Getting a job....

What are the circumstance surrounding getting a job in Japan if you are legally tied to military personel? My boyfriend and I are moving to Japan due to military obligations. We are discussing marriage but I would like to know about getting a job both as a married woman to an American officer and as the significant other of one. Thank you in advance.

In either case, as a family member/fiancee of a military personnel on US base in Japan, you will be under a different set of immigratioin/status rules (SOFA status, I believe) from those under non-military circumstances in Japan. Please inquire with your boyfriend's office.

If you marry your military boyfriend, then and only then, will you receive SOFA status. If you don't have SOFA status you'll have to get a visa through Japanese immigrations just like any other American. That means you need an employer who'll sponsor your visa. With SOFA status you can get a job on base but not off base.

It's correct that your status will be very different in the two scenarios. if you come to Japan before marrying your boyfriend, you will have to get a visa and apply for employment like anyone else, as has been stated. There are a lot of websites about getting jobs in Japan, and some threads in this forum about it. You could take a look around and see what you think. Though I haven't been in that situation, it seems that one of the most popular ways to 'break into' Japan is through teaching English, either as a JET or through one of the mega-employers like Interac. Once in Japan, you can apply for jobs on the base where your boyfriend is as well. I'd be careful with all of this to make sure you're completely legal.

As a SOFA-sponsored person, you'd have a very different situation. You'd have to be screened and approved to be in Japan as your husband's family member beforehand, and be given SOFA status. You can work on-base or off- (I know many people who work for Interac and various English schools) though many find that jobs (other than teaching English) are hard to find. Teachers seem to always be in demand on the bases. It would depend on your background.
Each base has a website with a lot of information. There would probably be a lot more available on such sites than is available here.

So then would it be easiest on us if we went ahead and got married or would it not matter either way? This move is coming up rather soon (within the coming year) and I want to best and most efficient way to get things done. My significant other has so much already to worry about...I just don't want to add more stress than neccessary.

And thank you everyone who took time to answer this.

The SOFA option is probably the easier one, because the regular Japanese working visa depends on you actually finding a job in Japan first- you can't be sponsored for a visa if you don't have an employer. Options for job-hunting outside of Japan are pretty limited as most employers want to do face-to-face interviews inside Japan.

Also the working visa has other requirements such as having a university degree- if you haven't graduated from university then a full working visa most likely isn't an option at all.

I would think going with the military would be the easier option.

If you consider making the decision to get married to be the easier option!!

Or Just enter on a tourist visa dont rush into marrige. with a tourist visa you can stay for three months at a time then just pop over to korea or another country come back and get another three months visa. This should buy you some time so you dont have to rush into anything and you can search for a job on the tourist visa and simply switch it over if you find a job you like. I have a friend who has been in Japan for seven years on a tourist visa.

Chuck, there is a limit of 180 days in a year on a tourist visa and the authorities are quite strict about it. I find it very difficult to believe that you know someone who has been in Japan 7 years on back-to-back ordinary tourist visas. People are often turned back if they try for a second one. If that really is the case, be assured it's not normal.

I know several people who have done this. Dont know
Sira Dont no what to tell you. But yes the person who had been doing it for seven years was eventually asked to change his visa status or leave the country. 3 or 4 times (a year/year and a half) no problem.

Oh I'm not saying our marriage would be based on this decision! We've already been talking about getting married before this so it would happen anyway! It really just a choice of efore or after.

But thank you all for your adivce! It really was helpful and if you hear anything else you think will help please post it!

Do you know if you get paid nicely as a English guide for national monuments/places?

I was thinking of jobs using English besides teaching English, and I thought of this.
Thanks in advance!

Kira,
To work as a guide (paid) in Japan, you need to be licensed as a "guide interpreter" (national license).

In other words, you also need to be a fluent Japanese speaker and have a very good knowledge of Japanese history and geography.