Job Discussion Forums

[Dishonest Abe]

Hey everyone, I'm new to posting in the forums, but I have been sponging information from the great people here for a long time now, but I have a question of my own finally.

This actually isn't a frequently asked question. I've done research on it on my own to relatively no avail.



Is 90 days really enough to get hired off the street assuming your pretty much applying to every ALT/EIKAWA position available(within limits of course, getting paid less than 200,000y is pretty much out of the question, but most employers run the 225-250,000 anyways). I hear all the stories of you guys on the forums just "showing up in Japan" and getting a job. I don't think any of you are lying, but forgive me for being a little skeptical. I've never been out of the country, but I would assume this takes a lot of money. And the fact that you have a deadline(which might as well be someone holding a theoretical gun up to your head forcing you to find work in 90 days) while at the same using your OWN money to survive for 3 months just sounds kind of scary. What if someone doesn't get the job? Now they will get deported or fly back themselves and you'll be out the 5,000-7,000$ it would probably take for you to

1.Have an apartment for 3 months
2. Have internet
3. Food cost
4. Any other random crap life throws at you



Gathering the initial money isn't a problem. I'm probably looking at about having 12,000 in savings by the time I arrive. But that's money I don't want to really dig into. The quicker I can get a job the better. According to Glenski(who I've gotten most of my information from) I should show up at Late January-Early Feb and hit the ground running and just send my resume out to everybody.



I've heard of people getting jobs as early as 2 weeks, that sounds fantastic.




My 2nd question is fairly simple as well. Where does one stay in Japan while job searching? Tokyo would be to expensive for someone who isn't making money, so I was thinking....Chiba? It's close enough to Tokyo for job interviews, but will be heck of a lot cheaper than living in the big city. I seem to be getting contradicting information about this. On one hand people are saying apply to any and every job location; I have no problem with that.


However, if I'm in Kanto do I only apply to the positions in Kanto? Should I not apply to any other positions on the other 3 parts that would require me to fly in for the job. Sorry if this sounds like common sense questions for those who have lived or live in Japan for a while, but it's just all confusing to me as someone who really has no one to ask. I consider myself pretty smart, I just don't want to go over to another country and just "hope it turns out alright" I would rather get legitimate information from the professionals before making a crucial mistake.




Thanks for your time everyone, any help would be GREATLY appreciated.

[fluffyhamster]

My advice is always to arrive with a work visa in hand rather than "hit the streets", but the downside is that applying from overseas could take a lot longer than certainly 3 months. That being said, and cautious as I thus was, there did come a few times when I was wanting to change employers but nearing the end of my (then just year-long) visa(s), so I only had a few months at most during such periods to find new offers of employment and related visa sponsorship, so I was in almost the same position as a new arrival (except I had relevant experience - a lack of which could be a big hurdle to overcome. What qualifications and experience do you have, DA? Degree, maybe a TEFL cert of some kind, but little teaching experience generally let alone in Japan, I guess?). Anyway, it should be possible to find a job within 90 days, but there are no guarantees. The real question is would you want to continue long with a lot of the jobs now on offer, and with Immigration breathing increasingly hard down your neck over things like NHI, taxes, not too many periods of unemployment etc etc LOL.

Regarding your second question, I think it is better to live more "centrally" if at all possible - somewhere near a reasonably major rail interchange say 30 minutes from the central parts of Tokyo. Chiba may have cheaper rents, but it could take a while to get to e.g. the other side of Tokyo if that's the only place you end up being able to find work a certain year. This would be one reason for taking longer to apply (from overseas), just so you get to know beforehand where you'll be wanting to set up or have accommodation set up for you for that first job (one might need to move in subsequent years though LOL). Not sure what you mean about "(not applying for) the other 3 parts" and "flying in for the job", but you're obviously free to interview and commute~relocate as far afield as you like and your time and money allows!

[Dishonest Abe]

Thanks for the advice Fluffy. I am highly considering looking for a job from overseas first now. Though I really thought I wasn't supposed to do that. I was told to go to Japan where "employers will hire you if you have beating heart" whereas if you in America not only are your employers limited but it's more competitive and takes longer. Gahh why is this so difficult. Hardly any of these companies have anyway to contact them aside from the main 3 and I need to know if they will sponsor me a visa if I come. Ideally if I could get the position from overseas, I could be over there ASAP for the job. However, that still disqualifies you from all the "living in Japan" only jobs.



As for my 2nd question. I was saying what prefecture do you reccomend I stay. I said Chiba, but you said "more centrally" did you mean central in Kanto? And about the travel I was saying that I have no probably relocating anywhere in Japan. In fact I'd probably prefer to live in Kyushu, Hokkaido, or Kansai regions, but if I fly in threw Narita and like you suggest locate centrally how did I get to these jobs? I can't get to interviews across the country, and I've never heard of any company flying you to Hokkaido if you accept that job. I'm assuming you play relocating fees all on your dime.

So theoretically let's say it takes me 2 months to find a job in Japan - 8 weeks. And the position I find is in Hokkaido or Kyushu and I'm staying in Kantou.


So that's

8 weeks of rent
8 weeks of food
8 weeks of internet
and 8 weeks of random bills/ key money(god forbid I get an apartment with key money, but let's hope to god I don't)
and on top of that a fat 500 dollar plane ticket.


Ouch...my pockets hurt by just looking at that. Of all the threads I've read about people getting jobs in Japan, most people are saying they are doing all this with 2-3,000 dollars in their pocket IF THAT. How are these people surviving. They must be getting in hired in two weeks off the plane or something..it's crazy. As for my quals I have a BA in International Relations. I read from people on this forum saying you don't need the fancy teaching certs for Japan so I didn't waste my money and just kept saving.

[Pitarou]

Ah, yes. The old need-the-visa-to-get-the-job-to-get-the-visa trap. Just coming to Japan might work, but there are no guarantees, so the most important question to ask is: If I come to Japan and I don't find a job, what will I do? If you can't answer that question to your own satisfaction, reconsider.

In general, I'm with fluffy on this one. Try to get a job from abroad first. But whichever route you take, the market is competitive now, so you really should consider investing in a "fancy qualification". It sends a strong signal to employers and recruiters that you take the job seriously. It also filters out some of the no-hopers, and makes you a better teacher.

One last question: does it have to be Japan? Japan isn't quite the honeypot it once was, and other countries are easier to get into.

[Dishonest Abe]

[Pitarou]

[fluffyhamster]

I was thinking of places like Omiya (Saitama) or Shin Matsudo (Chiba, IIRC). If you Google 'Tokyo rail map' and look at the maps that show the most detail (incl. private lines, not just JR ones) then you'll be able to see which places are the most connected.

Language shouldn't be a barrier, and from what people fluent in both languages have told me, Korean and Japanese are quite similar despite what linguists would have us believe. As for Chinese, most hanzi (kanji) generally only have one reading, and the grammar is simpler (e.g. no tenses or conjugations, the verb is monosyllabic and invariable in form - a couple of prepositions and suffix-like particles, and a few sentence-final particles, help do the work of other languages' tenses and aspects) and more like English. Sure, the tones are a little tricky, but in sentence-prosody terms not all of them are going to get equal stress.

I'm going to be away for about a week, without net access, so won't be able to reply much during that period.

[kah5217]

Matsudo is a wonderful city. The main station has a bunch of popular places nearby (including a BK and a Mister Donut, friends to any American) and there's even an ECC right there. Of course, it's along the Joban line too so you can go straight into Tokyo via JR or the metro Chiyoda line (which shares tracks with the Joban until Toride in Ibaraki).

[milkman]

[manipani]

It's all in the timing: if you go the right time of the year it might be possible.

[benshi]

The other thing to keep in mind is that, even if you DO get hired right away, it takes 6 weeks or so from the time you are hired for Immigration to process your work visa, and you won't (legally) be able to work until the visa is ready. So, add about 2 more months of expenses to your planning.

[JoeKing]

Wow, Abe asked, and was answered almost everything I wanted to ask, except for this.

How does one get an apartment for such a (potentially) short term of 2 or 3 months? Seems like without a long term lease it would be very expensive.

Any estimates on what it would cost(I am adept at living a Spartan lifestyle when needed)?

Thanks

Joe

[hagiwaramai]

[JoeKing]