Job Discussion Forums

[paddypower]

I was an English teacher in Japan last year and I left after 4 months rather than completing my full year long visa. The reason I left was because the position(location/boss etc.) was awful although I gave the company a different reason. I did not give my company any notice because I had got so sick of my job and I was already getting paid a month in arrears and so I took the loan money the company had given me, which was equal to the money I was owed from them at the end of the following month anyway, and just hopped on a plane. When I got home my company told me that I owed them around 100,000 yen to dump furniture and stuff from my apartment. I never sent this money to them. I would love to go back to Japan now. Does anyone know if it would be possible for me to re-enter Japan or work in Japan again after leaving in such a way?

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

It's almost definitely possible for you to re-enter Japan. The chances of your company having sent your information to the police is ridiculously slim. If you want to be absolutely sure, then just have an extra 10man with you when you enter the country, and on the 1 in a million chance that someone actually says something, you can say you 'forgot', apologize and pay it. But I very much doubt that that would happen. Why would they need to dump off furniture etc? Either the apartment was in their name, meaning that they didn't have to do anything, they just got a replacement. Or the apartment was in your name and they were the guarantor. Then they may have had to do something. But it sounds like you weren't hugely experienced in Japan, and so having an apartment in your own name would be an odd situation. Chances are they were saying it in order to try to 'trick' you into sending them money, or in order to cover themselves in case you went after them for the backpay (if the loan wasn't actually on the books, then that could have been a concern for them).

Do you even know if your former company is still operating? If they were paying about a month late, then that's a sign that they were about to go bankrupt.

However, if you want to work here again, then any potential employer who investigates why you left after four months or calls your former employer (assuming that they still exist) likely won't be hiring you. And since your reason for leaving was 'location/ boss etc.' then it would very likely be exactly the same at any other job that you would be able to get (unless you have a masters degree, several publications and many years of experience you haven't mentioned).

[Ryu Hayabusa]

I'm guessing you don't have a re-entry permit. If that's the case, you're going to come have to come here on a tourist visa or find a job with a company who will sponsor a new visa for you.

[paddypower]

That's very useful information Gambate. Thank you for that. The apartment was in the company's name as far as I know... well I didn't have to pay the key money or anything so I assume it was. Just so I'm clear then... you think it would be fine to travel there but not to work in Japan again? Applying for a working visa to the Japanese embassy in Dublin might be difficult alright when they see that I have been there before and hadn't stayed for the duration of the visa. I guess it probably wouldn't be possible to tell prospective employers that I had never been too Japan before as they could probably find out easily enough. Interac was the company by the way. They were looking for dumping money, lock changing money and all sorts of other things which sounded a bit exaggerated. It seemed as if they were just trying to get the last few yen out of me as I had left them stuck. I know it wasn't a particularly cool thing to do, to leave them stuck like that but my situation was pretty desperate for all sorts of other reasons as well that i won't go into and I plain and simply had to get out.

[paddypower]

Hey Ryu. Thanks also. Just saw your message. You think if I came to the country on a tourist visa a company may sponsor me despite having left on such conditions before? Or would I just keep it secret from prospective employers?

[Ryu Hayabusa]

A potential employer will probably ask any past experience in Japan or overseas. When they apply for your visa they might find out that you've been in Japan before. Perhaps that'll be cause for concern. It's a tough call. I wouldn't tell an employer anything about it unless they ask. At which point, I would be very careful how I phrased my answers.

[Glenski]

1) Your old employer cannot fine you. It's in the labor laws.

2) Yes, you can come back. They have no power to stop you. Immigration will not have any reason, either.

3) You didn't answer the question about a reentry permit, and that was on my mind, too. In your haste to leave, I'm also betting that you didn't get a reentry permit, and if that's the case, your old work visa is now invalid. If you want to return to work, you'll have to start all over again with visa procedures. I seriously doubt that a new sponsoring employer will ever find out about your previous situation unless you tell him. Just by applying for your sponsorship, he is not going to learn about your past experience. Immigration has no reason to say anything.

So, it's up to you to decide whether to put a 4-month cr@ppy job on a resume and have to explain it at an interview.

4) Show up as a tourist and nobody has a reason to hold you or turn you away. If you come like this to look for work, DON'T say so at the border or you will likely be put back on a plane home.

5) Will another employer sponsor you? Sure. As I wrote above, it's up to you to decide whether to explain the past or not. If you do, do it right. Don't talk about it at length, don't show a lot of emotion no matter how negative the experience, and don't bad-mouth the old employer (much).

[paddypower]

Thanks Glenski. No I didn't get a re-entry permit and it was around a year ago so my visa would be up now anyway. All I'm worried about is that I remember when I was applying for the visa before, some of the questions on the form were things like "Have you ever worked in Japan before?", "If so, did you stay the full length of your visa?", "And if not, why not?" I guess I was just thinking that I would obviously have to tell the truth here as the state(dept of immigration etc.) would have my name on file and if they did grant me the visa, they would probably pass on this information to my next employer.

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

They aren't worried about ALT dispatch company contract breakers! What they are really asking is "Have you ever been kicked out of the country or had to run to get away from Johnny Law or Da Frickin' Yak? If so, why?"