Job Discussion Forums

[ldeeep]

i came across this post on another forum:

http://www.jref.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-2816.html

Tasuki's advice is pretty sound all around but i'll weigh in with my thoughts on the subject (speaking from personal experience). I was fortunate enough to land a job in March of '97 with Nanporo Junior High School through an English conversation school that consisted of myself and my visa sponsor. He was the man responsible for arranging a contract with the local school board in Nanporo (about twenty minutes from Sapporo) and bringing me in to work as an ALT. He is an American like myself but had been living in Japan for some odd seventeen years and needless to say had established himself quite nicely (along with his wife who is Japanese and their four children).

Here's the catch... I did NOT have my four-year degree yet at that time. In fact, I had only my Associate's (two years) from a junior college. Nevertheless, the school board still accepted me to work within the school system and gave their approval to greenlight my work visa. I suspect a great deal of this had to do with my sponsor's long established reputation in said town and their faith in him hat he would choose the right person for the job for the next two-and-a-half years. I have since then returned to the U.S. and gone on to finish my formal education (will earn my Master's this December) at which point I am considering work in either Japan or China.

Because of my duties to both the school I was assigned to work as an ALT (same duties as your average JET, although I was if anything--more involved) as well as my sponsor's private conversation school, I was very busy every day. Eventually, as my Japanese improved I was also assigned other duties by my sponsor, some of these included:

--Working as an interpreter/translator/reporter for VIP celebrities at the Yubari International Fantastic Adventure Film Festival.

--Working as an English Instructor for a branch of Yamaha Music School.

--Providing private English lessons for a wheelchair bound Japanese attorney and his wife at their home several times a month.

--Aiding and assisting with the planning/organization/chaperoning/etc. of large groups of Japanese travelling to the U.S. for homestays/sightseeing tours/homestays.

And too many more to list...

On my own (individual of my sponsor who did not discourage such activities), I also initiated the following:

--Private English/Japanese lessons for a small group (eleven to be exact) of foreign adults (non-Japanese) whose spouses or family members were residing in Sapporo for work-related reasons (grants for instance). Their nationalities included several Nigerian, Vietnamese, and Saudi Arabian just to name a few.

--Translating/Proof-Reading/Editing of various publications for Amino UP ( a pharmaceutical company).

--English conversation lessons for my own set of students (approximately sixty) who ranged in ages from ten to sixty-nine.

The point of all of this is that you do not necessarily need to have the proper credentials (four-year teaching degree, etc.) in order to get a foothold in Japan. As you can see from my aforementioned examples, once you establish yourself--the sky is really the limit to what you can do, given time and financial restraints. Once in Japan, you'll find it much easier to gain employment from various outside sources if you look in the right places. The trick is landing that first job and I wish you the best of luck in your endeavours. Focus all of your efforts into networking and getting into contact with any potential employers you may come across. Be sure to make a good impression and make them realize how passionate you are about by trying to learn as much Japanese as you can beforehand. Just remember, if a goomba like me with a two-year degree can do it, so can you!

___________________________________________________________
i know you'd probably say "OH, BUT THINGS HAVE CHANGED SINCE 97"....well, have they? seriously, have they? post me a link if they have.

tsk tsk tsk.

so here's the rough draft of my plan: first, while waiting till next fall or next year, save a lot of money. on the internet, find gaijin house for temporary housing. go to japan on 90 day tourist visa. meet people, ask questions, seek out potential employers, use keigo. visit my penpals. check out the music scenes. meet fellow DJs and producers. see Satoshi Tomei. maybe get a few gigs. practice my japanese. after 90 days, if i find myself employed w/a work visa, wonderful. if i don't, which is probable, that's fine too. i can always come back in a couple years if i want to. i don't see any major risks here besides the gaijin house conditions, do you?

[Glenski]

That thread is FOUR YEARS OLD, and the information on it relates to a situation TEN YEARS AGO.

As I have already told you, yes, there may be exceptions or ways to sneak in, but you are going to be hard-pressed to find them.

Come here, try your hand at a few music gigs (illegal, of course, so don't get caught in a raid like some people recently did), and leave. You won't get hired full-time to teach.

Sigh. This is the sort of thread that should automatically be funneled to a place that has all the degreeless enthusiastic people looking for loopholes to console each other. I'm sorry, but this is exactly the way every one of such threads ends up. The next (final) stage is the name-callling and "I'll show you" lines. Of course, nobody has ever come back to prove they have done it.

[kdynamic]

The police have been raiding nightclubs and busting people without proper visas. "Gaijin crime" is a huge thing in the Japanese media right now. NOT the time to be working here under that table without a visa.

Good luck. I agree with everyone who said what you want to do is next to impossible But if you do end up coming here, let us know what happens to you. And be aware that your budget will disappear very quickly in Tokyo....

[ldeeep]

i don't get it.....i made it clear that due to new information, i was going to treat my visit like a vacation, and not expect much, if anything. i don't understand what the problem is with that. in fact, if i can visit for a month or two and not be in the red too much, i'd actually much prefer that to getting any kind of job and staying for longer. my formal japanese education stopped last december, and it can't begin again until the fall or next spring semester....japanese is an important part of my major, and i'm hard pressed to find any decent conversation groups here. i don't want to restart my formal education and be way behind in conversation skills. and i'm 25 and have never left the U.S., so i think i'm a little overdue for an overseas venture.

unless you have an established relationship with the club owner, DJs usually don't get paid in cash (unless you are famous)....it's usually in drinks, which is just fine by me. if i get busted for receiving a few free drinks for DJing....

now if you have some info on cheap temporary housing for visiting students, i'd love to hear it.....preferably in the osaka area.

[Glenski]

[ldeeep]

[kdynamic]

ldeep if you want to come and study Japanese, you should come as a student. Enroll in a school and get a student visa. Then you can even get permission to work part time. With a visa, you can pick up part time English teaching work and make some OK money to offset costs. A school will also probably help you with housing, etc. Look into study abroad programs through your school at home.

I think actually, that this is a good idea for you. If you ever plan to use Japanese in your career (and it seems like you're studying it with the intent to someday use it) study abroad is an important step. And just coming here and hanging out will NOT improve your language abilities as much as actually committing toa structured program with qualified teachers.

[Glenski]

But it's not the biggest thing. The biggest could be that they decide you have been working illegally and deport you, blacklisting you from returning for the next 5-10 years.

[stilloutthere]

You keep mentioning that you are "charming". In the early 90's, the fine for illegally employing a foreign worker was about $10,000. They started to enforce the laws for English teachers about then, and someone at my school got caught. The school also had to pay for the rest of his apartment lease. Do you really think you are charming enough to get someone to take that kind of risk?

Three year's relevent experience used to mean that you had three years relevent experience in a job that could not be filled by a Japanese person. So if you had three years experience as an ESL teacher, you might get a visa. Three years experience as a DJ probably won't cut it. And three years experience is three years in one kind of work.

Find a language school, enroll, teach part time, or wait until you have a bachelor's degree.

[Scruffy]

ldeep ... I admire your perseverance, your attitude, and your plethora of smilies. My five cents: apply for a semester in Japan. Maybe next spring? Which will give you time to save, plan, dream, and consider what you might do with a summer in Japan following a semester of study and paid teaching. Exciting possibilities for you!

Good luck!

[ldeeep]

believe me, i'd LOVE to study abroad in japan and i've considered it.....the problem is that it takes money, or scholarship-caliber grades to do it....i have neither. i can't even afford college as it is....that's the reason why i have to work for a year or so before returning to school, i can't just "go get my bachelors". if it were only that easy. i've heard of ESL teachers in Asia being able to save a lot of money, and if this could be an option for me, i couldn't think of a better scenario to be in. get rid of debt, save money for college, practice japanese, sate wanderlust, etc. etc.

i know not all Asian countries require a 4 year degree for ESL....do you know where i could find a list? i wouldn't be averse to learning another Asiatic language, as it all fits into my intended major.

are there any schools in japan that i wouldn't have to pay a lot of up-front costs? i thought i'd have a better chance of finding a leprechaun, but i could be wrong. loans are not an option.....my formerly excellent credit score took a nosedive when i quit my FT job to start going to school FT.

one thing i don't understand is that it seems like from what everyone is saying, private schools in japan are just as subject to government regulation re: teacher screening as public schools are. i know they both go through the same visa process, but it just strikes me as odd that private schools would still be regulated like that. i suppose if one were to quit the job at the private school, that person could still use the valid work visa and get a simliar job at a public school.....and they wouldn't want uneducated, barbarian gaijins influencing their children in the public sector, probably

[Glenski]

[ldeeep]

[Grasshopper]

You asked for information. People are trying to help you.

If you want to come to Japan on vacation, enjoy. If you want to come to Japan to work, get an education first.

Personally, we don`t care if you come or not. People on this forum are generally here to help you out, answer your questions and exchange ideas.

Good Luck.

[Scruffy]

ldeep ... I'm 36 and finished my degree a few years ago. I didn't want to go the federal loans route, but I was left with little choice. So now I have loans to repay ... but I refuse to view them as debts. That was an investment in my future that I'll always have. About your credit score, I think you might be torn between two worlds: one where you are a free spirit and working in foreign lands and learning new languages, and one where you are anchored to the stuff the suits cram into our brains and try to convince us really matters.

Credit matters, yes, but it's never listed on your transcripts, your diploma, your CV, your marriage/birth/death certificates, or your forehead. And should you find yourself in a situation (say, work) that requires a full background, including your credit score, everyone can relate to this: "If you don't take into consideration my student loans, I have excellent credit!"

You have an interesting array of experiences. With some finesse you can make yourself look presentable on paper, regardless of your credit score. But get that degree. You only have two or so years left. Get federal financial aid for those remaining two years. Don't be overwhelmed by the process. You'll get enough to pay for all of your classes AND a couple thousand that will be auto-deposited into your checking account for books, living expenses, etc.

But if you're set on an experience abroad - and I totally respect this - then I would encourage you to let go of Japan and instead focus on Vietnam, Cambodia and elsewhere. What you are wanting to do is not impossible.

BTW, had I really understood what federal aid was about, I would have finished my degree when I was your age. But I didn't and now regret it. There's a watered-down effect when you wait too long and have a mess of other experiences accumulated along the way. This can make you interesting and give you some great stories to tell, but ... well, that's just my twenty cents, earned the hard way.

Cheers!