ski/resort jobs in japan

[letslearn]

Hi guys,
I know this has probably been asked, but the search function didn't show any results.
I know a friend who has mentioned that he would like to work a ski season in Japan. He is 20 years old.
Is there a highly recommended employment agency that deals with such employment opportunities?
There could all ready be a thread with all this information so if someone could link me to that it would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.

 

[Glenski]

AFAIK, the answer is no. Just watch the ads and apply...of course, one must be eligible for a work visa or working holiday visa. The latter depends on your age and nationality.

 

[letslearn]

AFAIK, the answer is no. Just watch the ads and apply...of course, one must be eligible for a work visa or working holiday visa. The latter depends on your age and nationality.

Thank you, I thought as much. Just thought there might be on the off chance.

 

[boobooSKI]

Hey letslearn! Looks like I've found this thread a little too late! FYI, we've been helping people find jobs in Ski & Beach resorts all around Japan for about 10 years now. You can watch our staff videos etc. via our Facebook page or our Website. We would love to help you find a fun job in Nagano (Hakuba, Nozawa), Niigata, or Hokkaido this Winter!
ps. Okinawa Beach resort positions are also available year-round if you're keen.
Hope you have an unforgettable time in Nippon; I did a Working Holiday there 15 years ago, fell in love (with the country) and never really left

 

[letslearn]

Hey letslearn! Looks like I've found this thread a little too late! FYI, we've been helping people find jobs in Ski & Beach resorts all around Japan for about 10 years now. You can watch our staff videos etc. via our Facebook page or our Website. We would love to help you find a fun job in Nagano (Hakuba, Nozawa), Niigata, or Hokkaido this Winter!
ps. Okinawa Beach resort positions are also available year-round if you're keen.
Hope you have an unforgettable time in Nippon; I did a Working Holiday there 15 years ago, fell in love (with the country) and never really left

Thats Great Thank you. I will definately pass this information on. He is really keen.

 

[Mike Cash]

Thats Great Thank you. I will definately pass this information on. He is really keen.

Be sure to tell him they pay below the legal minimum wage....

 

[johnnyG]

I'm not a skier, but I've browsed sites like this in the past wondering if it might be an interesting way to spend some time in the mountains (retirement):

山小屋アルバイト情報・山小屋情報 インクノット（inkknot）

Pay seems to vary a little, maybe 19-20万/month, along with some variation in whether your meals are included or if there's a deduction for those--also some 手当 to get there and back.

The point: There's probably a similar site for ski jobs in the winter, and if you have some Japanese, you might be able to find something yourself.

 

[boobooSKI]

Hey Mike, just to clarify, all our positions are above minimum wage. Also, staff we place get almost as much as the Japanese staff do, which is very reasonable considering all the (multi-lingual) support we provide before, during, and after. Wages in Japan may be lower than in your home country, but prices here are too, so most of our staff (who don't go out drinking every night!) find they're still able to save about 1/2 their paychecks. But it's true that it's not a great job if you want to save money - it's all about the experience (and if you've ever been to Japan, you'll know that is one-of-a-kind). Hope this clears things up!

 

[Mike Cash]

I'm going by your own website, which lists an hourly wage below the legal minimum wage in Okinawa. Do you know what the legal minimum wage is in Okinawa?

沖縄県の最低賃金／沖縄県

I've been to Japan, thanks.

 

[johnnyG]

boobooSKI:

On your site, I'm seeing that you list 110,000/month for resort work in Oki, which looks rather low, which is why I posted a mildly related link about summer work salaries in the mtns. And they're offering at least a minimal stipend to get there, on top of salary.

Generally, 180,000/month is the lowest monthly wage I've heard of. (not sure if that's the legal min. or not)

With a little hustle, I'd offer that a WHV person could find better-paying ski/resort work than you are offering.

Some of my students are from China, and they could care less about the calendar New Year. They report being able to make very good money (onsen) over a few days around the holiday--about what you're offering for the month of December, or the month of January. If Hakuba were a tad closer, they'd be making that same money there.

If your company is staffing ski/oki resorts over New Year's, those folks should get an extra month's salary for being there (when no Japanese want to be).

 

[Mike Cash]

@johnnyG

地域別最低賃金の全国一覧 ｜厚生労働省

List of minimum hourly wages nationwide. Some sectors/occupations have separate minimums which are higher. It can get complicated, but the data on that site will show the absolute bottom rate. Note that the prefectures mentioned for ski resorts have a higher minimum than does Okinawa.

 

[boobooSKI]

All very good points!

Firstly, again I have to be absolutely clear; all staff we have sent have always been paid above minimum wage in the regions they have worked.

But, I'm extremely grateful you've brought our attention to this issue, because I see now that our website needs to explain it more clearly! So thank you sincerely for that.

The issue arises because every Resort offers a slightly different package (some offer free meals & accommodation, some only one or the other, and some neither), which, after those deductions, can greatly affect the overall monthly salary staff get paid.

So, we try to make the figures as easy as possible to understand, by compiling all the different packages, and distilling them into a single figure. We are also as conservative as possible in our website information, to ensure that even at the lowest-paid Resort (after all deductions considerations), staff will still get at least the amount stated on our website (and often get more).

In the 10 years we've been operating, we've heard of many offers which "sound" better, but after considering the above meals / accommodation (and ski pass for winter resorts) deductions, they actually work out much the same. We go into more detail about this here: http://www.boobooski.com/our-offers/

As I mentioned though, I'm really glad you've brought our attention to this, because I can see now the website does give the (incorrect) impression of being below minimum wage! :/ I assure you this has never been the case, and that we will update this ASAP!