Advice with moving to Japan

[KennyK]

Hi guys

I'm new to this forum but would love some advice. We're thinking of moving to Japan next year and want to find a job teaching English. There are 4 of us in total so we decided not to go for the Jet programme or sign up with one of the big schools like Aeon that recruit in the UK as we would like to be based in the same city. We all have degrees in various subjects and I have made inquiries into taking a Trinity certified TESOL course. At the moment we're thinking of moving to the Kansai region and trying to find a job in Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto or Nara.

My first question relates to the TESOL course, does anybody know if the course is worth doing or do the english schools prefer "a blank canvas". My other questions relate to getting a job in the Kansai region. Can anybody tell me if it will be possible for 4 people to get a job in the same city at the same time, i guess essentially we'll be competing with each other for the same jobs! At the moment we're thinking of moving over then looking for jobs, doing it this way we'll need cash to support ourselves until we can find a job. Can anyone give a rough idea on how long it could take to find a job and how much cash we would need to bring for rent/living expenses/travel etc? Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!!!

Many thanks

Kenny

[Bevdeforges]

Have you looked into the issue of visas yet? If not, check the website for the Japanese consulate in the UK. Embassy of Japan in the UK

Japan is pretty strict about visas - particularly if you are planning on working there.
Cheers,
Bev

[KennyK]

Thanks for the response,

I've looked a little into the visa issue, we can enter on a tourist visa which for UK passport holders gives us 6 months. From there we would need to get a certificate of eligibility from an employer, take that to an immigration office and file a from for changing the visa status. I'm not sure how long this process would take but i imagine it would depend on how fast the employer files the paperwork to get the certificate of eligibility.

Ken

[nighstar]

Sadly I can't be of much help to you as I'm not from the UK and I'm over here on the JET Programme.

In my not-very-informed opinion, I think you guys would very much be competing for the same jobs and those jobs would likely be at English Conversation (英会話) Schools, especially if none of you are very competent in Japanese. The majority of the very limited job market for foreigners involves teaching their native language.

I have never heard of a place that would refuse someone based on them having a TESOL certificate. If anything, it would help get your foot in the door at some places. However, there are also places who will hire a native English speaker without any teaching certification, as long as they have a college degree as that's usually a visa requirement.

My biggest caution, as someone else already said, would be visas. Being a native English speaker with a degree, I imagine that an employer would (if they could) get you a visa similar to the ones that JET ALTs are given (an "Instructor" visa), but I don't know for sure... But do make sure that any employer willing to hire you knows from the start that you are on a Tourist visa so that they know that they will have to change that and hope that they have experience with changing visas because it would REALLY suck if they couldn't help you with that and you speak no/little Japanese...

K, I'm done being long-winded, sorry.

[KennyK]

Cheers for the info, I think you've made up my mind to go ahead with the TESOL course. At least if nothing else I should be better prepared when it comes to interviews. As for the visa issue, as i've still got plenty of time I should probably think of an alternative to heading over and hoping for the best! Perhaps I should reconsider the jet programme or the big eikaiwa chains, at least with the eikaiwa chains I could get a visa and quit if I don't like where they send me. That way i'd still have the visa and could then go do what I really wanted!

[nighstar]

Sounds good, although caution on that last part. You are obligated to change your visa within X amount of time upon changing employers/becoming unemployed. If you don't change your visa within X amount of time and you are found out you could be blacklisted from ever entering the country again. ^^;

[KennyK]

Mmmm, after a quick bit of research i've found out that you have 3 months to change your visa status after changing jobs or becoming unemployed, otherwise you need a justifiable reason for them to let you stay. If not they revoke your residency status and you have to leave the country. They definately don't make it easy! I guess we could sign up with a conversation school then look for a new job when we get some time off, that way we'd still be within the time limit and would not have to change to unemployed status, just a change of employer. Cheers for your help you've given me a bit to think about!

Kenny

[april]

Also be aware that GEOS has gone bankrupt recently. They, after Nova went bankrupt a couple of years ago, were one of the biggest employers of English teachers. You will be competing for jobs with thousands of unemployed GEOS teachers who are already settled in Japan.

[KennyK]

Yeah I heard about that, as i'm not intending to go until next year i'm hoping the worst of the fallout will be over by then. At the moment it looks like it would be pretty impossible for somebody new to Japan to get a job over there. Hopefully by next year the economic outlook will be a bit better and demand for English lessons will also increase, giving us a slightly better chance than at present. I do however think it will be a case of waiting to see how things pan out and keeping the fingers crossed! Thanks for the input April, its greatly appreciated.

[Joppa]

Originally Posted by KennyK

Yeah I heard about that, as i'm not intending to go until next year i'm hoping the worst of the fallout will be over by then. At the moment it looks like it would be pretty impossible for somebody new to Japan to get a job over there. Hopefully by next year the economic outlook will be a bit better and demand for English lessons will also increase, giving us a slightly better chance than at present. I do however think it will be a case of waiting to see how things pan out and keeping the fingers crossed! Thanks for the input April, its greatly appreciated.

I won't count on that, to be frank. Japanese economy has been in the doldrums since late 1980s and hasn't really recovered. Of course fiscally they are in a much better shape than UK (a lot less deficit), hence the soaring yen vs plunging pound, but it's the lack of domestic demand (including learning languages) that is hurting the economy, as export - already hit by world recession and high yen - and domestic consumer demand are the twin engines for economic growth. Remember there is little in the way of safety net such as social security payments in Japan as we have in UK (much stricter eligibility criteria, and often exclude foreigners), and being jobless and penniless in Japan isn't something I'd want to experience. It'll be a lot better to go there already armed with a job offer than pounding the pavements in search of a job, with little local knowledge, contacts and language skills.