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Getting an ALT job in Tokyo: a plea for help!!!
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mrtwist



Joined: 07 Sep 2006
Posts: 16

PostPosted: Fri Aug 01, 2008 5:07 am    Post subject: Getting an ALT job in Tokyo: a plea for help!!! Reply with quote

Hello,

I graduated with a degree in Japanese three years ago and to my chagrin I'm still living in the US. There have been a lot of reasons for this which aren't worth getting into at the moment, but come hell or high water I am committed to moving to Tokyo and getting a job this coming March. Unfortunately I'm rather overwhelmed by the idea of finding a job there. Over the past three years I've made half-hearted attempts to get a job with the following companies:

NOVA - Job offer was rescinded due to a paperwork mishap - in retrospect a blessing in disguise considering what happened to them!
AEON - Didn't want the job because the pay was so low & the idea of handing out tissues on the street and the mandatory shoving of useless products on students repulsed me
Bridge Linguatec - Found out all jobs are in the countryside area and I didn't want to pay money to get a job in the countryside.

Recently I was thinking about the RCS Corporation based on an add on Gaijinpot that said they had jobs in Tokyo, but I've read some very dicey things about them and have decided getting a job with them would be a bad idea.

I also applied to a language program called KCP in Tokyo this past spring, got accepted, but found out I would be unable to obtain a pre-college visa unless I had $25,000 in ready funds, which is quite a bit more than I have laying around. This seems pretty preposterous to me, but that's what I was told when I tried to apply for the visa.

For the past year I've been working as a substitute teacher in charter schools here in Minnesota and I've discovered that I love working with kids, so for me an ALT position would be ideal (well actually my ideal would be being able to study at a language school for two or three years, but I can't afford it). I didn't go to school to be a teacher, so I doubt I could get anything except for an ALT position.

Can I just show up in March and find an ALT position from a reputable company? I don't want to end up a lawbreaker by proxy working for a company that skirts the law.

Moving to Tokyo is something very serious for me. This isn't a whim, but rather the key to unlocking what I would like to with the rest of my life. I've wasted three years living in Minnesota and next month I'm going to be 29. I'm very affraid that by the time I actually do get to Japan - if ever - that my fluid intelligence will be depleted and I won't be able to become fluent. As for my current ability, I doubt I could pass the nikkyu tomorrow, but my Japanese professor told me I was close to being able to when I finished my fourth year. It frightens me that all of that work will end up being for naught if I don't get to Japan soon.

Anyway, and help would be appreciated more than you know. I'm feeling very desperate and hopeless here, since all online methods of finding a job in Japan seem to be nothing but fool's gold. Can I find an OK entry level ALT job in Tokyo with nothing but substitute teaching experience and some Japanese ability?

PS: I haven't even considered JET because I would be miserable in a small town. However, I'm getting desperate enough that I'm considering applying this year. I've heard that getting accepted by them is far from a sure thing though, which has me even more scared!

Thanks for taking the time to read this. Sorry if it is rambling and incoherent, but my mind is a whirl of confusion whenever I think about this.
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mrtwist



Joined: 07 Sep 2006
Posts: 16

PostPosted: Fri Aug 01, 2008 6:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

One more thing: would $6,000 - $7,000 be enough to get started in Tokyo if I do end up moving there alone and trying to find a job? I had previously heard around $5,000, but that was a few years ago.

Also, I heard a lot of talk of the necessity of key money and guarantor fees. Is it possible to find Japanese roommates who are already set up with a place, or is this practice not as common there as it is in the States?

Thanks again for any answers. I need to formulate a solid plan here, and any help is much appreciated.
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fluffyhamster



Joined: 13 Mar 2005
Posts: 3292
Location: UK > China > Japan > UK again

PostPosted: Fri Aug 01, 2008 10:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Being a dispatch AET won't really make you a "lawbreaker by proxy" (the only people breaking Labour Laws will be those illegal and exploitative dispatchers; as for the Boards of Education, they are probably only flouting MEXT guidelines mostly), unless you count not being enrolled in the national health insurance and probably unable to afford even el cheapo private health insurance as lawbreaking; no, you'll just be being exploited and therefore financially shakey, almost co-dependent with the dispatcher, and have a diminishing ability to decisively change to something better in the future. But in any case, I don't recall seeing that many jobs advertised for AETs in Tokyo anyway - the majority seem to be for the surrounding prefectures, so you might end up having to live in and work (commute) between bedtowns, and only be able to enjoy Tokyo proper in the evenings or at the weekends. It might therefore and as you say still be worth trying for JET or M-ALT/TEIJ (even if those would take years to apply and be accepted for - they're good jobs!). Or you could scour the jobs in e.g. the O-hayo Sensei job newsletter and try to find a reasonable small independent eikaiwa in Kanto or near a sizeable city elsewhere in Japan.
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mrtwist



Joined: 07 Sep 2006
Posts: 16

PostPosted: Fri Aug 01, 2008 6:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the reply.

One thing I didn't understand though was why I would have a "diminishing ability to change to something better in the future" if I worked for a dispatch service? I get that I would be economically exploited at that kind of job, but couldn't I use it as a springboard to something better in a year's time?

One thing I notice every now and again are ads for English speakers to work in Kindergartens in the Tokyo area. Are those also not the most reputable jobs? It's looking more and more like there is no possible way for me to find a decent job in Tokyo? Is that the case?

Finally, it may not be worth it for me to get a job in Tokyo right now with my current language ability. Can anyone recommend to me a good language program in Tokyo - or nearby - that offers student visa sponsorship and upper level classes (ie above what I learned in four years of university level Japanese)? I would prefer a college visa to a pre-college visa, as the former is in my experience considerably easier to obtain!
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mrtwist



Joined: 07 Sep 2006
Posts: 16

PostPosted: Fri Aug 01, 2008 7:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

One more thing:

I'm willing to make far less money in order to live in Tokyo than I would working for JET and living in the countryside. I can't express how much I hate rural living, and it would make me miserable to live in the inaka. Tokyo is the only option for me that will be fulfilling.

I just feel so desperate and crushed though. Every time I think the door to my dreams is being opened it slams right in my face and I'm stuck here in the US. It's just so depressing. Sorry for the rant, but I have NOBODY to ask that I know in real life about these things.
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fluffyhamster



Joined: 13 Mar 2005
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Location: UK > China > Japan > UK again

PostPosted: Fri Aug 01, 2008 8:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Unlicensed dispatch company AET work is indirect employment (which is technically illegal in Japan and termed 'intermediate exploitation' in the Labour Laws): the dispatcher takes at least a third of what should've been a direct salary, as commission for easing the BOEs' worries about hiring, training, discipline and firing, whilst denying basic rights such as paid leave (and even unpaid leave) - the dispatcher doesn't want to lose ANY profits. (The end result is that the BOEs end up with more disgruntled and "problematic" AETs than if they'd just hired directly, but that doesn't seem to occur to many Japanese - foreigners are just spoilt and unreasonable, and why shouldn't it be one rule for us and another for them, they haven't paid their dues, are poorly trained and educated, have crazy ideas, are confrontational etc etc).

Now, all that might just about be bearable, but the indirect nature of the employment means that your first month's pay doesn't arrive until the end of the second month (the BOEs want proof that the work has been done, and timesheets take a while to be completed, submitted and processed, especially when submitted at the very end of the month, over a week after direct pay is processed), so your pay lags a month behind and is out of synch with the BOE's own payday to boot! Add to that set-up costs (which if you don't have enough savings you'll have to borrow from the dispatcher, and repay in sizeable and sometimes unreasonably large installments - it's ultimately "up to them" how much they pay into your account! Sometimes as low as 100,000 yen!!) and you can see how you'll almost immediately be in quite a hole from which it could take months if not years to climb out from (much will depend on things like rent, transport costs/distances to schools - usually unpaid - availability of affordable health insurance, demands for local taxes in subsequent years etc. One thing is for sure, you'll need to make a budget, stick to it, and generally live frugally for quite a while!). And even if you manage all that, dispatch jobs come and go, as the lowest bid wins out into the following year, so you might have ever longer commutes to pastures new if you don't fancy setting up more convenient accomodation there at your own expense. (Sorry if that seemed too much of a rant!).

I am sure that some kindergartens aren't too bad, but I myself wouldn't fancy trying to actually teach English to really young kids (i.e. below elementary first grade age) and being responsible for their progress (or lack of it) unless contact time were more than sufficient and resources and support high (and perhaps it would be best if this work were left to real specialists - not that one can't learn from experience, but still...is one's heart in it?). If you are going to teach kids, I'd advise that they have at least a year or two of schooling behind them, otherwise I think it'll be harder for them to relate to much or gain much benefit.

I can't really advise you about student visas except to say that I would imagine you've got enough Japanese under your belt by now to be ready to at least immerse yourself in life if not language work (i.e. at least TEFL) here (I went to China with only a year-long postgrad diploma in Mandarin and managed fine, even though it took a few years from the end of that course for me to get to Shanghai). Can I ask though, do you need to prove that you have sufficient funds for the tuition and living expenses? (Edit: Oops you answered that question, 25,000 for pre-college?! Again, can't advise about the college visa. Probably best as Glenski's said below to work full-time so you'll have more money with which to study and pay for whatever. Hmm, just to add a few more points about things I didn't really answer: I think you'd be snapped up for dispatch AET work, but with your Japanese ability, you might like to instead consider applying to be a JET CIR - Coordinator for International Relations - because as a CIR you'd have the opportunity to use your Japanese (and doubtless have some free time in which to study and bone up if need be). And FWIW I don't think you'll lose the ability to become fluent at just 29 or 30-something - I came to Japan aged 29, and although I don't profess to have great Japanese, I think I picked up a fair bit despite not having studied much beyond the kana syllabaries (to augment whatever knowledge I could transfer from having already mastered a reasonable number of characters in Chinese)).

Hmm, I can appreciate that you are a keen urbanite, but you have to be realistic. You couldn't go much below 250,000 yen (especially if that gets more or less halved with a combination of accepting say dispatch work and lack of savings) and still be able to afford to live outside let alone in Tokyo. But that is as a single person not sharing expenses, who doesn't get at all lucky with helpful contacts etc. Maybe your language and other skills and aptitudes will help you make a better life for yourself despite the odds than I have had in Japan (enjoyable enough but certainly not that financially rewarding, despite my hard work and dedication!). You're absolutely sure that you couldn't stomach it for a year at most in a surrounding prefecture (there are some sizeable and quite lively cities in e.g. Saitama e.g. Omiya, only a half hour or so by train from central Tokyo), living in a guest house or whatever shabby accommodation, save like mad, before making the move into Tokyo? (BTW, where exactly in Tokyo were you thinking of living, or would you like to live, anyway? Somebody might be able to give you further advice...).


Last edited by fluffyhamster on Fri Aug 01, 2008 11:58 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Glenski



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

PostPosted: Fri Aug 01, 2008 10:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

What have you got against working in small, rural town, especially if you want to improve/use your Japanese language skills? Seems totally opposite thinking to me.

Moreover, if you live in a smaller town, you might not be a zillion miles from a larger city (which offers some things that you might want, but not have the chance to take advantage of until you are off work on weekends anyway).
Quote:

Finally, it may not be worth it for me to get a job in Tokyo right now with my current language ability. Can anyone recommend to me a good language program in Tokyo - or nearby - that offers student visa sponsorship and upper level classes (ie above what I learned in four years of university level Japanese)? I would prefer a college visa to a pre-college visa, as the former is in my experience considerably easier to obtain!
Look, probably the majority of newcomers arrive with absolutely no knowledge of Japanese, yet you have a degree in it, so you are already more well-prepared than most. Plus, if you really want a job, the college and pre-college visas only permit part-time work (with special permission), and since you are only 3 years out of college, you may want something full-time to repay your student bills. You can get a work visa and study in a school in your free time.

Quote:
AEON - Didn't want the job because the pay was so low & the idea of handing out tissues on the street and the mandatory shoving of useless products on students repulsed me
AEON's pay is exactly what all the other schools offer on average. I don't understand why you consider it so low. As for handing out tissues on the street, where did you get this idea? AEON actually has one of the better reputations of the Big Four eikaiwas here.

Quote:
Can I just show up in March and find an ALT position from a reputable company?
Yes you can find a job, but ALT companies are not always/usually reputable. That doesn't stop zillions of people from working for them. Aside from JET, you really aren't going to find any other way to work in public schools. (and not all JET ALTs end up in small towns)

Quote:
One more thing: would $6,000 - $7,000 be enough to get started in Tokyo if I do end up moving there alone and trying to find a job?
Yes.

Quote:
Also, I heard a lot of talk of the necessity of key money and guarantor fees. Is it possible to find Japanese roommates who are already set up with a place, or is this practice not as common there as it is in the States?
I have not heard of finding Japanese roommates. Just get a guest/gaijin house for the time being. It may be inhabited by Japanese college kids or by many foreigners like yourself who are in a similar situation and who can all network their job hunting information together.

Quote:
I'm willing to make far less money in order to live in Tokyo than I would working for JET and living in the countryside.
With JET, you're likely to make 3.6 million yen/year (300,000 yen/month), and after insurance is deducted, you'll still have more than the regular eikaiwa person to play around with, plus you might even have one of those JET accommodations that have reduced or free rent. Don't knock a gift horse in the mouth. You are one of the few people I know that says he is willing to work for less. Please reconsider this thought, simply because there are too many who actually undercut the market (and keep certain salary situations going down).

Just so you know, I'm a former Minnesotan who has learned to adjust to life in small, medium, and larger cities and who has come from a very small town.
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mrtwist



Joined: 07 Sep 2006
Posts: 16

PostPosted: Sat Aug 02, 2008 4:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks again for the responses.


fluffyhamster wrote:
Unlicensed dispatch company AET work is indirect employment (which is technically illegal in Japan and termed 'intermediate exploitation' in the Labour Laws): the dispatcher takes at least a third of what should've been a direct salary, as commission for easing the BOEs' worries about hiring, training, discipline and firing, whilst denying basic rights such as paid leave (and even unpaid leave) - the dispatcher doesn't want to lose ANY profits. (The end result is that the BOEs end up with more disgruntled and "problematic" AETs than if they'd just hired directly, but that doesn't seem to occur to many Japanese - foreigners are just spoilt and unreasonable, and why shouldn't it be one rule for us and another for them, they haven't paid their dues, are poorly trained and educated, have crazy ideas, are confrontational etc etc).

Now, all that might just about be bearable, but the indirect nature of the employment means that your first month's pay doesn't arrive until the end of the second month (the BOEs want proof that the work has been done, and timesheets take a while to be completed, submitted and processed, especially when submitted at the very end of the month, over a week after direct pay is processed), so your pay lags a month behind and is out of synch with the BOE's own payday to boot! Add to that set-up costs (which if you don't have enough savings you'll have to borrow from the dispatcher, and repay in sizeable and sometimes unreasonably large installments - it's ultimately "up to them" how much they pay into your account! Sometimes as low as 100,000 yen!!) and you can see how you'll almost immediately be in quite a hole from which it could take months if not years to climb out from (much will depend on things like rent, transport costs/distances to schools - usually unpaid - availability of affordable health insurance, demands for local taxes in subsequent years etc. One thing is for sure, you'll need to make a budget, stick to it, and generally live frugally for quite a while!). And even if you manage all that, dispatch jobs come and go, as the lowest bid wins out into the following year, so you might have ever longer commutes to pastures new if you don't fancy setting up more convenient accomodation there at your own expense. (Sorry if that seemed too much of a rant!).

I am sure that some kindergartens aren't too bad, but I myself wouldn't fancy trying to actually teach English to really young kids (i.e. below elementary first grade age) and being responsible for their progress (or lack of it) unless contact time were more than sufficient and resources and support high (and perhaps it would be best if this work were left to real specialists - not that one can't learn from experience, but still...is one's heart in it?). If you are going to teach kids, I'd advise that they have at least a year or two of schooling behind them, otherwise I think it'll be harder for them to relate to much or gain much benefit.


Yeah, those dispatch services sound like bad news. I don't mind a low wage as much as being so blatantly exploited. As for the kindergartens though, I'm not so worried about that. Not sure of the differences between the US and Japan, but having done quite a bit of substitute teaching in kindergartens over here it seems like the focus is less on hardcore pedagogy as much as it is getting kids ready to learn. It's at least an option I'm keeping open at this point. I'm not interested in teaching English as a long term profession; instead it's something I want to do in order to enable me to live in Japan long enough to get my language skills up to par for entering graduate school/deciding if a post-grad degree in something related to Japanese is really want enough to go deep into debt for. Not to get too out there, but I love studying Japanese more than anything I've ever done in an academic setting, but I'm not sure what kind of career in academia exists/I want that relates to Japanese.

fluffyhamster wrote:


I think you'd be snapped up for dispatch AET work, but with your Japanese ability, you might like to instead consider applying to be a JET CIR - Coordinator for International Relations - because as a CIR you'd have the opportunity to use your Japanese (and doubtless have some free time in which to study and bone up if need be). And FWIW I don't think you'll lose the ability to become fluent at just 29 or 30-something - I came to Japan aged 29, and although I don't profess to have great Japanese, I think I picked up a fair bit despite not having studied much beyond the kana syllabaries (to augment whatever knowledge I could transfer from having already mastered a reasonable number of characters in Chinese)).


The JET CIR position is something I've thought about. That's the one job I know of that appeals to me enough where I think I'd be very fulfilled no matter where I lived. However, I've heard it's very hard to get into. I went to school with a girl who had a 4.0 and was turned down for the CIR position when she applied. I don't think I'd stand much of a chance with my measly 3.4 (damn that intro to Astronomy class where I ruined my GPA!). Can anyone give me more feedback on this? If I had sufficient time to prepare I think I could get my Japanese back up to a decent level for applying for the CIR position. I've been studying everyday this summer, and I'm starting to get a lot of my proficiency back. Kanji-wise I'm not where I once was though. Sorry to ramble!

fluffyhamster wrote:


Hmm, I can appreciate that you are a keen urbanite, but you have to be realistic. You couldn't go much below 250,000 yen (especially if that gets more or less halved with a combination of accepting say dispatch work and lack of savings) and still be able to afford to live outside let alone in Tokyo. But that is as a single person not sharing expenses, who doesn't get at all lucky with helpful contacts etc. Maybe your language and other skills and aptitudes will help you make a better life for yourself despite the odds than I have had in Japan (enjoyable enough but certainly not that financially rewarding, despite my hard work and dedication!). You're absolutely sure that you couldn't stomach it for a year at most in a surrounding prefecture (there are some sizeable and quite lively cities in e.g. Saitama e.g. Omiya, only a half hour or so by train from central Tokyo), living in a guest house or whatever shabby accommodation, save like mad, before making the move into Tokyo? (BTW, where exactly in Tokyo were you thinking of living, or would you like to live, anyway? Somebody might be able to give you further advice...).


I've actually been to Omiya a number of times, and living somewhere like that would be A-OK for me since it's so close to Tokyo that I could easily get there on the weekends in about 30 minutes to an hour. However, my ideal would be to live somewhere near Setagaya or Koenji. I have a lot of Japanese friends and acquaintances in those areas. Unfortunately they don't know anything about work for gaijin!

Finally, I don't want to come across as juvenile here, but I don't plan on living in Japan more than three years at the most before enrolling in grad school, and for experiences' sake I would really like to spend as much of that time living in Tokyo as possible. Not to get too out there, but I've only really felt like I was in a vibrant, living city when I spent time in Tokyo and New York. There's nothing that can compare to that sense of being in a place teeming with life for me. Ironically, I don't get anything but a sense of melancholy out of living close to nature. Anyway, life is short and ti would sadden me to waste my precious time in Japan stuck in a snowy wasteland like Akita. Then again, I'm sitting here stuck in the (usually) snowy wasteland of Minnesota, so what do I know? [/i]
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mrtwist



Joined: 07 Sep 2006
Posts: 16

PostPosted: Sat Aug 02, 2008 5:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Glenski, thanks very much for your reply.

Glenski wrote:
What have you got against working in small, rural town, especially if you want to improve/use your Japanese language skills? Seems totally opposite thinking to me.


It's just small town life in general that I'm not a big fan of. I've spent time in Akita and Tokyo and the difference between the two was night and day for me. I felt depressed in Akita because I was so isolated from urban life, but incredibly exhilarated by the vibrancy of life in Tokyo. Some people go ga-ga for the multifarious forms of plant and animal life to be found in a rural area, but in my case I only feel truly alive in a megalopolitan setting.

Glenski wrote:

Moreover, if you live in a smaller town, you might not be a zillion miles from a larger city (which offers some things that you might want, but not have the chance to take advantage of until you are off work on weekends anyway).



That's a good point! I would be fine living in a smaller town if I was an hour local train ride away from Tokyo. Heck even Kyoto or Osaka would be alright I guess, but I really don't want to pick up Kansai-ben habits until I reach a better level of proficiency in hyojungo


Glenski wrote:
AEON's pay is exactly what all the other schools offer on average. I don't understand why you consider it so low. As for handing out tissues on the street, where did you get this idea? AEON actually has one of the better reputations of the Big Four eikaiwas here.


This all comes from an AEON group interview I attended last fall. The figure the recruiter gave us for the monthly salary was significantly lower than the one I got at a NOVA interview a couple years ago (of course that may not be the best example given what happened to them Wink). I don't remember the exact figure, but it was also far less than I make working as a substitute teacher. The part about the tissues was also straight from the recruiter and the recruitment video. They tried to pass this off as a "fun opportunity" but I remember what a pain in the ass those people handing out tissues can be, and I'd feel like a hypocrite to stand there and bother passers by with a smile on my face. Even worse though was how they stressed that as a business they require their staff to push DVDS, CDs, and extra study books on the students. This was a major turnoff for me. Perhaps I'm being overly idealistic, but as a student of a language I find this overtly commercial approach rather cynical and offensive. I've never had a sensei try to force extra study materials on me in order to profit the school s/he works for, and the very idea of that just seems so crass and antithetical to the spirit of education. I feel a teacher's job is to help students learn, not to fleece them of every penny they have in order to create the illusion of learning. Then there's also my stance that you really can't learn anything of substance about a language by splashing around and repeating dialogues. Proficiency in a language requires getting into the nitty gritty of grammar, vocabulary, syntax, pronunciation, and literacy. I remember my sensei taking away points for the slightest off stroke on a kanji or pronunciation mistake, which was very helpful because she was giving us accurate feedback on where we were as students of Japanese. Being an obsequious yes-man in order to make clients happy at the cost of actually teaching them would be awful. Sorry to go off on what is probably going to seem like a rather Quixotic rant, but my idealism as a student of Japanese makes the whole idea of an eikaiwa a huge turnoff for me. Sorry if I offended anyone - that wasn't my intent - but I just wanted to state why I'm not considering the eikaiwa option.


Glenski wrote:

One more thing: would $6,000 - $7,000 be enough to get started in Tokyo if I do end up moving there alone and trying to find a job?
Yes.[/quote]

Excellent news! Thank you!

Glenski wrote:

With JET, you're likely to make 3.6 million yen/year (300,000 yen/month), and after insurance is deducted, you'll still have more than the regular eikaiwa person to play around with, plus you might even have one of those JET accommodations that have reduced or free rent. Don't knock a gift horse in the mouth. You are one of the few people I know that says he is willing to work for less. Please reconsider this thought, simply because there are too many who actually undercut the market (and keep certain salary situations going down).


Point well taken. When I wrote that I was willing to work for less what I meant was that I'm willing to sacrifice monetary reward for an experience that would be personally fulfilling. However, considering what you wrote, the salary with JET is far better than anything else I could make over there.

When I was in Tokyo back in 2003 I remember running into these gaijin who worked for a free weekly doing freelance writing. Something like that would be more the kind of low-paying job I'd consider rather than an exploitative dispatch service.


Glenski wrote:

Just so you know, I'm a former Minnesotan who has learned to adjust to life in small, medium, and larger cities and who has come from a very small town.


I'm going nuts living in Minnesota. To me Minneapolis/St. Paul just seems so provincial and boring. Like I said before, New York is the only other place I've been where I've felt as at home as Tokyo.

Also: when I mentioned a college visa, I was thinking about going to Japan as a student rather than to work. This wouldn't make a lot of financial sense for me, but I'm not one who really worries about that so much. Adding to my school debt would be much better than turning 30 next year and living in Minnesota still. However, I can't for the life of me find a school that takes students who aren't already enrolled in a degree program.

One last thing: what about a cultural visa? When I was living in Tokyo the guy whose apartment I subletted had a cultural visa for studying pottery. What could I do with a cultural visa? Are they hard to get?

Thanks again!
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Glenski



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

PostPosted: Sat Aug 02, 2008 11:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
Some people go ga-ga for the multifarious forms of plant and animal life to be found in a rural area, but in my case I only feel truly alive in a megalopolitan setting.
If plants and animals are all you see in a rural town/city, you have blinders on. As I wrote (and you didn't fully respond), the smaller the town, the greater the odds are that you are going to be forced to learn the language, written and spoken. You will also have a greater chance of getting to know the people and more traditional customs in a smaller town environment.

JET places the vast majority of its ALTs in rural areas, and ALTs hop to several schools. All the more opportunity to meet more people. You're going to be teaching, not sightseeing, and with JET you'll have more chance to get out because you don't have the typical eikaiwa work hours and days.

As for avoiding Kansai-ben habits, why would you? If you study formally, they will probably try to teach you standard Japanese. It's up to you to sort out the unwanted parts of the language.

I can't really say much about AEON, and I hope experienced people chime in. Don't take what the recruiters say for gospel. Salary, for instance. Look at the web site. With NOVA, it varied with city, so perhaps with AEON, too. Selling to students? Face it. The J staff will do that. I will guess that all you are asked to do is politely push the materials, but their sales will not make or break your job. That is, nobody is going to judge your teaching abilities on how many materials your students buy.

Quote:
I'm willing to sacrifice monetary reward for an experience
My point is, don't sacrifice anything. There are jobs out there for 180,000 yen/month for FULL-TIME jobs. That really sucks, and I highly encourage people to pass those by. The standard has been 250,000 for decades, and only recently have some employers found it easy to pay less. Some nationalities take it. You don't have to. Keep the market at least at 250K (inflation over those decades has made even that salary less than stellar).

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When I was in Tokyo back in 2003 I remember running into these gaijin who worked for a free weekly doing freelance writing. Something like that would be more the kind of low-paying job I'd consider
Pardon me, but that is not "low-paying". It's ZERO PAY! Why would you do anything like that? I am a freelance proofreader/editor, and I can tell you the market there is very competitive, too, but to do work, ANY work, for free is just plain stupid, and it does far worse than undercut the market like teaching. If you want tips on proofreading side jobs, PM me. I've written about it extensively here, too, in other threads.

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I'm going nuts living in Minnesota. To me Minneapolis/St. Paul just seems so provincial and boring.
Then, unless the Japanese culture and uniqueness of a teaching position really stirs you, I think you are going to be terribly unsatisfied here unless you are in Tokyo. Seriously. If this is the way you feel about the Twin Cities, then don't even look at JET, don't look at any other Japanese city. But I think you would be missing so much.

You wrote that you'd "been to Omiya" a few times. What? As a tourist? Trust me. Living and working is so different that you shouldn't brush off places other than Tokyo.

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One last thing: what about a cultural visa? When I was living in Tokyo the guy whose apartment I subletted had a cultural visa for studying pottery. What could I do with a cultural visa? Are they hard to get?
Have you read what MOFA says about cultural visas?
http://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/index.html
Essentially, you find a craftsman to sponsor you to study under him. Ikebana. Swordmaking. Martial arts. Pottery making. Whatever. That is the first step. You can only work part-time (with special permission), and you can't keep renewing the visa forever like a work visa. I believe only a certain number of cultural visas are issued per year, but I don't know for certain.
More info on the application process:
http://www.immi-moj.go.jp/english/tetuduki/kanri/shyorui/01.html
http://www.moj.go.jp/ONLINE/IMMIGRATION/16-1-1.pdf
http://www.moj.go.jp/ONLINE/IMMIGRATION/16-2-2.pdf
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Apsara



Joined: 20 Sep 2005
Posts: 2142
Location: Tokyo, Japan

PostPosted: Sat Aug 02, 2008 1:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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You wrote that you'd "been to Omiya" a few times. What? As a tourist?