Finding work in Japan on a spouse visa

[yuriyuri]

I'm sorry for posting a new thread about this but my internet keeps on cutting out so I can't use the search properly.

I just had a couple of questions about work in Japan because I will be getting married and moving over to Japan in about 4~5 months time from now.
The original plan was to stay in the UK but after re-thinking our financial and personal situations it would be much more ideal for me to go to Japan.

Since I will be getting married I will also of course be applying for a spouse visa.
Assuming this all goes well and I get my visa and alien registration card, I then need to find a job.

Currently the only qualifications I have are 4 old GCSEs from secondary school (I only passed 4 with a grade of C or above...)
Other than that all I have is 7~8 years work experience (5 years in super markets 3 years in web development).
I am currently a web developer in England, which I have been doing for the last 3 years but unfortunately my Japanese leaves a lot to be desired.

Because of this it is only natural for me to assume that I will need to look for work teaching English.

Like I said I will be getting married in about 4~5 months time from now, so I plan to use that time to save as much money as I can to help us live until I find a job (I already have some savings and my fiancee works a part time job where she can pretty much freely choose the amount of hours she works so this shouldn't be too hard).

Because I have no qualifications and no experience in teaching English, I also plan to use that time to do a 4 week full time, Cambridge CELTA, TEFL course.

We will initially be living in Toyota, so I have looked around the internet to see what kind of jobs are available in Aichi but a lot of these jobs are in Nagoya, and on top of that say they require a bachelors degree or some kind of previous experience.

My question is, how likely is it that I would be able to find a job teaching English with only a CELTA TEFL certificate to my name?

And where should I look for jobs in Japan? (I have only tried sites like Gaijin Pot so far)

Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated!

[Nyororin]

They`re asking for a degree because they are assuming they`ll need to get a visa for you. Once that is out of the way (you here legally on a spouse visa), those requirements will magically melt away.

I would wait until you are in Japan, and do a search for English schools in the area (instead of those advertised as looking for someone). Start asking if they need anyone - and making it clear that you`re already in Japan, have a visa, and are open to start at any time.

Toyota is not all that far from Nagoya (about an hour train commute, which is not bad), so don`t feel put off if the positions are not in the immediate area. Sometimes it can be a lot harder to get to somewhere close but far from a station than somewhere far but close to a station.

(I live in Aichi - Ama-shi, but about as close to downtown Nagoya as you can get without being in the city. Used to live in Okazaki, just south of Toyota. If there is anything you need to know about the area, please feel free to ask.)

[yuriyuri]

Thank you very much for your reply and advice Nyororin!

It's good to know that the bachelor degree requirements are primarily for visa purposes.
I was getting worried that I wouldn't be able to find a job!

I am in Toyota right now but will be returning to the UK in a few weeks time.
Perhaps I should use my remaining time to get to know the area a bit more and find out how long it will take me to get to different areas from here (Such as Nagoya)

Once again thank you very much for your reply; i appreciate it

[yasuto]

Hello yuriyuri. I know your intension is to be an English teacher but you don’t have to give up seeking other jobs.

A friend of mine is an Indonesian currently working/living in Japan with a spouse visa. When he came to Japan, he had virtually nothing. He had no money, no Japanese command, no qualifications, no descent work experience (he was used to be a musician working at a beach resort), no friend, no help from his wife’s family and his wife was pregnant. The last golden week he returned to Indonesia with his wife and a child with a lot of gifts for the first time after 5 years of hard days. He works in a small factory and lives in Kodan (public run apartment). His life is modest but he is happy with his wife and a boy who is going to enter elementary school next year.

It is presumptuous to advice you since I am native Japanese, but I am sure the ability to communicate in Japanese will greatly expand your personal connections and that is often the key to seize the chance.

I wish you good lack

[protheus]

Originally Posted by yuko81

I think I need a spouse visa.

I think you need to marry someone to get it .

[blimp]

i don't believe you have to limit yourself to english teaching, especially if you have experience in web development. there are plenty of companies out there looking for people with web development qualifications (it doesn't necessarily have to be academic qualifications). i still think it is good that you get a TEFL certificate since getting an english job might prove to be faster.