I will be working as an ALT starting April this year and I have a couple of questions.
We all know that pay is not that good working as an ALT, but in my case it’s okay because I live with people I know so I have someone splitting rent and bills with me so it’s not so bad. However, I want to have more savings so I was planning to do freelance.
I don’t plan to work for more than 5 years as an ALT. I plan to study and/or get experience on something else while working full time as an ALT, hence why I was thinking of doing freelance. My company allows us to work part-time provided that you have the special permission paper and that the work will be something related to instructor visa.
Now here are my questions.
If I do freelance (on websites like upwork etc.):
-is it counted as part time job under the special permission thingy?
-where will I be paying my taxes?
3 comments
Getting permission to work outside your visa category had gotten more difficult for people on instructor visas. Too many people getting caught in hostess bars and other related businesses. Don’t count on getting permission.
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Also, your job is to be a classroom assistant. It isn’t fair to the children when people just use the job as a way to scam a visa.
To get the permission you need:
1. A signed paper from your full time job saying you are allowed to work another job.
2. A copy of the contract for the other job
Also, the permission is valid for one year and will have to be renewed.
>If I do freelance (on websites like upwork etc.): -is it counted as part time job under the special permission thingy?
As a freelancer you probably need to register a 個人事æ¥. (“Probably”, because there might be an income threshold where it’s not needed, but idk.) Your local tax office will help you with that, it’s like one piece of paper 🙂
Regarding the special permission, my advice is to ask the immigration office. It’s just a theoretical question, so no need to worry there, either.
> -where will I be paying my taxes?
In Japan. I got a freelance job outside the country and they pay me via my foreign bank account, but the service is mainly performed here and I am performing it from here.
So each spring you go file taxes here in Japan (note that in that case it’s probably beneficial to opt out of your school job filing taxes for you).