Job Discussion Forums

meridian · Joined: 18 Jul 2003 Posts: 14

Hi,

I am just finishing a year on the JET program. It's been a great year where I was paid too much (considering what I did) - and I felt I was quite pampered.

I want to work in Japan again, (Tokyo, or maybe Sendai) but not right away. I'd also like to have a more involved job- as you probably know, many of us JET's are more "cultural ambassadors" than teachers or even teacher assistants. I intend to travel to some other counties, go home, and maybe get my CELTA before coming back. I'd like to do some more affective, actual teaching, if I return. But I won't have the "residing in Japan" advantage when looking for jobs, that I would have if I was willing to start work now. I'm not sure about the visa issues either (JET gave me a 3 year visa, but I am confused yet about whether or not it expires when I leave, or if it is still valid and would save paperwork for my next employer, thus being an advantage?)

Is there anything people might suggest I do, while I am still in Japan, (leaving in a few weeks) to improve my prospects for finding a job, as much as a year or a year and a half from now? Or will I be limited to NOVA/GEOS/AEON, etc.?

I was also thinking that, I could try to get hired with Westgate on the short contract (3 months) and look for another job while working for them, once I am in Japan. I guess I may also have the option of just arriving, and staying with a friend while I look for jobs.

And finally- since I live in Alaska, which is a bit out of the way-- do westgate/ nova/ etc, make you do a live interview? Because this would be a big expense for me, as all flights out of alaska are expensive!

If anyone has some advice/ experience relating to this matter I'd appreciate it! Sorry if it has been given already- I've been searching around the posts but haven't found exactly what I was looking for.
thanks!

Celeste · Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2003 3:33 am Post subject:

Try Altia. They seem to be a pretty reputable company. They are providers of ALTs , but they seem to focus on quality of education more than most companies do, and they are not opposed to hiring former JETs.

nakanoalien2 · Joined: 04 Mar 2003 Posts: 52 Location: Nakano, Japan

Are you sure you are ready to leave?

You have a visa, some experience. You might think about just going home for a couple of months and coming back. You've got the visa and I don't think that would raise red flags at immigration.

The first year or so back in America will be a period of readjustment. After that, you'll start settling in. You also might get an unrelated job and start building experience in that company or school. You then turnaround and come back to Japan and adjust again, including the new job. And...Japan won't be the same experience the second time around. That's good and bad (first kiss type of experience).

I've done this. Overall, I have no regrets but here's a list of what was difficult for me:

-not being able to relate to the small town I grew up in
-getting the opportunity to come back to JP
-not starting relationships because I didn't plan to stay in the US
-looking for jobs in the US and feeling I was really special as someone that has lived abroad, only to find out that conversational Japanese and international teaching exp. wasn't a really big selling point (not that it hurts) to most companies

And once back in Japan (after a 2 yr absence):

-felt like I was an "old hand" but realized I had only just begun understanding Japan
-felt I had to prove I was not a newcomer
-could not regenerate the first time excitement of being in Japan
-all my friends had either already moved back to their countries or did so within my first year of being back

Good luck. Don't decide lightly.

Speed · Joined: 04 Jul 2003 Posts: 152 Location: Shikoku Land

Hey Meridian,

The visa you got under the Jet Program is good for one year. If you had renewed your Jet contract, they would have renewed your visa again for another year. The JET Program has the capacity to renew your yearly visa three times, but they don't give you a "three year visa". So once your JET contract expires (end of July?), so does your visa.

If your look for a job in Japan in the future:

Many of the job openings that I found on www.ohayosensei.com, www.jobsinjapan.com and the Japan Times Monday edition, most of them require that I be in Japan for a chance at an interview. If you leave Japan, your best chance at scoring a job back in Japan is to stay at a friends place, like you mentioned, and hunt from there. That way you can narrow your job search to the type of job want (kids, adults, business english etc.) and the location that you want to be in.

I ended up landing a job from CA at one of the "Big 4" English conversation schools (ECC, Aeon, Geos, and Nova) that have recruiting offices overseas (and yes they do make you do a live interview). Almost any legitimate school requires a live interview since they are putting up money and taking a risk in sponsoring you.

CELTA is recommended. You'll probably get an eikawa gig without one but it will definitely help you with the skills you need to teach English. Also a few employers (not all and not the big 4) in Japan these days are looking for that on your resume. You can get a CELTA in your home country or while you're in Japan. Costs apx. $2000 US dollars and takes about a couple of months (intensive).

Well I hope this helps and good luck.

Celeste · Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2003 10:14 pm Post subject:

I am a JET and they gave me a 3 year visa. In fact they made a special point of having me make sure that it waas stamped correctly at Narita airport when I arrived. Are 3 year visas a new thing for JET?

Speed · Joined: 04 Jul 2003 Posts: 152 Location: Shikoku Land

When you were hired on as a JET, you were granted a "work visa" which allows you to enter Japan for the purpose of working (for JET I believe it's the Kyoiku visa - Instructor). The Kyoiku visa stamped in your passport allows you to receive the "Status of Residence/Duration of Stay" stamp by the immigration officer at the airport. You're not allowed to stay in the country past the "until_____" date unless you have an extension.

I received my Kyoiku visa back in '96 it was stamped good for one year (therefore allowing me to enter as a worker not a tourist). My "Status of Residence/Duration of Stay" was also stamped good for one year, which I had to renew every year.

Check your passport and you should see the "visa" stamp and your "Status of Residence/Duration of Stay" stamp inside. If you leave Japan and come back, for example a couple years later, you'll need to reapply for a visa to re-enter the country to work. If you stay in Japan, you won't need to reapply for a visa but you will have to update which category of work you will fall under.

Note- If you work for an eikawa company, your working visa category changes to Jinbunchishiki/Kokusaigyomu - Specialist in Humanities.

This was my experience and how it was explained to me. Make sure to check with your BOE or CLAIR since I don't want to give you any misdirected info. Good luck.

BenJ · Joined: 11 May 2003 Posts: 209 Location: Nagoya

NOVA requires a live interview I believe. Westgate will do phone interviews to whereever you are from Shizuoka.

Generasian X · Joined: 06 May 2003 Posts: 50

The NEW JETs (2001 and beyond) are given 3 year visas...

meridian · Joined: 18 Jul 2003 Posts: 14

Thanks for all your replies!
but Im still confused-

As Speed mentioned, does the 3 year visa (which I got in 2002) need to be renewed by my employer (and therefore it expires when I leave that employer?)

Or- since other people said things changed in 2001 - is it still good?
Also, if the visa WAS still good, would I not also need a "re-entry permit"? (I had a multi-re-entry permit but I believe it expires after a year too. But maybe I dont even need it.)

If there is a job that says, "proper visa required", am I eligible?

Well, I hope I am not creating much ado about nothing. I am also going to just ask my supervisor tomorrow and Ill post after I get his answer.
Thanks!

meridian · Joined: 18 Jul 2003 Posts: 14

Well, my supervisor didnt know, but I THINK that since I have the 3 year visa, valid till 2005,and a multiple re-entry permit (which says it's valid till 2005)- I guess I should be OK? My visa was for an english teacher, and if I come back, if would be also to teach english again.

So I am still trying to research to double check-
I was (am) confused because a couple co-workers very confidently told me that my visa expires when my JET job ends. Apparently they were wrong? Because elsewhere I'Ve read that my work visa is completely my own.

The best thing to do would be to ask the officials in Tokyo at foreign affairs, but unfortunately they are closed on the only day I could go.
So please- if anyone notices that I am missing something important, please let me know!

ryuro · Joined: 22 Apr 2003 Posts: 91

Howdy all,

Here's the scoop on the visa questions (one or three years- it's the same)that have been thrown about here...

IN THEORY your visa IS tied to your employer, whether it be an Instructor Visa, Specialist in Humanities, etc...

When you finish a contract your employer SHOULD give you a Letter of Separation (sometimes a Certificate of Employment serves the same function). This document bascially states your name, dob, and the type of visa you hold and the exact dates of your employment with your company/school. If you decide to leave the country you will also need proof that you paid your taxes (income and residency). When leaving the country for good you present all these items plus your Alien Registration card to immigration and they will promptly stamp CANCELLED across your visa/re-entry permits, keep your residence card and it's sayanara. Next time you come back you'll need to go through the WHOLE process of obtaining a new work visa.

If you talk to Immigration that is what they'll tell you you MUST do.

Of course there is always a vast difference between THEORY and REALITY. In reality this is what 99.99% of people do who still have a vaild visa, re-entry permit and residency card:

Buy a round trip ticket to where-ever you're going and leave on a valid re-entry permit just as though you were going on a holiday. If you choose to return to Japan and your visa, re-entry permit and alien registration card are all still valid (THEY MUST ALL BE VALID UPON YOUR RETURN) you'll have absolutely no problems getting back in.

Further you can basically look for any job on a valid work visa (Instructor, Specialist in Humanities, etc...). When it comes up for renewal (you should apply at least a month before it's due to expire) you simply apply for an Extention or if your are required to change your status (i.e Instructor to Specialist in Humanites) a Change of Residence.

However, in ALL CASES you will always need the Letter of Separation I mentioned early from your most previous Japanese employer (so it's always a good idea to get this from all your employers whether or not you're staying) and proof of your income taxes paid (immigration doesn't give a hoot about your residence taxes).

If there is a big gap in your Japanese work timeline (i.e. you were out of the country for a year or more), it may raise some questions with immigration (only when applying for a new visa- NOT when returning to Japan), but it has been my experience that they've still approved additional visa Extentions/Change of Status.

In my own case I was gone for over a year, but was fortunate enough to have all my previous tax documents and didn't call atention to my "gap year", so when I applied for my new visa they didn't dig too much and they gave me another 3 years. When my wife went and aplied she listed on her resume that she'd been out of the country for over a year and they used that as an excuse to issue her only a one year renewal. They said what she had done was "not in the correct way", but left it at that. If they had even bothered to check my passport they would have seen the exact same situation applied to me, but because I did not call attention to it, I slipped in under the radar.

What's my point???- DO NOT GIVE IMMIGRATION TOO MUCH INFO. Give them the bare minimum and if they need something more, they'll ask. But it there are gaps in your Japanese timeline, you better be prepared to give a satisfactory explanation ("family emergencies" are generally accepted with very little comment or questioning).

I realize there's a lot of info here and I hope you find it useful. But before I go, I would like to get on my soapbox about one small issue- UNPAID BILLS.

For those of you who do choose to leave and come back at a later date(or leave for good) PLEASE PAY ALL YOUR BILLS!!!!! Everytime someone skips out on a mobile phone bill it makes it that much harder for the rest of us here. I have heard many compelling arguments as to why people refuse to pay residence taxes, but none of them really hold water in my opinion. So do the rest of us here a favor and take care of your finances before you fly the coup. It may not catch up with you right away- bureaucracies move very slowly, but they never forget and eventually they will find ya if you choose to come back here.

Cheers,
ryuro

meridian · Joined: 18 Jul 2003 Posts: 14

thanks for all replies.
but I had forgotten about another tiny, important detail- my lump-sum pension withdrawal payment.

When I left Japan, I kept my alien registration card. I also still have the visa (till 2005) and multiple re-entry permit.
I understand that, since I didn't cancel my registration card, I cannot get the pension refund.

However, now I am not sure if I will return to Japan- so I am wondering if I am screwed or if there is still a way to get the pension refund- either because Japan might overlook the fact that I still have the card (doubtful?)- or because there is still a way to cancel it and be kosher.

So my question is: how can I make sure I get the pension refund, at this point? Because it is quite a chunk of money, after working there for a year. I believe I have at least 2 years before it needs to be claimed- so if I go back and work in Japan within that time, and leave, can I still get it? OR- more importantly-- If I never go back to Japan, can I send the alien registration card in the mail and cancel it that way? or what?

sorry about all this minutiae, but if anybody can enlighten me I'd really appreciate it.