Job Discussion Forums

Motley_Crue · Joined: 13 Nov 2005 Posts: 14 Location: Canada

Hey again, long time since i posted in here.... Getting to japan has been a struggle for me ever since i decided to go like 3 years ago.

My main reason to go was to enjoy the country, goto museums, soak up the culture, meet friends and train in Jiu Jitsu or at a shooto gym. OH and SHOP! Wink

But i couldn't figure out the best way to go. A working holiday visa seemed like the best way to go, but then you cant get a job teaching english i found out without a bachelors degree. And i heard finding any other job is really hard. The other thing i heard was a Cultural visa. But to get that you need a dojo up there to sponsor you, and i couldn't find a dojo i liked where they could email me back (i'm guessing they couldn't understand my e-mail since it was in english).

Then just when i was about to say "screw it i might as well just work towards a bachelors degree and wait the 4 years", i talked to a career counselor and they mentioned that theres an exchange program i could go into. Then i did all my research and the bs, got re directed and so on.... and finally i figured it out. If i work for my bachelors for 1 year in the college i am at now, then transfer to another college and do 1 year there, on the 3rd year i can goto japan on an exchange and then meet a bunch of foreign friends, while i do maybe 2 classes and relax, train Jiu Jitsu, and have fun. Which sounds great...

The only thing is im going to be 23 this September which means ill be 25 when i goto japan. i know thats "young" Razz

but i been wanting to goto japan since i was 14 and ya....its been a long and hard journey already. and the other thing is, like i mentioned before, i train in jiu jitsu, and in the small town i live in im learning very slow and im at the point where i want to be pushed, and japan dojos are the place to do it....so i just really want to get there ASAP.

So i dunno...am i going the right way people? or is there any other options? I heard i could also just applie at a school in japan from here and go down there...but that could be very scary, having to motor around, find the place and then get set up with no help at all...

ps: when i was looking up company's like jet, geos, nova, etc there seemed to be a position named "Sports Exchange Advisors (SEA)" which sounded pretty cool, do any of you guys know more about this?

thanks again .....and thanks for reading through my crazy long post XD

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

You're in the middle of university. You want to come here and push yourself at a dojo. Get a working holiday visa and do it. The only thing you have to worry about is funding yourself. You don't need a sponsor for the WHV, and it will be good for a year.

Beyond that, you will have to get another type of visa. 2 options come to mind:

1) during your year on WHV, get into a dojo and convince the sensei to sponsor you for a cultural visa when the WHV is over. No reason to waste the WHV, so just use it until completion. It may take that long to convince the sensei anyway.

2) return to Canada after the WHV is up, do the university thing you mentioned, and come here before you finish using that exchange program. (You'll still not have a BA degree, but you'll have some time here.) Then, while you are here, convince the sensei as in #1.

Or just return to Canada after the WHV, finish you degree completely, and have the eligibility for a work visa in hand.

Or just finish the darned degree now and get it over with.

muji · Joined: 19 Apr 2007 Posts: 23

If you do have a degree, can you work full time as an English teacher with a working holiday visa?

canuck · Joined: 11 May 2003 Posts: 1921 Location: Japan

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

You can get a working holiday visa with or without a degree. It is based on nationality and age.
http://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/w_holiday/index.html

In either case, you can work part-time or full-time.

Motley_Crue · Joined: 13 Nov 2005 Posts: 14 Location: Canada

but the thing is... If i go down on a WHV how hard is it to get a job? and what kind of job can i expect to get, a restruant one? also wheres a good place to stay? gaijin house?

GambateBingBangBOOM · Joined: 04 Nov 2003 Posts: 2021 Location: Japan

Motley_Crue · Joined: 13 Nov 2005 Posts: 14 Location: Canada

canuck · Joined: 11 May 2003 Posts: 1921 Location: Japan

nonsmoker · Posted: Fri May 11, 2007 2:32 am Post subject:

According to Canuck, 5 puppies are not killed everytime you use the search function.

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

jademonkey · Joined: 30 Mar 2007 Posts: 180

I worked for a year in Tokyo on a working holiday visa the first time I lived in Japan. You cannot by law work full time BUT you can work lots of overtime. I was getting about 220,000 yen from my part-time job & another 100,000 yen from overtime, which is plenty of money. Just come over, work part time, it'll make sense when you get here. It's fine.

Motley_Crue · Joined: 13 Nov 2005 Posts: 14 Location: Canada

gaijinalways · Joined: 29 Nov 2005 Posts: 2279

fluffyhamster · Posted: Fri May 11, 2007 8:43 am Post subject:

Still, at least with grappling you get to know what's working and what isn't (assuming you can consistently get into grappling range) pretty quick - it's not like Paper Tiger-ryu Karate, where theories and endless verbalizing can abound. And what's wrong with getting beaten up a bit LOL.