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Newbie here needing some advice please

4 Nov 2014
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Introduction
Hello everybody. thank you for taking a gander at my post. I am a newbie and have a question regarding working and living in japan

Background
UK British 29 years of age, BSc Hons ICT & PGCE qualifications with over 10 years experience training teachers in the use of e_learning.

I intend to come to japan November 18th 2014 with no job lined up.

1. Where are the best places to get a job and living in japan? (please state your city preferences if any)

2. how easy/hard would it be to find a job and would you recommend just searching the net and posting out CV's and applications?

3. during this process of looking for work where would it be best to stay rent an apartment or those guesthouse thingys?

any additional info would be most appreciated and sorry i am a complete newbie here so please be gentle and honest please. thank you


 
You're coming too late in the year. Unless you're willing to take a crummy eikaiwa job, most positions are already taken.

If you insist on coming, best advice is to see who's advertising right now, contact them, and make arrangements for an interview before you hop on a plane. Tell them when you will be here so they know you are serious about the interview.

Location is up to you. Start with climate and whether you prefer a small, medium, or large city.

"Just searching the net" is almost all you have, beyond looking at newspapers. Cold calling places, whether by phone or showing up in person, is not a really good idea.

If you insist on coming, get a guesthouse so you can move on a moment's notice.

I would like to know how you got experience as a 19-year-old training teachers. So would an employer, because it sounds bogus.
 
Is it still the case that even if he finds a job he will have to leave the country to do the visa application process?
 
You're coming too late in the year. Unless you're willing to take a crummy eikaiwa job, most positions are already taken.

If you insist on coming, best advice is to see who's advertising right now, contact them, and make arrangements for an interview before you hop on a plane. Tell them when you will be here so they know you are serious about the interview.

Location is up to you. Start with climate and whether you prefer a small, medium, or large city.

"Just searching the net" is almost all you have, beyond looking at newspapers. Cold calling places, whether by phone or showing up in person, is not a really good idea.

If you insist on coming, get a guesthouse so you can move on a moment's notice.

I would like to know how you got experience as a 19-year-old training teachers. So would an employer, because it sounds bogus.

thanks for your response. I thought it might be a bit late but was really looking forward to it and still want to do it.
so will i have to exit the country if i get a job?
which visa should i get going in a working holiday visa?
 
Have you already applied for a working holiday visa?
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1415060001.830302.jpg
 
Is it still the case that even if he finds a job he will have to leave the country to do the visa application process?
Nope. That has long since been changed for work visas and spousal visas. To apply for a working holiday visa, one must currently be in their home country.

so will i have to exit the country if i get a job?
No.

which visa should i get going in a working holiday visa?
A WHV is already a visa. You can work full-time or part-time on it for 6 months, and then try to get it renewed for another 6 months. Technically, it is not for long-term employment, only for something about 3-4 months in length. Employers and immigration tend to look the other way on that aspect, but it's your risk.

If you get hired with a WHV, you do not need the employer to sponsor you for it, but if you want to convert to a regular work visa, you will need the employer to sponsor you for it. If you go straight from no visa to work visa, you need the sponsorship, too.
 
Have you already applied for a working holiday visa?View attachment 17350
no not yet.
but i didnt think it would take that long as the embassy in london states that it should take a couple of days. I may need to go over that again now, your making me question myself :)
well i guess i can go on a normal visa right and try and land a job right?
not the best time to search but I can try and contact schools to arrange for interviews before i land.
stay in a guesthouse too. got it thanks.

Any other advice or things i should be on the look out for
 
I wouldn't trust any embassy that says the visa process takes "a couple of days". Does that include the time to book an appointment (if required), etc? Postage time, if the passport is returned via post? The possibility of them losing your stuff down the back of a desk? When dealing with immigration authorities in any way, shape or form, always build in contingency time. They will do nothing if their delays cause you problems other than shrug and say you should have gotten it in earlier.

Do you have all of the required documentation for the WHV? That may in itself take some time to get together.

If you go in intending to get a visa exemption (for UK citizens there's not a "tourist visa" as such), and they sniff out that you're there to look for work, you may get turned away on arrival.
 
I wouldn't trust any embassy that says the visa process takes "a couple of days". Does that include the time to book an appointment (if required), etc? Postage time, if the passport is returned via post? The possibility of them losing your stuff down the back of a desk? When dealing with immigration authorities in any way, shape or form, always build in contingency time. They will do nothing if their delays cause you problems other than shrug and say you should have gotten it in earlier.

Do you have all of the required documentation for the WHV? That may in itself take some time to get together.

If you go in intending to get a visa exemption (for UK citizens there's not a "tourist visa" as such), and they sniff out that you're there to look for work, you may get turned away on arrival.
4 working days but does not include times for interviews
 
So, not "a couple of days" - four working days won't count the day you go in, so minimum of a week, and you have literally two weeks before you're planning to fly. You're fast running out of time.

One other thing that may come up - some airlines (particularly European carriers) really do not like it if you don't have an onward journey - e.g. if you currently have a one-way ticket to Japan without either a flight or ferry ticket onwards (doesn't have to be back to the UK), and don't have a visa or your visa status is temporary/short term, there is a possibility they will refuse to take you. Or, of course, force you to buy an extra ticket at the airport before they let you on the plane. This is entirely within their rights (it will be somewhere in the small print) - they can get fined if they put you on the flight and then Japanese immigration turns you around.

To be honest, if you were my kid I'd be worried about you (I'm not actually old enough to be your mother, but still). Do you have a rough budget estimated? You should be prepared to cover your own living costs for an appropriate length of time, since you can't guarantee you'll walk into a job right away. Have you looked at job sites - you certainly don't have to be in Japan to do that - and contacted recruiters so you can hit the ground running on arrival? Are you aware of potential scams? (these often involve working illegally without a visa, or as a 'volunteer' under the promise of upcoming payment/visa sponsorship which then never materialise).
 
So, not "a couple of days" - four working days won't count the day you go in, so minimum of a week, and you have literally two weeks before you're planning to fly. You're fast running out of time.

One other thing that may come up - some airlines (particularly European carriers) really do not like it if you don't have an onward journey - e.g. if you currently have a one-way ticket to Japan without either a flight or ferry ticket onwards (doesn't have to be back to the UK), and don't have a visa or your visa status is temporary/short term, there is a possibility they will refuse to take you. Or, of course, force you to buy an extra ticket at the airport before they let you on the plane. This is entirely within their rights (it will be somewhere in the small print) - they can get fined if they put you on the flight and then Japanese immigration turns you around.

To be honest, if you were my kid I'd be worried about you (I'm not actually old enough to be your mother, but still). Do you have a rough budget estimated? You should be prepared to cover your own living costs for an appropriate length of time, since you can't guarantee you'll walk into a job right away. Have you looked at job sites - you certainly don't have to be in Japan to do that - and contacted recruiters so you can hit the ground running on arrival? Are you aware of potential scams? (these often involve working illegally without a visa, or as a 'volunteer' under the promise of upcoming payment/visa sponsorship which then never materialise).

thx for the advice.
Yes! running out of time for sure.
What do you think of me just coming in on a temp tourist visa 90 days is it possible to land a job in Japan during this time frame this time of year ?
I am coming with £9000 is this ok to get set up before i could land a job?
I have looked at gaijin pot and set up a resume and all but many of them say i must reside in Japan and therefore i cannot apply. Any advice? should i lie until i reach that destination?

thx in advance
 
Maybe - it depends on your experience, qualifications, Japanese language abilities, and luck. Jobs that want you already resident in Japan sometimes mean "we don't sponsor visas" , other times just mean "we want you physically here for an interview". If it is the latter case, stating that you will be in Japan from (date) onwards may be enough.
 
well i guess i can go on a normal visa right and try and land a job right?

What do you think of me just coming in on a temp tourist visa 90 days
I think you don't know what terms to use for visa.

A "regular visa" to me means a work visa.
A temp tourist visa doesn't exist for Brits. You just come on a passport, nothing more.

As a Brit, you get 90 + 90 days on just your passport.
VISA
出入国在留管理庁ホームページ

is it possible to land a job in Japan during this time frame this time of year ?
IMO, unlikely for the majority of that time. You haven't even said what kind of work you want!

Also, you didn't answer my earlier question about having experience at 19 training teachers. What's that all about? Employers will definitely be suspicious, too.
 
Ok
I think you don't know what terms to use for visa.

A "regular visa" to me means a work visa.
A temp tourist visa doesn't exist for Brits. You just come on a passport, nothing more.

As a Brit, you get 90 + 90 days on just your passport.
VISA
出入国在留管理庁ホームページ

IMO, unlikely for the majority of that time. You haven't even said what kind of work you want!

Also, you didn't answer my earlier question about having experience at 19 training teachers. What's that all about? Employers will definitely be suspicious, too.


Yes! Sorry I didn't mean to confuse you, newbie mistake.
Yes i did mean 90 days tourist visa, which for me as a UK citizen would not need to apply.
Unfortunate news to hear that I may not get a job during this time i was really hoping I could get something.

As for the work I wanted a english teaching position not to fussy about the age of learners or type of school as I am not really in a position to be picky.
I have worked in the education sector since 2002. In 2004 I was promoted and part of my role was to train teachers in the use of e-learning to enhance teaching and learning in the classroom. During my time I obtained my FdSC, BSc, PTLLS, PGCE.
sorry if i didn't explain myself properly.
When could I expect better employment opportunities during this month of November?
If I got a job with a recruiter who could and would sponsor me, it would still be possible to convert my Visa to a work Visa right?
any further advice is welcome, thanks for your help in this guys.
 
As for the work I wanted a english teaching position not to fussy about the age of learners
With 2 grammatical mistakes in just these 18 words, I have doubts about how well you could teach. (I don't count capitalization or punctuation errors here, by the way.)

I have worked in the education sector since 2002.
You still haven't explained yourself clearly. Are you purposely being evasive?

When could I expect better employment opportunities during this month of November?
Oddly framed question. The later it gets, the worse your chances get.

If I got a job with a recruiter who could and would sponsor me, it would still be possible to convert my Visa to a work Visa right?
Terminology here again. What do you mean by "recruiter"?
 
Introduction
Hello everybody. thank you for taking a gander at my post. I am a newbie and have a question regarding working and living in japan

Background
UK British 29 years of age, BSc Hons ICT & PGCE qualifications with over 10 years experience training teachers in the use of e_learning.

I intend to come to japan November 18th 2014 with no job lined up.

1. Where are the best places to get a job and living in japan? (please state your city preferences if any)

2. how easy/hard would it be to find a job and would you recommend just searching the net and posting out CV's and applications?

3. during this process of looking for work where would it be best to stay rent an apartment or those guesthouse thingys?

any additional info would be most appreciated and sorry i am a complete newbie here so please be gentle and honest please. thank you

Hello Crystal:

If you are coming as a tourist, you will have 90 days to find a job (in past years you could extend this for another 90 days, BUT I do not know now- Setting up business and visa application in Japan | June Advisors Group please have a look here for a quick visa overview - here is the government site VISA ). I think that if you are looking for a job at a conversation school, you should find it fairly easy to get something with 90 days, but schools with "lots of opening/high turnover" probably have "lots of opening/high turnover" for a reason. That being said, a good way to get a good job is to be in the country and a good way too stay in the country -short of marriage- is to get a work visa (take any job you can do for a year), a study, a cultural study program etc.

I think that taking a teaching job in a conversation school is a good way to "get started" in Japan. In my opinion, you are unlikely to land your dream job with 90 days.

Your questions:

In my opinion,
1) basically anywhere you want to live. You may find it easier if you are willing to live out of a major city.
2) Luck and timing- Yes and Yes- but if you are willing to teach in a conversation school, you should be able to find a job.
3) Guesthouse because it is unlikely that you will be able to rent an apartment without a guarantor)


Hope this helps. Good luck!
 
Hello Crystal:

If you are coming as a tourist, you will have 90 days to find a job (in past years you could extend this for another 90 days, BUT I do not know now- Setting up business and visa application in Japan | June Advisors Group please have a look here for a quick visa overview - here is the government site VISA ). I think that if you are looking for a job at a conversation school, you should find it fairly easy to get something with 90 days, but schools with "lots of opening/high turnover" probably have "lots of opening/high turnover" for a reason. That being said, a good way to get a good job is to be in the country and a good way too stay in the country -short of marriage- is to get a work visa (take any job you can do for a year), a study, a cultural study program etc.

I think that taking a teaching job in a conversation school is a good way to "get started" in Japan. In my opinion, you are unlikely to land your dream job with 90 days.

Your questions:

In my opinion,
1) basically anywhere you want to live. You may find it easier if you are willing to live out of a major city.
2) Luck and timing- Yes and Yes- but if you are willing to teach in a conversation school, you should be able to find a job.
3) Guesthouse because it is unlikely that you will be able to rent an apartment without a guarantor)


Hope this helps. Good luck!
Thank you that helps.
It has been a while since I have replied but here is a quick update:

I have managed to get myself a Working Holiday Visa
I was offered an interview with Berlitz in Tokyo but I never managed to make it to Japan in time. :(

I have checked Gaijin Pot and there are apartments available for short term rent and it states that you do not need a guarantor. Will I still be able to rent this type of property without one or am i missing something?

If yes can I live with my GF in this type of apartments as it states 2 people?

any additional information for new movers to Japan are welcome.
 
Thank you that helps.
It has been a while since I have replied but here is a quick update:

I have managed to get myself a Working Holiday Visa
I was offered an interview with Berlitz in Tokyo but I never managed to make it to Japan in time. :(

I have checked Gaijin Pot and there are apartments available for short term rent and it states that you do not need a guarantor. Will I still be able to rent this type of property without one or am i missing something?

If yes can I live with my GF in this type of apartments as it states 2 people?

any additional information for new movers to Japan are welcome.

Gee, no bold this time?
 
Thank you that helps.
It has been a while since I have replied but here is a quick update:

I have managed to get myself a Working Holiday Visa
I was offered an interview with Berlitz in Tokyo but I never managed to make it to Japan in time. :(

I have checked Gaijin Pot and there are apartments available for short term rent and it states that you do not need a guarantor. Will I still be able to rent this type of property without one or am i missing something?

If yes can I live with my GF in this type of apartments as it states 2 people?

any additional information for new movers to Japan are welcome.
Well, I think you can probably take the ad at face value. There are places you can get with no key money and if it says two people, then you should be fine.

Sounds like you are over worrying a bit now. ;)

don't worry japan is not nearly as intimidating/daunting as some may think.
 
For your reference, it took me 89 days since arriving in Japan before I signed on the dotted lines. The job search was tough.

I was on a 90 day temporary visitor visa then. The application for CoE and work visa requires a bit of paperwork for both the employer and the employee. This really depends on the size/type of organisation and other variables. The process was too long for me to continue staying in Japan anyways so I had to leave. It was possible to get a stamp at the immigration for extension while waiting for my visa (and apply for a visa status change later) but it was really up to the immigration officer. I did not want to complicate matters so I left.

For further reference, I have 4 years of relevant work experience, have been a JLPT1 holder since 2008, and have worked on and off in Japan for business trips and product training (actively using business Japanese for my work). I also have full-length 履歴書 and 職務経歴書 documents for applications to local Japanese companies.

If you are looking for a non-teaching job without credible history, certifications, and documents to support your eagerness to stay/work in Japan, it is going to be an even more uphill task. On the plus side, you have a WHV. This saves the potential employer trouble (and cost) in employing you so they may be more likely to try you out.

Anyways, it is not possible to estimate how long it will take for you. I hope my example helped.

Good luck.
 
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