Job Discussion Forums

[foreignpresents]

Hi,

Coming to Japan. Did some searching and have arrived at the following course of action, plz let me know if this is a good way to go.

Working for *drumroll* Berlitz. So, no housing division. Plan:

Housing:
- Sakura house until I find the apartment I want. Company will act as guarantor, so provided I can find an agreeable agent and situation I'll get my own place. I know of several people who were patient and lucked out with a place that needed no key money or bribe.
Question: Is there a gaijin-oriented company out there that could potentially set me up before I arrive or should I wait it out and do things in person as per my plan? Once there, are there gaijin-oriented/Eng. realestate brokers?

Visa:
Taken care of by employer

Insurance:
I hear national health can be circumvented and cheaper stuff found. I have no health problems and don't expect any. There's a good chance I'll be here longer than 1 year. National Health from the outset? Or cheapy plan then switch to NH after 1 year?

Taxation:
I'm a Canadian resident, I should claim non-residency to avoid being taxed to death upon return. So far the major criteria are
- house
- kids/dependents
- lots of financial stuff
Question: I have one mutual fund, zerobalance Visa & MC and a chequing account I intend to empty but keep open, will I qualify? I should, as I understand it..

Berlitz:
I chose them and I'm happy with the choice, I know what kind of environment to expect (professional, monitored, ongoing training, the Berlitz method, etc) Anything else i should know that will make things easier for me?

Return permit:
When/how can I sort this out so it's there in case I have to fly home for whatever reason then come back? Will there be an opportunity along the way during visa application in the coming months, or do I have to wait till after arriving to sort this out at my ward center or something?

Thanks for your help and input. I did my best to eliminate total newb questions and these are what I had left that i couldn't find thru search.

cheers

[Apsara]

Re-entry permit- you have to go to the Immigration office to get it. �6,000 for multiple re-entry. It takes less than half an hour usually.

[Glenski]

Look into health insurance plans very carefully.

1) National health insurance is only 2500 yen/month the first year, and goes up about tenfold in subsequent years. If you have a different plan first, then switch to NHI, you will have to make backpayments up to 2-3 years' worth.

2) Many other health plans require that you pay 100% of the bill up front, then wait perhaps a month or more until you get reimbursed. You said you don't expect health problems. Pardon me, but nobody "plans" to get sick. It just happens. Different flu bugs here, car accidents, home accidents, etc. *beep* happens.

3) If you stay longer than a year and switch from Berlitz to someone else, they may have a corporate plan that you must take (it's called shakai kenko hoken).

4) Can you be 100% sure that a hospital or clinic here will accept your other insurance? Some places don't.

As far as knowing what to expect in the classroom at Berlitz and asking for more information, well, that depends on your long-term goals and current teaching experience. If you've never taught before, perhaps now is the time to consider getting a TEFL certificate of some sort, if there's time.

As for the reentry permit, might as well save yourself a trip, so when you go to immigration initially for your visa, get it then.

[foreignpresents]

Sounds like the National plan is the way to go from the start, thanks.

[Hoser]

Glenski my roommate just switched over to NHI and the only back payments he had to make were from when his Nova insurance ended. That was apparently going to be about 8,000 per month which adds up to about 40,000 total. I wonder what the discrepancy is here. I have also been insuranceless since Nova went down. I thought I would get that cheap Health-one insurance (40,000 yen for one year) and then switch over to NHI when that ends.

[Apsara]

I think it can depend on the ward/ city office and who you talk to on the day. I remember Quibby saying she made back payments- I wonder if she had a different kind of insurance previously or if she actually had no insurance at the time?

[Glenski]

[foreignpresents]

Assuming one has zero dependents, existing health conditions or backpayments, what can I expect to pay in year 2 when it's been said they go up exponentially? I'll be in Kanto somewhere but not in Tokyo. Does it really vary outside of the city much?

Also, however you enroll, what is the average time period required before it comes into effect after landing? I guess I want to know how long my travel insurance should last.

Lastly, does anyone here know if Berlitz helps at all with the opening of a bank account? And, if I never properly closed my previous account from my first trip over, should I try to get it back up and running? (I still get email from them, although they're mostly just ads I don't owe any money) ..or will I be forced to deal with it in some fashion anyway even if I go elsewhere to bank?

Thanks

[Glenski]

It will depend on salary, for one thing, and I'm not going to ask you that. Go to this site and see what the "contributions" section shows for the formula.
http://www.sia.go.jp/e/ehi.html

Basic rules from that site:
Contribution for regular months (without bonus payment)
Contribution amount = Your Standard Monthly Remuneration* � Contribution rate ***

Contribution for bonus months (regular salary + bonus)
Contribution amount = Your Standard Monthly Remuneration* � Contribution rate ***
+ Your Standard Bonus Amount**� Contribution rate***

* Standard Monthly Remuneration

The Standard Monthly Remuneration serves as the basis for calculating the benefits and insurance contributions for Employees� Health Insurance and the Employees' Pension Insurance. Your actual remuneration paid from the employer is classified into the prescribed remuneration table, and your Standard Monthly Remuneration is determined.
Your remuneration includes every payment such as salary, wage and any allowance which you receive from your employer in return of your service performed. However, the bonus and such received at intervals of more than 3 months are excluded.

** Standard Bonus Amount
The Standard Bonus Amount is the amount of bonus you receive from your employer at intervals of more than 3 months, rounded down to the nearest \1,000. The maximum of the Standard Bonus Amount for the purpose of contribution calculation is a total of \5.4 million in bonus payments per one fiscal year (from 1 April to 31 March).

*** Contribution rate (as of September 2007)
The contribution rate for the Government-managed Health Insurance (SEIFUKANSHO KENKO HOKEN) is 82/1000. If you are aged 40 or over but under 65, the contribution rate is 94.3/1000 including the contribution for Long-term Care Insurance.

Please note that there are two major types of "national health insurance": one that is corporate type (shakai kenko hoken) where you and the employer each pay half, and the other "citizen" type (kokumin kenko hoken) where you pay the whole premium

[foreignpresents]

Thanks Glenski that's some grade-A info, I'll figure out my salary and go through that line by line first chance I get. I guess in a way its somewhat futile since it'll have no choice but to pay but then again it will help me budget and forecast expenses.