Possible to get a new job before quitting my current one?

[the mapmaker]

Hey guys. I have question regarding finding a job in Tokyo.

My logistics:

I live in Nagano, and am in the process of completing a resume and beginning the hunt for a new job. I'm a JET, so my contract does not end until august. I still have at least 2 weeks of saved payed vacation to use for taking interviews. The buss ride is about 4 hours away. I have the convenient excuse of "needing physical therapy on a healed arm fracture" which would give me the excuse to come here when needed.

My question:

Is it likely that i could get a job in Tokyo before quitting my current one? Frankly, i don't think i would give my current paycheck up and just "up and move to Toyko and hope to find a job after getting here".

Does anyone foresee a lot of trouble with this? Would my current employers have reason to suspect foul play? Is it likely the potential interviewing company would be skeptical and decide not to give me the job if they knew i was quitting early? or am I over-thinking it all?

It seems foolish when i live only a few hours away and can get here when need be, and have the logistics stated above. Ideally, i would like to sign a new contract before giving notification of my quitting in Nagano. Is this just a pipe dream? or is it totally doable? any comments, opinions, or experiences any of you would share would be be a huge help. Has anyone ever done something like this, or heard about it?

[J.A.F.O]

Not sure how doable it is, but no current employer likes it when your looking to cheat on them with a new fling. Plus the new employer might want to get in touch with the current employer. Back in the states there is usually a slot where they ask you if they may contact your current employer and if no why not. Moonlighting has always worked for me as an acceptable reason why not to. Totally clueless if that would fly here or not but could be worth a try.

As foreseeing problems... yea probably a ton of them, japanese can be a cagey lot.

[wagyl]

Is there any reason why you could not present yourself to your new potential employer as a suitably loyal and responsible candidate by seeking to start the new job once your current contract had ended? That has got to look better than "I give current jobs the flick whenever something which looks better comes along." Especially as you have not even sent out CVs yet: I can't help but think you are discounting from the outset the option of looking for a job which meshes in nicely with completing your commitment to your current employer.

I agree that it is very prudent to have a job lined up before making the move to Tokyo. Not only is getting a rental in Tokyo pretty expensive with initial fees, more importantly making the decision where to live in Tokyo is best made after knowing what your commute will be.

[kurogane]

Is there any reason why you could not present yourself to your new potential employer as a suitably loyal and responsible candidate by seeking to start the new job once your current contract had ended? .

A hearty I Agree!!!!!!!!

OP,
If you're a JET you should finish your contract. Given your relative lack of qualifications at hiring you are overpaid, underworked, and disgustingly well treated and it behooves you to show your appreciation of that. Plus, as Wagyl noted, any potential employer will likely not be overly impressed at you running out on your current contract. Any job search will be more successful if you look like a better rather than worse prospect.

So, with that in mind, why not use this good excuse to go to Tokyo to undertake a thorough search for a good job and a nice place to live. Unless there is some truly pressing need to GTFO of Nagano, looking at it as a longer term thing will probably pay off in the end.

Hope the arm gets better. That sounds nasty.

[Taro Toporific]

Is there any reason why you could not present yourself to your new potential employer as a suitably loyal and responsible candidate by seeking to start the new job once your current contract had ended? ...
...more importantly making the decision where to live in Tokyo is best made after knowing what your commute will be.

Ditto on everything Wagyl wisely said.
Also, you need to consider that entry-level engrish teaching jobs in Tokyo will pay less than a JET position---much less, when you factor in the 30~60% increase your living costs in Tokyo. Personally, if I was a young buck starting out in Japan, JET work would be 10 times better than mega-crappy eikaiwa slavery.

Possible to get a new job before quitting my current one?
...i would like to sign a new contract before giving notification of my quitting in Nagano. Is this just a pipe dream?

"Pipe dream"? No, just naïve (aka fucking stupid).
You will not be able to get a signed employment contract from a new job until you get the all-important Letter of Release from your old job. If you find a new job while still a JET, all you can get is a verbal agreement from the new company who wants to hire you (which in the case of sleazy eikaiwa is worth the paper it is not written on).


Your JET contract should stipulate that you must give 30 days notice* or "compensation or penalties can be applied" (some ALT contracts say 3 months). Technically you can bail out of a job contract at any time but when you stiff a previous employer they might drag their heels a week or two in issuing a Letter of Release (taishoku shoumeisho aka 退職証明書) even though prompt issuance of that letter is obliged by labor law).

*Japan's civil code differs from standard Japanese labor practices: Civil law only stipulates that you
must give your employer two week's notice of your intention to resign (Article 627, Civil Law).

[Yokohammer]

On the other hand, the OP didn't actually state that he was going for another English teaching job.

Maybe he's gonna be a porn star or something (in which case contracts would be the last of my worries ... or even what people think ... never mind ... ).

[wagyl]

On the other hand, the OP didn't actually state that he was going for another English teaching job.

His post history does suggest it, however. I think all the advice given has pretty general application.

[Wage Slave]

I have no idea what notice period JET contracts contain. However, working in schools is a bit different to working in other places. It is bad form to leave before the end of the school year. It is terrible form to at least not finish the current term. People don't do it unless there is a very good reason. So, if you do it you can expect your BoE to be pretty upset with you and no other BoE will view you as a reliable and reasonable person.

So, if you want ALT work to be part of your search that needs to be considered.

You will be looking at a dramatic fall in pay and conditions. It could easily be in the region of 50% by the time subsidised accommodation and loss of your exemption from local tax is taken into account.

The JETs around here are discussing now whether they want to recontract for August. Your best strategy would be to say thank you but you want out then according to the normal schedule. Of course you can start searching for a new job in Tokyo but for an August/September start. Quite a few ALT jobs start in September so it jives well with that part of the market at least.

Do be prepared for a severe pay and conditions shock. You will need to have a decent amount of money saved. You may well not get another (much reduced) paycheck until towards the end of October even if things go fairly well.

[yanpa]

In general... nothing wrong with using one's free time to obtain a new job, providing there's no overlap between its starting date and the current job's period of notice. I did exactly that myself last year, resigning as soon as I got a written offer and starting the new job exactly 30 days later. I've also never heard of a case where the new company would need to contact the old one. Things might be different in the (semi-public parts of) the education industry, and this JET thing sounds like a relatively cushy number one would want to milk while it's there.

[sublight]

I don't know how it works now in the eikaiwa biz (and the ones I worked at back in the stone age could be pretty shady), but when interviewing for new jobs nowadays I've always been upfront about telling the new company how much advance notice I need, or if there's a fixed contract I have to complete before starting a new job. The ones I've ended up working with have not only said they understood, but that they'd consider it a black mark if I said I'd jump ship to them anytime.

Let prospective companies know your contract term details, and that you intend to stick to them. If they're remotely reputable, they'll respect that and it'll make you look a more professional hire.