All In Japan Working Or Have Contacts In Japan!

[Beer Baron]

if you have a bachelors degree then that's all you need if you just want to teach english in a conversation school. take a hard look at why you want to move to japan though. teaching conversational english may not be that rewarding for you (eiter in the monetary sense, or the self fullfilment sense). If however you just want to experience japanese culture and enjoy a pretty cruisy lifestyle for a few years before you become a corporate wage slave then by all means do it. I would look at it as a couple of years rest and relaxation. but don't expect it to advance your career too much.

[Tales]

Im just after the cruisey lifestyle nothing serious for me. but is there many other avenues of work i can try for besides teaching english?

[Beer Baron]

well funnily enough japan has pretty much the same career opportunities as any developed country. so what field are you in here? what qualifications do you have? that will give you an idea. ie, if you are a dentist here, then you could be a dentist in japan. but any kind of decent career in a japanese company you will need strong japanese language skills. the other option is work in foreign companies in japan.

[m3gtr]

dodgey sign language maybe? hahaha! If im lucky i will find someone over there who speaks english.....then marry them?? but am gonna start doing some night classes at uni so i dnt look like a total noob lol but know what ya mean its bout as challenging as having sex in a prickle bush :S . Whats the ave cost for an apartment over there, looking at osaka area?

average cost? forget osaka. people come to tokyo to find the jobs.

it depends. i pay over 115,000 yen which is about $1700 Oz a month. thats more than 260 dollars a week...now....take the image of an apartments size and divide its size by 3. Thats a Japanese apartment.

now once you've done the math, you can ...add and subtract right?, add in at least ¥100,000k or around ¥1200 Oz for partying costs and whatever else a month..you seem like a partying type, and youre already looking at ¥215,000 yen a month. Most monkeys, not saying you have to take that route, make around that themselves by working as a slave at nova or any of the other fast food english schools.

if you want to do it fine but dont complain to me when you say you dont have enough money to get your stuff, pay rent ,party, get that BOV for you ride back in oz, and it WILL happen, cause ill say well man, i aint that nigga to steal on! go an get yaself another 2 jobs mo' fo!

[Beer Baron]

dude, have you checked the exchange rate lately? 115,000 JPY is not near $1700AUD. It's under $1100. Which is far cheaper than a place in sydney! you must be on a good wicket.

[Tales]

No shit? Only ive heard is expensive as fark to start off in tokyo :S but hey working an extra is all good with me, if it means more moolah for alco n'stuff then im all good lol (which remind me more yager bombs this w/e ^^ ). Im selling my car over here as im intending on staying in jp for quite a long time....or as long as my visa permits....if i can get one hahaa! but yerr im hoping to have about 8k or i might take a loan out over here for a little more. Apartments aint to big eh? no mind party jus has to extend out to the hallway.....and a lil further out the building :S Mmm as ive only been working in the Transport logistics area thats all the experience i have ( cough*forklift driver*cough ) and i only finished the 11th grade. so yerr i dnno what i can get esp to have a long term visa. I heard bout the holiday visas but says you cannot earn more than a certain amount ( mind you look to be pretty small ) but still i think is granted for a year??

[Beer Baron]

ok with no degree and limited experience your job prospects in japan are pretty much the same as here... not good, except they are more limited as you can't work for most japanese companies. to be honest I don't think you have very good chances of making it work in japan. $8K will not last you very long. I can spend that much in 2 or 3 weeks no problem (think about, air fare, accomodation, food, shopping, partying etc). granted you wont be spending that much as your not just on holiday, but still... plus without a job offer, or a degree you have no chance of getting a working visa. you can get a working holiday visa though. My advice is put it off for a few years and get a degree.

basically you would find it a bit tough atm even to get a job in a converstation school. you would really be looking at bar work, or hustling tourists into strip clubs, brothels, hostess bars etc. if you are a big dude you may get a job as a bouncer but you will still need some japanese. I say unless you are living in dirt poverty atm don't move to japan for that kind of work.

[Tales]

Yah hmmm ive taken the costs of air fares etc out of the equation as I have already budgeted for that. Ofcourse I will be looking for some type of job ( in a non_proffessional industry ) and i know it will be tough as you have so put as well but I will not be departing aus unless I have secured employment etc beforehand. hahaa but i will be looking for a semi respective job, pity its not like ovr here but at tha moment i'am starting night classes to learn to speak japanese otherwise i think i would find it almost impossible. But one thing is for sure is that i will be heading over for a holiday beforehand so i can get a grasp on things around there, and get to know some people although i do have cert 3 in security which is nationaly recognised so i dnt know if that will help :S

[Beer Baron]

well it sounds like you have a good plan and learning to read, speak and write japanese is a good start. taking a holiday there first is a great idea. best of luck

[momo]

Thats a bit harsh, it is possible to get a job with nova before leaving australia and having your accomodatiion and something to walk into before you leave, without a degree you can only have a working holiday visa but I know plenty of people who have lived comfortably on part time nova and some private lessons here and there. When I first went to Japan I was with nova, it sucked but its just a means to an ends, having accomodation waiting and a chance to sus out other options was great. And all it cost me was the air fare. I dont know anyone who lives in japan thats in it for the money,or making much (accept the odd funds manager or very experienced specialist in something). if you can live there and experience it thats the main thing. I spent alot of time looking for anything other than teaching english but its not easy. I found one job checking speedos at the docks and one as an auction purchasing agent but the pay and conditions were worse than english teaching! If cash is what you want go to Kalgoorlie not Japan.

If you want to learn a bit, like theres no such thing as ununderstandable, do it.

PS my apartment in Umeda the heart of Osaka was 70,000 yen per month, alot less than I pay now.

[Tales]

Haahaa nah im not in it for the money, just the experience ( note im not one of those people that beleive money buys you happiness ) so im not fussed either way, i just want to have fun !!! Mmmm working at the mine sis awsome money although it is just as hard as getting a professional job in japan as most jobs there require trade qualifications, there just no such thing as being a genuine hard worker only paperwork. Mmm but hey thats not everywhere. Can you let me know more Tim? [email protected]. Id like to talk to anyone that would offer more advice if they have the time ^^.

[m3gtr]

repost

Edited July 27, 2007 by m3gtr

[m3gtr]

Haahaa nah im not in it for the money, just the experience ( note im not one of those people that beleive money buys you happiness ) so im not fussed either way, i just want to have fun !!! Mmmm working at the mine sis awsome money although it is just as hard as getting a professional job in japan as most jobs there require trade qualifications, there just no such thing as being a genuine hard worker only paperwork. Mmm but hey thats not everywhere. Can you let me know more Tim? [email protected]. Id like to talk to anyone that would offer more advice if they have the time ^^.

mate , listen.

Ill give the info to you straight up but you may not like the taste of it. seeing as you have only finished year 11, no english conversation school will hire you. The absolute minimum is year 12 and that will at best get you a flexi-time position as they call it which will make you at best a little over ¥200,000 yen. thats around 500 AUS a week and trust me you go through money like anything over here. Im making over 400,000¥ and it gives me a moderate lifestyle but rarely extravagant. To the company, how can they think you will be an effective teacher when you havent even finished high school?

I would give up the idea of staying for extended periods unless you improve your education. Trade schools dont count towards bettering your chances.

If you dont speak the language, you will only be able to, by and large, work in an eikaiwa.

there are other options such as barwork, but even those jobs only pay around 800 yen an hour. ONE drink in a bar will cost you that much much of the time and youve spent an hour picking up broken glass just to get it. If you are a good looking Mr.Charisma, you may be able to score modeling work. Ive done a bunch of stuff from tv commercials, to magazine shoots, stock photography, fashion shows and pay is good IF you can get the work which is NOT easy to do.

I will say the same thing as richard. Go and get your education up first then think about japan long term. Its not a goldmine like it used to be here although people still think it is. theyre misguided. I do alright now and got extremely lucky to land a job at a uni which, in education, is where you want to be.

I dont really know why people go and set up in osaka. Tokyo is bigger, brighter with many more opportunities, work wise and girl wise if you know what i mean.

Do yourself a favour. Get on a plane and come here when you can for a couple of weeks. Before you start jumping into Language courses and the like, see it first and experience it first hand. If, after you come here you like it and want to come back ( which is very likely ), go back to Oz and do whatever you have to do to get qualified and get back. Youre not going to enjoy this place at all if you have to struggle from day to day, which is exactly what will happen to you if you come now or in the near future.

What tim neglected to mention was that working for NOVA sucked, he taught monotonous lessons, worked under sycophantic bosses and generally eked out a living from paycheck to paycheck. If Tim didnt mind the working conditions then i guess we all just put up with it but its highly unlikely the average aussie just comes over here on a WHV just to see the sights, sounds and screw a few j-girls. People who say that after 12 months of being here are mostly delusional.

for your information, the WHV is 18 months, renewable every 6. You can get the visa between the ages of 18 and 31.

i have a question for you after all that,,....how old are you?

Honestly mate, and dont take this personally, but if you intend to teach with the skills you have that ive seen in your posts you wont last very long..

Im serious when i say that if youre serious about this place, and trust me- you need to be to survive and grow here, then prove it and somehow an opportunity will open up for you in the future. Thats the way life works for me and ive got my best intentions out for you to see.

[m3gtr]

dont know anyone who lives in japan thats in it for the money,or making much (accept the odd funds manager or very experienced specialist in something).

well you just met your first one on both counts.

#SIGH#...Once the honeymoon is over, the hard work starts but the money is a good sweetener.

[Rezz]

I dont really know why people go and set up in osaka. Tokyo is bigger, brighter with many more opportunities, work wise and girl wise if you know what i mean.

I agree that Tokyo has more opportunities, but to some (many?) people, being 'bigger and brighter' is a drawback. Theres much more to Japan than Tokyo, and to not understand why some people avoid the place and set up elsewhere is being superficial.

You can still be a sexy gaijin pseudo-rockstar in Osaka you know...

[momo]

mate , listen.

What tim neglected to mention was that working for NOVA sucked, he taught monotonous lessons, worked under sycophantic bosses and generally eked out a living from paycheck to paycheck. If Tim didnt mind the working conditions then i guess we all just put up with it but its highly unlikely the average aussie just comes over here on a WHV just to see the sights, sounds and screw a few j-girls. People who say that after 12 months of being here are mostly delusional.

Im serious when i say that if youre serious about this place, and trust me- you need to be to survive and grow here, then prove it and somehow an opportunity will open up for you in the future. Thats the way life works for me and ive got my best intentions out for you to see.

Actually mate I did say it was shitte, and I said it was a means to an ends, some people actually like nova, me not being one of them but for you to suggest that where you are and what you do is some how the only way it should be is pretty f'ing sad. I know people who have worked for nova 3,4,and 5 years. Me on the other hand I quit after a year and found other things, I wouldnt say my time was wasted there as I met some intelligent and interesting students who tought me alot about japan while getting paid. Serious to survive and grow? what the F is that? you sound like your on a pilgrimage. "highly unlikely the avreage aussie comes over here on a whv just to..." Mate have you actually met anyone else from another country while youve been in japan? or are you one of those people that ignores gaijin and pretends hes the only foreigner in the country? The truth is the average is 8 months and others stay much longer, years. I actually hate teaching full stop so a uni job in japan would be no better for me, nor would 400000yen a month for a career. English teacher is short for human with heart beat who speaks english as a first language, so its not really a big claim to fame. There are plenty of people from India, Phillipines, Nigeria and various other countries who are in japan teaching english with not educations that arent so good. You just have to accept that it can be done and people dont have to do the same as you to do it, believe it or not there are alot of japanese on less than 200000 yen month. have you ever ask one of your "j girls" how much she makes or do you not interact with the locals as you too busy looking at yourself on the cover of a magazine. I was lucky enough to spreak to the only girl in Osaka and ask her, rezz may back me up here as I'm sure he's spoken to her too (I know shes been to Kobe because actually all of western japan has to share her).

If you actually asked someone around you a question you might then realise that half the people in the bar/club cant afford to be there on your calculation, perhaps you should suggest they go home too.

Although you are an english teacher (see definition above) i suggest you look up the term egocentric, take one more look in the mirror and then go somewhere nice and meditate on the phrase "each to there own". Sadly all the people around you are silently humming this song but you have to cancel the first before you can understand the second.

well you just met your first one on both counts.

#SIGH#...Once the honeymoon is over, the hard work starts but the money is a good sweetener.

I cant disagree that youre there for the money, if you say so. But, sorry, when I said making much I actually meant more than the average wage in australia, If you look at the the quote you will see there were acceptions but your not one of them. times your salery by 4 then you migh fit the bill (unfortunatley for you as a teacher that will never happen.) I wonder if I asked them the same question they would say you are wasting your time, I'm thinking whilst they could, they probably have a good understanding of the phrase above.

Edited July 28, 2007 by momo

[m3gtr]

Actually mate I did say it was shitte, and I said it was a means to an ends, some people actually like nova, me not being one of them but for you to suggest that where you are and what you do is some how the only way it should be is pretty f'ing sad. I know people who have worked for nova 3,4,and 5 years. Me on the other hand I quit after a year and found other things, I wouldnt say my time was wasted there as I met some intelligent and interesting students who tought me alot about japan while getting paid. Serious to survive and grow? what the F is that? you sound like your on a pilgrimage. "highly unlikely the avreage aussie comes over here on a whv just to..." Mate have you actually met anyone else from another country while youve been in japan? or are you one of those people that ignores gaijin and pretends hes the only foreigner in the country? The truth is the average is 8 months and others stay much longer, years. I actually hate teaching full stop so a uni job in japan would be no better for me, nor would 400000yen a month for a career. English teacher is short for human with heart beat who speaks english as a first language, so its not really a big claim to fame. There are plenty of people from India, Phillipines, Nigeria and various other countries who are in japan teaching english with not educations that arent so good. You just have to accept that it can be done and people dont have to do the same as you to do it, believe it or not there are alot of japanese on less than 200000 yen month. have you ever ask one of your "j girls" how much she makes or do you not interact with the locals as you too busy looking at yourself on the cover of a magazine. I was lucky enough to spreak to the only girl in Osaka and ask her, rezz may back me up here as I'm sure he's spoken to her too (I know shes been to Kobe because actually all of western japan has to share her).

If you actually asked someone around you a question you might then realise that half the people in the bar/club cant afford to be there on your calculation, perhaps you should suggest they go home too.

Although you are an english teacher (see definition above) i suggest you look up the term egocentric, take one more look in the mirror and then go somewhere nice and meditate on the phrase "each to there own". Sadly all the people around you are silently humming this song but you have to cancel the first before you can understand the second.

tim, listen to some logic. i gave my perspective, my opinion and im entitled to it. Ive been here for three years now, im married, and have serious intentions of staying. Im serious about my job and if your serious about teaching you wont want to work in an eikaiwa. you will want to get a job in a JHS, HS or uni. Most eikaiwa hire anyone with a pulse and that has dragged down the industry standard. Did you know NOVA will go ass up anytime soon? Yep, they are going bust.

i have not been living under a rock as you erroneously assume. I have met tons of people. Im an outgoing person with a good heart and i have good will for the japanese in mind. I dont stare at myself in the mirror if only to set my hair and make sure the shave was straight. You think ive got my head up my ass but as i told the OP, i was going to say it straight and i did. How long did you stay here? You only met one girl to get an opinion from?

Uni work for me IS the only way to go in "education". having said that, im working on business here and we will see where that leads.

Op wants to come over here and make a go of it, Thats what i got from his posts. He may or may not like what he has heard but its the truth and ive been straight about it. I never said it wasnt possible, as the OP is probably still very young..not even 20 i imagine, so theres time for him to get his skills up and then come over here.

before you start lampooning me for what may seem like bias let me tell you this. I am here to make a difference. Are you?

[m3gtr]

I cant disagree that youre there for the money, if you say so. But, sorry, when I said making much I actually meant more than the average wage in australia, If you look at the the quote you will see there were acceptions but your not one of them. times your salery by 4 then you migh fit the bill (unfortunatley for you as a teacher that will never happen.) I wonder if I asked them the same question they would say you are wasting your time, I'm thinking whilst they could, they probably have a good understanding of the phrase above.

who said i was only teaching. I make 400k from my uni work..you think thats the only thing im doing..?

50,000 AUS a year isnt a bad wage anyone monkey can tell you that. Plus my wife makes another 50k and we arent doing too bad.

[m3gtr]

I agree that Tokyo has more opportunities, but to some (many?) people, being 'bigger and brighter' is a drawback. Theres much more to Japan than Tokyo, and to not understand why some people avoid the place and set up elsewhere is being superficial.

You can still be a sexy gaijin pseudo-rockstar in Osaka you know...

i suppose its easy to be a Mr Charisma anywhere in japan. i just prefer to be one in TKY.

[Lukaz]

I wanna head over once I have my A grade electrical licence, (should of had it 2 years ago but got lazy). Would you guys know how hard it is to land work as a qualified tradesmen over there?