I’ve been teaching as a kindergarten teacher in Japan for 7 years now and I recently wanted to do something else. I decided to go 4 full days with my current school and started applying not knowing I would get offers and when I did, I simultaneously started accepting all of them.
Now I work part time as a tour guide, freelance travel writer, real estate staff and online teacher.
I am on a humanities visa and can comply with the 30 hour limit from my kindergarten teaching job so I don’t think I’m going to have any legal issues as these gigs also fall in my visa category as far as I know. I’m wondering though, if this will be a problem when I report having several part time jobs to immigration or even if I have to report all of them at all as the real estate gig is commission based and the rest aren’t regular. My online classes have a fixed schedule but my bosses for the travel writing and tour guiding just give me assignments for the week/month and they don’t really come with a fixed schedule. Another concern of mine is, will this be super difficult for me once the tax season comes? Thank you!
4 comments
Where did you find these gigs?
Not an issue at all as long as each job falls under your visa category. You can even renew like this – though you may want to get your more stable jobs to assist with sponsorship rather than your commission based one as they prefer stable jobs for sponsorship.
Taxes can be more of a hassle but not impossible – just get your tax document from each company when tax season comes around, then you can go to your local tax office or do it online.
> real estate agent
*Assistant to* the real estate agent. Unless you passed your certification exam – in which case, kudos to you.
Sorry, can’t help with your visa and tax questions. But may I ask you on the tour guide job (just curious).
I was once interested in a job as a tour guide myself (I am holding a license from another country) but was told (quite some time ago) that you have to pass the Japanese tour guide exam and get licensed in Japan. Apparently it was not as heavily enforced as it is in other countries. Before Covid, with the sharp increase in incoming tourists, I have heard that they want to loosen even the existing restrictions. Is this true? How does this work nowadays?