Job Discussion Forums

[AmorFati]

Hey,

I am still awaiting my "hell naw" letter from ECC, being fairly sure that my "neither bad nor great" teaching demo gave the interviewer the wrong impression. Like many (all?) of you, I decided on teaching English because I wanted to go to Japan, socialize, have a "real" job of sorts, and have a fun time for a few years before going back to graduate school.

I'd keep trying with AEON, etc and the like, but I think I can now tell that I'd be one of those unfortunate chaps who just can't catch a break when it comes to teaching Eikaiwa. With each repeated application process, my dignity would undoubtedly again have to traverse through the mountains of rejection before settling on the great sour vineyards of bitter defeatism.

So anyway, with my heart still set on getting the Japanese international experience, is there anything else I could do there while applying from America? I saved up around $4,000 to make the move, but I don't really want to blow it on a "vacation."

[Ryu Hayabusa]

I don't know what else you could do in preparation for going to Japan, but a good way to get some experience and save cash is to do a one or two month camp gig in Korea. They'll pay for your flight there and will almost certainly pay for a flight from Korea to Japan.

[Glenski]

There are many jobs for foreigners in Japan...if you are qualified.

What can you do?
What are your credentials?
How much Japanese can you read/write/speak?

[AmorFati]

I am graduating with a history degree with minimal real work experience. I have never taken a Japanese course and only know limited things I have learned from movies.

[Apsara]

There are plenty of foreigners doing other work in Japan, but without work experience and/ or qualifications in those fields, no company will hire you and sponsor you for a visa. Other fields that foreigners often work in here are IT, finance and translating.

Have you actually been knocked back by any eikaiwas yet? If not, don't give up on the idea, a lot of people seem to think they bombed their demo lesson but get hired. They will give you training and they don't expect a polished demo lesson from you at an interview, they are mostly looking at how articulate and personable you are.

You haven't been rejected yet, so instead of imagining all the rejections you might get and getting unnecessarily depressed in advance when you might actually be accepted, keep trying a bit longer.

As an American you aren't eligible for a working holiday visa, so eikaiwa is about your only way in at this point.

[southofreality]

[womblingfree]

Like has already been said for a decent job in Japan you need to be qualified and usually speak Japanese as well. Most good jobs are filled by people from overseas who are placed there.

Outside of conversational English schools and ALT's there isn't too much else except bar-work and rent-a-gaijin, acting/modeling/priesting.