Job Discussion Forums

RamenMan · Joined: 05 Nov 2004 Posts: 3

Hi there!

I have been trawling the net and this site for a while now but have had little success in finding a sponsored position in Fukuoka city. While I have interviews lined up at Nova and Interac (maybe JET too) I would rather work for a "normal" local school.
I have all of the relevant bits of paper and enough experience to be employable (1 year).
I currently reside and work in Australia, and would like a sponsored position, as by all accounts it's very expensive to look for work whilst actually in Japan.
Fukuoka city is the only real option for me as my Japanese girlfriend will be studying there and I am afraid to move anywhere else for fear that I will be murdered in my sleep. Wink

Does anyone know of any english colleges in Fukuoka that are currently hiring or may be soon??

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers!

Nismo · Joined: 27 Jul 2004 Posts: 520

You're scared of Japan? If you're scared of Japan you must be cowering in fear wherever you are now.

I am curious what kind of diploma you have? I think there is a minimum of a masters required to work at a uni. I am not positive about that, though I am sure someone on the board would know for sure. I can say that you'll have a considerably better chance of getting hired with a masters degree at a uni - I haven't seen a position advertised at a uni where only a bachelors would suffice.

Fukuoka is a very sought after location, but so is any major city in Japan. I am personally aiming for southern kyushu, but anywhere in kyushu would be great. Your best bet is to go through the resources provided on this site and search there. gaijinpot.com is a good start. good luck in your search.

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

RamenMan · Joined: 05 Nov 2004 Posts: 3

Thanks for the advice. I only have a Bachelor degree and CELTA, so that would put a university position out of the picture.
Nismo, I'm not scared of Japan but the consequences of moving somewhere other than the place my girlfriend resides may be dire...
In any case, that's irrelevant and I digress. I 've tried gaijinpot before and experienced some difficulties, but I'll try again and see what happens. My girlfriend can't help me at the moment, Glenski, as she's here with me in Australia. Thanks for the Fukuoka Now forum link, BTW. It's a handy little site. I have tried most of the resources on this site, sadly a few of the pages have expired. I am interested in obtaining a work visa, and therefore getting sponsored by a school.
I appreciate your replies and will keep trying, but maybe one of the big companies will have to do, at least until I get settled in (or earn my masters, whichever comes first!)
Thanks!!

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

RamenMan,

Your gf may be with you now, but can't she network via email with people she knows back home? Use what you have at hand. The fact that there are few English resources could mean that there are more Japanese ones, and she could read them and translate for you right now.

Celeste · Posted: Wed Nov 10, 2004 11:13 am Post subject:

I live in Fukuoka, and I can tell you that the job market is VERY tight here right now. (If any people who live here knew of colleges or even good eikaiwas that were hiring at the moment, they would not tell you- they would take the job themselves) I would recommend that you go with one of the big three and then start networking once you are already here. Most of the people that I know who are not employed by the big three have been here YEARS (6+) and either string together a lot of part time work and privates, or have gotten higher degrees while here and gotten work at local colleges. Do you have to be in the city itself? How about Kurume? How about Kokura? How does your girlfriend feel about living in the burbs?

RamenMan · Joined: 05 Nov 2004 Posts: 3

Thanks for the replies. I apologise for my tardiness but I have been very busy at work (test week).
Glenski, I will follow up on that. Perhaps my gf can give me a few leads.
Celeste, you have the same name as my little sister! At this point, I'm prepared to accept anything I can get. It seems unlikely that I'll get a job in the middle of town like I had (naively) hoped. Not to worry, I'll just get as close to town as I can. I will have an in depth chat to my gf this weekend now that I have some insight into the realities of the situation, and we'll see where we stand.
Thanks for your help, guys!
I'll drop you a line to let you know how things go.

Cheers!!