Language school and part time job

[kaworu1986]

I have been studying Japanese on my own for a number of years and would really like to spend 6 months to one year in a language school in the country to get my knowledge to an actually useful level (if not JLPT2 at least well on track to study for it on my own); unfortunately, while I do have some cash saved (around 6k EUR), I realize it isn't going to be nearly enough on its own.

What are the options available to get a part time job in Japan and, crucially, would it be possible to get something set up before leaving/finalizing applications to institutes?

I'm 22, Italian (working holiday visa isn't an option, unfortunately) and about to graduate from a four year IT related (Computer Games Technology) college degree in the UK.

I have three main reasons for wanting to go this route: first of all, I did visit Japan some 6 years ago for a couple of months (cultural exchange in high school) and really liked it; staying for a longer period while working should be a good way of understanding how the place is really like (I acknowledge there's a good chance I am seeing Japan through rose tinted glasses).
Secondly, good Japanese knowledge is going to be a requirement if I want to have a chance to work on my favorite game genres/series.
Finally, I haven't yet properly settled: having my parents home in Italy and not knowing where I might end up working (even just within the UK) meant I have been living off the content of a couple of suitcases in student accommodation; making a permanent move now (or at least laying the foundation for it) would be much simpler now than a number of years down the line with a furnished house. On a related note, the concentration of developers in the Tokyo region would reduce the need to relocate when job hopping (provided, of course, one could start working in the field there), as seems to be the norm in the industry.

[Samurai_Jerk]

If you go to a language school in Japan you will be here on a so-called Pre-college Visa. This allows you to work up to 4 hours a day once your apply for and get a permit which you can only do once you are in Japan with the other visa. It'll probably take about one month to get the permit. There are a lot of foreign students working at restaurants and convenience stores. But those jobs only pay 800 - 1,200 yen an hour.

Most language school have three hours of class either in the morning or afternoon Mon - Fri and several hours of home work a day so you could go to school fulltime, do all of your homework, and work 4 hours everyday. 6,000 euro will just about cover a year's tuition at a language school and with a part-time job you can bring home 100,000 yen a month after taxes and health insurance payments. It's theoretically possible to live off of that but you won't live very well and won't be very happy. We're talking instant ramen for lunch and dinner and cockroaches for roommates. Living like that is not condusive to study.

If your spoken English is good enough, you could get a job teaching somewhere like Gaba and make twice as much money. You can probably also pick up a few private students on your own that want to study Italian. However none of these things are guaranteed and it will probably take a few months to get enough work to pay the bills anyway, so coming in your current situation is very risky.

Also, to even get the Pre-college Visa you have to show that you have access to at least 3 million yen cash. Immigration doesn't care how much you can make working part-time and will probably be suspicious if you even mention that you're planning to. You can just say your parents are sponsoring you and use their bank account as proof even if they never give you a dime.

My advice to you is get a few years work experience in Europe first. Even if you come to Japan and end up fluent in a year, you won't be able to get a decent job without some professional experience. While you're working you can save money. That 3 million yen (about 30,000 USD) is a good figure actually. You can count on a language school costing 600,000 - 1,000,000 yen a year, 50,000 - 80,000 yen a month for housing, and 100,000 yen a month for other expenses as long as you don't party too much. If you combine that with a part-time job working in a restaurant, you'll be fine. The restaurant work would be a lot better for your Japanese study than teaching English or Italian too.

[dimwit]

One more comment. If you are set on coming to Japan soon. I would avoid Tokyo or Osaka and try to find a language school in one of the smaller cities. First, you'll find that your expenses will be halved and the amount you can earn teaching will not be as adversely effected.

[Samurai_Jerk]

One more comment. If you are set on coming to Japan soon. I would avoid Tokyo or Osaka and try to find a language school in one of the smaller cities. First, you'll find that your expenses will be halved and the amount you can earn teaching will not be as adversely effected.

I wouldn't necessarily agree. If he just wants to come and use the money he has saved to study, then going inaka makes sense. However, there are more opportunities for part-time work (especially for non-native English speakers) in big cities. Also, if he wants to land a job in Japan after his language school, networking in Tokyo while he's studying will give him a better chance.

[dimwit]

...there are more opportunities for part-time work (especially for non-native English speakers) in big cities. Also, if he wants to land a job in Japan after his language school, networking in Tokyo while he's studying will give him a better chance.

In the past, and in the future that is almost certainly true, however at present I think that the opportunities are better out of the big cities. This has largely been a Tokyo/Osaka recession and places out in the boonies really haven't been effected by the downturn much. In addition, you are not having to compete with the large number of laid-off foreigners who have fallen back on English teaching. In general, almost all of the English speaking foreigners in the provinces are teachers so that there isn't a teaching glut.

[Samurai_Jerk]

In the past, and in the future that is almost certainly true, however at present I think that the opportunities are better out of the big cities. This has largely been a Tokyo/Osaka recession and places out in the boonies really haven't been effected by the downturn much. In addition, you are not having to compete with the large number of laid-off foreigners who have fallen back on English teaching. In general, almost all of the English speaking foreigners in the provinces are teachers so that there isn't a teaching glut.

You're assuming that he can or wants to teach English. His written English is good but he might have a super strong Italian accent that would make it tough for him to get a job. If he wants to work at an izakaya or something like that, his chances of finding something are much better in a big city. I still see tons of for hire signs up at shops in Tokyo and it would seem that most of the part timers in convenience stores, fast food restaurants, and chain izakayas are non Japanese and don't necessarily speak the language fluently.

Anyway, I still think his best bet is to work for two to three years at home, save up at least 2 mil yen (3 mil is better), come here on a Pre-college Visa to study fulltime, and do a part-time job in a restaurant where he has to use Japanese to communicate with his managers and the customers. In the meantime he should keep studying Japanese so he can start his study at as high a level as possible when he comes.

kaworu, if you do follow my advice I would really bust my ass to learn as much kanji as possible before coming if I were you. If you have a pretty good grasp of all of the kanji for say JLPT Level 2 you'll learn a lot more when you get here and won't be at such a handicap with your classmates who will probably be mostly Korean and/or Chinese.

[dimwit]

You're assuming that he can or wants to teach English. His written English is good but he might have a super strong Italian accent that would make it tough for him to get a job. If he wants to work at an izakaya or something like that, his chances of finding something are much better in a big city. I still see tons of for hire signs up at shops in Tokyo and it would seem that most of the part timers in convenience stores, fast food restaurants, and chain izakayas are non Japanese and don't necessarily speak the language fluently.

Working in a shop is something I wouldn't even attempt to feign knowledge of since I have never done it, and I will take your word for it that there are part time job aplenty up in Tokyo since I see the place unfrequently. But I have found the thick accents and rudimentary English skill are not a barrier for the noble trade of English teaching.

[kaworu1986]

First of all, thanks to all those who answered for their helpful input.

Not being a native English speaker, I really hadn't considered the teaching option, assuming my nationality would have disqualified me to begin with; this was supported by the JET program's conditions, which would have forced me to apply through the Japanese Embassy in Italy (two open positions advertised last year, both requiring excellent Japanese knowledge). As for Eikaiwas, I took the less than encouraging tales found in this forum and other places on the net (including the tragicomic chronicles of NOVA's downfall) as a signal to steer clear.

I didn't know of the sponsoring/cash requirements of the student visa or about the additional permit, only obtainable after arrival, required for working part time. As much as I wouldn't want to, I find myself agreeing with Samurai_Jerk (lol@that username btw) on how much of a gamble this would be (I am actually surprised of what seems a general consensus about ease of finding part time jobs once there, I initially imagined this to be the major flaw in the plan); additionally, I would be worried about losing my coding skills by not programming for a long time.

About Japanese self study, I seem to have reached an impasse: I have gone through the basic grammar (completed Japanese for Everyone) and the Heisig method (Remembering the Kanji vol 1) for associating writing and keywords of the first 2040 kanji, however my progress has since stopped and I don't really know what to do from here. I can understand (not always read, though) basic stuff (signing up for Mixi for example, especially since I know what to expect in the web forms), but as soon as more specific vocabulary is required I'm hosed; what I was hoping to achieve, at a minimum, with the whole ordeal, was to check and correct what I know with actual teachers and put myself in a situation where I would have been forced to learn and retain new words, hopefully becoming capable of continuing the process on my own.

In light of this, would it make any sense to just come over for about three months on a tourist visa, do an intensive course and go back to get work experience in the field while continuing self study or would I be better off just saving and trying to get over this on my own?

To conclude, a couple of loosely related questions:

What about the feasibility of getting a location independent (internet based) job beforehand and then eventually making the move? Also, what would the legal status of such a practice be? Would it be classed as a regular job, requiring student visa even if the employer/bank where the money ended was a foreign entity?

Are there any major differences between Japanese language schools (ones accredited by the Association for the Promotion of Japanese Language Education), when it comes to teaching quality? I heard great things about Yamasa from multiple sources, and had doubts about others when comparing them (only having 3 hours of lectures a day seemed especially strange) to it.

[omae mona]

What about the feasibility of getting a location independent (internet based) job beforehand and then eventually making the move? Also, what would the legal status of such a practice be? Would it be classed as a regular job, requiring student visa even if the employer/bank where the money ended was a foreign entity?

I always say "never take legal advice from FG members" like myself. But anyway, I think that if you do things properly, you cannot really be legally employed by a non-Japanese company while you are in Japan, for tax reasons. Japan considers the income to be Japan-source income since you are living in Japan while you do the work. A non-Japanese employer is not withholding tax for Japan, etc. But you can set yourself up as self-employed and receive money from that company as a contractor. So you will owe tax in Japan (including self-employment tax). I think any visa status that allows you to do unrestricted work part-time would be compatible with self-employment.

Now if your payments are offshore, the government isn't aware of them unless you tell them. So you might make the choice to conceal the income. However, when they see you wire transferring money into Japan regularly, and reporting zero income, the tax authorities might be suspicious.

[Samurai_Jerk]

Now if your payments are offshore, the government isn't aware of them unless you tell them. So you might make the choice to conceal the income. However, when they see you wire transferring money into Japan regularly, and reporting zero income, the tax authorities might be suspicious.

If you're on a student visa, they probably wouldn't question it since that's what most people do anyway when they're studying overseas.

[Taro Toporific]

What about the feasibility of getting a location independent (internet based) job beforehand and then eventually making the move? Also, what would the legal status of such a practice be? Would it be classed as a regular job, requiring student visa even if the employer/bank where the money ended was a foreign entity?

Two of my EU friends, who both left Japan last year after a residence of more than three years, had "location independent (internet based) jobs" and they had no problems with earning substantial, unreported-to-Japan-authorities, off-shore income while studying Japanese here.

Y.M.M.V.