Today I stopped by jp.indeed.com to check out their job search engine.  I really liked what I saw.  Their “Google Style” layout made it easy to navigate and they manage to pull in jobs from other search sites.

So if you’re looking to work in Japan, I’d definitely take time to stop by this site.

Shoot me a message and let me know what you think!

Geoff

Just got done taking a course for work that has been keeping me from posting, but now that I am back I want to catch up on my blog and highlight one of the large scale recruiting campaigns going on now.

If you are interested in teaching English in Japan, you may want to take a look at Interac Co., LTD.  They are an English teaching corporation and have been recruiting and growing exponentially.  I have been following them on Gaijinpot.com for the past few months and have been wondering what is fueling their growth.   It seems like they are a contracted version of The Jet Programme.  A friend of mine in Japan that runs a school said that they got the contract(s) to fill the need for ALT’s in elementary, Junior High and  High Schools around the city and throughout Japan.

So if you’re interested in teaching English in Japan, you may want to look into checking them out.

If you are looking for work in Japan or anywhere, careerjet.jp and careerjet.com have an impressive amount of information and links to finding a job for you.  If you are looking to work in Japan the careerjet.jp site is great.  You will, however, need to be able to read a bit of Japanese to navigate through the site.  You can find English teaching or translation jobs posted in English there, but for the most part the site is in Japanese.  Their English couterpart, careerjet.com is nicely laid out and provides all the bells and whistles you’d expect in a job search site.

To the left, you will be able to navigate and look for jobs in specific areas of Japan and even in other countries.

I definitely recommend all job seekers to take time to check out this site.

Japanese Visa’s

If you are looking to stay in Japan for a period of time (to study or to work) you may be interested in the various types of Japanese Visa’s there are available to you.  Although there are many types of visas I will list the more common or sought after ones.  More information can be found at the MOFA site

Working Visas

Instructor                                              3 years or 1 year
Specialist in Humanities / International Services   3 years or 1 year
Entertainer                                          Varies 3 months to 1 year
Investor /Business Manager        3 years or 1 year
Religious Activities                          3 years or 1 year
Intracompany Transferee            3 years or 1 year
Artist                                                     3 years or 1 year

General Visas

Cultural Activities           1 year or 6 Months
College Student                2 years or 1 year
Pre-College student        1 year or 6 Months
Trainee                                1 year or 6 Months
Dependent                          Varies 3 months to 3 years

In a nutshell, the Japanese Government wants to avoid people staying in Japan, from becoming a burden on society and the country.  When applying for a General Visa you will have to provide proof of support and will need a Sponsor.

For working visas, the company or organization that is sponsoring you must justify why they need you.  They will have to submit proof of income and they will become your sponsor.

Again, check out “A Guide to Japanese Visas” put out by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Jobcube.com was started up in 2006 along with their sister site theblackship.com.  The site is in English and easy to navigate.  It is not as well established as gaijinpot.com but does have the potential to be just as good, if not better.  I like the layout a lot and given more time, I believe it can be one of the leaders for foreigners to find work.

One of my Sensei’s once told me that great treasures can be found by walking off the beaten path.  If this is true,  then Jobcube.com may hold the key to finding key jobs.

I really like Theblackship.com.  It provides a quick snapshot of the news in Japan.  The site comes complete with a forum, marketplace, gallery and other features.  If you have time, this is a site one should bookmark.

Again, both of the sites are relatively new but have great potential.

Teaching English is sort of a default lifestyle for many foreigners who go to visit and end up staying there.  If you’re in Japan long enough you are bound to meet up with other foreigners who are only there “temporarily” but have been there for 5 or more years already.

Teaching English is not for everyone.  Most will make it 2-3 years and then head home.   If you want to go to Japan to work and don’t speak the language, then this  is a great entry point for people interested in Japan.  Where else can you go,  where they will pay you to do what comes to you naturally; speak English.

If you are thinking of flying to Japan without a job lined up and intend to hit the ground running, whatever you do…. do not tell the immigrations officer that you are there to look for a job.  You may end up as one of the countless number of foreigners who are put back on a plane and sent out of country.  You need to be sure you have the address of the place you are staying at and let them know you are just visiting.

Fortunately, a lot of the immigrations laws have eased up over the past 10-15 years and it has become easier to get a work visa and to remain in country.  I know, I have been through the hard times and have helped a number of foreigners from different countries with their paper work and have assisted them in getting everything from visas and drivers licenses to apartments and cars.

Do you need a university degree?  No, but it sure helps.  If you come from one of those countries that have “Working Holiday” agreements with Japan, then you are fortunate.  If  not, then the university degree helps.  When an English school sponsors a “teacher”, they have to justify why this person is qualified to teach English.  One of the stipulations is a 4 year degree.  Now, do University grads make better teachers?  Not really.    Your command of English should be good, or you better be smart enough to get an English grammar book and start reading up.

Regardless if you graduated from a university or not, if you have no teaching experience, go get a book on teaching English as a second language or teaching English as a foreign language.  Perhaps in another post I will write about the differences between ESL and EFL.

Before you get to Japan, please do your homework.   Start blogging and asking around.  Learn the geography and climate of where you think you may potentially want to work.  If you think you will be traveling a lot, look for a or town not too far from a major airport or train station.

This topic is way too huge for one post.  If you have any questions about teaching English in Japan,  send me an email or leave a comment.

In the early days before the internet, the best resource for opportunities in Japan was The Japan Times… Monday edition… classifieds.    Now there are so many sites out there with information on just about everything you can imagine.

Gaijinpot.com is one of the best one stop shops if you are looking for a job or looking for information on Japan.  If you are looking for a job in Japan this is a site that you must look at.  It lets you filter on searches by location and job types.  It is also a great site to post to if you are looking for workers.

If you click on the “Living Info” tab, you will be able to find general information on all aspects of Japan.  There are sites out there with more detailed information about living there, but this is a definite site to look through if you are interested in moving there or just interested in Japan.

The forum is also a good place to stop by if you are looking for info on Japan or if you want an opinion from someone living there.  The classifieds have personals listed there if you are looking for someone.  But hey… don’t take my word.  Go check it out.    www.gaijinpot.com