Job Discussion Forums

[Rooster_2006]

I hear that some teachers get a teaching visa, and others get a humanities visa.

Here are my questions:
1. What is the difference between the two?
2. Does one permit more activities than the other? For example, if I had a humanities visa and I wanted to do Korean English translations on the side, would that be legal as long as I did all the necessary paperwork/taxes?
3. If the answer to #2 is "yes," how do I make sure I get a humanities visa and not a teaching visa?
4. I've heard people on a teaching visa can self-sponsor after their first year. What about people on humanities visas? Can they do the same thing?

Thanks. Sorry for posting all these questions, I just want to get all the facts before I go to Japan next year so I start out in the best possible situation.

[Glenski]

[quote="Rooster_2006"]I hear that some teachers get a teaching visa, and others get a humanities visa.

Here are my questions:
1. What is the difference between the two?
Please read about visas here:
http://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/index.html
Professor work visa
Instructor work visa
Specialist in humanities/international relations work visa

2. Does one permit more activities than the other?
See above.

if I had a humanities visa and I wanted to do Korean English translations on the side, would that be legal as long as I did all the necessary paperwork/taxes?
Yes, you would simply need to get permission from immigration.
http://www.immi-moj.go.jp/english/tetuduki/index.html
See "Permission to engage in an activity other than that permitted..."

3. If the answer to #2 is "yes," how do I make sure I get a humanities visa and not a teaching visa?
The humanities visa is a form of a teaching visa. See #1.

4. I've heard people on a teaching visa(sic) can self-sponsor after their first year. What about people on humanities visas? Can they do the same thing?
Yes.

[Apsara]

[Glenski]

That may very well be true, but just to be on the safe side, now the OP and readers know. To me, if you are on the humanities visa as a teacher, you should at least ask immigration if you need the permission to do the side work, because your main reason for getting the visa was to teach. If they say, "naw, go ahead and translate", all the better. I'm just erring on the side of caution.