want full employment information for the place I'm going to be working. As I'm a solo hobby artist, a place of business just doesn't exist. Any ideas on how to get around this? Should I see if one of the souvenir shops that's interested in the T-shirts will fill in for the category, or am I looking at trying to start a small business in Japan?

[atomiton]

Most Japanese programmers can read and understand a programming book in English by the time they graduate high school. The guys I work with don't claim to be able to speak English at all. Yet suddenly when we're faced with a technical issue we are hashing it out 90% in English.

It's sort of like they just associate all of those concepts with programming itself.

Interesting. Good information mikem and japanat. I suppose it's not a lot different than here. Given that I recently created a bilingual site (French/English) and we just sent out the English to be translated.

Just looking at my options... as I hear quite often people saying, go into an IT job in Japan.

[koku]

does anyone know any good programs for college undergrads? perhaps you volunteer to teach english or something and they set you up with room board/host family. Id like to spend some more time abroad... there has to be programs available.

[baby_pixie]

does anyone know any good programs for college undergrads? perhaps you volunteer to teach english or something and they set you up with room board/host family. Id like to spend some more time abroad... there has to be programs available.

Are you looking for something that's actually college/university affiliated? If so, the only one program I know of is a Canadian program.
http://www.thecoopjapanprogram.com/home/index.php

Otherwise, have you heard of WWOOF? You work on a farm or ski lodge in return for food and board. You need to first become a member though.
http://www.wwoofjapan.com/main/

[koku]

Are you looking for something that's actually college/university affiliated? If so, the only one program I know of is a Canadian program.
http://www.thecoopjapanprogram.com/home/index.php

Otherwise, have you heard of WWOOF? You work on a farm or ski lodge in return for food and board. You need to first become a member though.
http://www.wwoofjapan.com/main/

like WWOOF is a good one. The other one I have to be canadian, and it looks like an internship thing. I was just looking for any opprotunity really for good cheap/free (under conditions) food/LODGING.

That way I can study via immersion.

[rogan-san]

Well, everyone knows that there are jobs in Japan if you want to be a teacher, but who would have thought there are engineering jobs too?

Right now I am working as a US Intern for Asahi Kasei Corporation. They paid for everything: airfare, transportation, housing, and living expenses. I'd thought that I would go ahead and post the link for the internship page. Right now, they are only accepting Korean interns, but keep checking back. They accept everyone from US English to Italian interns.

http://www.asahi-kasei.co.jp/asahi/en/aboutasahi/r_and_d/internship/index.html

Like I said before, right now I am the US English intern. I do a bunch of modeling for US English voice recognition software, mainly in Java. The greatest part is that I live in Atsugi, Kanagawa, which is about 45 minutes and 450 yen away from Tokyo. Keep in mind it is for people with a CS background, but the good thing is that you don't have to have a degree.

If you have any questions about it please ask. On a side note, if anyone is ever in the Atsugi area and wants to hang out, please talk to me to!

[baby_pixie]

Anyone interested in engineering jobs in Japan should check out the Co-op Japan Program link I posted above. More than half of the jobs students get are in the engineering/science field. I know the program is only for Canadian university students but it is worth it to check out for the list of companies that have hired students and apply directly to those companies for jobs.

Companies have included:
Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (ATR)
Yamatake Corporation
NTT
Yokohama Rubber Company
Fukui Byora Co. Ltd.
Taiheiyo Cement Corporation

Wow...I'm really starting to sound like an advertisement now. Sorry. :box:

[koku]

Would something as simple as taking a class on Finance & Banking institutions help you if, say.... you want to try something other than just teaching English in Japan in the future? Or

A) does it really mean fuck all unless you have a minor/degree in it

or

B) A lot of times, it's just a matter of knowing someone/getting an entry level job based on luck/other reasons besides what you took in College.


If it's B, I'm really not going to take this course.

[mikem]

Would something as simple as taking a class on Finance & Banking institutions help you if, say.... you want to try something other than just teaching English in Japan in the future?

In short, no. They can hire native speakers who graduated with a degree in finance for those jobs.

Just check out daijob.com if you want to know what companies require.

[crow-kun]

Anyone ever heard anything about foreign police officers?

[erbiumfiber]

When the law changed concerning the nationality of kids with foreign mothers and Japanese fathers, NHK profiled one girl whose dream was to become a police officer - which was now possible as she would be a Japanese citizen. From that piece I gather that citizenship is a requirement.

[six-eight-ten]

Besides, didn't you know that all foreigners in Japan are criminals? There's another thread about that here somewhere...

[daidokoro]

NM.

[japanat]

Anyone ever heard anything about foreign police officers?To work in any job which deals with public safety, not only police officers, but firefighters, teachers and bureaucrats, you must have Japanese citizenship. One of my son's soccer coaches, 3rd gen. ethnically Korean, is considering taking Japanese citizenship so he'll have more choices as a teacher than having to go to Osaka or elsewhere to teach at a Korean High School. His father'll probably shit kittens, though.


daidokoro,
I don't know about GEducation as an employer, other than some unsavory rumors, but they certainly seem pretty cheap to their students. I recommend you do some more checking, at GaijinPot or Dave's ESL Cafe, among others, as well as trying to Google any blogs that may be talking about them.

[Pezonna]

I started applying for ALT jobs yesterday (I'm perfectly aware that it's the wrong time of year to be doing so and the only places hiring are probably replacing dropouts which is questionable...)
and the confirmation emails are crazy...
For example:This email is to confirm that your resume has been sent to "Company name".
To date, 42 resume(s) have been submitted through GaijinPot for this position.
Please note that many companies only contact candidates they are interested in.

This job posting had been up for less than a day.
I know that Japan is saturated in English teachers right now, but still...:boggled:

I did get lucky and was the 10th person to apply to a certain position and actually had an interview this morning! The location is a couple hours outside of Tokyo, but the salary is below average (230000/mo) and i'm worried it would be difficult to save money since fees would include apartment/key money (~60000yen/mo), car rental/insurance (~20000/mo), ugly $400+ cardigans from overpriced Tokyo department stores (haha...not really, but I would need some new career clothes depending on where i'd teach), pay own airfair with a roundtrip ticket (~100000+?), etc. since they'd want me to go with a tourist visa ASAP.
I don't know for sure that I will get an offer as I don't know how these recruiting companies work. The interview was over an hour and towards the end I was asked what the recruiters should tell whichever Board of Education in order to sell me to them on Monday at which point I will hear back from the company...Are all the recruiting companies vying for commissions from the different BOE's? It'd be great to have a better understanding of the process.
Still, it kind of bums me out that it pays so much less than the JET standard. At the same time I feel like if I get the offer I should just take it since it's a good opportunity and near Tokyo and a few JET friends. If nothing else I can have fun working with kids and gaining some more teaching experience for a year or two while scraping by and possibly taking a couple online courses. Then I suppose I could come back with hopefully decent enough Japanese to get a bilingual position in an economically recovered, post-war USA ...wishful thinking?

Any comments/advice, job offers, marriage proposals from wealthy business tycoons, etc. would be greatly appreciated :)

[mikem]

The location is a couple hours outside of Tokyo, but the salary is below average (230000/mo) and i'm worried it would be difficult to save money.

You can live on that but it's not enough for a car. I suggest a bicycle. How much money you would save depends entirely on your lifestyle. You aren't going to be swimming in extra cash unless you have really low monthly expenses.

[koku]

I don't wanna teach English. I don't wanna teach English. I don't wanna teach English.


Anyone here who has taught English but also done CIR? Is CIR much different/more.... interesting?

[Pezonna]

You can live on that but it's not enough for a car. I suggest a bicycle. How much money you would save depends entirely on your lifestyle. You aren't going to be swimming in extra cash unless you have really low monthly expenses.

Yeah...that's kinda what I thought...it's all moot now though because apparently the guy who was supposed to be going back to America for family issues is staying in Japan..which means my spot is gone...though they were willing to give me a spot that pays even less in Miyagi-ken that would require a car...ack.

[Pezonna]

I don't wanna teach English. I don't wanna teach English. I don't wanna teach English.


Anyone here who has taught English but also done CIR? Is CIR much different/more.... interesting?

I have a friend from college who is a CIR. She lives in the super boonies of Japan though. I think she does more organizational/government stuff rather than English teaching. But again, "every situation is different...". It's pretty hard to get the position though as I know people with amazing Japanese who still didn't get it. Alot of her Japanese friends described her as a Japanese person trapped in a gaijin body so I guess she's just that good.

Also...teaching English through JET is starting to sound better and better...you're guaranteed money (300000yen/month...like $32k/yr), they figure out accommodation and transportation for you, free flight there...it's not a bad deal at all. Especially considering all the private companies recruiting ALT's are only offering from 200000-250000 a month...and won't pay for plane tickets for the most part...2 tickets a year will pretty much kill 2 months pay. They were saying rent would be about 60000/month and about 20000/month for a used car though I don't think that includes insurance. And expect to pay everytime you go somewhere as the price of gas is about equivalent to 7-odd bucks a gallon and you have to exchange your soul to use the "free"ways aka expressways. It seems like 90% of companies won't even accept applications right now from people outside of Japan which is really irritating...

Anyways, I had a legit part-time teaching job when I was on an exchange in Nagoya and it was a really great way to network and meet new people. Sure, there'll be some people who want to talk English all the time, and if their English is that good, i'm not going to stop them. But most of them we spoke English only during lessons and then Japanese the rest of the time because it was easier....It was pretty awesome. It'd be good to have a plan though...say, teach English in Japan for a couple years while taking online classes part-time for a field that would match well with knowing Japanese. That's most-likely my plan.

[japanat]

Any sponsored English teaching position is required by law to pay, what, 240,000yen/month. Anything less than that is illegal and often indicates a company you should be chary of. 40-60,000 yen/month for an apartment is fair, but most reputable companies will pay a transportation subsidy, to cover gas or train passes.

You can live on such a salary, provided you don't drink all of your money away - but you won't get rich unless you can make Scrooge look like a big spender.

[koku]

Hey, VERY variable answers to this most likely but say you're making 280,000 YEN or a month or you get that JET 300,000 YEN per month salary, how much can you honestly expect to save?

People like to pay back College Loans with their jobs after graduating, but I really wonder if I'm going to end up saving thousands on that salary or just getting by with work and some partying.

[Pezonna]

Hey, VERY variable answers to this most likely but say you're making 280,000 YEN or a month or you get that JET 300,000 YEN per month salary, how much can you honestly expect to save?

People like to pay back College Loans with their jobs after graduating, but I really wonder if I'm going to end up saving thousands on that salary or just getting by with work and some partying.

280000yen start -taxes (I was told it was about 3%, but I'll do 5)14000yen-rent 60000 (could be lower on the rent depending) -car (I was told a used car would cost about 100000yen, while leasing one would be maybe 18000-20000/month depending. Keep in mind that if you work for more than two years in Japan with your own car, I think you have to pay over 100000 at some point to get it "checked") -30000 for groceries/conbini stops...this one could vary GREATLY considering there were nights I spent like 5000+ at never-ending izakaya parties...if you're not a lightweight, like me, I'd imagine you'd spend even more...also the conbini stops add up.

So outside of your control (Taxes, rent, car, basic food expense, your monthly balance comes to about 156000. I would say 46000 of that could be spent easily just by going to the city a few times, going out with friends, shopping...which would leave 110000 or about 1000 dollars. So depending how stingy you are, (taking the slow train instead of shinkansen, buying dollar store booze and partying at someone's home (if you even have a friend with a big enough place who's willing to host a bunch of people) instead of going out..it's possible to save money...it's really up to you to budget things out though. There were people in my study abroad group who tried to come to Japan and not spend too much money...they spent alot of nights at the dorms talking to their friends back home over the internet. So it's really up to you.

[koku]

dunno why i'd buy a car or be taking the shinkansen. :watson: If people can put away $1,000US after a lotting $500 a month to partying, then I'd say that's not bad at all.

[Pezonna]

Any sponsored English teaching position is required by law to pay, what, 240,000yen/month. Anything less than that is illegal and often indicates a company you should be chary of. 40-60,000 yen/month for an apartment is fair, but most reputable companies will pay a transportation subsidy, to cover gas or train passes.

You can live on such a salary, provided you don't drink all of your money away - but you won't get rich unless you can make Scrooge look like a big spender.

Huh...there is a company called "Selti" I think that's advertising a whole slew of 200,000yen/month jobs around Tokyo as well as several other companies advertising jobs for 210,000-240,000. I got offered a job near Sendai that I turned down because they offered me 220,000 a month for it after originally offering me 230,000/month plus the option to teach extra after school to bump it up to 250,000-300,000/a month for a different position that was closer to Tokyo. Is it really illegal for them to pay less than 240,000/month? I think I read somewhere that the lowest legal pay was 200,000 for a fulltime job...

[koku]

Maybe I won't need another thread but if I wanted to find out more than general info about what the CIR job is like, anyone know a good place?

Anectdotal stuff, past employers real opinions, or even just some examples of an actual day or week working as a CIR. I personally think CIR might be a better fit for moi.

[Pezonna]

Maybe I won't need another thread but if I wanted to find out more than general info about what the CIR job is like, anyone know a good place?

Anectdotal stuff, past employers real opinions, or even just some examples of an actual day or week working as a CIR. I personally think CIR might be a better fit for moi.

Again, I'm not an expert on this, but a friend of mine is working one of these positions in Aomori. It's a total tossup what you'll get as a CIR, but your Japanese needs to be pretty awesome. She also already had experience working for several Japanese companies. She does organizing for cultural events, working as an international liaison, translation of documents and so forth and since she's out in the middle of nowhere she has a heavy accent to her Japanese.

While she's really enjoyed her experience my opinion has pretty much become this: If your Japanese is already that good and you have the experience, you can probably find a job in Tokyo or a location you'd prefer that possibly pays more.

[koku]

She does organizing for cultural events, working as an international liaison, translation of documents and so forth and since she's out in the middle of nowhere she has a heavy accent to her Japanese.


All that stuff sounds more do-able and fun compared to teaching. Although, the translating I woudlnt be too excited about. :puke:

If your Japanese is already that good and you have the experience, you can probably find a job in Tokyo or a location you'd prefer that possibly pays more.

Very likely. But it looks like CIR is an easy to locate Source and a great way to get experience for something in Tokyo/Osaka.

I still have 2 years before I graduate. If I can spend 1 more year in Japan studying then maybe I'll have enough time to shoot for CIR...

[Kai]

I thought the CIR position would be right up my alley since I majored in Poly Sci during college and am interested in that kind of work. Unfortunately, I just don't have enough ability in Japanese to be qualified I think.

[koku]

Study it hard for 2 more years and spend 1 year in Japan abroad. :)

[Kai]

Study it hard for 2 more years and spend 1 year in Japan abroad. :)

Easier said then done.:gloomy: I am curious though if it would be possible to apply for a CIR position after spending a year as an ALT in JET?

[DokEnkephalin]

Is 200k yen/mo enough to live on in most places in Japan? And about the car, I've noticed jobs that require an international driver's license tend to have better pay and more benefits; is this a recommended investment or will the expenses overrun that?

[japanat]

Is 200k yen/mo enough to live on in most places in Japan? And about the car, I've noticed jobs that require an international driver's license tend to have better pay and more benefits; is this a recommended investment or will the expenses overrun that?re: Int'l Driver's License. Since it's only, what, $10, the question isn't why have one, it's "why not have one?" Just go down to AAA and snag one.

200K yen is liveable if you can live pretty frugally, if you have a rent cap on your apartment, and if you don't plan to go out drinking more than once/week or so. Cook your own food, don't expect to eat meat & potatoes, not a problem. If you live in a major city with no rent subsidy, it's pretty tight. If you like the bar scene, especially shot bars, your money will disappear like magic.

[DokEnkephalin]

Wow, didn't realize it was so easy to get the license. How about the expenses of owning a vehicle there? I can live frugally, and I get extra income aside from teaching, but what are gas/parking/insurance etc like compared to say, any American metropolitan area?

[japanat]

Wow, didn't realize it was so easy to get the license. How about the expenses of owning a vehicle there? I can live frugally, and I get extra income aside from teaching, but what are gas/parking/insurance etc like compared to say, any American metropolitan area?I don't know what it costs in US cities, never having had a car in one (I grew up in the mountains, and then always commuted by bike or motorcycle when I lived in Denver).

Gas right now is about 165-170 yen/liter in my area (~$6.75/gal). Parking costs anywhere from 5000 yen in small towns to 10-20K in bigger cities - no idea about central Tokyo or Osaka, though. Insurance isn't that bad, I'm paying less than $600/year for a Toyota Alphard minivan. Check out American Home Direct or AFLAC for cheaper insurance. Depends on your age, though, and how new your car is. One of my students pays $150/yr for a minicar.

[piyochama]

Hey all, lurker here =P Thanks for all the advice posted so far.

A senpai from b-school actually alerted me to an event that hires mainly Japanese-English bilinguals in the US (or even in Japan, though that one's a bit smaller). His own firm (c-suisse) actually hires there as well, supposedly. Its mainly non-teaching, and thus requires (more than a bit of) Japanese, but it could help somewhat if you're willing to travel to Tokyo for the career fair.
http://www.careerforum.net/event/?lang=E

The Boston event's the largest, but there are a couple of Tokyo ones so I thought you guys might be interested.
Good luck! =D

[kwad8]

Hello All. I discovered another ALT company out there known as Heart-English School. Does any know anything about this school and how would you compare to other ALT hiring groups out there?

http://www.heart-school.jp

[Azrael]

jobsinjapan.com
Daijob.com
Gaijin Pot
JETAA Job Bank
Monday morning edition of the Japan Times
Kansai Scene
Kansai Flea Market
Hello Work
Haken Staffing companies

Are there any other job resources besides the ones I've listed above?

[stsparky]

Az? Apple Retail Japan may actually pay a living wage.

2. I was serious in that I suspect Universal Studios Osaka may be your meal ticket. The pay has to be good if you are minding the talent.

[mikem]

Isn't RECRUIT (http://www.recruit.jp/index.html) the largest staffing agency in Japan?

You also forgot Career Forum (http://www.careerforum.net/) which is responsible for the biggest bilingual job fares on the planet.

There are also recruiters who specialize in placing native English and bilinguals. My roommate interviewed for several jobs that didn't require one ounce of Japanese. (In Tokyo of course but I can pass on contact info if you want.)

[Azrael]

There's an Apple store in Shinsaibashi, I'm sending out a new batch of resumes today so I may send one out there as well. I'll look into USJ - that would be quite a commute though.

I'm signed up with Recuit, yeah. I've also seen Career Forum - there's a job fair in Akihabara this Sunday, and I kind of want to go to that, but can't really afford to at the moment. Not without spending more money and raising the ire of the wife, who is already irked that my trip to Tokyo in September provided no results.

If you know any recruiters who can help, sure I'd love to hear from them! I'm already talking to a few Japanese ones I've met off mixi.

[stsparky]

There's an Apple store in Shinsaibashi, I'm sending out a new batch of resumes today so I may send one out there as well. I'll look into USJ - that would be quite a commute though.

I'm signed up with Recuit, yeah. I've also seen Career Forum - there's a job fair in Akihabara this Sunday, and I kind of want to go to that, but can't really afford to at the moment. Not without spending more money and raising the ire of the wife, who is already irked that my trip to Tokyo in September provided no results.

If you know any recruiters who can help, sure I'd love to hear from them! I'm already talking to a few Japanese ones I've met off mixi.

AZ - a pm is on it's way.

To keep your writing skills up and to get pay - have you thought of doing editorials in Japan-zine?

[Chinpokomon]

I just got laid off.
:gloomy: :gloomy: :gloomy:

[Digital Masta]

So...does that mean you're going for the spousal visa now?

[koku]

I just got laid off.
:gloomy: :gloomy: :gloomy:


whoa... that sucks dude. How'd it all happen?

[Chinpokomon]

So...does that mean you're going for the spousal visa now?
Very funny :bored:
Actually, while I would love to stay in Japan, I may end up moving back to the states if I can't find a job I like.
:gloomy:

[Kai]

Well they just released the results for the 2009 JET interview candidates and I didn't make it.:gloomy: This was my second attempt too. Not sure if I'll even bother with it next year. There are always other opportunities to go abroad. For now I'm just concentrating on my graduate school admission applications.

Sorry to hear you got laid off Chinpokomon.

[SlickWilly440]

I just got laid off.
:gloomy: :gloomy: :gloomy:

That sucks dude. The foreigners are always the first to go, it's discrimination!

[Chinpokomon]

That sucks dude. The foreigners are always the first to go, it's discrimination!
Actually, it was my entire group, so more like indiscriminate layoffs. :bang:

So, I just got a job offer, but it's for a job back in the US.
I suppose I should be happy, but the thought of leaving here makes me very sad. :gloomy:

[farstrider]

Question: Is JET the only way foreigners can get hired on at public schools in Japan, or are there other ways?

[mikem]

Question: Is JET the only way foreigners can get hired on at public schools in Japan, or are there other ways?

Schools in Tokyo use private companies to fill those positions. Since they pay much much less than JET it is much cheaper for the schools.

[japanat]

Not just Tokyo anymore. The practice is moving nationwide, especially for filling elementary-school ALT positions.

[farstrider]

Schools in Tokyo use private companies to fill those positions. Since they pay much much less than JET it is much cheaper for the schools.

That's the same kind of system as in Korea, and foreign teachers generally get paid pretty well there (on the order of $2k - $4k/month, depending on qualifications and experience). Different story in Japan, I guess?

[mikem]

That's the same kind of system as in Korea, and foreign teachers generally get paid pretty well there (on the order of $2k - $4k/month, depending on qualifications and experience). Different story in Japan, I guess?

Yeah ... In Japan $2-4k a month is complete shit unless you are a young bachelor.

(In yen terms a high school graduate can make between 25-35man in some kind of career job. Most college graduates can make between 30-50man in their entry level job. So they are paying you a non-college degree wage for a college degree job.)

[japanat]

Average $2-3K, higher in some places, lower in others. With cost of living, it's OK, but unless you live in the country, you won't be saving that much.

[farstrider]

Jeebus. Even in Seoul, you can live quite comfortably on $500/month. So even on $2k/month, you'll be saving a decent amount of money.

According to the paperwork Aeon sent me, they pay roughly $3k/month; so where does that fall on the Japanese scale?

[japanat]

One of my friends worked for AEON and saved over $10K in one year. He was also a cheap bastard. I went out a fair amount, was paying off student loans and a discretionary loan which paid for my airfare, etc, and didn't save anything (but had a fun time!). My 2nd year, and after I changed jobs, I was saving $1K per month, and still living well and meeting friends.

AEON guarantees to pay any rent above a certain cap (I think it's 50K yen now?), so rent isn't a big factor, but food, travel, and especially drinking can eat it up if you live in an expensive area. If you eat Japanese and don't insist on eating American or another ethnic food at every meal, you can eat for maybe 500-1000 yen/day when cooking at home.

[apathykillsu]

hm... Any one knows of employment options for dudes that barely speak Japanese and don't have a collage degree?

I'm going on a pre-collage trip with my friend and we would like to stay there for a while, but money is a problem. With no way of supporting ourselves we will probably have to leave in a month or two.

Are there any legal ways for me to make money in Japan? I looked for volunteer programs that give you food and board in return for labor and menial labor (I will do just about anything, just finished three years of military service and I can safely say there is no job in the world that will throw me off) but found nothing.

I would really appreciate any and all help.

[baby_pixie]

WWOOF Japan (http://www.wwoofjapan.com/main/) is one such organization where you provide your labour to the host and the host provides room and all meals.

[apathykillsu]

thank you so much, that site looks great.

and there are so many hosts!

wow i never thought i'd have a chance to find anything but this really lifted my spirits.

did you use it yourself? if you did, do you have any tips?

[belladonna]

I know that as a foreign exchange student in Japan I can work up to 30 hours a week. Does anyone know of any places in Nagoya near NGU that an exchange student could work? My friend is thinking into maid cafes and lolita shops, but I'm not sure about either of those.

[japanat]

I know that as a foreign exchange student in Japan I can work up to 30 hours a week. Does anyone know of any places in Nagoya near NGU that an exchange student could work? My friend is thinking into maid cafes and lolita shops, but I'm not sure about either of those.You really don't want to do that. Half of such shops are yakuza-financed or pay protection, and a fair amount of the clientele (not all, but a fair amount) are some of the weirdest folks around. As a western woman who is, excuse me, buxom, you'll have enough problems with men following or grabbing as is. Do you really want to work somewhere that encourages such behavior?

If nothing else fails, you can make a good living doing eikaiwa on your own. If you want to stay away from that, and want to use Japanese only at work, consider a convenience store. They're nearly always hiring, and a hell of a lot safer than Stateside. Not romantic or classy, perhaps, but lots of people interaction, both with customers and staff.

[belladonna]

I'm just going to be an exchange student for a year starting in August and I just need spending and food money if I don't get enough in scholarships and I'm trying to find something that would allow me to go on the field trips for the exchange students. One of my professor's suggested us to try and do customer service at a department store for foreign customers and since I speak French as well that might be an idea...

[mikem]

If you were considering working in a maid or lolita cafe then you should just teach English. There are plenty of guys who will pay you 5,000+ and hour to go to a restaurant with them and speak English. They also cover the dinner.

Obviously you could also take serious students, but that pays a bit less.

[koku]

If you were considering working in a maid or lolita cafe then you should just teach English. There are plenty of guys who will pay you 5,000+ and hour to go to a restaurant with them and speak English. They also cover the dinner.

Obviously you could also take serious students, but that pays a bit less.


lfmao d=hah rof. that's funny how that works. And F that, If it was some chic with big boobage, I would just take the guys who pay me 5,000 YEN + dinner.

[belladonna]

If you were considering working in a maid or lolita cafe then you should just teach English. There are plenty of guys who will pay you 5,000+ and hour to go to a restaurant with them and speak English. They also cover the dinner.

Obviously you could also take serious students, but that pays a bit less.

The lolita was more of working in Closet Child or Angelic Pretty one of the shops that sell clothes to other lolitas. I would like to look into the the English teaching though because it seems like easy money that would allow me time to study. Do you know how I would be able to get into this once I get there though?

[koku]

You'd have a much better idea being in the area/knowing the people yourself. Sure you can put up ads and stuff in local ads (just ask a fellow foreigner when you're there), but really it's as simple as knowing someone who already works there.

[japanat]

Here's one site: 121sensei.com (http://121sensei.com/) Just sign up, set your terms, and see who calls you. Not guaranteed lessons, but lessons completely on your terms. I can't vouch for their quality, but it'd be worth checking out.

Here are some more (I know that some are free, but don't know about the others):
my-sensei.com (http://www.my-sensei.com/)
senseisagasu.com (http://www.senseisagasu.com/)
teacher-student.com (http://www.teacher-student.com/)
yoursensei.com (http://www.yoursensei.com/sensei/index.php)
senseibank.com (http://www.senseibank.com/sensei/)

[belladonna]

Awesome! Thank you!!

[Vic_Rattlehead]

Yeah, My Sensei is one of the better ones. However, most people I know on it often comment that it behaves more like a dating site than a language teaching agency.

I get 4000 an hour to teach. Basically I take printoffs of BBC news reports and highlight the difficult looking words/phrases and describe them again in basic English for the student. Takes a bit of time, but for 4000, its worth it!

Having said that though, dont do too much of it though. You`ll soon lose sight of why you`re actually in Japan. To study as an exchange student, not to teach English heh.

[koku]

I get 4000 an hour to teach. Basically I take printoffs of BBC news reports and highlight the difficult looking words/phrases and describe them again in basic English for the student. Takes a bit of time, but for 4000, its worth it!

That's your teaching method or what the student asks from you? Kinda weird/specific.

[japanat]

Oh, and Belladonna? Don't ever go to their apartment to teach, or have them come to yours. Public places only. You don't want to end up like that young British lady last year.