I’m looking to work as an English teacher (or any work really) in Tokyo. My current offer with a big company is delayed until at least September. I’m wondering if anyone’s had any success getting there sooner?
I’ve seen some people trying to get working holiday visas or talking about language school visas. It sounds like a viable option since once I’m in Japan there are way more options for work anyway.
Any suggestions I can research further would be appreciated!
2 comments
>My current offer with a big company is delayed until at least September.
This is honestly not particularly surprising, given that ALT dispatch companies generally only bring people over in March and August/September. Those are the semester breaks for Japanese schools, so that’s when they bring in new people.
Given that they’ve got two years worth of backlogged potential employees to work through, you’re lucky to *only* be delayed until September.
>working holiday visas
Not really an option in the current border situation, as you still require a company to “sponsor” you to get the necessary ERFS certificate.
>language school
Do you want to spend a bunch of money? Do you ***have*** a bunch of money? You need 1.5 million yen (~$15kUSD) in savings to get a student visa.
>once I’m in Japan there are way more options for work anyway.
Not particularly true at all. While there are some jobs in the English teaching sphere that want you to already reside in Japan, it’s by no means the majority.
If you’re looking for non-English-teaching jobs… Do you have any qualifications? You can’t just grab a retail job and get a visa for it. You need a “real”, full time job. And to get a job that will sponsor a visa (besides English teaching) you’ll need more qualifications than “is in Japan”.
“once I’m in Japan there are way more options for work anyway.”
Once you can get in easily, this will no longer be the case. You’ll just be in a long line of foreigners looking for work. What do you have? Any certifications? Any experience?
If you have nothing… expect problems.