Job Discussion Forums

[tulkas]

Hi all,
I've been reading this forum off and on for a few months now, and now that I've finally decided that I want to live in Japan for a couple years, I was wondering if someone could help me out with some of my questions.

Here's my situation. I'm a 28 yr old American, and I've long held an interest in Japan. I took a couple years of Japanese in college, but I want to become fluent before I get too old to move around. I also want to pass the level one Japanese Proficiency Exam, as it may help me find other work in the future. Aside from language, I love Japanese food, customs, the festivals, and I want to travel around a little during my time there.

On to the questions, then. First, I am applying to the Jet programme, but I'm not sure exactly how competitive it will be. At this point, I feel like my chances are slim. I'm also going to apply to the big eikaiwa's(Aeon, Nova, ECC, and possibly others), but I don't know how I should schedule the process.

From what I've read, eikaiwa's take about two to four weeks to respond to an application. If they grant an interview, am I allowed to pick and choose from a set amount of dates? I'd also like to know when they extend job offers, if you pass their interview. Do they decide at the interview or wait a few weeks before extending offers? I realize that these details may vary from place to place, but any information would be helpful.

Jet lets you know if you have an interview in January, which is held in February. You have a final answer by April. So given this, can anyone suggest when I should apply to the eikaiwa's if Jet is my first choice? Obviously, if I get rejected from Jet, I could just start right after I get the notification. However, I want to minimize the amount of time spent waiting around. I want to time it so that any offer from an eikaiwa would come shortly after I receive the results from Jet. Any ideas from experienced people would be helpful.

Finally, resumes. I have no professional EFL experience, which is okay for the big eikaiwa's, according to most people. I'm considering getting a cert in January, but I'm not sure how valuable that would be. Certainly, at US$2500, it's not cheap. Anyway, I have a computer programmer's functional resume, and I've been at the same company for six years. Work before that was part time, and not a whole lot. So my dilemma is, if I remove the list of programming skills, the remainder only takes up about 3/4 of a page. I certainly can't say that I have any EFL qualifications, and my work history can't be expanded. Maybe an interests/hobbies section would work?

I changed the objective on my resume from programmer to teacher, and the end result looked pretty ridiculous. Any thoughts? Thanks for any help, and thanks for reading the post.

[J-Pop]

tulkas,

If you don't get many responses, I suggest dividing your post & starting a new thread for each main question you ask. There are several questions (it seems) you're asking.

As far as the resume:

1. Is there some way you can do some volunteer English conversation partner-type activity? Foreign students at your college (or one nearby), or at church or local community English classes? This would look good on the resume & show some current interest.

2. You should look at different resume styles. I mean, there are resumes & there are resumes. Specifically, if it looks stange having "teacher" listed as your objective--then, uh . . . how about deleting this category completely?

--Some of the better resumes/CVs I have seen don't have this category of "goal," or "objective." Why not? Simple. When you send your resume include a cover letter. In the cover letter, state your objective. For example, you can explain, "though most of my experience is in ( ) my real interest is in ( ) because . . . . " You fill in the details. A brief, well-written (thoughtful) cover letter can be quite useful.

Too, with a cover letter you can "customize" (vary) your approach from company to company. You can include some bit of information in the cover letter about the company you are applying to show: 1. you have done research in the company AND, 2. to explain why you would be a good "fit" for the company.

Finally, sending along a nice cover letter can (potentially) make you appear a bit more "serious" or responsible (professional) in those situations where you take the time to do it--& no one or only few others do so.

[cangel]

I was a JET for three years and I will be returning to Japan in February to work for NOVA. NOVA responds to your initial application very quickly. However, unless you are close to one of their offices (SF, Chicago, Boston), it may take a a few months for them to hold an interview at a different location - I had mine in Seattle. You need to be prompt in scheduling your interview because they fill up quickly and then you'll have to wait. They normally recruit 2-3 months out because if you get an offer it will take some time to process your visa. You can basically choose your departure date so long as it's not too far in the future, say 6 months. You If offered a position you must arrive in Japan on a Thursday. Qualifications have little to do with being offered a position so long as you have at least a BA and are a native speaker.

[Glenski]

You have it right about scheduling interviews and getting responses. Some places want an answer right then and there, while others will take their zillion applicants and process the interview data for a day to 3 weeks before getting back to you.

[shmooj]

[tulkas]

Thanks for the information so far, everyone. I'll be revising my resume for a little while; hopefully Glenski(thanks a ton, btw ) will point out a few ways to improve it once I pass it along. I think I will go ahead and send out applications in Nov or Dec and try to schedule any interviews for March. I'll see if I can find any local volunteer possibilities as well. Definitely a good idea.

[PAULH]

[PAULH]

[tulkas]

Obviously, having only Japanese language skills wouldn't be that useful. However, I have a B.S. in computer science and have worked as a software developer for six years. So my current goal is to find work in my field in Japan after getting more fluent in the language and spending some time teaching English. Sorry I wasn't more clear in my earlier posts.

It may or may not happen this way, but all I really want is to be near fluent(in speaking/listening more than reading/writing) before leaving Japan; it's a personal goal more than a professional one. The test is mostly just a tool for finding new work, but I'm also using it as a way to measure my progress.

Edit:
I forgot to mention that every programming listing that I've seen expects you to have passed at least the level 2 "business level" exam. Actually, it says Nihongo Kentei 2-kyu. I don't know if that's the same thing; I've just been assuming that it is. I can't really say for sure where I will be in four years, so I'm just trying to keep my options open.

[PAULH]

[quote="PAULH"][quote="shmooj"]

[PAULH]

[tulkas]

Well, I wasn't trying to say I don't want to learn kanji. I just wanted to point out that speaking and listening are more important to me. Kanji can be learned at a slightly slower pace, in my opinion. And it's not like I'm starting with no knowledge. I passed the sample level 3 test in college, so while unofficial, I do have a decent foundation to work with, not to mention several textbooks and resources.

Thanks for the visa information. I was thinking that if I ended up changing job types, I'd have to leave the country temporarily while the new visa is processed. Certainly, I'd have to get sponsorship for the new visa first. Do you know if a new visa overrides the old one? It would probably be a bit of a pain if you have to wait for the last visa to expire first. I guess I'll have to research this later. My immediate priority is actually getting a first job; otherwise the whole discussion is moot.

[PAULH]

[tulkas]

Well, I have no intention of leaving in the middle of a contract. Still, I've read that you can get either a 1 or 3 year visa by chance. So if I decided to look for different work after completing two years on a three year visa, I don't see it as so wrong. But I guess bureaucrats might not think the same way. I'll keep it in mind.

It's my ideal situation, but you're right...there are many problems to overcome. #3 is actually problematic even if I'm looking for work in the US. Perhaps my best bet is really to work in the Japan branch of a US company. In any case, I'm still willing to sacrifice this time to pursue my language interests. I don't need to find work as a programmer in Japan, but I have to find work as a teacher.

[PAULH]

Tulkas

to my knowledge (and some one can correct me if Im wrong here) if you have a valid work visa and want to change to another category you can apply for a change of status, but this usually applied to changes from tourist to work visa, work to spouse/permanent resident. Non e of the sites i looked at referred to changing from one type of work visa to another. Its not that common here for foreigners to want to do that to merit a separate category, unless they have a spouse visa or PR


In short, most people can just turn up in Japan and get permission to stay for anything up to 6 months. Of course, if you're coming to work but don't have the necessary visa yet, you should at least have a return ticket to show at immigration and an 'appropriate' reason for your visit. Things get a bit complicated later when you want to change your status from tourist to one of the working categories. You will then need a sponsor - usually your employer, although if you're prepared to go through the paperwork and have the necessary income, you can sponsor yourself (this is not a very common practice). The biggest hassle is then that people from most countries have to leave the country and have your change of visa status processed in a Japanese embassy abroad. The most popular destinations are Seoul or Hong Kong as they are close and return flights pretty cheap. Your sponsor may even pay for this trip (but don't bet on it).

For language teachers (the most common job for Westerners), the main requirements are that you be a native speaker and that you have a college or university degree. You'll probably have to produce the original degree and transcripts. Plenty of people work without having a 'working visa' and some language schools are known to hire people on a 'tourist visa'. But a quick look through the job classifieds will show you that most employers state that applicants must hold a valid visa. Hiring someone without one is skirting the law somewhat and is potentially risky so most employers naturally would rather avoid the whole process. Working in bars or restaurants pays less but may offer a more hassle-free, "no questions asked" alternative.

At the end of 1999, immigration offices quietly started issuing three-year extensions to working visas rather than the standard one year. I myself received this welcome extension although I didn't know anything about it until the day I picked it up. Yet another example of the shroud of mystery that the MoFA likes to maintain about these things.

Visa categories and types of residence status
Working Visa Professor
Artist
Religious Activities
Journalist
Investor/Business Manager
Legal/Accounting Services
Medical Services
Researcher
Instructor
Engineer
Specialist in Humanities/International Services (incl. teachers)
Intracompany Transferee
Entertainer
Skilled Labor

Visitor's Visa (temporary) Temporary Visitor *
Transit Visa (temporary) Temporary Visitor *
General Visa Cultural Activities *
College Student *
Precollege Student *
Trainee *
Dependent *

Specified Visa Designated Activities �
Spouse or Child of Japanese National
Spouse or Child of Permanent Resident
Long-Term Resident
( * Statuses of residence not permitting work. � Whether work is permitted or not depends on the content of individual permits)



The following excerpts from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Web site are things most commonly faced by foreigners already in Japan.

Permission to extend term of residence (ie. visa extension)
This permission is required when a foreigner wishes to remain in Japan under the same status of residence after the originally authorized term of residence has expired. Applications must be made before the term of residence expires.

Permission to change status of residence (eg. from tourist visa to working visa)
This permission is required when a foreigner wishes to cease his or her present activity and engage in another activity covered by a status of residence different from the one originally granted.

Re-entry permission
This permission is required when a foreigner residing in Japan wishes to leave the country temporarily and then return during the authorized term of residence.
(Single or multiple re-entry permits are available. A satmp costing 4,000 or 6,000 yen respectively has to be bought - sold at a post office near the immigration office - and attached to the application. Together with the 2,000 departure tax at the airport, a nice little money earner!)

Alien registration
Another procedure that foreign residents must not forget is alien registration, which they must complete at the municipal office of the area in which they live (not at a regional immigration authority). Foreigners staying in Japan for more than 90 days are obliged to complete alien registration. (They will receive a Certificate of Alien Registration, which they must carry at all times)



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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has several sites on: visas, the JET program, the Global Youth Exchange program.

For info on the new centralized Tokyo Immigration Center, see this page on the Ministry of Justice site.

The Association of International Education Japan also has an interesting site.