Korean Job Discussion Forums

mike123_ca

Can someone compare and contrast the 2 teaching visas. Are there any major differences between the two visas.
All I hear is people say the Japanese visa is better. I never hear the reasons why it is much better.

tired of LA · Joined: 06 Nov 2006 Location: Seoul

the reason people say the japanese visa is better is because you own the visa. meaning, if you don't like your job you can quit and look for another job without losing your visa. the e-2 visa is owned by the school, meaning you cannot quit and look for another job without your employer saying okay by giving your a letter or release.

Young FRANKenstein

dbl post

Young FRANKenstein

1) in Japan, your school doesn't "own" the visa. You do.
2) if you are fired or resign, you can take your visa and work somewhere else, no LOR required.
3) Privates are legal.
4) In some circumstances, you can sponsor yourself (a humanities visa, I believe)

mike123_ca · Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2009 9:17 pm Post subject:

Japan's visa working conditions sound very similar to Thai visa.
You can work at more than 1 school and also do privates.

Is China or Taiwan teaching visa similar to Japan or Korea?

crossmr · Joined: 22 Nov 2008 Location: Hwayangdong, Seoul

in japan though the privates don't pay nearly as well as korean privates. I've got a friend who is in Japan working as an intern at a company (she recently took the japanese proficiency test) and since she doesn't get paid as an intern was going to look in to privates and you're looking at the equivalent of about $15/hour (CAD) so around $5/hour USD Wink

Young FRANKenstein · Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2009 10:06 pm Post subject:

crossmr · Joined: 22 Nov 2008 Location: Hwayangdong, Seoul

Enigma · Joined: 20 Mar 2008

My first job in Japan was with one of the big 4 chain schools, and after about 4 months my relationship with my manager started to deteriorate. After about 6 months, I decided that it was no longer tolerable. I gave the company notice, and found another job.
Had this happened in Korea, I would have probably had to leave the country and get a new visa. Granted jobs are easy to find in Korea, but having that ability to change jobs without the government's permission puts a lot of power back into your hands.

oskinny1 · Joined: 10 Nov 2006 Location: Right behind you!

Donghae · Joined: 24 Dec 2003 Location: Fukuoka, Japan

crossmr · Joined: 22 Nov 2008 Location: Hwayangdong, Seoul

mike123_ca · Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2009 4:54 pm Post subject:

http://www.guardianweekly.co.uk/?page=editorial&id=620&catID=18

dean_burrito · Joined: 12 Jun 2007

How about spousal visas? Any particular benefits to having one in Japan?

Donghae · Joined: 24 Dec 2003 Location: Fukuoka, Japan

As what previous people have said regarding the generally less restrictive nature of the approximate Japanese equivalent to the E2.

A couple of points to bear in mind though-

If/when (and only then, not before) you renew your "humanities & international services" visa (what most English teachers have) in Japan, strictly speaking if you're renewing with a different employer sponsor than your original visa was on, then you DO need a Letter of release and a tax statement from your previous employer. I have heard tales of people who managed to get away with not needing this, although every single person I've known in this situation (and that's over 10 years now) has needed it. The previous employer can't really refuse you these documents. However, they can drag their feet and mess you about a fair bit, and I've known that to happen a few times too.

Also, bear in mind that Japanese immigration don't really like people bouncing around from one employer to another. Yes, the big advantage over Korea is, of course, that they won't do much about it until the end of your visa. But whereas you've got a good chance of getting a 3 year renewal if you've been with the same employer all the time and are renewing with that employer, you're not likely to get 3 years if you've changed jobs. There was a period when they were giving out 3 year visas to newbies a few years ago, but that didn't seem to last long. Again, as in Korea, it can depend what side of the futon your immi officer got off this morning.

I second the earlier point about privates in Japan not paying much, and also not being very reliable. You can get lucky, but generally you need to have been here a while to have a better chance of privates that pay well and don't mess you about. Unfortunately, these days there are lots of English teachers struggling to get by who advertise to teach privates for as little as Y1000 an hour.

Y3000 is reasonable these days, and I'd say that's equivalent of about W30-35k in Korea, factoring in what you can actually do with the money locally. The present exchange rate does indeed mean Y3000 is W45,000 but that's a meaningless comparison unless you're sending the money to Korea, which I doubt anyone would be.

One final point re self sponsorship - for the vast overwhelming majority of people, this is NOT an option. You need lots and lots of documentation proving that your income is steady and reliable and that you are able to support yourself. Unless you're well qualified and have a pretty good knowledge of Japan anyway, do NOT come here thinking you can sponsor your own visa.