Job Discussion Forums

[skelonas]

My girlfriend and I are currently searching for work in the Sapporo area from the US. She taught English for one year with JET and I have two years US high school teaching experience. We've been searching for a couple months and have thus far only received offers from Aeon (general offer as there is currently nothing in Sapporo), Peppy Kids Club (same deal) and Nova (sounds ugly). We want to start working in November-January. I have several questions that I've been unable to find specific answers to by searching.

1. If we are unable to line a job up before arriving, when is the best time to find work during our window of arrival (Early Nov-Late Jan)? We would be ok with securing a job while in Japan in November that started in January, but do not want a job that begins in the spring. Is there a significant difference among those three months in terms of finding work?

2. Realistically, for two entry-level qualified applicants who interview well, know how to search for jobs, etc, how likely is it that we'll find anything at all? We've saved enough to survive for a month or two without work, and realize that we should be willing to accept failure if we try this, but don't want to try if we're talking 1 in 10 likelihood of success.

3. Is accepting a job, getting a visa, and quitting before we arrive (or after a month or so of working) a legitimate option? Obviously this would sort of screw over the company who sponsored us, but there are always people looking for work who will fill our spots. I'm concerned with whether this is legal, and if our work visa would still be valid.

Thank you all so much in advance for your help!

[Ehmstar]

heya i've kinda been in the same boat as you lately wanting to go to northern japan.

One option i've found that you could do to secure the work visa is boobooski.com... they hire for various "skijobs" around the area, give you sponsorship, and a free place to stay... the pay's kinda cheap at like 150,000yen a month but it includes room/board and it'd allow you to get in there with a place to stay and time to look for your 'dream' jobs.

[bornslippy1981]

[AndyH]

In November/December 2003, I went to Sapporo in search of a job for January 2004. Nobody there was hiring for that time of year, so I had to leave Hokkaido for the Kanto area.

[Quibby84]

Best times to come are August and April, that is the start of new semesters.
We found a job while in America (my husband AND I) at the same company and we started in January. I think that we just lucked up because two teachers were leaving, it is possible to come at that time but I wouldnt come at that time before getting a job...it is not that hard to get a job before you get here quite a few companies hire over the phone that are not one of the big ones.
But you should really look into an international teacher job if you are a qualified teacher. The pay is MUCH more and the job probably has more prestige.

[skelonas]

[skelonas]

[Quibby84]

You wont have that much trouble finding work...people always say that but when I was looking last year I had like 3 interviews lined up from about a week of research, and I wasnt even in Japan! You just need to start looking and start applying while you are there. And I think that you will find snow here. I live in the central central part of Tokyo and snow is only about a one hour drive...I am excited about skiing this winter to...actually I am just excited about cold..lol

[chollimaspeed]

[Quibby84]

When I got this job I didnt know what was good and what was bad but I had many to choose from. I could have easily found one that didnt break rules. And if I had it to do again, I could do it completely legally.
I dont think it is super rare to have a quitting fee though.
So I would think a good idea would be to start looking and start finding contracts to post on here to see if they are good or bad, oh, also another word of advice: listen to what people tell you. People on here tend to be really negative but you should read what they say, forget the negativity and take the meaning of the post to heart. I think someone probably told me that my company would give me a rocky beginning but I was so excited to come that it was hard to listen because I just figured that they were being negative. So you have plenty of time to find a good job. This is about the time that I started looking. You will have a good number of jobs to choose from. Spend time deciding what is good and what is not before deciding which one you want. Dont choose irrationally and you will be fine....*cant wait for snow skiing!*

[Apsara]

[Quibby84]

**woops! (central central of JAPAN), thank you always got my back

Yeah, I wouldnt come here without a job now, I dont think I would come without a job ever...it is WAY to expensive to not have a job right away.

[chollimaspeed]

I agree with Apsara, employment opportunities can vary considerably across regions in Japan and it isn't a good idea to simply state that there are plenty of jobs around. One of the reasons is that there may not be, obviously. Another reason is that some of the "opportunities" that do exist have all kinds of bizarre and illegal clauses in them, as I have mentioned. It is not negative but realistic to point these things out as dishing out rosy-coloured advice to everyone on the forum can lead people to have unreasonably high expectations.

[Glenski]

To say April is a good time of year is not exactly correct, Quibby. One needs to come before then, like end of February or anytime in March. As for August, one needs to beware of Obon, when many places will shut down for a week. Moreover, if someone is out for mainstream school jobs, that is summer holiday time.

What is the difference in odds of job hunting success between November and January?
November - bleak
January (a week or two into the month, that is, when things are open - bleaker
December - bleakest

I lived and worked in Sapporo for almost 8 years. November to January is the worst time to job hunt.

skenonas,
What exactly is your 2 years of US high school teaching experience, and what is your educational background? Quibby is right in saying that certified (and experienced) teachers will probably do better to look for international school jobs, but Sapporo has only one international school (HIS). Not good odds. It has many eikaiwa, and although I wouldn't know personally, I'd suspect the dispatch ALT companies have made their inroads. The key is timing, and you just have to be satisfied to wait, or to shoot darned luckily right now.

Want to get ads only for Hokkaido? Pay Ken Hartmann 5000 yen/year to sign up for his Hokkaido Insider newsletter. The ads come sporadically, but his is the only exclusive source for teaching jobs in Hokkaido. You'll run into a few Hokkaido-specific ads from time to time elsewhere, but why not spend money wisely and get it straight from the horse's mouth? I am not Ken Hartmann in disguise, do not get a kickback, etc., but I know the man well. It is a sound investment.

[skelonas]