Job Discussion Forums

[Docnty]

I don't know where to start. I am in Canada and am looking for work in Japan. I need to move to Itami City so therefore I need to look for work in Osaka or Kobe. My girlfriend is about 11 weeks pregnant with our baby and so I need to find a job. I have been looking and looking but most jobs say that I must reside in Japan. What jobs that don't require that say that I need a University degree. Yes, the jobs that I'm looking for are English teaching jobs. I am taking the TESL course from Oxford Seminars in March and will be moving to Japan at the end of April. I have applied to so many jobs already and with no reply. I don't have teaching experience but I have worked with people my whole life. I'm working at the Sheraton right now. I am a real people person, and I know I can do this, but if someone can lead me in the right direction, it would be greatly appreciated. I'm getting so discouraged as she works for her father and wants to live in Japan. I have Kansai Time Out, Kansai Flea Market, Japan Times Online, Mainichi Daily News, Ohayo Sensei, English Resource, Jobs in Japan, ELT News, and many more including GaijinPot Online. Can someone tell me what to do? I have sent so many resumes and cover letters, they are coming out of my ears. Yet I receive no reply. HELP!!!!!

[wintersweet]

Are you saying that you don't have a bachelor's degree?

[Docnty]

I do not have a degree of any kind. My girlfriend was in Canada on a working/holiday visa, her parents and her came to Niagara Falls to visit and stayed at the Sheraton where I worked and that is how I met her, she lived in Vancouver at the time, I got her email and kept in contact with her, then it went further from there, I went to visit her in Vancouver then she moved to Niagara to live with me till she had to move back to Japan in January of this year. I have no teaching experience at all, only thing I have is that I am very good with children and I am a people person. Like I mentioned earlier, I will be taking the Oxford Seminars TESL course in March. That is all I will have.... I have read online that Japan don't like to hire unless you are Japanese or you are wanting to teach English... I have applied at so many private schools. I just don't know what to do anymore.

[canuck]

First things first, you need to get a visa to work in Japan. Girlfriend visas aren't available. Assuming you tie the knot, then you can get a spouse visa and go from there. Many companies like employees with spouse visas because it avoids some paperwork/effort sponsoring on their part...and it's just easy.

Then when you apply for jobs, you can put that you have a spouse visa and a TEFL certificate. Good on you for taking some sort of teacher training. You'll be competing with lots of people with degrees, some with actual teacher training.

It's not going to be easy, as there are lots of teachers looking for work, but there are also lots of opportunities. You'll need to be in Japan to land I job most likely.

[Docnty]

Well I don't think her father will go for that, she is 30, I am 39 but when she told her parents about me and having a baby, her father was very upset and then went on to tell her that he hoped I would have a job when I came to Japan. I'm just working so hard trying to get something so I don't disappoint any of them. I will ask her father for her hand in marriage when I get there but I was hoping to have a job in hand first. If not, then I guess I will ask her if she will marry me first. I was just hoping to have something and it is starting to get to me as I've been looking already for about a month now....

[MindlessFudge]

The fact that you don't have a degree is mostly what's hurting you. Law requires that you have a degree to be eligible for work in Japan, if you're a foreigner. I'm not sure how that would change if you were to marry and get a spousal visa. Double check with someone on this forum who knows how the spousal visa/degree/eligibility requirement goes.

Also, if you haven't already, get people to look over your resume and cover letters with you. Putting together a good CV takes a lot of time and patience. If you can, solicit help from people who've been in this industry, who can look at your resume and advise you appropriately. Even if you've got years of teaching experience, a four year degree, a CELTA, a TESOL and a Masters, a poorly formed cover letter and resume will turn an employer right off to you. And having all those degrees/certificates isn't necessarily a good thing, either.

Browse this forum and read the stickies. A lot of your questions have answers there. Best of luck to you.

[PAULH]

You are getting no reply as no employer can sponsor your work visa. Your only choice, my good man is the spouse visa, as the best you can do is come to Japan on a 90-day tourist visa and leave every 3 months to renew your tourist visa. They wont give you a visa just because you became the father of a 'future' Japanese national. You have to tie the knot so you can get a visa to come here as her spouse.

Employers will hire you on a spouse visa but many will want the degree as well as that is what many ask for when sponsoring visas. here is the immigration page on teaching visas.


Instructor visa

1. In cases where the applicant is to engage in instruction at a vocational school ("Kakushugakko") or an educational institution equivalent to it in facilities and curriculum or in cases where the applicant is to engage in instruction at other school with a capacity other than a "teacher", the following conditions are to be fulfilled.
However (a) is to be fulfilled in cases where the applicant is to engage in instruction at a vocational school or an educational institution equivalent to it in facilities and curriculum which is established to give the children with the status of residence "Diplomat" or "Official" mentioned in Annexed Table 1 (1) or "Dependent" mentioned in Annexed Table 1 (4) education of primary, junior and senior high school in foreign language.

The applicant must have graduated from or completed a college or acquired equivalent education, or must hold a license to teach the subject that he or she intends to teach in Japan.

When the applicant is planning on teaching a foreign language, he or she must have acquired education in that language for at least 12 years. When the applicant is going to teach other subjects, he or she must have at least 5 years' teaching experience in that subject.

2. The applicant should receive no less salary than a Japanese national would receive for comparable work.


Specialist in
Humanities/
International
Services
The applicant must fulfill the following conditions. However, these conditions shall not apply in cases where the applicant plans to engage in work involving proxy duties in procedures relating to international arbitration cases as designated in Article 58-2 of the Foreign Lawyer's Law (Law No. 66 of 1986).
1. When planning to engage in work requiring knowledge in the humanities, the applicant must have acquired the relevant knowledge by graduating from college majoring in a subject relevant to the knowledge required for performing the work concerned, or by receiving an equivalent or higher level of education, or by accumulating at least 10 years of practical experience in the planned work (including the period of time spent majoring in a subject related to the required knowledge at college, "Koto senmongakko", senior high school, the latter half of unified secondary school, or during specialized course of study at an advanced vocational school ("Senshugakko")).
2. When planning to engage in work requiring specific ways of thought or sensitivity based on experience with foreign culture, the applicant must fulfill the following conditions:

The applicant is to engage in translation, interpretation, language instruction, public relations, advertising, overseas transactions, fashion or interior design, product development, or other similar work.

The applicant must have at least 3 years of experience in work relating to the relevant job. However, this does not apply if the applicant has graduated from college and is planning to engage in work involving translation, interpreting, or language instruction.

3. The applicant should receive no less salary than a Japanese national would receive for comparable work.


SPECIFIED VISA
Spouse or Child
of Japanese
National
(3 years or 1 year)

Spouses of Japanese nationals, children adopted by Japanese nationals in accordance with the provisions of Article 817-2 of the Civil Code (Law No. 89 of 1896), or those born as children of Japanese nationals.

[Brooks]

I think it would be easier for you to get a BA before you go to Japan, but I assume your girlfriend wants to live in Japan.

so you should get married, convince your girlfriend to move to Canada, but if she refuses, you have to go to Japan and get any job you can, like working at a bar in Shinsaibashi.

[malcoml]

Now I'm confused, what is this having to fly out of the country every three months.
Wouldn't it be possible for him to work for NOVA, be it only 23 hours a week for 220,000 yen.
If you work for nova on the flexi teacher schedule do you have to fly out of the country.

[PAULH]

[Mike L.]

Good advice thus far. Get over here then find an eikaiwa job. Some of the smaller ones will hire you.

The visa thing will be a big issue.

I hope you have some cash say like 4K CDN ready. The last thing you want to do is to show up broke in Japan.

Good luck!

PS I'm ging home to the Niagara region this year. The Falls has really come back to life in the last few years hasn't it?

[bearcat]

My advice:

Get married and get your spouse visa asap. Set your soon to be father in law straight concerning the visa issue. he doesn't know the difficulties or issues involved with visa's Im sure and just assumes you should get work.

As well he may been keen on having you fail. This will give him cause to justify to his daughter to not have anything to do with you. Be wary of that.

If he balks or doesn't wish to have you marry before you get a job, then you need to consider getting married asap and then deal with the fallout from the family after you get your spouse visa.

But even with a spouse visa you will have difficulties in obtaining work as many schools hire degree only folks. They market their teachers(edutainers) to the public in that respect. Ones that will hire you without a degree come with their own inherent problems as well.

But all of this is moot if you can't get in the country to work. And other than teaching you've got pretty much naught else.

If you have a stable job and can afford to raise a family in Canada, I think you and your gf should consider living there. Taking care of children is pretty expensive in Japan and frankly, a typical english conversation school salary may not be even close to being enough to support a family. Schools cost money here(even public ones).

You and your gf really need to sit down and compare the financial situation as well as the vyable situation for you moving to Japan or her to Canada. Once you've discussed this together, then discuss it with her family and yours.

Then all parties(if speaking to eachother by then) should decide what's best.

I'm sorry for you situation, but you've got some tough roads ahead. Stay tough, keep focused, and good luck.

[Mike L.]

[Celeste]

I don't know if there is any way that you could get a student visa, but theoretically, you could come as an international student at one of Japan's many universities. You could work your way toward that all important degree while you were at it. I think that I will have to agree with most of the other posters here when they tell you that your best bet is to marry the lady. Is her father aware of the restrictions on work visas here? Is he perhaps trying to use this as a way to keep you out of the picture? I wish you the best of luck with this.

[ERINJK]

Well I (SORT OF)recommend a tourist visa but get a job ASAP and get the paperwork for a Working Visa started when you can... I was deported because my VISA ran out and they wouldn't let me back into Japan when I tried to return. FINALLY after about a month(plus a week stranded in Korea) and all the paperwork was in order I was able to come back to Japan, but it was a really big deal and then every time I left Japan AND came back to, I was taken into the Immigration office and asked a ton of questions(for a year)...a real big hassle.

I WOULD recommend a 1yr Working Holiday VISA. Go to your local Embassy or Consulate and talk to them and apply...you don't need a school to sponsor you for that. That will be able to get you a job once you are here or even before you leave.

GOOD LUCK!