Job Discussion Forums

[Lejen]

I believe the answer to my subject question is no way, but just in case some people had found it to be possible I thought I'd question the forum.

About me: I've been in and out of Japan teaching for WG for the past year (6 months working experience here in total), and my visa from them expires towards the end of September. I'm established in Tokyo now, don't want to work for WG again, only interested in adult teaching, but since my girlfriend works long WG hours (weekdays 10-7) we will never see each other if I do work typical adult teaching hours in the evenings and weekends.

I have inquired about some part time adult teaching work at varied schools and get offers, but I don't think part time work helps my visa situation right? Technically I only need a job to get my visa sorted and even if I work part time or am paid a paltry sum it only needs to be for 3 months while my girlfriend is teaching for WG and then move out of Japan or find something better here in 2012.

Any ideas? Is teaching at a high school, while not ideal for me, the best option given my situation?

Thank you.

[Glenski]

Unless you can get a couple of employers to give you part-time jobs that amount to an acceptable total salary to immigration, you will have to get a full-time employer. In the former example, you can "self-sponsor" your current visa with the PT work after you've been here a year, but not before then, usually.

As for getting adult students earlier in the day, consider their free time. Eikaiwas are open when clients are most available, so that usually means noon to 9pm. I've heard of some rare cases where companies themselves (not eikaiwas) are looking for business English lessons before work begins, but those are pretty darned rare at that, and I don't think you want those anyway. You'd have to search very hard to find any, I think.

The fact that you are looking for work for only 3 months is another stickler of a point. Westgate has been the only outfit I have known in 14 years online that will offer the short-term job and a visa sponsorship.

[Lejen]

Thank you for your reply.

I'll look into self-sponsoring as there are a lot of part time jobs out there, but will have to talk to immigration about it before getting into the job search too much so I know what I need and what I should tell my potential employer.

Thanks again.

[Glenski]

Bear in mind that immigration officials may not use the term "self-sponsorship", so if you go in person, you're just extending your status of residence, and you may need to explain how many employers you have (and what salaries each is guaranteeing, complete with contracts).
For humanities visa:
http://www.moj.go.jp/content/000052404.pdf
For Instructor visa:
http://www.moj.go.jp/content/000052399.pdf

Also, people have reported varying amounts cited by immigration as needed for minimum salaries for self-sponsoring a visa. This may be due to differences in cost of living in different regions of the country.

Also bear in mind that you can self-sponsor a work visa, but that the jobs you take will largely have to fall within the realm of that visa. That is, a Specialist in Humanities/International Relations work visa will not allow you to work as an ALT (unless you get special permission), and an Instructor visa will not allow you to work in an eikaiwa (same exception).

[Inflames]

I recently changed my visa by self-sponsoring it.

When talking to immigration, you need to say you have "multiple jobs" (複数の仕事 [fukusuu no shigoto] in Japanese) and immigration, at least in Osaka, understands this.

I wrote a letter explaining my income and working hours at places. I included copies of contracts (and, if the contract was a few months old, a 在職証明書 [zaishokushoumeisho - certificate of employment) and all my payslips for the year.

One important thing is that you must have one of your jobs fill out and stamp the form from immigration. Your company might say this constitutes sponsoring your visa but they're wrong. One place I worked for refused to do it and said it was that and immigration didn't know what they were talking about (I had the immigration guy write a letter about this and they still refused).

[Lejen]

Thanks for the replies.

I thought I might add how my broken English chat about self-sponsorship, or "freelancer" as the immigration officer said, and see if it all sounds like what others have went through...

My professor visa expires soon, so I have no time to find all the necessary jobs to self sponsor by the time of expiry, but read that getting an extension for 2 months after my visa expires was standard procedure if I applied for said extension. The immigration officer, who didn't seem to know what self-sponsor was and had to chat with someone in the back for awhile, came back and said this:

1) Get a "Retirement Certificate" from my old job, which is on my visa/gaijin card
2) With the retirement certificate, apply for a change in status of residence to short term visitor for two months. (Here, the word short term visitor was used by immigration but I see it nowhere on the form, and wonder how this is different than a tourist visa. Also, why two months, if tourist visas are 90 days?)
3) Get some job contracts between now and when my short term visa expires. No specific amount per month that I needed to make was given.
4) Take the job contracts back to immigration along with specific info needed from those companies: Job description, company register, profit and loss statement, and a form called "houtei-tyosyo-goukeihyou" which I was given a sample of to show the employer.
5) Get a specialist in humanities visa via self-sponsorship

Does this all sound about right? I'd never heard of someone changing a status of residence to short term visitor to self-sponsored, or for that matter going from professor-visitor-specialist in humanities visa just like the above.

[Glenski]

Immigration doesn't use the term "self-sponsorship". As Inflames wrote, you need to show proof of being hired PT by a couple of employers (that means contracts and the other stuff you cited) who will pay you an amount that immigration accepts as above subsistence wages. There is no set figure, hence the "no specific amount" that you mentioned.

You have a professor visa? Ok. That means no eikaiwa and no public/private HS/JHS or elementary school or business English agency. The good news is that most uni jobs nowadays are PT, but the bad news is that this is a very poor time of year to expect hiring. Good luck. (I'm not sure why immigration told you humanities visa, unless they figure that's all you can muster right now, since eikaiwas would be the easiest type of teaching job to find. Not easy, just easiest.

[Lejen]

Yes, I'm wondering if it is possible as well. I did double check with the officer, asking if many schools were OK and he repeated yes.

I didn't even bring up the humanities visa, yet the general information immigration officer brought it up right away, as did the officer at the business counter whom I was sent to when I asked about self sponsorship.

I'm not complaining about the 2 months to find a job, as I think I can manage enough eikawa jobs to make a go of self-sponsoring in that time. What I don't get is how I am changing my status of residence to temporary visitor, as how can one be a resident and a temporary visitor? And, how will my potential employers see it? In theory they only need to provide the documents to me and I do the work, but I wonder if they'll be weary of offering a job to a 'temporary visitor' who is self-sponsoring, as I imagine it will be confusing for them, as it is for me. How would you recommend I deal with the slew of questions I'm going to get from potential employers? Many employers want a valid working visa as they don't want to give one, but I hope I can be considered for these jobs since they don't have to give a visa to me as I'll get one myself so long as they provide the documents.

[Inflames]

[seklarwia]

[Glenski]