The Japan Trip Resource Thread!

[teddymeow]

I've been suffering what I call post-Japan blues, recently.

Just really, really missing the people and places. And the food!

Everything here just seems a bit bland by comparison.

[Square]

I thought about this but in the end I just took cash with me, Tokyo seems to be one of those rare places where people dont bat an eyelid at wads of wongo.

Woot only 7 weeks till my next visit!

Not from a safety point of view - I'm more worried I might lose it...

[kryss]

I've been suffering what I call post-Japan blues, recently.

Just really, really missing the people and places. And the food!

Everything here just seems a bit bland by comparison.

Out of Japan for 1 year 22 days now... I'm right there with you, 兄弟!

[Anpanman]

We always think we've gone back through time when we arrive back into the UK.

I've got about five and a half weeks before I'm back hauling bags of rice about.

[teddymeow]

Out of Japan for 1 year 22 days now... I'm right there with you, 兄弟!

What didn't help is that Mrs Teddy turned round to me the other day and said "now I'm a teacher I get Christmas off. If you can get out of retail we could spend one in Tokyo!"

I practically wept at the thought of that!

[randombs]

Do it, man!

When I went in the Summer and Winter, Summer return was depressing but Winter return was happy, maybe it'll be the same for you

[teddymeow]

Do it, man!

When I went in the Summer and Winter, Summer return was depressing but Winter return was happy, maybe it'll be the same for you

Can you imagine me handing in my notice?

"Why are you leaving Chris?"

"I want to spend Christmas in Tokyo and this is the only way I can get to do it...I quit!!"

Extreem!

[Square]

Can you imagine me handing in my notice?

"Why are you leaving Chris?"

"I want to spend Christmas in Tokyo and this is the only way I can get to do it...I quit!!"

Extreem!

That's exactly what I'm doing on Thursday. My employers won't give me the time off, so I'm quitting! I plan to go freelance when I get back

[k0pp0]

Going to Japan in October and can't wait. Although being away from me boy for a couple of weeks is going to pretty hard.

[fuji]

Three weeks left till I head back for my sons first birthday by ANA, have only ever seen him twice (one of them was his birth!)

[DeathAdder]

Leaving Japan tomorrow for a much needed 15 day break from the place.

[Ghost]

Hey guys, this is a question for the people that are living out there. Whats the job situation like out there at the moment? When I lived in Japan 6 years ago I didnt really have a problem finding work (bar work/teaching) but this was when NOVA were still around so I have no idea what the situation is like now. At the moment Im planning on returning to Japan to live midway through next year, in the meantime Im going to be taking beginner japanese classes and am looking into getting a TEFL. Also I dont have a degree so Im also looking into doing an open university course and do that for teaching while Im living in Japan. Im looking to save £10,000 to go out there with which should mean I should survive for a year without work. Visa I will (hopefully) have will be a spouse visa so legally I should be able to work, its just a case of are there any teaching jobs in or around Tokyo and if there are would a TEFL be enough or am I going to need a degree minimum? Worse case scenario will be getting a bar job in Roppongi as I still know a few people there so should be able to get something. Would being out in the sticks be easier to find teaching work?

Any advice?

[kryss]

Word from my contacts is that the market is terrible for teaching. GEOS went under a few months back and G.com NOVA took over some schools, which lead to their traditional non-renewal of contracts for some teachers.

You could try getting an ALT position but those are much harder to get than they used to be.

If you're not under a spousal VISA, without a degree you can't get a full-time work VISA. At least that's the way I understand it.

[Darwock]

Getting employment here is a constant struggle, if you want to survive you are most likely going to be looking at doing multiple part time jobs (with those being mostly teaching kids groups).

I was lucky to get an ALT job after Nova but that got pulled out from under me when another company quoted a lower price for the contract to the BOE, then advertised our old jobs back to us teachers at an impossibly low salary.

Again I found another one by complete luck. Another teacher got hospitalized the day before starting work and subsequently lost his job - I was the first to respond to the advert. That shows you how much security you will have working here.

However that job runs out in December and I don't know what will happen after that. Long term prospects are terrible.

P.S. yeah you need a degree if you want to get a working visa from the immigration bureau.

[Ghost]

Getting employment here is a constant struggle, if you want to survive you are most likely going to be looking at doing multiple part time jobs (with those being mostly teaching kids groups).

I was lucky to get an ALT job after Nova but that got pulled out from under me when another company quoted a lower price for the contract to the BOE, then advertised our old jobs back to us teachers at an impossibly low salary.

Again I found another one by complete luck. Another teacher got hospitalized the day before starting work and subsequently lost his job - I was the first to respond to the advert. That shows you how much security you will have working here.

However that job runs out in December and I don't know what will happen after that. Long term prospects are terrible.

P.S. yeah you need a degree if you want to get a working visa from the immigration bureau.

Well as I said it would be a spouse visa I would be getting so I wouldnt need to worry about legally being able to work, Im more concerned about if I need a minimum of a degree to get work