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hybrid3415
Joined: 18 Mar 2015
Posts: 10
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 Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2015 9:23 pm Post subject: Struggling to find work on a WHV |
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I came to Japan last week on a working holiday visa. I'd prepared the majority of trip, excluding guaranteed work, except for one promising interview. As I've worked in retail my whole life, I don't have any teaching experience, but I do have a TEFL qualification.
I'd saved £2,500 and paid for my flight already, which I was told would be more than enough to cover me for a while. I have an apartment in Shinsaibashi, Osaka, so I'm pretty central to everything which sets me back £470 a month (all bills included, and portable wifi)
I went for the job interview today, and it'll be teaching business English. It's a family run business, so they're desperate for any native English speakers, regardless of experience. The pay is ¥3,000 per hour, which is fantastic. The downside? It's only 6 hours a week!
Now the panic is setting in. I'm hunting for more work, but all I'm seeing on GaijinPot, Ohayou Sensei, and other similar websites, are for full time, experienced teachers.
What would you do in my situation? I'm running out of time as my funds will probably only last me two months (perhaps three months at a push) Where would be the best place to find entry level work, keeping in mind I have zero experience. Being a human tape machine? I'm fine with that. Whatever pays the bills. |
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GambateBingBangBOOM
Joined: 04 Nov 2003
Posts: 2021
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2015 1:18 am Post subject: Re: Struggling to find work on a WHV |
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| hybrid3415 wrote: |
| I came to Japan last week on a working holiday visa. |
The secondary hiring season is for September starts. Most places don't hire last second. You arrived the week after most people started their (September start) job. They often applied and interviewed for those jobs 1 to 3 months (up to five months, really) earlier.
| Quote: |
Now the panic is setting in. I'm hunting for more work, but all I'm seeing on GaijinPot, Ohayou Sensei, and other similar websites, are for full time, experienced teachers. |
Apply anyway. All they can do is say no.
| Quote: |
What would you do in my situation? I'm running out of time as my funds will probably only last me two months (perhaps three months at a push) |
Do not stay until you run out of money. Have enough money to get back to the UK. Not having enough money to get back will make your situation much worse.
| Quote: |
Where would be the best place to find entry level work, keeping in mind I have zero experience. Being a human tape machine? I'm fine with that. Whatever pays the bills. |
Have you tried Interac? What about ECC? The big eikaiwa chains may be an option, if they happen to be hiring from inside of Japan right now, they often only hire from overseas. (ETA: There's an ad on this very site for the eikaiwa chain AEON {one of the big chains}. Their ad specifies people in Japan can apply through their Tokyo office. Not sure what they will think of a WHV, though).
Since you are in Osaka, you should DEFINITELY be looking in kansai flee market for jobs, if you aren't already.
http://www.kfm.red/index.php/classifieds
What type of work are you allowed to do? Can you, for example, walk into a foreign owned bar, and wash dishes? You might want to find out. |
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hybrid3415
Joined: 18 Mar 2015
Posts: 10
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| Posted: Mon Sep 14, 2015 6:32 am Post subject: Re: Struggling to find work on a WHV |
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| GambateBingBangBOOM wrote: |
The secondary hiring season is for September starts. Most places don't hire last second. You arrived the week after most people started their (September start) job. They often applied and interviewed for those jobs 1 to 3 months (up to five months, really) earlier. |
Yeah, I picked the worst week to come. Unfortunately due to work commitments in England, September was the only month I could really arrive in Japan. I'll just have to hunt around to see what's left.
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| Apply anyway. All they can do is say no. |
Good advice, I think I'm so used to applying for jobs and being worried I'm wasting people's time. But at this point, I need to sink my teeth in and just get on with it.
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| Do not stay until you run out of money. Have enough money to get back to the UK. Not having enough money to get back will make your situation much worse. |
I've kept a spare £200 in a savings account (The flight here only cost me £275) and I also have a credit card with a £2,000 limit (although I really don't want to use it)
| Quote: |
| Have you tried Interac? What about ECC? The big eikaiwa chains may be an option, if they happen to be hiring from inside of Japan right now, they often only hire from overseas. (ETA: There's an ad on this very site for the eikaiwa chain AEON {one of the big chains}. Their ad specifies people in Japan can apply through their Tokyo office. Not sure what they will think of a WHV, though). |
A few of my friends have worked for Interac, and I've heard nothing but horror stories. The same goes for AEON. I applied for ECC back in England, but I didn't pass their grammar test (There was a 10 year experienced English teacher that also applied who didn't make the cut, so I didn't beat myself up about it)
Thanks for the link! I found a few jobs on there that I've applied to today.
| Quote: |
| What type of work are you allowed to do? Can you, for example, walk into a foreign owned bar, and wash dishes? You might want to find out. |
From the Japan Embassy UK Working Holiday Visa conditions:
| Embassy of Japan wrote: |
| Working Holiday participants are strictly prohibited from working at places affecting public morals such as bars, cabarets, nightclubs and etc |
So prostitution, host bars, and pursuing that career of being a pole dancer are off the table it seems. However "G Cthulhu" on here did respond to one of my earlier posts:
| G Cthulhu wrote: |
| I knew someone that worked in a factory shovelling bolts into a hopper for bagging. He made more per month (Y435k, after tax, for a six hour day, M-F) than most ALT's. Which he promptly spent at bars each night, not that that affected his job performance in the slightest. |
So it seems there is other work out there for WHV holders, other than teaching.
Thanks for all your advice GambateBingBangBOOM, it's really helped me get my head into gear. |
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nightsintodreams
Joined: 18 May 2010
Posts: 558
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| Posted: Mon Sep 14, 2015 7:07 am Post subject: |
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I worked at Interac for three years and the branch I got was fine, treated fairly well I suppose and I enjoyed it.
Now you havn't heard only horror stories. Go and apply with them. |
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hybrid3415
Joined: 18 Mar 2015
Posts: 10
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| Posted: Mon Sep 14, 2015 7:40 am Post subject: |
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| nightsintodreams wrote: |
I worked at Interac for three years and the branch I got was fine, treated fairly well I suppose and I enjoyed it.
Now you havn't heard only horror stories. Go and apply with them. |
Ha, point made. Which branch did you work at, out of curiosity?  |
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mitsui
Joined: 10 Jun 2007
Posts: 1562
Location: Kawasaki
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| Posted: Mon Sep 14, 2015 7:53 am Post subject: |
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| Interac in Yokohama is better than average. |
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Lamarr
Joined: 27 Sep 2010
Posts: 190
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| Posted: Mon Sep 14, 2015 10:18 am Post subject: |
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| All of these companies have plenty of horror stories attached to them, but you should be OK for 6-12 months before the horror sets in. Despite what I've said about them, you could try GABA. They have branches in Osaka. Crappy per-lesson rate but it's work, cash, and you choose your schedule, so you can fit your other commitments around it. |
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rxk22
Joined: 19 May 2010
Posts: 1629
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| Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2015 6:36 am Post subject: |
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As was said, you messed up. You missed your window. Anyway you're here so...you neex sosomething now. Don'tbe ppicky. As you don't have that luxury. As in Japan most places a month in arears. So you need something this month to make it.
Apply apply apply. Eve. If it is interac or nova. You only need to tough it out til April.
As for interac it's OK in Kanto, but it's a mess in kansai |
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hybrid3415
Joined: 18 Mar 2015
Posts: 10
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| Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2015 11:20 am Post subject: |
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Thanks for all the advice guys. Just to keep you updated, I've landed myself an interview with a language school chain in Osaka tomorrow with the CEO. It looks like the kind of environment I'd feel comfortable teaching in too, as they supply the lesson materials.  |
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rxk22
Joined: 19 May 2010
Posts: 1629
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| Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2015 11:38 am Post subject: |
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| hybrid3415 wrote: |
| Thanks for all the advice guys. Just to keep you updated, I've landed myself an interview with a language school chain in Osaka tomorrow with the CEO. It looks like the kind of environment I'd feel comfortable teaching in too, as they supply the lesson materials. |
Good for you. Def don't turn anything down.
Interview with the CEO? I think it's funny when small business owners give themselves outrageous titles. |
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Mothy
Joined: 01 Feb 2007
Posts: 99
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| Posted: Wed Sep 16, 2015 6:44 am Post subject: |
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| If I ever start a business I'll call myself chief royal dictator for life. |
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RM1983
Joined: 03 Jan 2007
Posts: 360
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| Posted: Thu Sep 17, 2015 9:41 am Post subject: Re: Struggling to find work on a WHV |
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| hybrid3415 wrote: |
I came to Japan last week on a working holiday visa. I'd prepared the majority of trip, excluding guaranteed work, except for one promising interview. As I've worked in retail my whole life, I don't have any teaching experience, but I do have a TEFL qualification.
I'd saved £2,500 and paid for my flight already, which I was told would be more than enough to cover me for a while. I have an apartment in Shinsaibashi, Osaka, so I'm pretty central to everything which sets me back £470 a month (all bills included, and portable wifi)
I went for the job interview today, and it'll be teaching business English. It's a family run business, so they're desperate for any native English speakers, regardless of experience. The pay is ¥3,000 per hour, which is fantastic. The downside? It's only 6 hours a week!
Now the panic is setting in. I'm hunting for more work, but all I'm seeing on GaijinPot, Ohayou Sensei, and other similar websites, are for full time, experienced teachers.
What would you do in my situation? I'm running out of time as my funds will probably only last me two months (perhaps three months at a push) Where would be the best place to find entry level work, keeping in mind I have zero experience. Being a human tape machine? I'm fine with that. Whatever pays the bills. |
You're much too quick to panic. It took me a month before I started really working on my WHV. That first month I was just job-hunting constantly, and drinking at night.
I was going to go the part-time route and after 4 weeks had built up enough PT work to be just about ok, for a while, and then I got offered a job full-time. I started getting proper offers into the 3rd week, and after nothing for 2 weeks had a bit of choice.
For the record, despite getting the full visa I sort of wish I had gone the part-time way.
I was getting offers here and there from my interviews into my second and third month, and also further offers for interviews a couple of months after I initially applied. That job that offered you 6 hours a week is a good start. I actually worked for 2 hours one Saturday at a place, and they then offered me 8 the following week as one teacher had to go somewhere. Then, they offered me 2 weeks of fulll time work as the longest-serving teacher there could finally have a holiday. I had to turn that away though because I wanted a full visa
I think that the WHVisa and teaching dont mix that well here, few places want a teacher just for a few months (a year is usually desirable) and thos that do are often looking for weekend warriors, when we all only have the one weekend per week. The schools sometimes/often recruit well in advance, and you have often have to do training at a lot of places. Most places can be a bit choosy over who they hire so they interview ahead and put you on a waiting list.
The schools that I interviewed for full-time work with advertised as WHV ok, but they all said they'd have me changed to a full visa.
Also, you usually wont get paid until the end of your second working month.
But it's doable. Initially, I thought Id use my WHV to get by in Tokyo for like 6 months, then move to somewhere like Fukuoka and see how that went. I've been in Tokyo for 3 years now. The thing about Gaijin Pot and even OhaiyoSensei is that they arent at all comprehensive in covering the jobs available out there. You might need to go above and beyond that, and do some research to find out where all the schools are in your area and then contact them directly. Just keep sending out those CVs.
The other advice Id have in your position is be VERY flexible about commuting time. Initially I was just searching in a half an hour radius of my apartment, and turned my nose up at some positions because thee commute would have been further. Now, half an hour commute would be an improvement. |
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hybrid3415
Joined: 18 Mar 2015
Posts: 10
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| Posted: Thu Sep 17, 2015 4:40 pm Post subject: Re: Struggling to find work on a WHV |
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| RM1983 wrote: |
You're much too quick to panic. It took me a month before I started really working on my WHV. That first month I was just job-hunting constantly, and drinking at night.
I was going to go the part-time route and after 4 weeks had built up enough PT work to be just about ok, for a while, and then I got offered a job full-time. I started getting proper offers into the 3rd week, and after nothing for 2 weeks had a bit of choice.
For the record, despite getting the full visa I sort of wish I had gone the part-time way.
I was getting offers here and there from my interviews into my second and third month, and also further offers for interviews a couple of months after I initially applied. That job that offered you 6 hours a week is a good start. I actually worked for 2 hours one Saturday at a place, and they then offered me 8 the following week as one teacher had to go somewhere. Then, they offered me 2 weeks of fulll time work as the longest-serving teacher there could finally have a holiday. I had to turn that away though because I wanted a full visa
I think that the WHVisa and teaching dont mix that well here, few places want a teacher just for a few months (a year is usually desirable) and thos that do are often looking for weekend warriors, when we all only have the one weekend per week. The schools sometimes/often recruit well in advance, and you have often have to do training at a lot of places. Most places can be a bit choosy over who they hire so they interview ahead and put you on a waiting list.
The schools that I interviewed for full-time work with advertised as WHV ok, but they all said they'd have me changed to a full visa.
Also, you usually wont get paid until the end of your second working month.
But it's doable. Initially, I thought Id use my WHV to get by in Tokyo for like 6 months, then move to somewhere like Fukuoka and see how that went. I've been in Tokyo for 3 years now. The thing about Gaijin Pot and even OhaiyoSensei is that they arent at all comprehensive in covering the jobs available out there. You might need to go above and beyond that, and do some research to find out where all the schools are in your area and then contact them directly. Just keep sending out those CVs.
The other advice Id have in your position is be VERY flexible about commuting time. Initially I was just searching in a half an hour radius of my apartment, and turned my nose up at some positions because thee commute would have been further. Now, half an hour commute would be an improvement. |
Thank you! It's great to read a reply from someone that was in a similar position. I'll hopefully hear back from the casual English school tomorrow, as they've said they'll happily work around my business school lessons with the other company.
I'll probably take your advice and stick with the part time hours for a few months and see how it goes. As long as I'm making enough money to pay my rent and feed myself, I'll be happy.
I've sensibly withdrawn my rent for next month, along with half of the month after. So I don't really have to worry about my rent until November.
I just have to be sensible with my meals... If only I could stop eating this damn delicious Lawson fried chicken... |
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RM1983
Joined: 03 Jan 2007
Posts: 360
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| Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2015 8:36 am Post subject: Re: Struggling to find work on a WHV |
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| hybrid3415 wrote: |
| RM1983 wrote: |
You're much too quick to panic. It took me a month before I started really working on my WHV. That first month I was just job-hunting constantly, and drinking at night.
I was going to go the part-time route and after 4 weeks had built up enough PT work to be just about ok, for a while, and then I got offered a job full-time. I started getting proper offers into the 3rd week, and after nothing for 2 weeks had a bit of choice.
For the record, despite getting the full visa I sort of wish I had gone the part-time way.
I was getting offers here and there from my interviews into my second and third month, and also further offers for interviews a couple of months after I initially applied. That job that offered you 6 hours a week is a good start. I actually worked for 2 hours one Saturday at a place, and they then offered me 8 the following week as one teacher had to go somewhere. Then, they offered me 2 weeks of fulll time work as the longest-serving teacher there could finally have a holiday. I had to turn that away though because I wanted a full visa
I think that the WHVisa and teaching dont mix that well here, few places want a teacher just for a few months (a year is usually desirable) and thos that do are often looking for weekend warriors, when we all only have the one weekend per week. The schools sometimes/often recruit well in advance, and you have often have to do training at a lot of places. Most places can be a bit choosy over who they hire so they interview ahead and put you on a waiting list.
The schools that I interviewed for full-time work with advertised as WHV ok, but they all said they'd have me changed to a full visa.
Also, you usually wont get paid until the end of your second working month.
But it's doable. Initially, I thought Id use my WHV to get by in Tokyo for like 6 months, then move to somewhere like Fukuoka and see how that went. I've been in Tokyo for 3 years now. The thing about Gaijin Pot and even OhaiyoSensei is that they arent at all comprehensive in covering the jobs available out there. You might need to go above and beyond that, and do some research to find out where all the schools are in your area and then contact them directly. Just keep sending out those CVs.
The other advice Id have in your position is be VERY flexible about commuting time. Initially I was just searching in a half an hour radius of my apartment, and turned my nose up at some positions because thee commute would have been further. Now, half an hour commute would be an improvement. |
Thank you! It's great to read a reply from someone that was in a similar position. I'll hopefully hear back from the casual English school tomorrow, as they've said they'll happily work around my business school lessons with the other company.
I'll probably take your advice and stick with the part time hours for a few months and see how it goes. As long as I'm making enough money to pay my rent and feed myself, I'll be happy.
I've sensibly withdrawn my rent for next month, along with half of the month after. So I don't really have to worry about my rent until November.
I just have to be sensible with my meals... If only I could stop eating this damn delicious Lawson fried chicken... |
Yeah there is no reason you cant get by, but I think you might have to expect times of being quite broke. That is when the full-time job starts to look appealing! |
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