|
Job Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Around the World!"
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
Imseriouslylost
Joined: 09 Nov 2009
Posts: 123
Location: Tokyo
|
 Posted: Thu Nov 12, 2009 1:03 pm Post subject: Korea to Japan: need help transitioning |
 |
|
I'm going to be switching from Korea to Japan for September of 2010. Thinking of heading over at the end of my contract to look for jobs sometime in the middle of the summer. I'll be looking for ALT work that starts in September.
I've been doing the research and considering moving to Chiba because my friends in Tokyo said it was a pretty good city to live in for jobs, stuff to do and proximity to Tokyo (they also said it was cheap).
I'm trying to research ALT jobs to check how comparable they are to PS jobs in Korea and haven't been turning up much. I have an idea of what the payscale is but I have no idea about the deskwarming/teaching hours per week, job details and so on. I guess it simply isn't standardized to the same extent it is in Korea.
Also, on the subject of dispatches... How easy is it to bypass them and get a direct hire? What is a good organization to go through?
Thanks. |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
|
| Posted: Thu Nov 12, 2009 1:16 pm Post subject: Re: Korea to Japan: need help transitioning |
|
|
| Imseriouslylost wrote: |
| I'm going to be switching from Korea to Japan for September of 2010. Thinking of heading over at the end of my contract to look for jobs sometime in the middle of the summer. I'll be looking for ALT work that starts in September. |
Considering that the academic year here begins in April, that's pretty poor timing. You might get lucky with the minor surge of hires for October start dates. Maybe.
| Quote: |
| I'm trying to research ALT jobs to check how comparable they are to PS jobs in Korea |
What's PS?
| Quote: |
| and haven't been turning up much. I have an idea of what the payscale is but I have no idea about the deskwarming/teaching hours per week, job details and so on. I guess it simply isn't standardized to the same extent it is in Korea. |
Have you looked at the FAQ stickies here? Please do. Most of the answers are there.
Plus, the market here is flooded.
| Quote: |
| Also, on the subject of dispatches... How easy is it to bypass them and get a direct hire? |
In a public school system, not easy even with contacts.
| Quote: |
| What is a good organization to go through? |
JET Programme. Apply soon for August 2010 start dates. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Imseriouslylost
Joined: 09 Nov 2009
Posts: 123
Location: Tokyo
|
| Posted: Thu Nov 12, 2009 1:35 pm Post subject: Re: Korea to Japan: need help transitioning |
|
|
| Glenski wrote: |
| Imseriouslylost wrote: |
| I'm going to be switching from Korea to Japan for September of 2010. Thinking of heading over at the end of my contract to look for jobs sometime in the middle of the summer. I'll be looking for ALT work that starts in September. |
Considering that the academic year here begins in April, that's pretty poor timing. You might get lucky with the minor surge of hires for October start dates. Maybe.
| Quote: |
| I'm trying to research ALT jobs to check how comparable they are to PS jobs in Korea |
What's PS?
| Quote: |
| and haven't been turning up much. I have an idea of what the payscale is but I have no idea about the deskwarming/teaching hours per week, job details and so on. I guess it simply isn't standardized to the same extent it is in Korea. |
Have you looked at the FAQ stickies here? Please do. Most of the answers are there.
Plus, the market here is flooded.
| Quote: |
| Also, on the subject of dispatches... How easy is it to bypass them and get a direct hire? |
In a public school system, not easy even with contacts.
| Quote: |
| What is a good organization to go through? |
JET Programme. Apply soon for August 2010 start dates. |
Hmm... I've known about the JET programme for years. Applied once, got rejected (not sure why but everyone who was applying with me got rejected too so maybe they were just not considering people at that time).
I'm not too keen on JET anyway. I've heard good things about it, but the application procedure is rough and you don't get much of a say in your location. A lot of people end up being in rural areas when they go with JET. I want to be in an urban area, preferrably near Tokyo but I understand that I might have to make some compromises in my first year.
PS = Public School. I'm posting on Gaijinpot too and I was told that September was a good time to start work... I'm assuming, like Korea, that September is the beginning of second semester and after a vacation. I don't see why it would be a horrible time.
I also heard on Gaijinpot that although the market is flooded, it isn't too difficult to find work once you're in Japan which I intend to be. I'm also considering flying in for interviews in early-mid 2010 if possible. I've heard that the market being flooded means its harder for people overseas to get work in Japan but not that much harder for people in Japan.
Anyway, don't want to claim that I know everything... I don't. Its just that what you're saying condradicts the bulk of what everyone else has been telling me! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
ShioriEigoKyoushi
Joined: 21 Aug 2009
Posts: 364
Location: Japan
|
| Posted: Thu Nov 12, 2009 2:16 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Text deleted
Last edited by ShioriEigoKyoushi on Fri Mar 19, 2010 1:52 am; edited 1 time in total |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Imseriouslylost
Joined: 09 Nov 2009
Posts: 123
Location: Tokyo
|
| Posted: Thu Nov 12, 2009 2:27 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| ShioriEigoKyoushi wrote: |
| Recently over 350 people applied within the first day or so to a job teaching from 7am in the morning with no base salary and zero benefits for Y1500 per 45 minute slot. Does that sound like a healthy job market to you? |
In Tokyo? 
I'm up for a challenge and I'm confident that I'll find something. I can't do another year in Korea, I don't think.
I should be able to find something. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
taffer
Joined: 03 Nov 2006
Posts: 50
Location: Japan
|
| Posted: Thu Nov 12, 2009 4:35 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Deleted
Last edited by taffer on Sat Nov 14, 2009 4:40 pm; edited 1 time in total |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
|
| Posted: Thu Nov 12, 2009 9:41 pm Post subject: Re: Korea to Japan: need help transitioning |
|
|
| Imseriouslylost wrote: |
| Hmm... I've known about the JET programme for years. Applied once, got rejected (not sure why but everyone who was applying with me got rejected too so maybe they were just not considering people at that time). |
Unlikely, as they hire 6000 people every year (half that is returnees).
| Quote: |
| I'm not too keen on JET anyway. I've heard good things about it, but the application procedure is rough |
Gosh, too bad! Do you want something sight unseen? Besides, they pay airfare, you might get reduced or zero rent, the pay is higher than most starting jobs, and you have insurance and other support.
| Quote: |
| and you don't get much of a say in your location. |
Too bad. Not many bigger places give you any say at all, and with a flooded market here, you're going to have to compromise. It's an employer's market right now.
| Quote: |
| PS = Public School. I'm posting on Gaijinpot too and I was told that September was a good time to start work... I'm assuming, like Korea, that September is the beginning of second semester and after a vacation. I don't see why it would be a horrible time. |
Simply because most contracts are for 12 months.
| Quote: |
| I also heard on Gaijinpot that although the market is flooded, it isn't too difficult to find work once you're in Japan which I intend to be. |
Not necessarily true. If you are here, yes, the odds are better. Some employers want only people who are already here, plus being here gets you used to surroundings. But it's still not going to be easy. There may be dozens or even scores of people applying for a single job, even eikaiwa.
| Quote: |
| I'm also considering flying in for interviews in early-mid 2010 if possible. I've heard that the market being flooded means its harder for people overseas to get work in Japan but not that much harder for people in Japan. |
Yes, and if you can get interviewed where you are, all the better, but very few employers here will recruit in non-English speaking countries like Korea. A few rare phone interviews may be all you could hope for unless you actually make plans to be here. (Phone interviews may sound nice, but they can be risky.)
| Quote: |
| Anyway, don't want to claim that I know everything... I don't. Its just that what you're saying condradicts the bulk of what everyone else has been telling me! |
No offense taken, but I really don't know what those other people are thinking or why. Also, ALT positions may be hiring in fall, but the start dates may be spring. Heads up on that.
Oh, and don't believe a lot of what you read on GP. There's a lot of misinformation and disinformation there, which is one major reason I post there! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
seklarwia
Joined: 20 Jan 2009
Posts: 1546
Location: Monkey onsen, Nagano
|
| Posted: Thu Nov 12, 2009 10:30 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Sorry mate.
April is the beginning of the school year, so that is when the majority of ALT jobs start.
JET placements make up the majority of second term starts. What's left are normally horrible casts off.
Dispatchers do recruit for summer starts to not only fill the horrid placements, but to fill ex-JET contracts they have acquired that year. But if you compare the 200+ new ALTs at each of the spring training sessions to the 20 or so that are at the summer training sessions... it gives you an idea of just how scarce jobs are in the summer.
I don't want to sound negative, but coming in the summer with no job, no contacts, no visa and (can I assume) no where to stay, to compete for the very few jobs not already scooped up by the dispatchers is going to be a huge risk with the flooded market.
Not having a visa in hand is the main problem, since the paperwork can take 2 months to process, and when people abandon a post, often the employer doesn't have that kind of time to wait around. And if an employer is willing to allow you to work illegally whilst you await the COE.... that should ring alarm bells!
You'd be better of applying for a dispatch job to start in spring or summer next year, then networking and looking for jobs that start the following spring from here. At least that way you will have income to support yourself whilst you hunt for those ellusive direct hirers. And because you'll have the added advantage of already having a work visa, if something does turn up last minute for an immediate start, you can just quit the dispatch job (once you have the visa, its yours until it expires).
Just make sure you have some money set aside for moving should something turn up; unless your dispatch job is within commuting distance of the new job, you may have to fork out a considerable amount to move to a closer place. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Imseriouslylost
Joined: 09 Nov 2009
Posts: 123
Location: Tokyo
|
| Posted: Thu Nov 12, 2009 10:47 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: |
| April is the beginning of the school year, so that is when the majority of ALT jobs start. |
Hmm... I *can* quit my job in Korea to make one of these work out. I just have to give notice and forfeit my severance, but it wouldn't be the end of the world or anything. Certainly puts a major rush on things!
| Quote: |
JET placements make up the majority of second term starts. What's left are normally horrible casts off. |
So second term is a no-go... What about Eikaiwas (as a back up option?) I have a contact who works for Gaba. I can pester them, I suppose, if all else fails.
| Quote: |
| Dispatchers do recruit for summer starts to not only fill the horrid placements, but to fill ex-JET contracts they have acquired that year. But if you compare the 200+ new ALTs at each of the spring training sessions to the 20 or so that are at the summer training sessions... it gives you an idea of just how scarce jobs are in the summer. |
Gotcha.
| Quote: |
| I don't want to sound negative, but coming in the summer with no job, no contacts, no visa and (can I assume) no where to stay, to compete for the very few jobs not already scooped up by the dispatchers is going to be a huge risk with the flooded market. |
I'm going to try my best to find something before I go to Japan through a dispatch agency.
| Quote: |
| Not having a visa in hand is the main problem, since the paperwork can take 2 months to process, and when people abandon a post, often the employer doesn't have that kind of time to wait around. And if an employer is willing to allow you to work illegally whilst you await the COE.... that should ring alarm bells! |
I can apply for a work visa before I go to Japan from the embassy here... I am qualified for one. Japanese work visas don't need employers to sign off on, right? I can get one for one year before having found a job...
| Quote: |
| Just make sure you have some money set aside for moving should something turn up; unless your dispatch job is within commuting distance of the new job, you may have to fork out a considerable amount to move to a closer place. |
I'm pretty flexible. If I do end up in Japan before I have a job, then there would be extreme pressure on me to find something immediately although I should be able to put enough money together to last for a few months before I'm out on my own. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
ShioriEigoKyoushi
Joined: 21 Aug 2009
Posts: 364
Location: Japan
|
| Posted: Thu Nov 12, 2009 11:59 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Text deleted
Last edited by ShioriEigoKyoushi on Fri Mar 19, 2010 1:57 am; edited 1 time in total |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Imseriouslylost
Joined: 09 Nov 2009
Posts: 123
Location: Tokyo
|
| Posted: Fri Nov 13, 2009 12:06 am Post subject: |
|
|
| ShioriEigoKyoushi wrote: |
You sound determined... which is just as well, because you'll have to be! Be prepared to take some rough gigs to tide you over. Good luck.
Shiori |
Haha, I am determined! Believe me.
I don't mind working a rough gig for a little while. It will be a learning experience. I figure that being in a rough gig in Japan might still be better for my sanity than my currently good gig in Korea. I had a good time in Korea but it has occured to me recently that I'm done here. I'm getting all these little signs which tell me that three years has been enough and that I don't need to be here anymore.
Anyway, I changed my criteria a bit in light of the information in the thread. I've thought about it and I don't mind starting as soon as March/April in Japan. I will just put my notice in at my current job around January and get ready to move on the fly (provided I get something in Japan first).
I'm going to go through Interac and find a job that way. I'm much too late to apply for JET and want to get over there in a relative hurry. Besides, if I got rejected from JET the first time while I was in university when the economy was alright, I'm certain I'll get rejected again this time (still don't know why I was rejected in the first place, btw. I'm bitter about it).
I'm giving Interac all my info and telling them I'm pretty open to placement within Japan. I've heard mixed things about Interac from people over there but comparatively, its still probaby better than the average gig in Korea! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Bread
Joined: 24 May 2009
Posts: 318
|
| Posted: Fri Nov 13, 2009 6:06 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Imseriouslylost wrote: |
I can apply for a work visa before I go to Japan from the embassy here... I am qualified for one. Japanese work visas don't need employers to sign off on, right? I can get one for one year before having found a job... |
If you're not American then you can probably get a working holiday visa, but no you can't get a normal working visa without a sponsor. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Apsara
Joined: 20 Sep 2005
Posts: 2142
Location: Tokyo, Japan
|
| Posted: Fri Nov 13, 2009 11:26 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Bread wrote: |
| Imseriouslylost wrote: |
I can apply for a work visa before I go to Japan from the embassy here... I am qualified for one. Japanese work visas don't need employers to sign off on, right? I can get one for one year before having found a job... |
If you're not American then you can probably get a working holiday visa, but no you can't get a normal working visa without a sponsor. |
Bread is correct. There is no way of getting a working visa without a firm offer of employment and supporting documents from that employer. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
|
| Posted: Fri Nov 13, 2009 12:46 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Imseriouslylost wrote: |
| I'm going to go through Interac and find a job that way. I'm much too late to apply for JET and want to get over there in a relative hurry. |
What is the hurry? Look before you leap. You didn't even know the simplest fact about work visas until a couple of posts ago.
| Quote: |
| Besides, if I got rejected from JET the first time while I was in university when the economy was alright, I'm certain I'll get rejected again this time |
Now there's a negative attitude and throwing away a perfectly good opportunity without trying. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Imseriouslylost
Joined: 09 Nov 2009
Posts: 123
Location: Tokyo
|
| Posted: Fri Nov 13, 2009 1:14 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Glenski wrote: |
Now there's a negative attitude and throwing away a perfectly good opportunity without trying. |
No offense, but everything you tell me sounds pretty negative in relation to what other people are saying. The overall vibe I'm getting from other people is that "the market is still flooded, but if you plug away at it you'll find something." On Gaijinpot a few people went as far as saying that I'll find something easily (I'm assuming you've seen my similar post there--I like forums a lot if you couldn't tell).
Anyway, I don't know who to believe. I keeping the worst possible scenario in mind just to be safe.
...and about my naivety in this whole matter, it has to do with the fact that I didn't acknowledge my desire to teach in Japan until very recently and now that I've made that decision, I don't want to spend any more time here than I have to.  |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
This page is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling.
Contact Dave's ESL Cafe
Copyright © 2018 Dave Sperling. All Rights Reserved.
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
