Job Discussion Forums

[chaz47]

I worked in Korea for about 5 years but left in March at the end of my last university gig. I had flown home during the winter vacation to get my criminal background check and all that business taken care of thinking that that would be less complicated than playing tag with various government offices through the mail. I also needed a break from Korea. Anyway, during that vacation I missed out on many university interviews and didn't get a position for this current semester.

I have been home in the US since then and am bored to tears. I still have 60% of my savings in Korea which I need to get out in August. So, I'm thinking about flying over in late July and August to look for university gigs and if unsuccessful in finding a new university gig I'll empty my bank account and go to Tokyo to look for work.

Does this sound feasible/logical?

I've heard the key to finding work in Tokyo is to be in Tokyo. Is this still the case? How is late summer to early autumn for job hunting?

I'll probably end up staying in a gaijin house so what sort of things should I pack? How light should I travel?

What areas are best to look for work in?

What level of language proficiency is recommended?

Etc., etc., thanks for your input.

[Glenski]

[chaz47]

Glenski,

Sorry for the confusion. I only have a BA so I'm not qualified for uni gigs in Japan. I meant that if I was unsuccessful in getting into another Korean uni I would try my luck teaching in Tokyo... in private schools, maybe something along the lines of GABA as I have a lot of adult/university experience in Korea.

So, with that in mind what are my chances of finding employment at a private school at the end of the summer?

My Japanese is basic at best. I used to be able to read hiragana and I recognize about a hundred kanji from studies of hanja for Korean. I do however have oodles of time on my hands at present so I guess I should get cracking.

[Glenski]

If by "private school" you mean eikaiwa, odds are far better than for a private HS or private JHS. Just what those odds are, I can't say. Unfortunately, your Korean experience won't count for much in the eyes of many/most employers here.

Summer is already upon us, and more & more people seem to flood in past the gates, so competition is very high. Plus, August is when the JET programme ALTs begin, so those gigs are already taken. August itself will have a week or so of down time for job hunting because of Obon.

[chaz47]

I'm interested in any Tokyo EFL work for the most part. I certainly don't want to go from university teaching to kindergarten or preschool though. I'm willing to start at the relative bottom and work my way up. I did it in Korea, I can do it in Tokyo.

Things I need help with now include:
( Weren't there stickies for this stuff once upon a time ? )

1.) What sort of visa should I have while looking for work? I'll probably be entering Japan on a tourist visa, as a US citizen how long can I stay? I understand that is technically illegal to teach on a tourist visa but it is not strictly regulated? Once my tourist visa is up I'll have to move onto a student/cultural visa probably to study Japanese language and/or art, especially calligraphy. I have heard that on this visa a small amount of private teaching is OK?

2.) Should I stay in a gaijin house while searching for jobs? What areas are advised? How much should I bring? I'm thinking a minimum of 3 suits and 2 sets of casual clothes in a suitcase. A laptop, drum machine, ebook reader, PSP and toiletries divided between a large backpack and shoulder bag. Would these things be safe in a gaijin house?

3.) I'm hoping that I can find work with places such as GABA once I'm actually in Tokyo. I understand that it is important to dress smartly and I have several suits, some are however the shiny variety that Koreans seem to prefer. Is this suitable in Japan as well? What about shoes? Are casual dress shoes appropriate or will I be expected to be crisp and shiny as I pound the pavement?

4.) I'll have about 10 million Korean won to begin my job search with. Any suggestions on how to budget this based upon the above information?[/u]

... Oh, and I'm sure I'll need a prepaid mobile phone as well once I begin my job search in earnest. What should I expect to pay for one of these?

Thanks for your time and constructive advice.

[Glenski]

[southofreality]

A few things...

1. Come to Tokyo.

2. Rather than waiting until you get desperate, then going to GABA, you should go there immediately. I've never worked there, but Glenski's right about their overall reputation. However, with 5 years teaching in Korea, I'm sure you can hack it until you find something better. Remember, you make your own schedule there (have to be a little flexible) so not much will impede your search for a better job.

3. Gaijin houses are OK if you only want to pay first month's rent plus a small deposit. I ended up in one where the entire top floor, with the exception of myself, was rented out to a bunch of European 20-year-olds who partied all the effing time, 'round the clock. Depending on the location, however, you could pay somewhere around 100,000 yen just to settle in. Go to kimiwillbe.com and they can hook you up with your own place for around 120,000 move-in, including first month's rent. Yeah, you have to buy your own appliances, but recycle shops make that damn cheap these days. Get yourself a rice cooker (even new ones can be gotten at Don Quixote for around 5000 yen) and a crappy little used fridge from a recycle shop for like 3000 yen, and you're ok for a while.

[Romonofu-kun]

There's a company, Westgate Corporation (www.westgate.co.jp), that I used to work for when I was living in Tokyo. Among other things, they dispatch teachers to universities. It's basically conversation classes but your classroom is at a university. The work is sparatic in that you only teach during two semesters a year and you have to get a new contract for every semester.

It'll probably be tough getting employed with them as they require Japanese work experience and there's a lot of competition now. However, I was recently in contact with a fellow who works there and I know that they are hiring for their e-learning course, which is where you teach over the internet. Perhaps you could get a contract doing that and hope that you get the chance to impress them. The e-learning pay is low, though, and I don't know how far online teaching experience will get you, even when applying for another job at the same company.

Application for the April university program starts in August and runs until October.

[Glenski]