Job Discussion Forums

[flyingkiwi]

Hi all,
I have been to many websites looking for this topic, but keep getting more confused

Anyway, I was wondering if the only way to get a work visa for Japan was to get some company to sponsor you?

But, I have read some companies websites, and they said you must have a current work visa to even begin applying for a job.

So, can you get a work visa by just applying for one, and THEN look for work?

And what is a SHIS visa?

I am hoping someone can end my confusion,

Cheers!

P.S. the search function on this site is not loading up its search results, so don't say I didn't try

[fluffyhamster]

Well, unless you've got a job/sponsor lined up waiting, it's pretty unlikely that a Japanese embassy or consulate will issue you with a work visa, because there would unfortunately be no guarantee that you would actually be able to find a job once in Japan (i.e. you'd be considered unable to support yourself, not having a "guaranteed" income for the year's duration) no matter how hard you were prepared to pound the pavements; so, it's more usual/standard to apply for jobs, get an offer, and be sent a 'Certificate of Eligibilty' for issuance of a work visa before coming to Japan.

But as you seem to be becoming aware (assuming you indeed aren't yet in Japan), companies generally prefer you to have the work visa already (often more so that you can legally begin working more or less immediately than due to any objection on their part to sponsoring you - they'll eventually need to renew the paperwork for teachers renewing contracts and/or working beyond their current permitted 'Period of stay'), and the lack of interest in applications from overseas can get frustrating...in which case, you might want or need to consider coming to Japan as a tourist under your own steam at prime hiring times, and getting your foot in the door that way...but you'd need to bring enough money to be able to survive at least several months (whilst finding an employer, submitting forms and awaiting permission to work etc - apparently you don't need to be outside Japan to get this permission to stay and work here, but even so, it's not a good idea to state 'Looking for work' as a reason for entering Japan as a tourist beforehand).

This thread is worth reading:
http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?p=525972#525972

BTW, you're aware of the 'working holiday' visa, right? You might be eligible...

EDIT: Heh, I took a peek at your previous posts and see you mentioned being a JET etc (they really take of everything, including applying for the initial visa, eh!), so a lot of my above advice isn't relevant (I'll leave it as is though for others who might be in the situation I was envisaging you were). Markle and others gave you some good advice on another thread, and you can read about my difficulty in securing a return job to Japan after leaving JET, at the top of the above link.

[Grasshopper]

If you`re on JET, you shouldn`t have any trouble getting another school or company to renew your sponsorship once you`ve finished.

I am only aware about becoming sponsored through a company. And yes, they do tend to prefer people be in Japan. Since you`re here already, you should be fine.

Good Luck!

[Glenski]

Your avatar says you are in Miyazaki now. Is this true? How did you manage it?

Yes, you need an employer to sponsor a work visa. It's work, after all. You can't go to immigration and ask for a work visa, and then get it, and then look for an employer.

Contrary to what fluffyhamster wrote:

[DNK]

To add to what Glenski said:

GaijinPot seems to have a fairly high ratio of need to be in Japan/don't need to be. Maybe around 3:1 (the red stars are the ones requiring it).

The ones on OhayoSensei and eslcafe, however, are more even. Either way, I find around two new posts per day, from whatever source, that don't require you to be in Japan already.

Does this mean that they wouldn't prefer you to be in Japan, and would hire someone in Japan over you? I don't know...

[flyingkiwi]

[fluffyhamster]

I know you love contradicting me, Glenski, but please note that a) I linked to the thread where you counted how many advertisements would accept applicants from outside Japan and b) as DNK seems to have also said, who knows if a school that says it will accept such applicants would go out of its way to continue considering them if somebody already in Japan walked through the door or was just a short train ride (rather than an international plane ride) away for interview let alone starting work (not that any of this is now relevant to the OP); personally, I suspect that given two similarly qualified candidates, one in Japan already and the other not, an employer would concentrate on the former first almost every time. Let's not kid anyone who's not made it onto JET or into a position with one of the big eikaiwa (probably via one of their recruitment drives) that getting to Japan won't take many months if not years, unless the person gets a WHV and/or flies over to jobhunt locally...and those who get "lucky" and hired from afar might find that the job wasn't up to snuff and the employer desperate if not unscrupulous...

[Glenski]

fluffyhamster,
I don't "like" contradicting anyone. Please don't make this personal when it's not (to me, anyway).

You wrote "generally". That means more than 50%, and people often assume that it means quite a bit more than 50%.

The link you pointed out is a good one in that one of my posts shows from one Web site how many advertisements asked for candidates outside of Japan vs. inside. Were there "quite a bit more than 50%" in either group? No. That's why I wrote what I did in this thread. So, now you have 2 Web sites (fairly major ones at that) showing roughly a 50-50 ratio of employers wanting candidates in and outside of Japan, not "generally".

The word generally is misinforming people. No offense intended, ok?

[flyingkiwi]

So, how can Berlitz, for example, say that applicants must have a current work visa. If you are looking for work, how can you have a work visa???

That's what confuses me.

I will have 90 more days on my visa left after JET. After that, someone has to sponsor me.

Do they just mean you should have any current visa, like Tourist, working holiday, etc, because how can you have no job AND a work visa in Japan?

[fluffyhamster]

Glenski, another thing that I think everyone will probably agree on is that 'generally' means 'somewhat more than 50%' (I can't see the point in arguing whether it would be 'a bit more' or 'quite a bit more' etc etc), and like I was implying if not outright saying all along, not being in Japan wouldn't be doing anyone's application any favours. Employers may cast their net wider (say, that initial rough 50/50 split) to start with, but if they get even one reasonable applicant already within Japan, that would rather whittle down everyone else's chances, don't you think (unless the job is at McSuck's, Inaka-cho). Hence, again, my use of that noxious word 'generally'.

[fluffyhamster]

I think Berlitz are looking for people who are looking for new jobs (that is, in the process of giving and/or working their notice in their current jobs), or between jobs, flyingkiwi; in most cases, applicants would (be expected to) have a still-valid work (or working holiday) visa (these would allow the person to begin working immediately, if necessary, and/or involve little immediate hassle for the new employer).

[flyingkiwi]

I thought that may be the case. It wouldn't make sense otherwise. Well, that's a load-off the mind, it doesn't seem so difficult landing a job now.

[Apsara]

How can someone have a working visa without a job? Easy. If I quit my job right now, I would have no job and more than 2 years left on my visa. There are also plenty of guys married to Japanese women on spouse visas who also fall into the category of "with proper visa".

[fluffyhamster]

And while we're at it, Glenski, we're apparently talking about "jobs that say you have to be in Japan versus those that don't (or plain don't say)" (to paraphrase you on the linked thread). That all to my mind equates to 'We would prefer applicants to be in Japan, but we might consider those outside, too, if we really have to'.

I know it's not what you're saying, but in no instance (apart from JET and those big recruiting eikaiwa) could one interpret things to mean 'We prefer applications from outside Japan'. But that's what an overly optimistic reader might want to believe, from reading these recent posts of yours (which it must be said are less pessimistic than is usual for you).

[flyingkiwi]