Job Discussion Forums

keister · Joined: 18 Jan 2007 Posts: 26

Has anyone had any experience going door-to-door looking for work? I'm finding it difficult to get any offers in Tokyo via the internet because of the sheer amount of people already with visas (something I don't have). How difficult is it to get job offers by just traveling on foot? Don't know if it would be worth the tiring effort :T

canuck · Joined: 11 May 2003 Posts: 1921 Location: Japan

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

keister,
Have seen your type of post many times in the past few years. Aside from what canuck has asked, may I ask you how long you have been in Tokyo and how many jobs you have actually applied for?

I ask only because of similar posts, about 90% reply with "oh, almost a whole 2 weeks now!" and "at least five!" or some such thing. Just trying to get some perspective.

keister · Joined: 18 Jan 2007 Posts: 26

Yea, I haven't been here for too long to be honest, but I started sending out resumes probably about 3 weeks before I got here. From about 15 resumes sent out, I only got one interview. And we ended up canceling that interview because they were looking for part-timers.

Yes to all the questions that you asked canuck except the phone. How important is it to have a phone? I was under the impression that e-mail is enough to get you by.

keister · Joined: 18 Jan 2007 Posts: 26

and how do you go about sending a fax in Japan if you don't have one. Is there something similar to a kinko's here?

Gordon · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 5309 Location: Japan

Gordon · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 5309 Location: Japan

markle · Joined: 17 Jan 2003 Posts: 1316 Location: Out of Japan

ndorfn · Joined: 15 Mar 2005 Posts: 126

got my current job doing that, but it was by luck, and it was over 6 months after I gave them my resume.

good fortune to you too.

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

How important is a phone?
Email is not the only way people want to contact you, nor is a resume the only way they judge whether they want to hire you. Sometimes they want a phone interview. Get one.

Gordon · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 5309 Location: Japan

sethness · Joined: 28 Feb 2005 Posts: 209 Location: Hiroshima, Japan

You can get prepaid phones in most convenience stores-- at least, that's my experience in Nagoya. You see'em behind the cash-register, in the same place as the DVDs and tobacco.

As for sending out 15 resumes and getting only one call-up for an interview--
I woudl say that's about normal.

You turned down an interview for part-time work--I wouldn't have turned them down, but I would have made it clear that I'm not interested in part-time work. That's because they may get impressed by you in the interview and pass your name on to someone who WILL employ you full-time.

In general, try to create opportunities to interview, even when they're not immediately beneficial. Especially in the case of small schools, they will want to interview even when they're not actively seeking new teachers.

Similarly, see if your teacher-friends will invite you to teacher/student events or teacher-teacher events-- networking breeds results. Join ETJ or JALT, the Japanese English teachers' associations-- those casual connections, too, may lead to jobs. I know a great number of employers who simply ask their teachers "Do you know anybody? We need a new teacher."

My own experience was (like you) coming to Japan on a tourist visa, then passing out my resume and interviewing for 3 months, with no results-- until 5 & 8 months later, when I got calls out of the blue asking me to scramble back to Japan and start work ASAP.

keister · Joined: 18 Jan 2007 Posts: 26

thanks for the words of advice sethness. it seems like the industry doesn't produce immediate results, but then again, what industry does?

as for phones, i went with a rental phone. I paid 15,000 as a deposit, and 10,000 for something like 100 minutes with free incoming calls. it's a bit cheaper than the prepaid, which go for 2yen a minute. but pretty similar I suppose.

keister · Joined: 18 Jan 2007 Posts: 26

whoops, I meant 2yen a second.

sethness · Joined: 28 Feb 2005 Posts: 209 Location: Hiroshima, Japan

"deposit" ?
H'mmm... I wonder how much of that you'll see again.
I bought mine-- only paid about 5,000 yen for a pretty basic phone. (no email, no internet, and rather thick & heavy)

15,000 seems pricey for a deposit...and I assume they know the phone will come back older, with some scratches. So if I were you, I'd not be surprised if most of the deposit evaporates.

On the other hand, if you get a job, maybe you can convert that temp phone into a normal pay-by-the-month phone. Smile

Good luck-- and don't lose hope. Getting a teaching job in Japan is like fishing-- it takes stick-to-it-iveness and time. Smile

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Oh-- word to the wise: If your new phone comes with email, do NOT expect it to send or receive email instantaneously like your PC would. Getting/receiving email from a cellphone can take anywhere from a minute to three days. I think it's a scam by phone companies so that you won't be tempted to send instant-email instead of making (pricier) phonecalls.
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EDIT: By the way, you ARE hunting on the Web too, right? Sites like here, oyahosensei.com , and gaijinpot.com ? Also, join local English teachers' organizations, or at least their activities: JALT and ETJ come to mind. These are good ways to network. Lastly, check message boards in the International Center (kokusai sentaa) and check the job ads in The Japan Times (english-language newspaper-- most ads run on monday or tuesday, I forget which-- and you can peruse a copy for free at the kokusai center or a decent library.)