Job Discussion Forums

[jrdelaney]

Hello all!

My wife and I were both trying to actively getting employed through one of the major companies in the USA (Aeon, NOVA) and try to stay together.

Is it difficult to obtain a housing that will accomodate both of us and our 2 year old daughter?

Also, what is the daycare/nanny/pre-school situation for a foreign child that will be 3 in December.

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.

Thanks!

Oh, and if you have any recommendations as to which is the best company to work for, that would also be very beneficial to both of us.

[bearcat]

preschool is expensive and imo crap compared with the US. Nanny's/baby sitters are much less than the west.

Expect to pay alot for little. If both of you teach in an eikaiwa situation then you're also going to have a major time conflict as the jobs run schedules between the hours of 1-10pm.

If you decide as well not to subject your child to Japanese public elementary school, then you're gonna have to put em into a private/international one at some point.... not cheap.

Most eikaiwa do not have "family" provisions either. Singles tend to be the norm and if they think having the both of you would be high maintenance then they may not choose you. Also, if you manage to get on with some company and they assist or sponsor housing, what happens if one or both of you do not work out for them? You may find yourself bereft of a place to live.

So overall, you really need to carefully plan and budget this out and consider whether this is going to be a good thing for all invloved. If you come here just for a few years and then plan to go back when your child starts elementary school, then there may not be a problem but transitioning after that may as well hold more problems with your child as they will not be at the same level as the kids in her return environment..

[Vince]

If neither of you speak Japanese or have experience in Japan, you'd definitely want to live in Tokyo. You'd be much more likely to find daycare and a pediatrician who speak sufficient English, and you'd be more able to plug into a support network of foreigners in situations similar to yours.

As you might have noticed in other threads, there are a lot of recommendations to get a master degree before trying to start a serious teaching career in Japan. That's especially good advice for a couple with a toddler to provide for. If you can wait until at least one of you get a master degree, you'd arrive in Japan with better prospects and more peace of mind. I taught in Japan for six years and have a Japanese wife and in-laws, but I won't go back and raise my six-month old son there until I have a master degree or an opportunity to get one fairly quickly after arriving in Japan.

[Doglover]

[moot point]

It's very ambitious of you to make a move with a 2-year old and both thinking of working in Japan.

I think you have two options here. One is that you and your spouse both land jobs in Japan with the Big4 to obtain a one-year visa, and then you'd have to bring along a grandma to take of your child while you settle in. Remember, however, that your kid will only be on a 3-month visa initially so you'll have to leave Japan every three months. In that case, one of you should give up your job and take care of the child while you send the grandmother home.

Your second option is for one of you to secure a job and then go through the paperwork to obtain visas for the rest of your family. This is what I recommend. After one of you settles into your job the other could find day-time work. It is possible for both of you to work nightshifts but then you'd have to find 24-hour day-care services. I don't know the costs but I know they do exist close to most red-light districts around major stations.

As for daycare fees, you pay are based on the salary you make. As for myself, I'm sending my 2-year old to a daycare right now and pay 34,000yen/month. This is on the lower scale as we are a one-income family and half of my income is hidden from the government. Friends of mine with dual incomes are paying roughly 70,000yen/month.

[Gordon]

I may as well jump in. I agree with the others, think very carefully about coming here with a child. I am supporting 3 others on my salary, but it is higher than the average salary. Day care is expensive, I will be spending 40,000/month when my 3 year old starts this fall.
Yes, one of you find a job first and sponsor the others. That would be the easiest way. If you go to a rural place, they may be more flexible schedule wise and rent is cheaper too. Perhaps you could work at the same school.

[moot point]

I agree with Gordon about getting a rural posting. In terms of work, it'll be much more relaxed if you have to take a couple of hours off to plant sweet potatoes with the PTA at your kids day-care (as I am obligated to do next week), and the spouse (whether you or your wife) will be endowed with plenty of very lucrative private teaching possibilites.

In your instance, you can't go wrong to even find a job at a private language school in a rural area. Many small schools advertise for couples. Check out ohayosensei.com. It is a way to go.

Or even better, an ALT at a more rural area with no eikawa schools established. That's where I find myself now and I am asked daily about teaching private lessons, but I simply just don't have the time. If you can find that kind of area you and your spouse will do fine here in Japan.

[Doglover]

[moot point]

Oops. My mistake. That was unknown to me. But don't you have to extra paperwork beforehand?

[Glenski]

I think the most important point to consider is work hours. If both of you work at an eikaiwa, you will likely work nearly the same hours, and that would be noonish to 9pm. Day cares don't run that late.

I'm not familiar with the exact hours that any of the Big Four operate, so perhaps (PERHAPS) you can find something with daytime hours for one or both of you, but I wouldn't really count on it too much. Ask.

There is an ad in ohayosensei.com right now for couples. I don't know what the hours are.
Full-time, Tue-Sat. 250,000yen/month. Position
located in Narita. Transportation allowance and
50,000yen contract completion bonus. Positions
begin mid-May, 2005. Apply by e-mail with
CV/resume, recent photo, 3-4 references and
e-mail contact information.

There is also an ad for an international kindergarten (which might be one to give you daytime hours), but I'm not sure where it is located.
Full-time. 250,000yen/month. Teach 2-6 year-olds.
Native English speaker, and Early Childhood
qualifications or experience required. Knowledge
of accreditation preferred. Sponsorship
available. Accommodation: "assistance provided."
Four weeks paid holidays. Application deadline
July 31, 2005. Position begins March, 2006. Apply
by e-mail with CV/resume and letter indicating
reason for coming to Japan.

[Sherri]

I lived in Tokyo with 2 under 3s. You can find daycare and in a big city like Tokyo you have a wide range of choices. Smaller places will be more limiting but there are other benefits, like more space and you may have a car. Some wards (local authorities) offer babysitting at your home. In my ward it was 800 yen per hour, but it was only for part time.

How long do you plan to stay in Japan? This is an important question. Are you staying for a year or 5 years? This will be something to consider. Where you are placed is another issue and may determine what works best for your child. Have you talked to Nova about this? They may be able to give you some advice about it. Maybe one of you can work pt and the other ft? You might find it best to avoid Nova and go with a smaller, more flexible school.

The website tokyowithkids.com is the most helpful for all child-related issues all over Japan.
Best
Sherri

[pnksweater]

Dependant visas are great. My husband is here on one and it gives him so much flexibility in what he can do (work wise). It took two pieces of paper and three days for my husband to get his visa from the embassy in Seattle. All he needed was his passport, plus a copy of our marriage certificate and a letter from me. All the letter was was me saying that he's my husband and I'll be legally and financially responsible for him lest he break any rules.

However, I sponsered him after I had begun work in Japan. If you go this route you'll probably have to spend some time apart, or have your family come on tourist visas and suffer through immigration twice and wait for three weeks to change their visa status.

FYI a dependant visa is not a work visa. However, you can apply for permission to work once in the country and work "part time".