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rachelmarie86
Joined: 06 Apr 2009
Posts: 7
Location: Michigan
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 Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2010 4:06 am Post subject: A little lost in Translation |
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Hello There!!
My name is Rachel and I am 24 years old from the lovely state of Michigan.
A little bit about myself:
Bachelors in dual major : Fashion Marketing/ Management & Business Management from Northwood University. I have been working for a little over a year since I graduated college and will have about $8,000 saved up to go abroad this year. I do not have any experience in teaching English but I have experience in teaching children both in coaching golf and teaching business achievement classes. I went to a wonderful business school and I am very set in achieving my goals & dreams. One of those goals is to teach English in the beautiful country of Japan. My boyfriend is 100% Japanese and lived in Japan for 7 years when he was a child. He went back last year while I stayed in the states to work for Empire Entertainment in Tokyo. He graduates this May and we plan on going to Japan together. He, of course, already has arrangements to work at Empire again and also a part-time job in Yokohama.
We want to go around July of this year and so I know that this would be the right time for me to start sending applications (since most companies say to apply 5-6 months before desired arrival date).
I just don't know what schools are the best..GABA, Amity, Peppy, Etc. I am constantly looking at new job postings and getting an idea of what they are looking for. I am scared that with the flooding job market I may not be able to obtain work.
Any advice would be absolutely wonderful.
-thanks- Rachel |
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gaijinalways
Joined: 29 Nov 2005
Posts: 2279
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| Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2010 6:56 am Post subject: |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2010 11:39 am Post subject: |
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rachel,
You're as qualified as most newbies (no teaching degree, nor language teaching experience). Belts are tight in Japan right now, and there is a glut of teachers on the market. Do whatever you can to promote yourself or to boost your resume. You're going to need it to edge out the competition (dozens or scores of people applying for every job).
Stay in Michigan (UP or LP?), and you are severely limited in the number of employers who will even consider you. A dozen or more at best. Like gaijinalways wrote, you're going to have to be here physically to get more mileage out of your resume. Plus, most of the places that hire from abroad are big, so they have a gazillion branches and no guarantees whatsoever of placing you where you want, whereas if you are here looking at smaller outfits, there's a far better chance.
What schools are "best"? Totally subjective. Read a few of my recent posts to see my take on that subject. The ones you listed are among the ok group.
Go Yoopers! |
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rachelmarie86
Joined: 06 Apr 2009
Posts: 7
Location: Michigan
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| Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 2:12 am Post subject: |
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Thank you! I really want to be around in the Tokyo area because along with teaching in Japan I really love the culture and with my degree I would like to break into the Japanese fashion industry. I moved back home last year and I have already been speaking with some companies and they have offered to meet with me so I can possibly intern at "fashion houses" while teaching in Japan.
How hard is it to obtain a work visa? I am all about risks but ( if after applying for numerous jobs and not getting accepted) I am afraid that if I head to Japan on a work visa (not able to speak Japanese and no job lined up) I might not be able to find any work at all. Also, I feel that it would be really hard to find an apartment or other amenities without paying a crazy amount and then having no position to back it up. Are schools tightening down and wanting to see more experience or a teaching degree in Japan? |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 8:17 am Post subject: |
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| rachelmarie86 wrote: |
I would like to break into the Japanese fashion industry. I moved back home last year and I have already been speaking with some companies and they have offered to meet with me so I can possibly intern at "fashion houses" while teaching in Japan.
How hard is it to obtain a work visa? |
For which type of job -- teaching or fashion design?
The hard part is getting the job, not the visa, especially for teachers nowadays.
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| I am afraid that if I head to Japan on a work visa (not able to speak Japanese and no job lined up) I might not be able to find any work at all. |
You have it backwards. You get the job first, and then you get the visa. You can't apply for a work visa with no employer to sponsor it.
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| Also, I feel that it would be really hard to find an apartment or other amenities without paying a crazy amount and then having no position to back it up. |
If you don't have an employer, it is not easy to get an apartment. Most want an employer to serve as guarantor. Not all, but most. Otherwise, you'll have to live in a guesthouse.
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| Are schools tightening down and wanting to see more experience or a teaching degree in Japan? |
Tightening up, not down. And, yes, they are. Market has been flooded since Nov 2007 when NOVA went bankrupt. Times here are very tough for newbies to land jobs. Not all employers are looking at resumes extra carefully these days and choosing only the highly qualified, but I suspect many are. Expect dozens to scores of people to apply for every job.
If you can't get a degree in teaching, get experience and/or a certificate. |
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gaijinalways
Joined: 29 Nov 2005
Posts: 2279
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| Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 4:51 pm Post subject: |
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Glenski posted
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| The hard part is getting the job, not the visa, especially for teachers nowadays. |
Glenski posted
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| If you don't have an employer, it is not easy to get an apartment. Most want an employer to serve as guarantor. Not all, but most. Otherwise, you'll have to live in a guesthouse. |
Shouldn't the boyfriend who was born here in Japan be able to get an apartment when he comes back? And what happened to the possibility of coming here on a student visa first (and working and looking for a better job while learning Japanese)? That would probably solve her problem, and enable her to get a visa and then find a job.
Rachel,
I noticed you didn't answer my other questions. I did see that you posted on the forum back in June just before you graduated, so you saved up a nice nest egg in a fairly short time (assuming you had not saved much while you were in college). |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 11:56 pm Post subject: |
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| gaijinalways wrote: |
| Shouldn't the boyfriend who was born here in Japan be able to get an apartment when he comes back? |
If they plan to live together, I would think this would be the best, easiest option. Hard to say, though. He is Japanese but has not been in Japan for many years. Don't know if that will pose any problems. (Does he still hold Japanese citizenship? Will his absence from Japan be taken against him in terms of a credit rating? Even Japanese need guarantors for housing.) One can assume his new employer will help find housing.
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And what happened to the possibility of coming here on a student visa first (and working and looking for a better job while learning Japanese)? That would probably solve her problem, and enable her to get a visa and then find a job.
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I don't see where she wrote about that, but it is also an option. |
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rachelmarie86
Joined: 06 Apr 2009
Posts: 7
Location: Michigan
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| Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2010 2:25 am Post subject: |
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| My boyfriend was born in California and then his parents wanted to move back to Japan. He lived in Japan for 8 years and in Thailand for 2. He holds dual citizenship in both the U.S and Japan. He will be living with his aunt in Yokohama most likely (also we don't feel the need to live with each other just yet). I am trying to not become discouraged because of the flooded Japan. How long does it take to obtain a student work visa and will I be able to find an apartment if I have that Visa? I know it is always best to be in the city in which you desire to work that way you can get the best positions they have to offer. If I can not find a company that will hire me overseas and I decide to get a student work visa what would be the best next steps to follow? |
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gaijinalways
Joined: 29 Nov 2005
Posts: 2279
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| Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2010 4:32 am Post subject: |
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Glenski posted
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| I don't see where she wrote about that, but it is also an option. |
I did Glenski (about getting a student visa), but you can see she did ask about that now. It's always good to have options.
rachelmarie86 posted
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| He holds dual citizenship in both the U.S and Japan. He will be living with his aunt in Yokohama most likely (also we don't feel the need to live with each other just yet). |
It would make life easier and cheaper for both of you (well, depends if he is paying the aunt any rent money) as two sharing living arrangements would be cheaper per person.
I'm not sure how long it takes to get a student visa, I'm sure some posters (Glenski?) can help with that information. That might take longer than getting a work visa though from what I have heard. And yes, there is housing, but it might be the guesthouse variety, which is easy enough to find in the Tokyo area. |
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seklarwia
Joined: 20 Jan 2009
Posts: 1546
Location: Monkey onsen, Nagano
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| Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2010 5:25 am Post subject: |
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| But you realise that just like you need an employer to sponser a work visa, you'll need a school to sponser your student visa and then have to apply for special permission at immigration to be allowed to work on it if you are unable to find the FT work needed to get a work visa. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2010 6:39 am Post subject: |
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| rachelmarie86 wrote: |
| My boyfriend was born in California and then his parents wanted to move back to Japan. He lived in Japan for 8 years and in Thailand for 2. He holds dual citizenship in both the U.S and Japan. |
Technically he can't hold both in Japan. He'll have to renounce one or the other by age 22. Japan doesn't officially recognize dual nationality.
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| He will be living with his aunt in Yokohama most likely (also we don't feel the need to live with each other just yet). |
Ok, so you will have to find housing.
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| I am trying to not become discouraged because of the flooded Japan. |
Why?
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| How long does it take to obtain a student work visa and will I be able to find an apartment if I have that Visa? |
Be accepted to school (and prove you can pay all the tuition), and then you file for the visa. It will then take 1-3 months. I think you have to wait a month or so thereafter before you can apply for special permission to work PT. Since schools usually start in April, you had better hustle.
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| I know it is always best to be in the city in which you desire to work that way you can get the best positions they have to offer. If I can not find a company that will hire me overseas and I decide to get a student work visa what would be the best next steps to follow? |
Talk to anyone and everyone at the school to see what job opportunities are available. How well do you speak/read/write Japanese? That ability will limit you to certain jobs. |
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gaijinalways
Joined: 29 Nov 2005
Posts: 2279
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| Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2010 2:27 pm Post subject: |
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Glenski posted
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| Technically he can't hold both in Japan. He'll have to renounce one or the other by age 22. Japan doesn't officially recognize dual nationality. |
Technically true, but even Japanese politicians hold more than one. You just don't tell the Japanese government about the other passport(s) you hold. I'm sure he'll be staying in Japan on his Japanese one.
Glenski posted
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| Talk to anyone and everyone at the school to see what job opportunities are available. How well do you speak/read/write Japanese? That ability will limit you to certain jobs. |
It depends on the job. For teaching English, it may help, knowing Japanese that is. For other jobs, definitely, though there is always hostessing or working in a snack bar. |
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Apsara
Joined: 20 Sep 2005
Posts: 2142
Location: Tokyo, Japan
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| Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2010 2:42 pm Post subject: |
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| Except that those jobs are forbidden under the terms of the student visa, so potentially disastrous results if the workplace is raided at any time. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2010 10:22 pm Post subject: |
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| gaijinalways wrote: |
Glenski posted
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| Technically he can't hold both in Japan. He'll have to renounce one or the other by age 22. Japan doesn't officially recognize dual nationality. |
Technically true, but even Japanese politicians hold more than one. |
Like who? |
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