Job Discussion Forums

ohahakehte · Joined: 25 Aug 2003 Posts: 128 Location: japan

is it possible or a good idea to go to japan on a tourist visa, start teaching and then the company will help you get the work visa?

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

yes, but not all employers will sponsor visas.

Plus, working on a tourist visa is illegal, even if your work visa is in process, I believe. I mean, immigration may turn down your work visa request, so there is no guarantee that you are going to be a legal employee until then.

You may not even get paid full wages for the work you do in that situation.

ohahakehte · Joined: 25 Aug 2003 Posts: 128 Location: japan

so if a recruiter told me that its okay to come to japan on a tourist visa and then send my necessary documents to them before i leave japan and then id get the work visa a month after arriving there - is that bad advice?

PAULH · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 4672 Location: Western Japan

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

Some employers are shady. They will tell you the work visa is in process, and while you work for them (illegally but with good intentions), they pay you, sometimes less than FT wages. They cite "delays" or "mistakes" in the processing of the paperwork. That is your real red flag, because what may happen is that you overstay your tourist status thinking that you will actually get the visa, and then the employer fires you, withholds your last paycheck, and puts you on the street. You are here illegally, have been working illegally, and cannot get any help from the law.

Some employers are honest and don't care if you are working while the visa is being processed. Things proceed at a normal pace (and you may still only get paid under the table at below FT wages), and your visa arrives on time. No harm really done.

What else has this recruiter told you? Kind of hard to judge at this point.

ohahakehte · Joined: 25 Aug 2003 Posts: 128 Location: japan

i was a bit surprised to hear from this recruiter the whole thing about coming over on a tourist visa, cuz most other things he's told me have been promising. he brought up the tourist visa issue when i said to him that id wanna come over on a whv, then he said that might not be possible cuz of the time constraints and that i might wanna consider taking the tourist visa route.

PAULH · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 4672 Location: Western Japan

ohahakehte · Joined: 25 Aug 2003 Posts: 128 Location: japan

its illegal to have a teacher come over on a tourist visa and then start work...but is it common?

so what would be the ideal and legal outcome of this? to have them sponsor me for a whv and then once im over there go thru the work visa business?

PAULH · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 4672 Location: Western Japan

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

PAULH · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 4672 Location: Western Japan

I have not heard of someone being jailed for 21 days for a working on a tourist visa, but that is usually for more serious offences such as drugs, assault, or crimes involving the police. Legally they have the right to hold you in detention for seven or nine days without charge and with a court order can extend it up to 21 days. A judge's approval is usually automatic if you are being held by the police, in which case your ar-se is toast, and you have little or no legal rights whatsoever. After 21 days they actually have to charge you with a crime and prosecute you with a crime. You can expect limited access to a lawyer and no help from your embassy if you end up 'in the hole'. You will have to sign a confession in Japanese that that you have broken Japanese immigration laws. No English translation will be available and no lawyer present. Once you sign a confession you plead guilty and you are then deported.

Immigration does not have to be nice to you even though you give yourself up, and these days you can be processed and deported from the country within a matter of days or weeks. Not a nice thought. Its unlikely they will fine you if you have no money, but you can expect to be blacklisted from entering Japan for up to ten years, so Glenski's and my recommendation is if you do nothing else, don't mess with Japan's immigration and visa laws, as you will be the one who gets done, not your employer.

Forget all about your employer wanting to get you over here to start as soon as possible in violation of immigration laws, because all you will see is the inside of a 6 by 3 concrete immigration cell. Just ask Bobby Fischer, who just spent 9 months in one in Ibaraki detention center for having an 'invalid' US passport.

You obviously sound as though you want to get a job over here as soon as possible, even if it means being taken in by unscrupulous employers who will tell you what it is that is most beneficial for them, and to satisfy your need to find a job.

Simply be patient about getting a visa, look around for jobs from several employers. Do you homework, make sure you get the right visa and make sure you are not being taken for a ride. Employers here can deceive you or take you for a ride only if you let them. Japan is not going to go away and there will always be new jobs next week. Chances of a lifetime happen about every few weeks or so, so be patient, and do it properly.

pnksweater · Joined: 24 Mar 2005 Posts: 173 Location: Tokyo, Japan

My first employer did a simmilar thing. I had planed to come to Japan to scout out some schools, regions, etc., but was offered a position before coming over. As time was pressed between my arrival and the offering of position there was about a three week gap while I worked and waited for paperwork to come through.

My employer paid me the rate set out in the contract and I didn't get deported BUT after another month of work for the company I began to realize that it wasn't a place that I (or many of the other employees) wanted to work. While not shady with my pre-visa payments my emloyer later did several things against Japanese Labour Laws and I had quite some difficulty quiting.

Needless to say, if a company is THAT desperate to get you into a classroom they probably have some staffing issues, to say the least.

ohahakehte · Joined: 25 Aug 2003 Posts: 128 Location: japan

as i said in my 3rd post on this thread, i was surprised to hear that the recruiter would be okay with me coming over on a tourist visa because i originally planned on doing it on a whv.

Akula the shark · Joined: 06 Oct 2004 Posts: 103 Location: NZ

I know of one school that frequently brought people over on tourist visas and then sent them to Korea when the paperwork came through.

vash3000 · Joined: 13 Nov 2003 Posts: 56

Whoa ... OK dude, first things first -

Do not, I repeat, do not accept work in Gunma under any circumstances.

I think I posted on this before, my views haven't changed. Actually, they've only been strengthened based on the experiences of other teachers I worked with who have now moved to other prefectures.

As for the Visa thing, well ... my experiences are a bit different than the other notables on this board. I've always just entered on a tourist visa, then had it changed to a work visa. I've done this twice, never had any problems.

I remember some teachers had to take a quick vacation to S. Korea ... but no big deal, any decent employer will pay for that if they want you. It might be a little shady, but don't sweat it.

On other matters ...

I read some of your posts, you sound like a quiet sorta guy. I really don't think Gunma is the place for you. Gunma is a place for families and committed couples. This is not a bad thing. For instance, I highly doubt any young couple could survive Osaka. The girls are just too gorgeous, flirtatious, and numerous ... you can't escape, the night is electric.

Sounds good? It is.

If you want a party in Gunma ... how shall I put this ... you'll be the one bringing the party.

If you currently find yourself in an undesirable location, I would consider a move to Gunma as a stepping stone for your visa ... then actively look for work elsewhere.

Good cards, location does matter, experiment with being evil.

All the best,
V3K