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09-09-2009, 03:32 PM
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Keep checking the job boards as what you can offer is very good in Japan. I believe the money would be good and would only increase at your age. Cheers - Oz 
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Working as a teacher -
09-15-2009, 04:47 AM
Just to add my 2 cents,
To find work as a teacher in Japan can be tough if you're looking to be a real teacher and can be easy if you just want to some kind of assistant or work in a conversation school/. When I say "real teacher" I mean getting a job in JHS or High school where you take the lessons by yourself usually in Japanese. Alot goes into this type of though - curriculum designed, test writing, exam paper marking etc etc. I have firnds who have been lucky enough to get these types of jobs but they are not easy. In fact.....I think you really have to want to be a teacher to actually enjoy it as essentially, you will be in all respects a "real teacher". Benefit of this is the pay. A language school or ALT job should get you 3 million yen a year. A real teacher job will give you 5million+. If you want to know more...as I've been there myself, contact me. Or visit my webpage and contact me there. 
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09-15-2009, 12:44 PM
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How hard is it to get a part time night gig teaching English a couple of days a week? I won't care much about pay but it will be something to keep me busy a couple of nights a week and a really do LIKE teaching.
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09-18-2009, 09:39 AM
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There are IT jobs available in Japan, but many company's IT departments now tend to hire foreign workers from dispatch-type agencies, and the techs are typically from India. There are a couple of requirements to getting a job in Japan. The first is a 4 years or higher degree, which you have. The second thing is a company which is willing to hire you and sponsor you. And that's it. The application process with a Japanese company is pretty simple. You only need a one-page resume with a photograph. Resumes without photos are not considered acceptable. If your resume gets picked out, you'll have to attend an interview. Dress well. This is even more important in Japan than it is in other countries. Be prepared to take a test of some type to show that you are competent at whatever it is you are applying for. If you are hired, you will be given a contract (usually for 1 year) to sign. In addition to this contract will be a visa application and sponsorship form. You will need to fill out the application, sign the form, and include a couple passport photos. You will take this paperwork and send it in a package back to your new employer. You will also send your passport and your original college degree or certified transcripts in this package. After awhile (the time varies), your diploma and passport will be returned to you, along with a certificate of eligibility. You will take your passport and COE to the nearest Japanese embassy and fill out another form to get your work visa. Leave the form, your passport, and COE. It should only take a few days for them to process the paperwork, and affix the visa in your passport. Keep in mind that getting a job in Japan is not as simple as flying here and handing out copies of your resume. Part time work is not really an option as you need to meet sponsorship/income requirements in order to stay. Some people do fly here, and spend a couple of months job hunting. They often find work, but it's a difficult and expensive process, and as a tourist visa is only 90 days, and the hiring/sponsoring process takes time... you get the idea.
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09-18-2009, 09:44 AM
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09-18-2009, 10:00 AM
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Here is a bit of information which is often glossed over. A degree is not absolutely necessary so long as you have minimum amount of relevant professional work experience. The minimum level of experience is 3 years. In the absence of a degree, you can prove work experience by providing a contract/s from an employer which specifies you have at least 3 years of experience, or tax records showing that you worked for such an employer for at least 3 consecutive years. Keep in mind that applicants who have degrees will likely be given preference over those who merely have work experience. In IT work you will generally have to pass a rather difficult exam in order to be considered for employment. Note that in my first paragraph I used the term "professional". A "profession" is different from a "job" or a "trade". This exception to the degree requirement does not apply to car washers, construction workers, or dental assistants. IT work is considered a profession, as is teaching, and it is possible to get a job in Japan doing either without a degree provided you have at least 3 consecutive years of experience. You will not be able to apply for a job in Japan from overseas without a degree. If you don't have a degree, but do have the minimum amount (or more) of work experience, you will have to travel to Japan at your own expense and hit the streets with a briefcase full of resumes and your best suit. You'd better have a good explanation when it comes time to explain to the interviewer why his company should hire you over someone else who has a college degree.
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09-18-2009, 11:35 AM
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I'm thinking now finding a job for myself may not be simple at all.. But oh well, gonna give it a shot and see what happens.. What do I have to loose by trying..
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09-18-2009, 12:26 PM
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09-18-2009, 03:41 PM
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I'm around 40 (or アラフォ as the Japanese like to say) and I'm thinking of doing the same thing as well. I've been in I/T for the last 15yrs and I need a break. Even if it means teaching English. Thankfully, I'm eligible for the "Child of a Japanese national" visa so I won't have to worry about sponsorship. I'm thinking of spending my first year traveling the country by bicycle, climbing mountains, hiking trails, etc. Who knows? I might end up working at a mountain resort...
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Fifth Wings -
02-29-2012, 11:27 PM
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BE CAREFUL! I worked for them about two years ago, and whilst the only problem I found when I worked for them was that they were incredibly unorganised and a little incompetent (but only twice late with payment), I have since needed their help with something. I have found a company in Brazil willing to sponsor a work visa for me, and they told me as well as my degree certificate, I would need a letter from my previous employers, to prove I worked for a year as an English teacher abroad. Processing a visa takes 2 months, so I was quite keen to get the paperwork done asap. I spoke to Ayaka, a woman who basically runs Fifth Wings, to she if could do this for me. “So you need us to write a letter saying you worked for us? No problem” was her response. I excitedly told her about my opportunity to work in Brazil, and how I was desperate for the documentation to be processed quickly. I told her I would also need to have this letter stamped at the local Chamber of Commerce, before being sent back to me. This is where things got weird. She told me that Fifth Wings were actually registered in Tokyo. So she did as I requested, and sent this letter to a friend of mine in Tokyo who had agreed to help, and he took it to the local Chamber of Commerce there. They were confused, because they hadn’t heard of Fifth Wings being registered in this prefecture, and nothing came up on their system. So my friend called Fifth Wings up to ask what was going on. At first they refused to believe their main offices were not in Tokyo, and they sent a photograph of a computer made print out, which was supposed to confirm this (as it had a Tokyo based address on it). “Of course we are a legal company” was what Ayaka snapped, when I questioned the validity of this ‘document’, and why the Chamber of Commerce in Tokyo hadn’t heard of them. So after 3 months of waiting (Ayaka was apparently too busy to speak to me for 3 months, or so the receptionist said), I was told the local Chamber of Commerce the letter needed to be taken to was actually in Ashikaga, just down the road from Fifth Wings. So they had made a mistake this whole time, mistaking their head offices for the company owner’s apartment block….yea, I know, right! So my friend took my letter to Ashikaga, and the guy on the desk looked a little confused. He said he would like to speak to someone from Fifth Wings directly. He couldn’t stamp my letter to prove they recognise Fifth Wings as a legal company there and then. So again I called Ayaka, and asked if she would mind taking the letter there for me. “Sorry, we can’t” was what she said, before hanging up on me. This is the last I heard from her (I’ve tried several times, but no matter what time of day I call, when I explain who I am, I am always told she is out of the office). My friend called and spoke to her, saying he would pay for her to take the letter to be stamped at the Chamber of Commerce. Still, she refused (she didn’t ask how much he would pay, she just refused). I contacted the Brazilian embassy in Tokyo, who were baffled as to why she wasn’t helping. Believing Ayaka simply didn’t understand what she needed to do, they called Fifth Wings every day for a week….only to have the phone put down on them each time they explained who they were. If you’re a small company, being offered money to take a letter to be stamped in an office down the road….perhaps I’m being naïve in thinking you would probably help out? Especially with a government official calling you from an embassy in Tokyo every day for a week to ask why you weren’t. I know what you're thinking now, 'they must have hated your guts when you worked for them!' But actually, when I worked for Fifth Wings, I was one of two ALT’s hired by them to work at a junior high school. Unfortunately, the second ALT I worked with was really not happy with the ALT experience, so without telling anyone, he just left. He was replaced, only for the second guy to do exactly the same, leave without telling anyone. The governing body in my area were furious, and have since ceased hiring teachers from Fifth Wings (my school actually wanted me to take a position independently, which is quite an honour because this type of contract is quite hard to come by. But they explained they liked me, and wouldn’t be working with Fifth Wings again. I decided not to take them up on their offer, but was flattered the school thought so much of me)….the ALT’s Fifth Wings were sending were simply not happy. I lasted the duration of the year, and when I considered leaving after about 8 months, I was taken out for lunch by the company owner, and told I was doing a great job. I ended up staying, and the owner told me she was really happy I did. Fast forward two years, and I am being blanked by them. I know that Fifth Wings refusal to help has nothing to do with my performance at work. Something else is going on…..and in my opinion, I think it’s likely to do with the legality of this company. I used to work for an English school called Nova, who went bankrupt owing teachers, students, advertisers and staff a great deal of much money (Google it if you have never heard of it, it's pretty messed up stuff!). The owners knew they were going bankrupt, but continued to ask for money from students to pay for classes. Corruption in Japan is much more commonplace than you would imagine, and I certainly wouldn’t rule out something dodgy going on with Fifth either. Maybe that is because I don't trust Japanese as easily after this experience though. Is Fifth Wings a legal company? This will hopefully never be a question you will need to think twice about if you work for them. After all, if you’re getting paid on time and can experience Japan at the same time, then go for it. If you can do this with a company with a solid reputation, then all the better. One you can confidently assume is above board, and unfortunately I’m writing this to warn you, Fifth Wings probably isn’t this company. Nine months later I am still waiting on Fifth Wings to put a stamp on a letter for me. It’s your call, just be careful. I'd hate to say i told you so….
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