Dear fellow redditors,
This is sort of a throwaway but I have been diligently reading this sub for a couple of years.
So, here I am, second year in a row that I try (and fail) to land a job in Japan. I am currently in Hong Kong, have been teaching there for 10 years (with a stint in mainland China), I got a **BA in English**, a **MA in business** (with a thesis since it seems to matter in Japan from what I read), a rudimentary **online TEFL** course and, regrettably, not a passport from one of the big 5.
I tried applying from overseas for the greater part of June/July/August in 2022 and didn’t get a single reply. I mainly looked at Daijob and gaijinpot back then.
After this unfortunate experience, I decided to upgrade my qualification by studying the **PGCE from Sunderland** this year. I have passed all the subjects and I am waiting for the piece of paper to make its way to Hong Kong. In the meantime I have been sending CVs like I did last year but despite my newly acquired certificate, I have not been able to secure any interview.
I will be in Japan the whole month of August, albeit on a tourist visa, to hopefully go to some interviews and land a job there.
Additional info:
\-I don’t have the 12 years of education in an English setting/English speaking country.
\-I cannot get a spousal visa since I am already happily married.
\-I cannot get a working holiday visa since I am just too old to apply for one.
\-I don’t mind working outside of Tokyo (quite the contrary).
\-I have very limited Japanese proficiency (if at all).
So here are my questions I am asking myself:
1-Which extra qualification should I aim for to make myself more desirable to Japanese employers? TESOL? Japanese level N3 and above?
2-I have 60 master level credits from my PGCE that I need to use within 5 years and have been looking at some Master of Education taught in English in Japan to try and reach the 70 points for the special visa. I could consider going for the University of Tsukuba but I wonder if it would be worth the hassle.
3-What could I do, short-term, to increase my chances to get an interview during my stay in Japan in August?
4-Generally speaking, what should I attribute the lack of answers from Japanese schools/companies? timing? passport? qualification? poor targeting on my part?
15 comments
What kinds of jobs have you been applying for?
just out of interest, why do you want to leave HK? My impression was that salaries there are higher.
I think the main issue is that Japanese employers are saturated with applicants who are already in the country and have some language / cultural experience. It’s going to be hard for you to convince people that you aren’t just applying everywhere in Asia.
Also depending on your passport and how effectively you can claim to be a “native” English speaker, that may be an issue.
June/July/August isn’t the main hiring season – late fall for jobs starting in April is. There are way fewer openings.
I’m pretty sure the 12 years of English education is a visa requirement, which might make it more difficult to get hired in the first place.
consider Taiwan?
What are the “big 5” out of interest? US, Canada, the UK, Australia, and… New Zealand or South Africa?
EDIT: just checked. It’s New Zealand. I see.
People who’ve done x100 less than you are landing jobs here, I think you’ve gotta maybe change your approach rather than add anything to your already astonishing resume.
Try only talking about your bachelors and experience in Hong Kong I think that outta do it.
1. Not hiring season
2. There’s an abundance of unemployed teachers atm (according to my friend who is a recruiter for one of the big eikawas). Competition is fierce. He’s in a major city tho.
3.if what my friend is saying is true (he might lie, who knows), then it’s much easier to hire someone already here than waiting for you to get your visa.
Big chains like aeon or nova tend to hire native speakers without any qualifications or experience over non-natives who are actually qualified.
Small eikaiwas are better in that sense. So are international schools.
Unfortunately, it’s not hiring season, but some schools might need new teachers. Mine just hired two new teachers last month, for instance.
In my opinion, it’s not your passport necessarily. Obviously it is a factor, but I think you are just overqualified for the positions you are applying to. They must think you’ll jump and run as soon as you get over there, since who in their right mind would want to work in an entry-level position with your resume?
I’m not sure why you are so set on Japan, but even with your considerable savings, these are not the jobs to pin your hopes and dreams on.
You’ve received feedback on the eikawa / ALT side already so I’ll just add a couple points in relation to international schools (accredited ones);
– experience _prior_ to teaching licence is not always recognized/acknowledged
– application season usually Aug-Oct for next Sept start
– they won’t be advertising on the places you listed. Usually Search, Schrole, etc intl teaching sites or directly on their webpages
– relevant experience > additional qualifications (you already have a MA)
– experience in the curriculum of the school you’re applying for is preferred (IB, AP, A levels, etc)
280,000 yen is equivalent 1750 Sfrs. month, that’s 1/3 or 1/4 of the entry level salary for University graduates in CH. Yes many things can be a bit cheaper in Japan but prices keep getting higher and taxes too, its really not going to be fun to say the least. Why not just move to Switzerland with a happy wife.
The biggest red flag for an eikaiwa company as they look at you is if they know you will be bringing dependents. Even if your dependants work, if they are not Japanese, companies will immediately move on to the next less risky application. There is no way you can afford to take care of them in Japan on an Eikaiwa salary and this increases the chance of you moving on right away. I am positive that if they know this it will knock you out of the running immediately. There are thousands of young people from English speaking countries with no dependants lined up to try to take these jobs. I suggest you find a different field that pays more. It may be harder but eikaiwa won’t help you one bit.
Thanks everyone for the answers, didn’t expect that many.
My wife is making a comfortable income working remotely so there would be less of a financial pressure.
About the location, I meant that I am not only looking for positions in Tokyo, I wouldn’t mind smaller cities (like say Kagoshima, Sapporo, Asahikawa…). Flats sure are small in Japan but they are still bigger and more affordable than in Hong Kong.
I didn’t know ALTs changed school every x years, that is indeed problematic. Does the “humanities visa” only allow for eikawa jobs? Not university or international schools?
Thank you for everyone’s input so far. I will try to apply again this fall.
TLDR: Look into a dispatch company called Altia. Your lack of success is probably a combination of timing, passport, and dependents. And you’re overqualified.
Might be worth looking into getting a business manager’s visa.
I’m on the opposite spectrum from you as in I wasn’t qualified in any way to land a job, so I can’t offer much, but you should look into Altia. They were a little smaller in the past, but they’re gaining some traction now. They’re the only one that gave me any sort of a shot. As for why the lack of success, it’s probably a combination of your passport not being from the big 5, the timing (it isn’t hiring season unless you’re applying internally), and that you have dependents, not to mention you’re most definitely overqualified for these positions. I don’t think looking internally during your time here with the tourist visa will do much either, cause from what it seems, they won’t even consider you because of the lack of visa. This is because it’s a long and paper filled process if they wanna apply to change your tourist visa to a working one. I’m not even sure that’s possible at all, but don’t let that discourage you from looking.
Idk too much about this, but maybe you could start some sort of a business and look into getting business manager’s visa. I haven’t looked into it, but I’ve seen some stories about it. It’s gonna be much more paperwork and headache upfront and you’ll probably need to enlist the help of an immigration officer/lawyer/someone who can help with the process, but perhaps with your credentials, it could be worth looking into.
Keep going, and keep us updated 🙏 good luck!
Lie about the 12 years school thing. Fake a document if you must. Apply to Interac, they take anyone.
Go ti America and not Japan. It’s lame. Good luck.