Job Discussion Forums

[mrtwist]

I would like to start off by saying hello to everyone on this forum. I�m not a frequent poster on message boards, so a thousand pardons if I unknowingly violate any points of etiquette with this post.

The reason I�ve taken the plunge and joined this board is that I�m desperately seeking any information I can find on moving to Tokyo. I have read both of the �FAQ about moving to Japan� threads, but I still have a number of questions that remain unanswered. If any of you reading this would be kind enough to assist me with some of them, I would be eternally grateful.

First off, let me begin with a bit of background about myself. My only prior experience in Japan has been two separate semester-long study abroad programs. My first program was in rural Aomori, and to put it bluntly, I couldn�t stand it. The majority of my ennui stemmed from the fact that my campus was located in a rural area with hardly any access to the outside world. I was so unhappy there that I decided to transfer to a school in Tokyo for my next semester, and that was the complete opposite of my experience in the countryside. While I was there I fell in love with the vibrancy and excitement of the city. I have never before felt as at ease with my surroundings as I did when I lived in Tokyo. In addition, I made a number of friends, many of whom I still keep in contact with to this day.

Another reason I would like to be in Tokyo is proximity to a good Japanese language school. My intent is to pass the ikkyu exam before I come back to America, whereupon I plan to attend grad school for a subject related to Japanese that I would rather not mention (for confidentiality�s sake). According to my Japanese sensei I am currently at a level where I should be able to pass the nikkyu with ease, so I�m figuring on staying in Japan for at least five years in order to gain a near-native like grasp on the language. Becoming more proficient in Japanese is my primary goal, but attending a language school full time would be far too expensive for me if I plan on going to grad school at some point. That�s why I want to find a job in Tokyo and take Japanese courses in my spare time.

I graduated from University a little over a year ago with a degree in Japanese. Since that time I have been trying to get a job in Tokyo, but have yet to meet with success. I was hired by Nova in the spring of this year, but due to an unforeseen complication I was unable to go with them, and will be unable to get a job with Nova in the future (again, for confidentialities� sake I prefer not to go into specifics here � let�s just say I was not fired). After this I was crestfallen and unsure where to turn. Upon a friend�s recommendation I looked into the Bridge Linguatec TEFL certification program with job placement. The first B.L. representative I talked told me the majority of their partner schools were in Tokyo. I labored under this false-impression for two months while I saved the money necessary to pay for the program. Upon saving an extra $900 or so, I called them again and was shocked to discover that I had been misled. Their resident �Japan Expert� said almost all of their partner schools were in rural areas, not Tokyo as I had previously believed. Once again my hopes had been dashed and I had no idea what to do in order to achieve my goal.

That was three months ago, and I still don�t have the first clue as to what the best way to go about moving to Tokyo would be. My primary question is just that: what do you think is my best option for moving to Tokyo? Below is a list of more specific questions I have regarding the various options I have been considering. I would be truly grateful if any of you would be kind enough to answer some of them.


1) It seems the easiest way to get to Japan is through an eikaiwa school, as they are cheaper and more secure than going to Japan alone with the intent of finding a job. However, I don�t know which eikaiwa school would be best for me. As I stated earlier, NOVA is not an option, but of the remaining eikaiwa schools, which one is my best bet for getting to Tokyo? Location is my primary concern. No matter how much better the pay, benefits, and job conditions were, I wouldn�t be happy living in a rural or suburban area.

2) I was planning on applying to Berlitz in Tokyo, but upon doing some research I�m now unsure if this is a good way to go. This business a year ago with freezing wages and the subsequent strike has me a bit concerned. Also, does Berlitz offer placement in Tokyo if you interview there, or do they then send you to another location? In general, is Berlitz a good company to work for?

3) I�ve read various complaints about the eikaiwa schools, and I�m wondering if there is any other way to find a job without going through an eikaiwa or shuushoku katsudo sites like Gaijinpot? My primary concern with going through something other than an eikaiwa is the $5000 to $8000 needed to get started in Japan that I read about in the FAQ�s. Saving that kind of money just isn�t an option for me at this time. After scanning Gaijinpot�s new job postings every day for over a year, a trend I�ve noticed with them is that almost all of their jobs require applicants to already reside in Japan. Again, the thing that is most prohibitive about this to me is the estimated cost required to find housing in Tokyo.

4) On the subject of eikaiwa schools vis a vis other jobs, what sort of jobs are out there for an American with roughly ikkyu-two level Japanese? Which of the available options would you recommend? Almost every translation job I see posted on sites like Gaijinpot requires candidates to have ikkyu-one level Japanese. I am sure this is most likely frowned upon by members of this message board, but my long-term career goal is not teaching ESL. If possible I would love to get a translation job, or any job that involved using Japanese, instead of teaching English. However, if teaching is the only option available to me, it would be nice to be able to take pride in what I do and feel like my students were really learning. Based upon everything I�ve read, it looks like this would entail teaching at a regular school rather than an eikaiwa, which seem to be quite light on any substantial pedagogy. However, as seems to be the theme here, I don�t have the first clue how to get a job like this. From what I have read it looks like getting a job in a school would require me to get more schooling in education, or take a TEFL-certification course. I don�t really have time for the former, but the later is an option I�m willing to explore.

5) One concern I have is the rule where you must leave Japan in order to get a working visa. The last thing I want to do is break any laws and I�m afraid of ending up in a position where an employer pressures me into working before I can get the proper visa. I also have no idea how one goes about getting around in a completely unfamiliar country like Korea without first knowing at least some of the language. This is a somewhat frightening prospect for me, but I�m sure I would be able to manage it somehow.

5) Yet another worry I have involves the renewal of visas. Let�s say I bite the bullet and spend a year in the countryside, all the while saving up in order to finance a move to Tokyo after my contract is up. How would I go about renewing my visa if I was in the process of looking for a job and uncertain who my new employer was going to be?

6) Are there affordable housing alternatives to paying $5000 in key money and guarantor fees? Is it possible to move in to a place that is already being rented by someone as a roomate, or is there some custom or law against that? Does being a gaijin complicate things? I do have some friends in Tokyo and it would be ideal if one of them could help me find someone who was looking for a roommate. Another housing-related question I have is about places such as Sakura House. Are apartments like this a good alternative to renting a Japanese style apartment, or are their hidden costs/pratfalls related with them? I know that it would be too inconvenient to stay at a hostel-like guest house while working, but are there any other cheap housing options available?

7) Realistically speaking, what is the absolute minimum amount of money I should save in order to move to Tokyo, both on my own or through an eikaiwa?

Are there any good Japanese language schools you can recommend in the Tokyo area that accept part-time students? My ideal would be as rigorous a course as possible given the time constraints work would place on me.

9) Something else I have thought about doing is taking out a loan in order to attend a language school in Tokyo for a semester, and then trying to find a job while I was there. Is it possible to enter Japan on a student visa and then transfer to a working visa, or is this frowned upon? Are there any potential obstacles that would make going this route difficult? I�m only willing to go in debt far enough to pay for a semester at a language school, so I would like to be able to find work immediately after the semester is over.

10) Is there anything else I�m forgetting to ask that I should know?

Thank you very much for reading this long-winded post! I hate to impose like this, but I�m getting quite desperate after a year of unsuccessfully trying to figure out how to get to Tokyo. I feel like my entire life is passing me by while I waste away in the American suburbs, and I just need someone to help point me in the right direction towards achieving my goal. If you could give me any ideas whatsoever, I would really appreciate it.

Thank you.

[Deicide]

if you have no cash then I would get some before making the move, that's what I did and thus did I go to the Asian cash machine, Korea, here you can easily save 10,000$ a year if not more and next year I am heading to Japan, Japan is for quality and Korea is for money. They will pay for your flight to Korea as well so that is sorted....here's a good web site:

http://www.geocities.com/esl_korea/TheJapanMyth.html

http://www.geocities.com/esl_korea/TaiwanvsKoreavsJapan.html

So come to Korea, save up for a year and jet over to Japan...you sound very young so wasting a year of your life saving in Korea won't be too bad...good luck

[canuck]

[mrtwist]

Thanks for the advice, but I'm really looking to find something in Japan ASAP. I've already been away from Japanese class for over a year, and I have no interest in learning another language before I master Japanese. Even being in the Japanese countryside (my worst case scenario) would be preferable to another foreign country.

Also, I'm a bit older than most recent college graduates. Without giving too much away, I'm closer to 30 than I am 25.

But like I said before, thanks for the response!

[mrtwist]