So question about the no working outside of teaching

5 comments

1. If the publishing company is outside of japan, then have at it!

2. Don’t ask, don’t tell. Still a risk just be aware of that.

3. A question for anyone here – has anyone ever applied for “permission to engage in activities other than that permitted under the status of residence previously granted” _while_ on JET?

   I’ve done it before on other jobs, and it’s usually a painless thing. I know ESID by BoE contracts (some explicitly say no profit making activities, while others don’t), but I’m wondering if there’s anyone who has gone this route. That would mean you’re in the legal clear to do other things.

4. To summarize the divide brewing in the comments: what is legal and what you can get away with are two different things.

   Legally, work done in Japan is taxable in Japan. So, regardless of what currency the money is in, regardless of what country’s bank account it’s deposited in, legally you do have to report it to the Japanese government. From a visa pov, we are not allowed to engage in work outside of being a school teacher. To engage in other work, you have to get permission from immigration. In addition to this, most people have contracts that either explicitly ban outside work, or ban outside work without prior approval. In order for outside work to be completely in the clear, you need to get permission from your boe, permission from immigration, and report that income on your Japanese taxes. That headache leads most people to just say that legally you can’t do outside work on JET

   However, people do often end up doing outside work. Often this is kept a secret from their boe. They have the money deposited in a bank account in their home country. They do not report the income on their Japanese taxes. Theoretically there is no way for the Japanese government or their boe to ever know about this extra income, so they get away with it.

   With inflation, student loan debt, and the weak yen, I’m not here to pass judgment on people who feel they can’t make ends meet on a JET salary. I will say though that no matter how it’s structured, unapproved outside work is playing fast and loose with tax and immigration laws and puts you in a risky position. Is this really worth potentially getting fired and deported if anyone found out?

5. It’s against your visa.

   Technically speaking, your visa is for instructor, getting paid for writing fiction isn’t part of your visa so again, technically speaking it is considered criminal activity and.can get you sent to jail and deported.

   Practically speaking, probably nobody cares about it and you won’t be prosecuted.