Job Discussion Forums

[peachy and danny]

I've been looking for English teaching positions for awhile now, and it seems that most companies insist that you stay in one of their company-sponsored apartments. My problem with that, is that I have a wife, baby, and pet. I always put in my cover letter that I don't require housing assistance, and that I will find my own housing. I have no problem with this part. My wife is Japanese, anyway. My question is this; if a company insists that I live in their apartment, can I move away and find my own place (for me and my family) without getting fired? We are planning on having my family come to Japan a few weeks to a month after I do. I am reluctant to tell a company about my housing needs in advance, as I have had a few experiences before in phone interviews and emails from companies that strongly discourage me from bringing my family with me. If this is nearly impossible to get around, what is a good "story" to tell a company if they ask me why I need to find housing without their assistance? Should I tell them that I will be staying with a "friend"? Please keep in mind, that I've already decided that I will not be telling any prospective company the truth (my family). I know this all seems kind of silly; my personal life shouldn't really be of any concern to my prospective employer. However, this is Japan I'm talking about. As far as I know, age discrimination is still legal there. Suggestions?

[Mr_Monkey]

I think you've got your strategy all wrong.

If your wife is Japanese, why not go for the spouse visa?

You will need a guarantor (probably someone from her family) to underwrite you before you land a job (condition of the visa), but you will find that being in the country without requiring visa sponsorship will open up a great many more opportunities.

Personally, I think lying about the fact that you are married with a family will be perceived as far worse than actually being married and having a family. You'll have only just started working for whichever company hires you; to turn around and say you no longer need the housing/or to be known to have lied about the need for housing is likely to cause problems. I suspect it would be rather difficult to prevent your employers from finding out the truth.

Basically, a teacher already in Japan without needing a visa sponsored is many eikaiwas' dream. They don't have to hold your hand (you have your wife for that), they don't have to worry about visa an other issues (not a huge headache, but still) and they don't have to take a risk hiring from abroad, which is time-consuming andand brings with it the potential for a massive headache.

[peachy and danny]

Regarding the spouse visa, I think my wife needs to have a job in Japan to actually qualify for one. She has a job here in the US, but not over there. Besides, if a company sponsors me, I feel their job offer would be more secure than if they hire me off the street in Japan. Changing to a spouse visa and making extra money under the table from teaching lessons in karaoke rooms and coffee shops can come later. I've done that stuff before. I'm not leaving without a steady "anchor" job waiting for me in Japan, though. The stuff about a "guarantor" and my wife's family is exactly what I'm planning to do. Like I said before, actually getting a place to live is NOT going to be a problem. Also, since I am NOT in Japan, a company will have to take a risk and hire me from overseas. I guess I forgot to mention that part. What if I tell a prospective employer that I will be living with my wife's parents? Do you think that will fly?

[seklarwia]

No, because then they will see you as difficult to place. If her parents don't live near a branch/office/school/etc where they need somebody, they are not going to hire you.

Any employer who is forcing you into company housing is probably bumping up your rent to make alittle extra out of you which is why they don't want you to move out.

And I agree with Money;
Lying about your family is a bad move. Afterall, this Japan you are talking about, where being considered untrustworthy or a liar is not only going to a get you into hot water with your current employer but may affect future employment in that area if word spreads. Some contracts have clauses specifically stating that you could be punished or even fired if you are found to have submitted false info at the time of hiring - mine certainly does and I've seen it in some of my friends' in different jobs.
Besides having a Japanese wife is a good thing. Being married with a family means you are more likely to (in the eyes of employers at least) have a stable home life and are a whole lot less likely to be partying like a fresher every other night and coming to work hung over, intoxicated or calling in sick. You are less likely to bail on them due to culture shock because you have the support of a Japanese spouse. Also not having to be your housing guarantor is a good thing for employers because if you did bail without paying for any outstanding rent, fees and repair costs then the company isn't going to be left to foot the bill.

You should check the requirements of the spouse visa again as I think you are mistaken. A dependent's visa requires sposorship from a work visa holder with a job in Japan. But I have male spouse visa holder friends who are the bread winner for the household because their wives have retired from work to be mothers (some planning to return to work in the future but others wishing to be housewives).

[peachy and danny]

[rtm]

[Mr_Monkey]

[peachy and danny]

[seklarwia]

[tttyg]

I'm living in the States and married to a Japanese national who has been here with me for 2 years.

I pretty much took the opposite approach; I was happy to mention my Japanese wife (with tact, obviously) and in the end I really feel like it helped me get the job I got (which was the one I wanted). I mentioned that I would be happy to apply for a spousal visa to alleviate any burden on them, as I am in the same camp as you and wanted to make sure I had a steady job waiting for me when I arrived. In the end, they told me they would just process my CoE and get me a humanities working visa and that I could change it anytime after arriving in Japan (due to time constraints they wanted to make sure I was able to get the visa on time), but it definitely didn't seem like it hurt my case to have the option.

For my company, they put you in an apartment (you get to pick the relative size, though) and then you can move out to wherever you want after 4 months if you don't like it or you find something better. Sounds pretty fair to me.

It really seemed like having a Japanese wife was a positive thing and my interviewer asked her name and said "tell her yoroshiku for me!"

[Glenski]

I got my spouse visa with a wife who was working only PT. As you have discovered, her father served as guarantor. Piece of cake. I switched from work visa to spouse visa in less than 3 weeks.

I would take the statement about a guaranteed 3-year spouse visa with a grain of salt. You'll get one that is either 1 or 3 years, and that's all you need to know.

As for telling an employer you will be living with your wife's parents, just say you already have housing arranged. No need for explicit details. Put it to them in such a way that it says essentially, "Oh, I'm already set up, so there is no need for you to be bothered by any issues related to helping me. It will be easier for you this way, thanks a lot."

[G Cthulhu]