Job Discussion Forums

[anne_o]

here�s my situation....i�m trying to decide what will best suit me as far as employment in japan. with all of the information and opinions out there, i could use some advice to help me out.....this is what i do know:

- i�m a well-travelled, independent, 34 y.o., single, female, american
- i want to work/ live in tokyo
- i want to live alone....a very small space is fine
- i have a b.a, about 1 1/2 yrs. teaching experience in bangkok and will be completing a CELTA before i come.

my main concern is whether to set up a job before coming, which i would really preffer to do.

is it only possible to do that through the big chains?
will the big chains hire me or am i too old?

if i decided to come without a job, how long, approximatly, would it take me to find something? and then would the school help find accomadation? how hard is it???

am i too old to find work there? i was just reading about some of the visa requirements and i�m really confused.

i'm really ready for a change and have always wanted to explore japan. i have lived in several big cities, so i'm not afraid to pound the pavement and sort a few things out on my own......but from what i've read everything seems to be a real pain to sort out there.

someone set me straight.........

thanks in advance for any help!

[User N. Ame]

Anne,

You seem qualified, and mature, so should have no trouble finding something. If you can wait for spring, one good way to get a foot in the door is via a short term contract. A friend of mine did a 3-month contract thru a company called Westgate, and it seemed like a good way to get into Japan without having to comit to a long term. Try a search on Westgate and look at their University Program, I believe they are hiring now for spring. They will pay your flight, process your visa (my pal got a 3 year visa and only worked 3 months for them), and so on....

You're too late for JET Programme, and I would personally stay clear of dispatch firms like Interac, but I suppose there are worse gigs in Japan.

I'm not a big fan of the just fly in and free lance your way to ESL fame and glory approach. A friend of mine did this in Tokyo 15 years ago and had great success, but times have changed. Best to get in via some pre-arranged job offer, then take it from there. You can always freelance, moonlight and do whatever after you arrive via a set job. Hell, you could even quit soon after arriving via a set job, and your visa would still be valid.

Hope this helps, and good luck to you.

[Glenski]

anne,

You are not too old. Plenty here older than you.

You are qualified for entry level work, which means JET Programme, Earlham College ALT program, conversation schools (eikaiwas), and dispatch agency (outsourcing company) ALT work.

About a dozen places hire from outside the country, including the Big Four eikaiwa and JET. That makes it convenient for people who don't want or can't affort to come here and look for a job, but you still have to pay your own expenses to attend the 1-3 day interviews in your country, wherever they may be. Places I know who hire from abroad:
NOVA
AEON
ECC
GEOS
Interac (I think)
James English School
David English House
Peppy Kids Club
Altia
Westgate Corporation
Earlham College ALT program
JET Programme
Language House (in Shikoku)

Bear in mine they all sponsor work visas, and you usually have to attend an interview. Westgate and DEH (and maybe Peppy) might do a phone interview, but take that for what it is. There may be more places that do that, but nobody I know has posted names.

If you come here, come in late February or anytime in March because that is when peak hiring occurs for April start dates. There is also a slight surge in September for October hires. Plan on hunting for a month or two, so bring the equivalent of US$4000-5000 to tide you over (or plan to be in debt to an employer who is willing to loan you 120,000 yen and take it out of your first couple of paychecks, which will be smaller anyway due to being on a probationary salary.

Where to stay if you come? Guest houses (aka gaijin houses) are the best bet because you can dictate how long. Once you're hired, eikaiwas usually have some sort of housing from previous teachers with secondhand furnishings all ready for you; they have paid the key money, so you don't have to.

What questions do you have about visa requirements? It's pretty straightforward, and you easily qualify for the most common one (Humanities Specialist)

[sallycat]

the only age requirements i know of are the ones for working holiday visas: as you have a b.a. you don't really need to worry about that. i've never heard of age being a problem with employers in japan. i've known plenty of people who started teaching in japan in their 50s: 34 is nothing.

[anne_o]

thanks so much for the info glenski. i tend to start to freak out when i read all of the info posted on here, combined with everyhting else out there!

i'm really not sure if my personality is sutied to deal with the bigger schools, so the list of the others is helpful.

thanks again

[anne_o]

again, thanks to everyone for everything.....this site has been very informative on the whole.

my remaing questions are things that ultimatly i will have to decide for myself, though if anyone can offer anything please do.

i forgot to mention in this post that i'm already in asia and i really don't want to go back to the u.s. just to secure a job in japan.

i have checked out all of the big chian web-sites and it seems that most of them only hire overseas....i have sent a few emails inquiring....or i would have to go to japan for the interviews...so?

if i'll have to go there for interviews, why not just stay, interview, and look for work there?

if hired in japan with one of these places is the contract the same?

also, i will not be finished here in bangkok until july....is that a bad time to come if i decide to just show up?

i am planning on doing a CELTA course here before coming, as at the moment, i have no plans to go home and really do enjoy teaching....should i skip the course and just use the money to help with expenses there, or will the certification be helpful to me?

hmmmmm....any advice

[anne_o]

again, thanks to everyone for everything.....this site has been very informative on the whole.

my remaing questions are things that ultimatly i will have to decide for myself, though if anyone can offer anything please do.

i forgot to mention in this post that i'm already in asia and i really don't want to go back to the u.s. just to secure a job in japan.
i have checked out all of the big chian web-sites and it seems that most of them only hire overseas....i have sent a few emails inquiring....or i would have to go to japan for the interviews...so?

if i'll have to go there for interviews, why not just stay, interview, and look for work there?
if hired in japan with one of these places is the contract the same?

also, i will not be finished here in bangkok until july....is that a bad time to come if i decide to just show up?

i am planning on doing a CELTA course here before coming, as at the moment, i have no plans to go home and really do enjoy teaching....should i skip the course and just use the money to help with expenses there, or will the certification be helpful to me?

hmmmmm....any advice

[zorro (3)]

go for the autumn term with westgate. they are different to nova and the likes. you will have a placement for three months in a university, probably in the tokyo area. the teaching is easy and the company look after you. it's a really good way to get into japan and then to look for other jobs. they'll pay your flight and sort out your visa. you can find them advertising for the autumn term around May time on tefl.com.

i've had four stints with them and loved every single one of them. there are people on this forum who dislike the idea of westgate because it puts pressure on the teachers who work directly for the universities, as in it makes their jobs less secure because westgate do it cheaper. This may not bother you though, and if not then go for it.

they'll give you a phone interview as well which means that after you've finished your CELTA course you'll have a couple of months (the term starts in september) to relax on the beach... sounds nice.

[Glenski]

If memory serves, Westgate does indeed sponsor a visa for its university contract jobs, but it's not a work visa like the one you would need for an eikaiwa. It's an instructor or professor visa. Just know in advance that you would have to switch it over to work for other work.

[anne_o]

westgate sounds like a good option....as does kickin' it on the beach, or where ever else, for a couple of months!

on their web-site there is also an option of a longer contract--almost a year--with their young learners program. does anyone know anything about this?

thanks!

[Glenski]

anne,
I believe that is only a 7-month contract. What are you going to do the other 5 months?

[anne_o]

......work.........with my qualifications and experience i'm sure that once i am in japan i'll find a job.

if not....well then i'll worry about that when the time comes.

after all, i've done some research and am a very independent, motivated individual. and.....with all honesty i have not decided to teach or come to japan for the money. so, if i have to scrape by for a few months, or a year, oh well, as long as i'm happy right? i have not saved a penny in my life.

i have limited options from here in bangkok. this might actually work out in my favor........if your trying to discourage me well, you have a difficult task. if you're just trying to make me think about all of the possibilities in life, well, i'd probably still be standing waiting for a bus in chicago.

an old trite saying.....'where there's a will there's a way'.......good evening folks.

[zorro (3)]

I know people who do the Westgate thing for however long the contract is and then go to thailand and holiday for a few months in between contracts. or they go to korea and do some short term camp work.

where there's a will there's a way indeed.

good luck anne-o.

[Glenski]