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April 25, 2006
Jobs - Obtaining a Working Visa for Japan
Teachers,
How do I get a working visa for Japan? It's probably not as complicated as you think. Generally, the majority of teachers come to Japan with programs like JET or with an eikaiwa or English Conversation School who will walk you through the steps and oversee the process. But for others, here are a few things you need to know . . .
First steps: show proof of a prearranged job in Japan and provide the name of a Japanese guarantor. A guarantor is a person willing to accept responsibility for your behavior while you\'re in Japan and may be your employer, a school, a relative, etc. Usually, if you’ve pre-arranged employment before coming to Japan, the employer will act as your guarantor.
Next: Your sponsor or guarantor will need to obtain a "Certificate of Eligibility" on your behalf. Your guarantor must contact a local Japanese immigration office and apply for your certificate. After you receive the completed certificate, apply for a visa at the Japanese embassy or consulate nearest you.
Finally: When applying for a work visa, submit your valid passport, one 2" x 2" photo, a completed visa application form, the original Certificate of Eligibility, and one additional copy of the certificate. There is no fee for the visa and it will usually take two business days to process. Important: B.A. or B.S. degrees are the minimum qualification required to teach legally in Japan. Generally, a visa is good for a period of either one or three years; however, if you wish to stay in Japan for longer than the time allotted and can provide evidence of your continuing employment, you can apply for an extension through the Japanese Immigration Bureau.
For more info, visit:
And be sure to checkout our jobs forum HERE.
Have some good advice you'd like to share about pursuing employment in Japan, please tell us about it by commenting below
Best,
Marlen Harrison
March 2006 Guest-Writer for ESLemployment
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About the author of this entry:
Marlen hails from South Florida but has lived abroad in both Europe and Asia. His own international education experiences include a year at Kingston University in Surrey, England. In 1995, Marlen earned his B.S. in Psychology from Appalachian State University.and then was awarded the M.A. in Education and Human Development from George Washington University in 1997. Currently, he is pursuing a doctoral program in TESOL after four years of teaching in a variety of settings in Western Japan. In addition to his liberal arts and educational background, Marlen is also a member of the Japanese Association for Language Teaching, acting as Co-Coordinator for their Learner Development special interest group.
Posted by ESL Lesson Plan at April 25, 2006 09:01 AM
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Comments
Dear Sir or Madam
I am greeting from Mongolia. I have got 5.5 an IELTS. I am really like to teach English for Beginner level, however I am not a teacher. I want to work in Japan as a volunteer. Do I have any chance to teach English there?
My main goal is to help people to study English and know Japanese culture.
I hope, you will send me good news.
Best regards,
D.Pagamsuren
Posted by: D.Pagamsuren at April 3, 2006 07:46 PM
Dear Sir,
I am a Ghanaian currently teaching in a middle School in China but my mum is from England.I had all my Education in Ghana. I hold bachelors degree of Education in English as well as a Tesol certificate from Oxford University. I would like to be in Japan next year to teach there; How can i get the visa to be there????
Yours sincerely,
Sarfo
Posted by: Sarfo at April 7, 2006 12:41 PM
Hi! I've read your visa information in Japan.
I really want to teach in Japan aside from their discipline culture they are many interesting places that magnetized me to work there.
Please keep in touch .I'll try to get a working visa there make my dream come true.
Posted by: Ma. Carminda D. Castillo at April 16, 2006 11:16 PM
I'm a Filipina. I graduated with a degree of Bachelor of Science in Education. I have been teaching for more than 12 years. I'm here in Japan as a tourist upto Dec 12,2006. I learned that prior to working visa application, I need to have a Certificate of Eligibility which a relative can apply for it. My brother went to Immigration to apply for my Certificate of Eligibility but unfortunately he was advised that we need to have a school contact before applying the said certificate. Any favorable help will be highly appreciated.
Posted by: Yolanda Flores at November 3, 2006 11:51 PM
Hi guys,
My name is Lockie. Here are a few tips on getting a job in japan. I went through it 1 year ago. I have a TESOL cert for teaching kids & adults, and also a degree in business management. To cut a long story short, I'm an aussie 45 year old male. I came to Japan on a holiday visa on the intention of getting a job and to live with my girlfriend who is Japanese. I sold my business and took the chance. I tried many times to find a job in Japan while i was in Australia (around 40 to be exact) but with no avail. I tell you now that most schools want you to be in Japan, 99% of them any way, and most of them won't worry if you are on a holiday visa if you're keen and they want you they will change it over for you. Also look on the net, you will see only the 4 to 5 big schools really do overseas recruiting, and only in certain countries. OK, I'm working now with kids with one of the big 4. It took 2 months but in that 2 months I had 6 interviews from one end of the country to the other. Literally. So get a Japan rail pass before you come you will save heaps of cash. It will pay for itself. But you can only get them out side of Japan, not while you are here. Also many don't bother to reply back if you don't get the job so you have to keep looking until you sign the contract. Have enough funds because Japan is not cheap. Be prepared to work anywhere in Japan, get an international drivers license if you can; it helps. Wages are ok; most wages in Japan are around ￥250,000. Make sure you really are keen at the interviews ,once you get that job its all clear sailing. They will do the rest, they'll even pay for your visa. You don't even have to leave the country and re enter. Just two visits for immigration, that's all. So come over. nows the time to start looking for jobs in Japan! Many contracts finish in Feb & March so they want to re employ asap. Don't be afraid- you will get a job. Here are some sites: gaijinpot.com ,daves esl cafe, ohayo sensei and many more. Try these schools. nova, Geos, interact co ltd, ecc foreign language inst,and heaps more.oh one more thing make sure you have a return ticket home immigration will make it hard for you to enter if you don't, 12mth one if u can afford it. Sorry for the long spiel. Cheers, hope this helps you.
Lockie in Japan and loving it.
Posted by: lockie harris at January 2, 2007 03:52 AM
Hi Lockie,
thanks for the info on teaching in Japan. I'm going to use the backdoor method. It looks like it's easier to get a job in Korea so I'm going to start there first and travel to Japan after my first contract is up.
Regards,
Graeme
Posted by: Graeme at February 4, 2007 05:59 PM
Beware. There are alot of fraudulent "English" schools. Many are barely surviving, and offer "part-time contracts, but once they have you on the other side of the ocean, and at your expense, they hit you with 50 plus hours a week. If this happens to you, contact the local Labor Board, who will side with you if the school breaches their contract.
Posted by: Jack Stone at October 13, 2007 12:08 PM
hiiiiiiii
Im from india
i want to live japan but how do i get japan visa? im a webdesigner.
Posted by: rakesh at November 7, 2007 07:16 AM
