Job Discussion Forums

thomthom · Joined: 20 May 2011 Posts: 125

Hypothetically, if you were coming to Japan with a working visa and the usually-stated minimum of $5000 to cover a few of months of job-hunting, which would be the better prospect: Tokyo, or the Osaka-Kyoto-Kobe metropolitan area, taken as a whole?

My initial thoughts are that, on the one hand, there are more positions in Tokyo, while on the other the lower cost of living in Kansai would allow one to search for longer.

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

You already have a work visa?

Either you are confused about the order in which things happen, or you have worked here and stopped employment at one company (but retained the work visa). Which is it? You can't just show up with a work visa because you need an employer to hire you first. Sorry, but I'm not sure what your situation is.

Kyoto has fewer jobs than one might think, so I'm told.
Is Osaka really that less expensive than Tokyo? Depends on where in each city one lives, I would think.

Why limit yourself to either area instead of blanket the country?

OneJoelFifty · Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 463

Working holiday visa?

I don't think the cost of living is that different, in the cities themselves. It might be cheaper if you live outside Kyoto or wherever in Kansai, but the same can be said for outside Tokyo.

thomthom · Joined: 20 May 2011 Posts: 125

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

So, you accepted a job but have not signed the contract. Do you actually have the work visa, though?

Don't shrug off the moral implications. I am not sure you did, but you DID write "just". If you arrive with a work visa in hand and no experience, some employers will be very curious how that happened and not want to interview you because they will think you will bail out on them, too, and some employers will ask you directly what happened.

ALTs generally don't know their school locations until about 2 weeks before they start working. It's the hassle of working with the BOE.

OneJoelFifty · Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 463

How long are you planning to be in Japan, and what prefecture/city will you be working in? If you're planning on being here for a year, want to have fun and meet some girls, then I can understand why you would want to work in Tokyo, it's an amazing city. But there are positives to take from wherever you happen to be.

If you are planning to be here longer term, want to learn Japanese and experience the other side of Japan in all its countryside glory, an ALT job might be better. You'll have your weekends and evenings free, paid or partially paid summer holiday (4-6 weeks) and a couple of weeks off over Christmas too, plenty of time to see other parts of Japan or Asia. You'll also learn a lot more about Japanese culture and the education system by being the only foreigner in a public school, rather than one of a bunch of foreigners in an eikawa.

thomthom · Joined: 20 May 2011 Posts: 125

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

Before I tell you how to "proceed", please answer my question.

Do you have a work visa now?

If you have only been offered the job, you don't have a visa unless you've been working here previously. Forgive me if I don't recognize your name and know your circumstances.

mitsui · Joined: 10 Jun 2007 Posts: 1562 Location: Kawasaki

Housing and food is cheaper in Osaka.
The problem is that it is harder to find well paying work.
Kansai is a better place to live.

Kyoto and Kobe are nice places to visit.
Kansai people are friendlier, and Tokyo people are quiet and reserved.
The quality of life in Tokyo is worse. Lots of stress. It is crowded.

If you just want to be an ALT, choose Kansai.

Inflames · Joined: 02 Apr 2006 Posts: 486

thomthom · Joined: 20 May 2011 Posts: 125

sabina · Joined: 11 Nov 2010 Posts: 75

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

Ok, thomthom. Instructor visa. A school cannot sponsor that. JET program or a dispatch agency can. Let's start out with correct terminology.

It is not actually valid yet. It will let you get here on a 1-way ticket (if you like), and it gets canceled upon entry, to be changed to "status of residence". You cannot legally work for an eikaiwa with that unless it's less than the income you get from another employer.

Now, the moral part. You seem to realize parts of this.
1. the school hired you in good faith, regardless of their "easy" interview process. I'm a little surprised that you complained about that.

2. the BOE is lining up locations for you right now. Yes, they will likely be rural, but didn't you realize that when you applied in the first place? They take into account things like your age, nationality and gender, in order to match you with the students, who may actually be told you are coming.

3. for ages, people have been "using" various employers here to get a visa and foot in the door, only to ditch them at the airport. I'm not advocating it, just saying that you can probably get away with it. As for continuing on and getting another job, I've already commented on that.

4. You haven't even started working here yet. How easy do you figure it will be to land another job, even with visa in hand? I think you got off pretty lucky if the interview was indeed as easy as you say.

thomthom · Joined: 20 May 2011 Posts: 125

As I say, I think I was having a negative moment after reading some dispatch company horror stories (eg. having no school to go to, or being told to work at 5-6 schools in ridiculously disparate locations), which led me to think about exploring the possibilities with the visa. Of course almost everything you hear on the internet about ESL companies is negative and to be taken with a pinch of salt. I already said that I'm 90% certain I'll take the job and that it'll work out fine. Regardless, I am interested in comparing Kansai and Kanto in terms of what might be happening either this summer or next year, and also have some close friends who are thinking about going to Japan around the same time as me to try to find work on the ground.

Thanks very much for your info, Glenski. Calm down a little!

hagiwaramai · Joined: 24 May 2010 Posts: 119 Location: Marines Stadium

Thomthom, I think you have to start the job and see what it's like. Not just in this case but for every situation in life you can't back out and give in before you've even tried something. Like Glenski said they'll be expecting you, probably even more so if they are in fact more rural schools, with less likelihood that they'd be able to find someone else if you ditched them than in a big city, and you knew where you might be placed before you accepted the job. If it was a big language school I'd be more sympathetic as they could just call in a help teacher very easily and nobody really loses apart from the corporation.

Just come over and see what it's like and if you really can't stand it you'll be able to find another job easily. Giving up one job to try to find another when you haven't even tried the first one yet doesn't sound like the best of ideas to me. You never know, it might turn out not to be so bad and you might even actually like it!