This is the bomb!

[pheyton]

"Got no job and haven't decided where to base myself yet."

You'll fit right in with the rest of the FGs in Japan. Why work when you can marry into money?

Welcome aboard.

[Amanojakuu]

Hello chaps,

I'm pretty new to this board, though have been lurking for a while. I arrived 'off the boat' a few days ago so thought I'd take the oppurtunity to introduce myself.

I worked and lived in Japan 2005/2006 doing a technical internship for a shipping company in Ehime. I came not speaking a word of Japanese, turned out that's what the company wanted as I'd force others to use English around me, while others off my course (BSc Hons Computer Games Technology) who studied Japanese dilligently (I failed and swapped to Audio instead) got turned down... I'm sure there's a life lesson in their somewhere. But anyway, I digress...

After a year, I had developed my Japanese to a survival level and upon returning to the UK to graduate, decided it'd be a bit of a tragedy to not keep up the Japanese, and decided too that I wanted to return to Japan after gaining a few years experience and work in my chosen field of games.

While my Japanese is not brilliant, it's conversational. I registered as an alien, and opened a bank account yesterday in Japanese, struggled a bit at the mobile shop mind. I failed JLPT 3 two years ago by half a percent, so am probably approaching JLPT 2 by now (hope to sit it here in September).

So now I'm living in Koenji, and waiting for a few interviews I have set up with games companies. I've got an interview in Kyoto in a couple of weeks, another one in September with a games company here in Tokyo, and a second interview (I had the first in Brighton at a conference) next week, also in Tokyo. I've also got another few possibilities in the pipeline.

So yeah, hello everyone, that's pretty much my story. Gaijin, fresh off the boat, living in Koenji, games developer

Oh, also a question. While I'm fairly confident one of the games jobs will come through eventually, I don't have that much money (130000 yen to be precise). While I've got an emergency backup of about the same back at home, I don't really want to touch it if I can help it... Does anyone know of any low commitment, cash in hand jobs that I could take for a few weeks to tide me over until I get a 'proper' job?

Cheers for reading this if you've got this far

[Behan]

Does anyone know of any low commitment, cash in hand jobs that I could take for a few weeks to tide me over until I get a 'proper' job?

Cheers for reading this if you've got this far

I guess I am just stating the obvious, but eikaiwa might be the way to go. There are companies that set you up with private students. With a lot of these you register with them and the students pick a teacher they like. I've heard a lot of these teachers do their classes in cafes.

Anyway, good luck!

[Amanojakuu]

I guess I am just stating the obvious, but eikaiwa might be the way to go. There are companies that set you up with private students. With a lot of these you register with them and the students pick a teacher they like. I've heard a lot of these teachers do their classes in cafes.

Anyway, good luck!

Cheers for the kind words

I was thinking this, though the other thing I was thinking is, how easy is it actually to bail out of an Eikaiwa job? Would I just not turn up and refuse to return calls? What about pay, if I did that would I lose money (hence thinking cash in hand)? Or would I lie through my teeth and say I had to return to the UK for some reason?

Anyone any idea of the names of these type of private student providing companies? GABA turned me down

[Doctor Stop]

In the Engrish industry your salary is usually paid month or more after you work, so in the case of a disappearing act, you won't be paid.

For cash in hand you'll need private students. For someone fresh off the boat, good luck getting enough together quickly enough to support you.

GABA turned me down

If Gaba turned you down you should seriously consider a different career, I mean low commitment McJob.

[Behan]

Cheers for the kind words

I was thinking this, though the other thing I was thinking is, how easy is it actually to bail out of an Eikaiwa job? Would I just not turn up and refuse to return calls? What about pay, if I did that would I lose money (hence thinking cash in hand)? Or would I lie through my teeth and say I had to return to the UK for some reason?

Anyone any idea of the names of these type of private student providing companies? GABA turned me down

Don't worry about bailing. Just give the people as much notice as you can. Legally, employers cannot withold wages if you quit but they might do it anyway. Try to time when you quit with payday, if you can. By quitting you are not hurting them, either. You won't be teaching them any more and they won't be paying you for those untaught classes. That's fair.

Just tell them that you got a full-time job and can't continue doing the class anymore, which would be true and very understandable in Japan.

Don't worry about GABA turning you down. Eikaiwas turn people down if they have enough teachers at the moment. A friend of mine who had been on JET got turned down for Nova. It was just a matter of bad timing. I live in Chiba and I think GABA is only intermittently advertising for teachers there, probably when somebody quits on them.

[wuchan]

Anyone any idea of the names of these type of private student providing companies? GABA turned me down

GABA is a fucking scam. They charge over 8,000 for a lesson and start their teachers at 1,500 and they do not pay travel.

[GomiGirl]

Oh, also a question. While I'm fairly confident one of the games jobs will come through eventually, I don't have that much money (130000 yen to be precise). While I've got an emergency backup of about the same back at home, I don't really want to touch it if I can help it... Does anyone know of any low commitment, cash in hand jobs that I could take for a few weeks to tide me over until I get a 'proper' job?

What sort of visa do you have?

[Amanojakuu]

What sort of visa do you have?

Working holiday...

Apparently, the official line is that I'm only supposed to take work that will suppliment travel. But in practice I can take any work, at least for a month or two...

My thinking is that a games company will take me on for a month or two on the visa as 'probation', then if it goes well, I can get them to sponsor a working visa, and pop over to China/Korea to fulfill the application...

[pheyton]

Working holiday...

Apparently, the official line is that I'm only supposed to take work that will suppliment travel. But in practice I can take any work, at least for a month or two...

My thinking is that a games company will take me on for a month or two on the visa as 'probation', then if it goes well, I can get them to sponsor a working visa, and pop over to China/Korea to fulfill the application...

Uh oh, you better see this thread before letting thoughts like that run wild.
http://www.fuckedgaijin.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23450

[bented]

Hi all.

Wow it's nice to find a place to rant other than the pub!

Cheers

[bented]

Great site!

Nice to have a place to rant other than the pub!

Cheers

[Taro Toporific]

Nice to have a place to rant other than the pub!

Hey, where is this special GAIJIN RANTING PUB?

[okazakiOm]

I have been erased from the collective memory, it seems. So, quick recap:

Male
American
Married, one kid. J-spouse.
42 yo.
Hometown: San Francisco, CA.
High School: Hesse, W. Germany.
Uni: CT, USA/Kansai Gaidai ( Class of '88 ).
In Japan for pretty much all of Heisei.

Likes: snuggling by the fire on a winter night, beer.

Dislikes: negativity and bummer situations.

[Cyka UchuuJin]

I have been erased from the collective memory, it seems.

no, it seems your memory is the flawed one. as you posted in the other thread, you've never actually posted on this board.

[okazakiOm]

Oooh, less than ten posts and I've got my very own cross-thread stalker! Gotta love FG!

You're right, as I posted, I'd never posted. But now I have posted.

[Cyka UchuuJin]

Oooh, less than ten posts and I've got my very own cross-thread stalker! Gotta love FG!

You're right, as I posted, I'd never posted. But now I have posted.

don't flatter yourself, slick. it came up under the 'new posts'.

[Zeth3D]

Howdy yall,

Ive been around for a while I guess, and havent felt qualified to introduce myself here until I started living here. Ive been off and on in japan every once in a while for visits and what not. But now I am attending school for the year at Kansai Gaidai.

Im an electrical engineer. (I only say that cuz maybe someone can help me find a job). Im also a computer program, audiophile, and when drunk and authority on certain aspects of economics (arent we all).

Im big into motorcycles and residential/commercial construction.

So yeah. the intro. Hows it going all?

[Taro Toporific]

... I am attending school for the year at Kansai Gaidai.
Im an electrical engineer...

Kool! Since you are already an electrical engineer, what are you studying at KGU besides bow-legged cheerleader abuse?

Do you have one of those obscenely cushy research grants* for post-grad students like Tsukuba Dai provides?
[INDENT]

*Non-taxable stipend 210,00yen/M, carte-blanc research freedom with almost no supervision, free 2DK with parking and utilities, free health insurance, a grueling 16 hours/week "work" schedule, etc.)

[/INDENT]

[Greji]

what are you studying at KGU besides bow-legged cheerleader abuse?

Where do I signup? Is there an enter course test?

[Zeth3D]

Kool! Since you are already an electrical engineer, what are you studying at KGU besides bow-legged cheerleader abuse?

Im here to just study japanese, in hopes that that might land me better offering with jobs.

Actually I was shifty and asked my university to let me do the study abroad with undergraduate status instead of graduate. Which allows me to have insane benefits, i guess. I dont actually know because Bill Gates pays all of my school....

[IkemenTommy]

Where do I signup? Is there an enter course test?

Did you happen to misspell that word on purpose? I think you meant to say "inter", right?

[Greji]

Did you happen to misspell that word on purpose? I think you meant to say "inter", right?

Oh! You noticed that?

[IkemenTommy]

Did you happen to misspell that word on purpose? I think you meant to say "inter", right?

And screw you to whoever pansy ass douche bag that gave me a red for that. Mother fucker.

[Greji]

And screw you to whoever pansy ass douche bag that gave me a red for that. Mother fucker.

Damn! Wish I'd thought of that. I'd a nailed you with a red bugger too!

[IkemenTommy]

Damn! Wish I'd thought of that. I'd a nailed you with a red bugger too!

Screw you. I will stick my creamy brown snot in your drink at Kiki's the next time.

[Greji]

Screw you. I will stick my creamy brown snot in your drink at Kiki's the next time.

Creamy Brown? You stickin your finger in the right hole?

[FG Lurker]

Creamy Brown? You stickin your finger in the right hole?

[britpopboy]

[wuchan]

:cool: