Job Discussion Forums

Hale · Joined: 20 Apr 2012 Posts: 4

There seems to be loads and loads of jobs advertised for Korea but hardly any for Japan.
Is there many opportunities for a degree holder with no experience to work in Japan?
Also what are the best ways of going about finding work...through an agency, who will pay for your accommodation and flights...or just book your own flight and find a job when you get there?

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

You must be joking. Jobs for Japan are advertised all over the place. Please start by going to the FAQ stickies on this page and looking for the item that gives a boatload of job site links.

You just missed the biggest peak in hiring (for April 1st), but there are still plenty of ads out.

DtlaCuriousity · Joined: 15 Mar 2012 Posts: 7

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

The breakdown has been posted many times over the past 14 years.

Not including airfare:

Rent average 50,000-80,000 yen/month for a guesthouse (apartments don't usually rent to people without employers to serve as guarantors; exception is LeoPalace; if you get another type of apartment you might have to fork over an additional 2-5 times the rent for key money, which I will NOT include here)
Security deposit even for a guesthouse may be 25,000 (refundable, but still out of your pocket initially)

Utilities 7,000-15,000 per month depending on weather and personal use (this figure may not be necessary in a guesthouse)
Phone/internet 30,000 hookup for landline, 10,000 for cell phone; plus 5000-8000 per month for use

Food varies according to lifestyle. Could run 30,000-50,000 per month.

Before you get hired, local transportation could run 20,000-25,000 per month. Travel further than the bounds of the city where you live, or add traveling just for sightseeing, and you have much more obviously.

Hair care, dry cleaning, photocopies, mailing, etc. are all necessities that need to be factored in, too.

So, first month: 147,000 - 233,000 (plus the last items factored in)
At 81 yen to the US dollar: $1814 - 2876

Second and third months have no setup or security charges: 112,000 - 178,000 (plus the last items factored in).
At 81 yen to the US dollar: $1382 - 2197 per month

None of this takes into account anything else:
partying
snacks outside of typical groceries
souvenirs
sightseeing
long-distance calls or other charges not on your phone/internet bill
subscriptions to magazines, newspapers, or cable/satellite TV
video rentals
book purchases (online or otherwise)
medical insurance from home (and any treatment costs you might need)
etc.

OneJoelFifty · Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 463

I'd like to add that it's completely possible to rent without a company acting as a guarantor. The last two places I rented (March 2011 in Mito, and March 2012 in Tokyo), my guarantor came in the form of an insurance company. Obviously it costs (I'm sorry I forgot how much), and you need a Japanese name on the forms as an emergency contact. But other than that, you can do it. There are also a lot of places these days that don't require key money.

The estate agencies will want to know how much money you make though, and both of the ones I used confirmed it with my company. If you're unemployed it might be a problem, I don't know if you could show them your bank statements as proof you can afford the contract.