Job Discussion Forums

[maggietulliver]

I've been scouring websites for ESL jobs in Japan and have noticed that most, if not all, adverts want "currently residing in Japan"... Sadly, I have to stay in Australia until my contract ends so I can not actually be in Japan at this present moment...

Is there any chance at all of getting interviews (via Skype perhaps??) without being in Japan? I know I could wait until I actually get there, but I ideally wanted to organise something BEFORE arriving in order to avoid periods of potential long unemployment.

Argh, I don't know - any advice would be great.

[rtm]

[Pitarou]

What rtm said.

The usual advice is: do whatever it takes to get a visa. Once you're in, things get easier.

If you're under 30, you might be eligible for a Working Holiday Visa, and there are some people on this forum who've had success using the WHV as a stepping stone. (Although I should point out that, officially, that's not what the WHV is for.)

[thomthom]

A few of the lesser-known ALT companies hire via Skype. These companies are dispatch agencies that tend to specialise in placing people at high schools in undesirable locations and for not much money. On the whole, though, they're probably fine to work for if you're desperate to go to Japan. You could work at one for 2-3 months months then switch jobs (you'll need to wrestle a release letter off of them but legally they can't deny you it). Unfortunately for you, ALT companies generally hire for March-April starts, so you missed the boat a little.

Seriously consider whether you're enough of a Nipponophile to choose Japan over other east Asian countries. As I'm sure you're aware, it's just about the most difficult country in which to find a job and make decent money relative to living costs, and taxes are only going up.
(Having said that, I've spent time in various East Asian countries and, yes, Japan is definitely my favourite place to be)