Job Discussion Forums

[Ferfichkin]

Hello everyone,

I'm living in Taiwan and thinking about making the move to Japan next year.

I've read quite a bit, both on Dave's and Gaijinpot, that visa's are a little tricky in Japan. They can be a little tricky in Taiwan too, but in a different way I think.

In Taiwan employees will tell you right off the bat if they can sponsor your visa or not. If they can, they do, and if they can't they often make you pull a fast one and get a visa yourself. This often involves applying for Chinese classes and staying in Taiwan on a student visa. And then once you have the student visa you're set. You can go to classes, or not, and are free to teach until your visa expires. The main thing is, although they're a little sneaky and often ask you to break the law, they don't lie to you; they're pretty straight.

What I've read about Japan on the other hand is a little different. I've read that in Japan schools will often tell you they will sponsor your visa, get you to work for a month or two, and then tell you there is a 'problem' and that they can't sponsor your visa. Is that true? Is that common in Japan?

Man, what a nightmare that would be. By that time you would likely be pretty short on dough and having to look for work again.

Basically, I want to go to Japan next year and I'm just trying to sort out the best way to go about it. In Taiwan I've always just flown over and looked for work, and that is totally doable in Taiwan, but what about Japan? Should I just fly over and start looking? Again, is the 'pull the rug from under your feet' visa thing common? Would applying to the Big 4 be a better option? I have no problem flying over, but I really don't want a big visa nightmare.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,
fich

[furiousmilksheikali]

[Glenski]