hi all,
I’m graduating from my CS degree in Australia midway 2023, and would like to take a 6 – 8 months gap year till jan 2024. One of the options I’ve considered is teaching english in japan. I don’t have my TETLs, (more than happy to get one), but I have teaching experience in my university as a CS tutor. I’m fluent in english, chinese, and I’ve learnt 2 years of japanese. More looking to explore/live in Japan for a while and have a hustle as opposed to becoming a teacher as a profession.
I’ve done some research and saw that most openings are around september for an april start, or april for a september start. I’m open to leaving for japan early before I graduate to do online courses, but I’m wondering if it is too late to get resources ready?
With covid in mind, i had a few questions in light of 2023 japan opening up and post covid:
1. **how realistic is my plan?** is it too late to get started if i am only free for 6-8 months in the second half of 2023?
2. **Where should I look/apply?** I’ve looked into JET but unfortunately it is a 1-year commitment, and I’ve also looked at westgate which seems to fit the 6-8 months but from the sub it seems like a red flag. I also considered Eikaiwa and ALT but many were 1 year long.
3. any advice?
I’ve looked around and many reddit posts regarding new teachers starting and job apps for newbies were quite old, really appreciate any new insights with regards to covid and japan opening up the borders!
Thank you so much.
6 comments
1. It’s technically feasible since most jobs will start hiring around this time since the academic year in Japan starts in April. Depending on positions and whatever, there may some some openings due to unforeseen circumstances so there’s the off-chance that you might find something. It won’t be a good something but it’ll be… something.
2. If you’re looking for something for a few months, I would say that Westgate is your best option. A lot of people in this sub don’t like them because of their apartment fees, low pay compared to actually university jobs, and their short contracts. I worked for them in 2021 and found them to be alright. The apartment provided was small and expensive but if you’re just looking to stay for a few months, it’s easier to take it rather than deal with the hassle of finding and moving into your own apartment. They usually offer a three month contract for new instructors and it’s pretty much an Eikaiwa gig at an university. English levels will vary. There’s always a supervisor at your beck and call at all waking hours (literally there for you, 24/7 – Is Westgate a black company for Japanese employees because I feel it is) and they’re pretty nice. They’ll evaluate you, check in and see how you’re doing, but for the most part, it’s an easy job.
3. I mean, applying for some ALT jobs for some dispatch companies could be a thing. Once you’ve reached your self-imposed deadline, you could always break contract and leave? I don’t see why you might need them for references or something like that if you’re going into CS. There might be some short contracts that pop up on GaijinPot and JALT for schools that need cover teachers but those are usually limited to people who are already in country.
The main thing you should know is the fiscal year ends in March in Japan. So every contract is set up to end in March.
I think most companies wont want to sponsor you a visa for that short of a stay. You might have better luck using working holiday visa and find a job in country.
Good luck with that. Most employers want you for a year. So at the least, you’re looking at saying “yeah I’ll be here for a year” and then buggering off at 6-8 months.
Assuming you’ve got an Australian passport, just get a working holiday visa. Working with an Eikaiwa will be your best bet since ALT stuff tends to be 1 year contract and doesn’t line up with what you want. Besides that, a WHV gives you way more flexibility in terms of what jobs you can take.
The school year starts in April/ September….it may be an easier time to find a basic job in Japan…