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greg and naomi
Joined: 02 Dec 2005
Posts: 1
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 Posted: Wed Dec 21, 2005 7:50 pm Post subject: i want to go to japan but... |
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this is my first time posting and i am really nervous. i'm going to graduate from university in a few months and i want to teach in japan. my boyfriend wants to go too but he doesn't have a b.a. we're from canada so the working holiday visa is an option but how hard will it be for him to find a job oncce we're there? at this point, i'm thinking of going for a year without him and working by myself until he gets his b.a.
How important is it that he has the degree?
Can I make enough money to support two people in Japan?
And am i using this forum correctly? |
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abufletcher
Joined: 14 Sep 2005
Posts: 779
Location: Shikoku Japan (for now)
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| Posted: Wed Dec 21, 2005 8:41 pm Post subject: |
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You're going just fine, no reason to be nervious!
Seems to me it would be a bad idea for your bf to interupt his BA studies to move to Japan. Let him finish! You could either wait a year yourself or go on ahead. Heck, it might take you a year to get a job organized anyway since most Japanese schools hire for March and you may not be graduating until June.
You could also spend the time you're waiting for your bf getting yourself some sort of TEFL certification. |
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PAULH
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 4672
Location: Western Japan
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| Posted: Wed Dec 21, 2005 8:41 pm Post subject: Re: i want to go to japan but... |
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| greg and naomi wrote: |
this is my first time posting and i am really nervous. i'm going to graduate from university in a few months and i want to teach in japan. my boyfriend wants to go too but he doesn't have a b.a. we're from canada so the working holiday visa is an option but how hard will it be for him to find a job oncce we're there? at this point, i'm thinking of going for a year without him and working by myself until he gets his b.a.
How important is it that he has the degree?
Can I make enough money to support two people in Japan?
And am i using this forum correctly? |
If you both have a working holiday visa he can work in Japan for up to a year. If he wants to stay here past a year he needs a degree for a sponsored visa.
Hard is a relative term and it depends on many factors. He doesnt have many options without a degree and 90% of schools ask for one. Some will take a WHV as its a valid visa for working PT.
I knew someone this year who came with a WHV and it took him 4-5 weeks to find a job, so just bring plenty of cash with you.
a 250,000 yen a month salary at NOVA etc is not really enough to support two people but if you share expenses and rent and he works part time you should be able to manage money-wise. A lot depends on your rent and lifestyle and living costs. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Wed Dec 21, 2005 8:50 pm Post subject: |
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| how hard will it be for him to find a job oncce we're there? |
When are you planning to come? Right after you graduate? The peak hiring time here is March, for early April start dates.
Even with a working holiday visa, your boyfriend must realize that jobs in Japan are going through a state of flux. More part-time jobs are opening up than ever before, and wages are going down.
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| How important is it that he has the degree? |
If he wants to stay here longer than a year on a working holiday visa, it's absolutely critical. He won't be able to stay except as a tourist after that time, which means 90 days only, and he won't be able to work without some sort of visa. A work visa requires the degree, as you know. And, competition is stiffening here for jobs. He will be competing with people already living in Japan and already with degrees and experience.
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Can I make enough money to support two people in Japan?
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Yes, but not on just entry level wages. A freshly minted BA degree will get you just that. Conversation schools pay roughly 250,000 yen/month (and as I wrote earlier, this is going down), and JET programme pays 300,000 yen/month (but you won't have the luxury of getting on JET in 2006 because the application period is over). With 250,000 or less in hand, half of it will go for basic necessities. More will be needed for groceries, utilities, and phone if two people live together. Everything else in life will come from the remainder, and people fresh out of college usually have student loans to pay off, so that taps into the remainder. Yes, you can make enough to support 2 people, but only if you take on extra work, and that just means you won't see each other very much at all. Plus, you won't find private lessons that easy to get sometimes, so don't plan on having a large clientele of them in short order.
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| And am i using this forum correctly? |
Yup, 100% so. |
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allyismycopilot
Joined: 30 Nov 2005
Posts: 32
Location: Tsuyama-Shi
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| Posted: Wed Dec 21, 2005 10:22 pm Post subject: Hmmm... |
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It may be ideal for you to wait until he graduates before making the leap. If you both have degrees you can both work full-time and are eligible for Visa Sponsorship.
Two people working full time even at Eikawa would make more than enough money to get by and even save a bunch depending on your life-style and location.
While he is finishing up his degree you could look into TEFL Certification like someone mentioned above just to bolster your resume and work on your Japanese.
Plus it might be ideal to get your feet on the ground in a familiar environment right out of university before taking the plunge and moving to Japan.
Just some thoughts. |
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pnksweater
Joined: 24 Mar 2005
Posts: 173
Location: Tokyo, Japan
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| Posted: Thu Dec 22, 2005 2:02 am Post subject: |
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| I agree that you should strongly consider waiting a bit more before making the move to Japan. Japan isn't going anywhere. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Thu Dec 22, 2005 3:36 am Post subject: |
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| If you both have degrees you can both work full-time and are eligible for Visa Sponsorship. |
Even on a working holiday visa, a person can work full-time. In some ways it's better than a work visa because you aren't limited to just teaching, and you can start work immediately instead of waiting for the work visa (4-8 weeks) to get processed. The WHV has its drawbacks, though. |
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gaijinalways
Joined: 29 Nov 2005
Posts: 2279
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| Posted: Thu Dec 22, 2005 5:05 am Post subject: going to Japan |
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| Actually, another option is for you to do the TEFL class, study some Japanese, and have your boyfriend only come for the summer (assuming his classes start back up in the fall). On a working holiday visa he can come and work just for the summer, and you two will be apart later but he'll have a taste of working there without interrupting his studies. |
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