Working extra while studying Japanese in Japan?

[Burken]

Hi, I have recently started planning for a trip to Japan. I intend to study at Naganuma in Tokyo and I have a few questions about working extra.
See, I'm saving up money at the moment and I want to know how much I would need. I wish to study at least for a year but paying both my living expenses and the tuition is quite expensive so I was wondering if it's possible to pay for living (I will probably be living in a guest-house or something along those lines) and food by working a part-time job or something like that and if it's even allowed by a precollege visa.

So basically; should I save up enough money for the entire trip or would it be enough to just have for the tickets, the tuition and two to three months of rent and some money for food?

Any other tips on this topic would also be highly appreciated since I know very little at the moment (just started checking things) and any help from people with actual experience would be very valuable.

Also, I should note that I am from Sweden and from what I've gathered that would make it a lot harder for me to get a job as an English teacher (sadly there does not seem to be a very high demand for Swedish teachers :P) but any information about that would still be great. :)

[KansaiBen]

So basically; should I save up enough money for the entire trip or would it be enough to just have for the tickets, the tuition and two to three months of rent and some money for food?

you can work up to 20 hours a week while on a student visa but you need permission of your sponsor and immigration to work. The more money you can bring with you, the better.


Also, I should note that I am from Sweden and from what I've gathered that would make it a lot harder for me to get a job as an English teacher (sadly there does not seem to be a very high demand for Swedish teachers :P) but any information about that would still be great. :)

advertise on some of the teacher job sites (they set you up with students) or advertise and teach students from home. Teaching kids is a growth industry.

[Burken]

Thanks a lot for the info. One question though, and I'm sorry if it's a stupid one, but what's a sponsor in this case?

[KansaiBen]

Thanks a lot for the info. One question though, and I'm sorry if it's a stupid one, but what's a sponsor in this case?

sponsor and guarantor are often used interchangeably in this case but they have separate functions.

A sponsor is required by immigration when they process a person's visa. This is a person who will guarantee your life in Japan, make sure you don't fall through the cracks, get arrested or end up homeless. A working visa sponsor will guarantee your income, provide you with a job, and ensure your ability to support yourself. Student visa sponsor is usually the language school you study at. Stop studying and they take away your visa.

A guarantor is required when renting an apartment and will pay your rent in the event you can not pay. They will be responsible for any loans you take out or if you cant pay a hospital bill. A guarantor is usually required for any bank loan not covered by security.

[Burken]

Oh, ok. Thanks. So to be allowed to work I need permission from both the language school and immigration.
Are there any special criteria that you need to fulfill to get permission to work? And is it generally easy or hard to get such a permission?

And thanks again for all the help. :) It's really great to get all this information.

[supakumeru]

Oh, ok. Thanks. So to be allowed to work I need permission from both the language school and immigration.
Are there any special criteria that you need to fulfill to get permission to work? And is it generally easy or hard to get such a permission?

And thanks again for all the help. :) It's really great to get all this information.

You basically have to convince the admin at your school that working will not interfere with your studies, HOWEVER in a lot of uni's you can only apply for the extention once you've been at the school for a few months and have proved you can keep up with the work pace anyway

[KansaiBen]

Oh, ok. Thanks. So to be allowed to work I need permission from both the language school and immigration.
Are there any special criteria that you need to fulfill to get permission to work? And is it generally easy or hard to get such a permission?.

Language schools tend to be pretty anal about regular attendance of classes, miss too many classes (due to sleeping in, overwork, whatever) and you risk your visa being cancelled or being kicked out of school. Schools can withdraw sponsorship if you are no longer registered as a student. As mentioned your priority should be on attending classes and you need to ensure you have enough to live on and you are not working all hours to make ends meet. The limit is about 20 hours a week or 4 hours a day. Some schools dont let you work or have part time jobs so you need to shop around.

Pre-college visa is a non-working visa so you need to get permission to work outside your visa status. Jobs such as nightclubs, hostess bars or entertainment establishments are usually frowned on by sponsors and/or immigration.