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zagnut
Joined: 10 Apr 2004
Posts: 7
Location: Seoul
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 Posted: Mon Apr 12, 2004 7:16 am Post subject: any room left for the nutty one? |
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I have been to Japan two times (excluding every time I've had a layover in Narita, which doesn't really count) and I'm curious about maybe going over there to teach.
I've heard that Japan is saturated with either underqualified and overqualified teachers clogging the job market over there.
My questions are:
1. Is there any room left for me over there?
2. What is the liklihood of getting a job the same day as an interview?
3. When is the prime time to be over there (especially for the public schools)?
4. Any good places to look for work and any recommended lodging ideas?
5. What should be on my packing list?
6. How much should I bring to off-set the cost of living until my first paycheck?
7. -This is a rumor I've heard- Is it possible to sponsor yourself if you can prove to immigrations you can provide for yourself while in Japan?
Sorry for the generality of the questions (especially to Glenski, who I think is a "stickler" for details). I just want to know the general mood and get myself geared up for what I'm about to get myself in for.
Thanks
~SCOUTZ Out!!!~~ |
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Wolf
Joined: 10 May 2003
Posts: 1245
Location: Middle Earth
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| Posted: Mon Apr 12, 2004 9:57 am Post subject: Re: any room left for the nutty one? |
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I've kind of thought about doing what you're doing. As someone who's been to Japan before, and is thinking of going back, here's my 2 yen:
| zagnut wrote: |
1. Is there any room left for me over there? |
If you're teaching (legally) in South Korea - ie you have a degree - , then you probably at least qualify for a work visa in Japan. You also have at least some EFL experience, which will be a bit of a plus. It's certainly possible for you to find work, but getting hired from overseas (even from a neighboring country) might mean not being very picky about your first Japan job. There are many people in similar circumstances looking for jobs there. And you might notice lots of jobs advertised will only hire people already in-country. Do a search on this site for companies that hire abroad.
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| 2. What is the liklihood of getting a job the same day as an interview? |
Twice I was offered full time work the day of an interview (took one, refused the other.) For logistical reasons, I wasn't able to start the job for a few weeks. Start times will probably depend on your circumstances; visa in hand? place to live sorted out? school needs you right away? or are they waiting for another teacher to leave?
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| 3. When is the prime time to be over there (especially for the public schools)? |
Lots of places seem to hire Jan - March for April. As the school year starts in April. But private conversation schools don't go by a school year. Small schools will advertise whenever they need someone, and the large schools are always looking for new teachers (thanks to a high turnover rate.) I've been told that looking for jobs with a fall start is another peak time, but I'm not the expert. A lot of public school ALT (Assistant Langauge Teacher) jobs seem to go to either the JET programme (which probably won't be taking new teachers this year) or dispatch comanies like Interac, which hire all the time like large private school chains. There are other ALT jobs, but those aren't all that easy to land even if you're already established in Japan.
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| 4. Any good places to look for work and any recommended lodging ideas? |
Places to look for work? Try the links here: http://www.jalt-publications.org/tlt/jobs/ In-country lots of places will advertise in expat rags. At least in the large cities. Some of the larger cities, especially Tokyo have gaijin (waygook) houses for semi-transient foreigners. Search on this site and others for more information.
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| 5. What should be on my packing list? |
Well, in Japan I was able to find just about everything, except for deodarant I liked. Even then, other expats told me that I just hadn't looked hard enough and it was avialable. But everything is EXPENSIVE and most first year EFLers tend to be poor. I took a lot of clothes that fit, a year's supply of deodarant, and all the money I could muster. And I didn't die. What did you take to Korea? What did you wish you had thought to bring? Whatever you think you'll need for comfort for the first few months until you get settled. Also, do a search on this site, there are already several such lists.
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| 6. How much should I bring to off-set the cost of living until my first paycheck? |
This often gets discussed here. Do a search on this site for some of Glenski's mega-detailed breakdowns of stuff. If you get hired from abroad, most schools recommend $2000 US plus airfare (which is rarely provided. Then again, airfare from Soeul hopefully won't break you.  ) If you do the rush-in-where-angels-fear-to-tread and come here to look for work, the consensus on this board was $4000 US at least. I'm a worry wart, and wouldn't try it with less than $5000 US. But that's just me. And live frugally.
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| 7. -This is a rumor I've heard- Is it possible to sponsor yourself if you can prove to immigrations you can provide for yourself while in Japan? |
Yeah, one of my co-workers did this. I'm no expert, but I'd guess this isn't the best route to go to get a first working visa. After all, if you show immigration that you make enough money in Japan to stay there, then you're telling immigration about all that illegal work you're doing!
 That's not the route I would choose for myself. If you've got a university degree, then there's no reason why you just couldn't let some company/school/whatever employ you full time and let them sponsor your visa. At least for the first go. Employers don't own your visa the same way Korean employers do. When my company went bankrupt in 2002, I was able to stay on with my still-valid visa for a few more months. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Mon Apr 12, 2004 8:23 pm Post subject: |
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Some of these questions have been answered in the FAQ, and others have been answered previously (do a search).
Here are some additional comments to Wolf's great ones.
| Quote: |
| 1. Is there any room left for me over there? |
Yes, but what are your qualifications?
| Quote: |
| 2. What is the liklihood of getting a job the same day as an interview? |
Ask yourself this about job hunting in your own country. The answer is the same. Low. As Wolf pointed out, it may depend on your current visa status. If you don't have a visa, it'll take a couple months to process, and some employers (by far not all) are willing to look the other way and let you work while it is being processed. You take the risk.
| Quote: |
| 3. When is the prime time to be over there (especially for the public schools)? |
Since schools begin in April, and visas take a couple months to process, go back a couple months, sometimes even 6 months to look for ads. The biggest number of ads seems to be in March, though, because that's when a lot of foreign teachers give notice and leave the schools shorthanded. Heed Wolf's remarks regarding public schools and JET.
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| 4. Any good places to look for work and any recommended lodging ideas? |
I'm going to be a stickler on this one. Define "good places". That's an individual's decision. Personally, I like Sapporo. Other people will like other areas.
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| 5. What should be on my packing list? |
Read the FAQ here and on www.eltnews.com (Teaching Guide link), or do a search here, or send me an email. [email protected]
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| 7. -This is a rumor I've heard- Is it possible to sponsor yourself if you can prove to immigrations you can provide for yourself while in Japan |
?
Yes, but proving you can provide for yourself means showing employer contracts and related information, so you don't just get by with showing immigration a briefcase full of cash or telling them you have a lot of private lessons. |
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