Just how feasible is it anyway...?

[yoshifeatures]

Hey everyone,
My name is Josiah and I've been one of the many lurkers around here, but I have to say japanesepod101 is amazing!
Anyway, I'd like some help with a problem, or delema I'm facing.

My long-time girlfriend is going back to Osaka in June this year and we are both having the intention that we wanna get married next year. Aside from the fact that we still have many things to consider before doning that, there is one thing I'd like whoever is willing, to provide me with some help into this.

I'm planning to go to Osaka to see her in November/December for a month, but I'm also considering obtaining a Working Holiday Visa and staying longer.

The issue is; If I stay in Japan, and if I get a job, I probably cannot earn as much money as I can here in Australia - money that is going toward our marriage and future plans.

I would love to spend some more time in Japan, but I don't want to waste time and money in Japan if I'm unable to get a job.

Also, I have not been to University and it seems that the majority of english speaking positions requires that I have a bacholers degree.


This is basicly a summary of what I could say here, so I'd just like to know your thoughts on what I can do from here.

Thanks guys.

[JonB]

you need a degree or ten years experience to get a work visa in Japan. I expect that they may not be too flexible on that...

One way round is a spouse visa - but you need to be married first

[annie]

you need a degree or ten years experience to get a work visa in Japan. I expect that they may not be too flexible on that...

One way round is a spouse visa - but you need to be married first

Except that the poster is Australian.

You don't need a BA for a working holiday visa, and if you have a visa almost any company will hire you to teach English. (They just can't sponsor you without the BA)

You can earn 250,000 a month teaching English, no idea how that compares to your current salary.

[yoshifeatures]

Yes I am Australian, so a Visa isn't an isssue.

So is the degree is still a major issue?

[annie]

Yes I am Australian, so a Visa isn't an isssue.

So is the degree is still a major issue?

I know loads of people here teaching English without a BA.
Not an issue at all.

[yoshifeatures]

So its not hard to make a living? How about saving money?

[Bueller_007]

You need a degree to get a regular visa. You don't need a degree to get a working holiday visa or a job. That means if you have legal permission to work in Japan (i.e. you have a Japanese passport because one of your parents are Japanese and you haven't renounced your citizenship) you can get a job teaching English without a uni degree. The usual job requirement is something like "13 years of education in which English was the primary language of instruction" or something.

If you're on a student visa, it's illegal to work, but if you get private students who pay you in cash, no one will ever have to know about it.

You can save as much or as little as you want. Depends entirely on your working & spending habits.

[yoshifeatures]

Okay, so whats the best thing to do? Look for a job in Japan? How easy is it to do that? I would rather not be too stressed looking, I've heard it can take months, and I don't want it to take so long...

[Bueller_007]

If you can't find a job teaching English in Japan, you've got more serious issues, such as worrying about your ever-worsening blindness.

I arrived in Japan on August 17th, I had an interview the next week, I was offered the job the following week, and I was working by September 5th.

March/April and August/September are the easiest times to find jobs teaching at high schools (because of the school year). I don't know if you can work at a high school w/o a proper degree though.

Most of the big eikaiwa seem to have staffing issues around September and January. (People moving back to their home country for school or the holidays.)

I can't imagine you'd have trouble finding a job within a couple of weeks in those periods. If you're living in Osaka, there are jobs EVERYWHERE, all the time.

Try these:
http://www.gaijinpot.com/
http://www.ohayosensei.com/
http://www.kfm.to/

[annie]

If you're on a student visa, it's illegal to work, but if you get private students who pay you in cash, no one will ever have to know about it.

It never used to be illegal to work on a student visa. (You had to apply for special permission to work when I was on one, but I'd heard that was no longer necessary.) Has that changed?


Full time wages are generally 250,000 a month. Figure on 70,000/month for housing/utilities if your apartment is arranged through your company. Food, if you're cooking for yourself will probably be at least 30,000/month. Also, taxes are quite high on a working holiday visa.

I save 100,000/month without even trying. I go to the pub a few times a week and go snowboarding every week in winter.

[Bueller_007]

If you're on a student visa, it's illegal to work, but if you get private students who pay you in cash, no one will ever have to know about it.

It never used to be illegal to work on a student visa. (You had to apply for special permission to work when I was on one, but I'd heard that was no longer necessary.) Has that changed?


Full time wages are generally 250,000 a month. Figure on 70,000/month for housing/utilities if your apartment is arranged through your company. Food, if you're cooking for yourself will probably be at least 30,000/month. Also, taxes are quite high on a working holiday visa.

I save 100,000/month without even trying. I go to the pub a few times a week and go snowboarding every week in winter.

I thought you could work on a student VISA, but the MOFA website puts it squarely in the
"Statuses of residence not permitting work" section, not the "Whether work is permitted or not depends on the content of individual permits" section.

http://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/03.html

[spoony]

hey yall, i'm also in d same boat as this dude as well an i juz wanna know if ah can save myself some money in japan, or do i hav ta work ma ass off to do that?

[SteveG]

I did a bit of research on this topic as I am planning to study for my PhD in Japan in a couple of years. It is possible to work on a student visa legally, but there are a number of steps that must be taken in order to do so. As Bueller_007 noted, work is not permitted under a student visa, so it is necessary to file an application for a permit to "engage in activity other than that permitted by the status of residence previously granted" with the MOFA. If granted, this permit will allow you to work part time jobs on your student visa.

In order to get this permit you must supply the application form for the permit as well as an approved sub-application from the university you attend. You would need to convince the university that the job you want to work will not interfere with your studies and will only require you to work limited hours. I would imagine that each university has its' own guidelines governing this.

Hope this helps.
-Steve