Job Discussion Forums

[Forest Song]

Hello

More Japan newbie questions, please:

Does Japan need an apostilled college diploma like Korea to eventually apply for a work visa? Or simply my original diploma?

Are transcripts required to be in some particular form, e.g. sealed? Apostilled?

Do I need to order an apostilled background check? Do I need to order a background check period? When I did one a couple years ago, it took about three months to finish the process.

Do I need suits?

Thank you for any current information on things like this that I need to prepare.

Forest Song

[Black_Beer_Man]

Your regular diploma will do in Japan and you do not need a criminal background check.

Suits? Bring one suit just in case. A plain black or dark blue one that you can match different colored shirts with. Many employers here demand a suit, but in practice, most teachers lose the suit after a few weeks of teaching and just wear dress slacks, a dress shirt and tie.

Korea requires all kinds of checks because some years ago there was a famous case of a Canadian pedophile who had taught English in Korea and was then sexually abusing boys in Thailand. This got international press and quite possibly gave foreign teachers a bad image in Korea.

[Forest Song]

Thanks, Black Beer Man. In that case I'll pack a suit or two.

[HLJHLJ]

Although they aren't needed for Japan, if you think you might want to apply for jobs in another country later on, bring apostilled copies of your diploma and transcripts with you. It's much easier to get them done now while you are still in your home country, than to try and arrange it once you are overseas.