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Getting work quickly (native English) 2008/5/22 21:33
Hey..

I'm intending to get to Japan on the 30th (Osaka), and will be heading to Tokyo very shortly after.

But, money is a bit low right now (I have a credit card, but heard it's hard to make any use of it when in Japan) so would ideally like to get straight into employment if possible. Is there much chance of this? Willing to work immediately, I'm a native English speaker and have a BA (Hons) degree.

Thanks in advance.
by Adam  

depends 2008/5/23 10:41
Depends on what your expertise and your skills are.

I'm in a similar situation right now; came to Japan about six weeks ago to look for a job. I speak fluent English/Japanese and also read/write Japanese. I'm 24 yrs old with a BA from an internationally recognized university in the US but with my limited experience, I've found it hard so far to even arrange interviews.

I'm not trying to scare you off or anything, just trying to give you a heads-up because job searching is MUCH MUCH MUCH tougher than I originally expected. Just for the time being to make some cash, I'm thinking about taking a temporary "haken" position.
by Dan rate this post as useful

. 2008/5/23 14:38
Also depends on what visa type you're on. If you're on a temporary visitor's permit then you'll have to wait a bit for them to process the work visa etc, so it can't be immediate, thats after you find an employer.
by John rate this post as useful

... 2008/5/23 15:04
Are you simply traveling to Japan (I mean as a tourist) and expecting to find and start work immediately?

It would be unlikely, unless you have very special skills, to get interviews first of all, find an employer in Japan, get the company to agree to terms and conditions for the contract including sponsoring you for a visa so that you can work for them, for you to get all the papers they would need for the visa application (including your original diploma), get the application processed and visa granted, within the time allowed under your Temporary Visitor visa validity, which I think is 90 days for US citizens. If you are from Australia, UK, or New Zealand, etc. where Working Holiday Visa agreement exists with the Japanese government, you will be able to get casual jobs if you enter Japan with this visa.

Credit cards are accepted widely in Japan in hotels, restaurants, department stores, etc., as long as those are internationally recognized brands (Visa, MasterCard, Amex, etc.)
by AK rate this post as useful

starting from scratch 2008/5/24 07:28
the interview process even at the really quick-hiring English schools usually takes at least a couple of weeks. you then have to go through all the Immigration procedures with getting a COE and visa, and may not be able to work in the meantime. finally, many Japanese cpmpanies pay just once a month, near the end of the month, for the previous month's work, so if you start work in early july for example, you won't see any pay until late august.

most people seem to recommend bringing over a minimum of 3000 USD to support yourself until you get a job.
by koala1 rate this post as useful

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