Am I screwed? If so, how badly?

4 comments

1. This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.

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   **Am I screwed? If so, how badly?**

   Sorry for the clickbait title, folks, but I’m desperate!

   Very recently, I was hired for a teaching job in Japan. I’m fresh off of a CELTA course, 26, and ready to start working. It’s a kindergarten teaching job in a small private school in Enoshima, and the staff is absolutely wonderful. I feel very lucky… too lucky, in fact.

   I’ve gotten some conflicting information online, so I wanted to see if anyone on this subreddit can help me out. See, I was pretty enthusiastically offered this job (after interviewing and teaching a demo lesson), and the company has already offered to sponsor my visa and provide me with a COE. In fact, the director of the school has already started the paperwork for it. The problem is, while I have an English teaching certification from an accredited university, I don’t have a Bachelor’s degree. I’ve seen on some websites that certain visa requirements are just vague enough that the former might be enough to get me a work visa of some kind, but others are adamant that, without the latter, it’s impossible.

   So, does anyone have any insight they’d like to offer? I’m always hearing from people how so-and-so got a job teaching there without a degree, and how I’m probably fine, but the last thing I want is to move over there and find out I’ve been rejected (I’ll be volunteering at the school while the visa paperwork is being processed). Any insight at all would be deeply appreciated.

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2. Might seem like a stupid question but do you know whether the company willing to sponsor you knows you don’t have a degree? As far as I’m aware, it isn’t very vague at all; if you don’t have a typical bachelors degree, you can’t be sponsored for a working visa. A course like CELTA certainly doesn’t fit the criteria.

   I think your teaching job would fall under: Specialist in Humanities / International Services Visa and for that you unambiguously need to have graduated from a university. It’s a hard requirement of the visa category.

   There may be some alternative pathway that I’m unaware of, but if I were you’d I’d contact the company and enquire as to how they plan on getting the visa because as you seem to be aware of already it’s impossible without a degree.

3. >I’m always hearing from people how so-and-so got a job teaching there without a degree, and how I’m probably fine

   Unfortunately you won’t hear that, because it’s not possible.

   A degree or extensive *relevant* professional experience (Usually 10+ years, *possibly* 3+ in your case, depending on the visa applied for) is a hard line immigration requirement. A CELTA cert doesn’t substitute for a degree.

   >but the last thing I want is to move over there and find out I’ve been rejected

   Good news: This won’t happen, because you can’t move until you have the visa.

   >I’ll be volunteering at the school while the visa paperwork is being processed

   ***DO NOT DO THIS!***

   This is both illegal and vantablack levels of shady.

   Immigration will almost certainly consider this “work”, which is not allowed on a tourist visa. It will not only torpedo any visa application but also result in you getting deported and banned from reentering the country.

   Plus you cannot switch from a tourist visa to a working visa in Japan, so you would need to return home to process the visa at an embassy/consulate in your home country.

   On the shady side of things: Your employer knows all of the above. Anytime someone asks you to work (or “volunteer”) on a tourist visa they’re looking to exploit you. The director has ***not*** “already started the paperwork for it”. It’s a fucking scam. They’ll work you on a tourist visa, and then when your visa expires there will be a mysterious “problem” that prevents you from getting the real visa that they haven’t actually applied for. And there is *nothing you can do about it*, because going to the authorities means admitting you’ve been breaking the law.

   **EDIT:** To answer the clickbaity-title question: You’re not screwed. You are *fucked* if you follow through on this plan.

4. bro who is your friend over there? How long have you actually known this person lol. Whole thing screams fishy but you’re fighting for a reason to believe it. Paired with the fact you don’t actually have the financial stability to move/live in Japan right now (according to your only other post asking for advice ab borrowing money from your mom to live there) I would give up on this. Opportunities like this aren’t once in a lifetime, you’ll have other chances