A Doshisha University Fellow has a Question

[HarrisonMuskat]

I am the next Amherst-Doshisha Fellow at Doshisha University in Kyoto. I will be living on the Imadegawa Campus beginning in August 2012 with a Cultural Activities visa. Therefore, I am pretty much set. The question pertains to my girlfriend. She and I have already put down a deposit on a small house near the Imadegawa Campus that we are renting directly from the owner (he doesn't live there) so she will definitely be coming with me. She applied for jobs with Borderlink and a few other large English language instruction companies and reached at least a second interview (she is waiting to hear results from a few, still). Currently she is teaching ESL in her home state (Florida) for a small private school, so she has experience. She also speaks, reads, and writes Russian very well (she worked with Russian books in the Library of Congress last year), as well as late-basic Japanese. Because of our arrangement with the home, she will be coming with me when we arrive at the beginning of September regardless of her visa status (tourist, work, etc). With her experience, will it be possible for her to find work while on the tourist visa and then change over? I am aware that it is technically not allowed, but it seems people do it often and it is the most common advice I have been given. We hoped she would get a work visa sponsorship before coming, but that may not happen at this point. Does anyone have any advice? Thanks!

[Shakes Spear]

I would say it's highly unlikely. September is already past both hiring periods for most medium to large size schools and most of the small ones don't sponsor visas.
I'd be researching local schools that aren't big chains in the hopes one of them might be interested in finding a somewhat long-term teacher.

How long will you be there? I have no idea what being "the next Amherst-Doshisha Fellow" means.

[Glenski]

If she has a bachelor's degree in anything, yes, it's possible. Only possible. She will have 90 days to find out just how possible. I advise trying to contact potential employers before coming, to reduce down time. Also, do not tell immigration or customs her intentions when she arrives.

Tell her to stop applying to cr@p places like Borderlink, too.

[HarrisonMuskat]

How long will you be there? I have no idea what being "the next Amherst-Doshisha Fellow" means.

I will be there under my visa for one year. I figured that local schools would be the way to go - do they do a lot of networking/can they be found online?

Thanks for your help.

[HarrisonMuskat]

Tell her to stop applying to cr@p places like Borderlink, too.

Do you have any suggestions otherwise? It's been an interesting ride to search for other places.

She has a BA in Russian, so hopefully her foreign language experience and ESL teaching will help.

[KansaiBen]

I will be there under my visa for one year. I figured that local schools would be the way to go - do they do a lot of networking/can they be found online?

Thanks for your help.

private language schools are just that- private businesses, and as such they do not "network" with each other. There is not even an industry association for language school owners. There are several job sites with advertisements where she can apply- I have just got a job teaching part time in Kyoto, I will PM you.

Best advice is to start contacting these schools (not that many are in Kyoto mind you) and tell them when she will be there. If she is part time they will not be able to sponsor her work visa and most will want a valid visa before they hire her. Catch 22. "Legally" she can only start working when she has submitted an application to change her visa status to a work visa. Before that is done it is still illegal to work in Japan on a tourist visa.

[Effected After]

There is not an industry association for language school owners.

I think the people at the 全国外語学教育振興協会 (http://www.zengaikyo.jp/) would disagree.

[KansaiBen]

I think the people at the 全国外語学教育振興協会 (http://www.zengaikyo.jp/) would disagree.

Do they have a branch in Kyoto?

It appears the member schools are listed here. All 5 of them, nearly all teaching kids.

http://www.zengaikyo.jp/search/English/kyoto.html

[Shakes Spear]

I will be there under my visa for one year. I figured that local schools would be the way to go - do they do a lot of networking/can they be found online?

Thanks for your help.

So you want your GF to come with you, try to find a job over the course of 3 months, and then bail after 9 or 10 months? Is that pretty much the gist of it?

She could make 2 trips here for a total of 6 months in the year you'll be here.
You can't manage to be apart for the other 6?

Someone's got some maturing to do me thinks.

Seriously, if you were the owner of a language school, would you hire someone under those conditions??

[KansaiBen]

So you want your GF to come with you, try to find a job over the course of 3 months, and then bail after 9 or 10 months? Is that pretty much the gist of it?
?

chances are she will be offered a one year contract but the end of the contract will be past her visa expiry date. She would have to renew the visa in order to remain legally employed in Japan. Im sure that would come up for discussion whether she wants to work after her visa runs out. Its not really "bailing out" IMO but the fact her visa expires despite having a 12 month contract.

Dont want to rain on your parade here, but the number of couples who come together and leave together is quite small. Maybe you guys will be the exception here?

[Ken44]

...Seriously, if you were the owner of a language school, would you hire someone under those conditions??

Unless the g/f tells them they`ll never know. If she gets the job her best bet is leave just payday.

And the owner of the school? What about him or her?

Well, assuming the school hasn`t already begun screwing over the g/f she is just beating the owner to the punch.

When it comes to language school teaching rarely does the gaijin come out a winner.

Often the best you can hope is to minimize your loss.

[Shakes Spear]

chances are she will be offered a one year contract but the end of the contract will be past her visa expiry date. She would have to renew the visa in order to remain legally employed in Japan. Im sure that would come up for discussion whether she wants to work after her visa runs out. Its not really "bailing out" IMO but the fact her visa expires despite having a 12 month contract.

Dont want to rain on your parade here, but the number of couples who come together and leave together is quite small. Maybe you guys will be the exception here?

I have no idea what you're talking about (as usual).

If she (the girlfriend) were able to get hired and subsequently sponsored, her work visa would be for the length of her contract. No problem there.
But by the time she gets employment her BF will already be well into his one year stay so if she leaves when he finishes she would be bailing on the remainder of her contract.
Not too difficult to follow.

It's obvious she would have to leave with him because apparently him coming alone is too unbearable for them to consider.

[Shakes Spear]

Unless the g/f tells them they`ll never know. If she gets the job her best bet is leave just payday.

And the owner of the school? What about him or her?

Well, assuming the school hasn`t already begun screwing over the g/f she is just beating the owner to the punch.

When it comes to language school teaching rarely does the gaijin come out a winner.

Often the best you can hope is to minimize your loss.

That's the spirit! Fuck them before they fuck you!
Great advice from someone with a lot of experience fucking others over!

[KansaiBen]

Unless the g/f tells them they`ll never know. If she gets the job her best bet is leave just payday.

And the owner of the school? What about him or her?

Well, assuming the school hasn`t already begun screwing over the g/f she is just beating the owner to the punch.

When it comes to language school teaching rarely does the gaijin come out a winner.

Often the best you can hope is to minimize your loss.

Generally the MO is not to tell the school you can only work 6 months or nine months or whatever, if you say that then you torpedo your own job application. All you need to do is give a months notice or a couple of weeks if you plan to renew your visa with them or not and you can then proceed as needed.

A language school will drop you without a moments hesitation when its suits their needs so i wouldn't worry too much about what happens a year from now.

[KansaiBen]

That's the spirit! Fuck them before they fuck you!
Great advice from someone with a lot of experience fucking others over!

Its called covering your A$$. I wouldn't worry about whether their feelings will be hurt because you only work 9 months and quit. People quit jobs all the time. Its business and they know that.

[Ken44]

....so she will definitely be coming with me.

Now I`m sure your g/f is lovely and all that but why brown bag it to a smorgasbor?

Leave the g/f at home.

...I have no idea what being "the next Amherst-Doshisha Fellow" means.

Yeah, what`s that all about?

[Ken44]

That's the spirit! Fuck them before they fuck you!
Great advice from someone with a lot of experience fucking others over!

After 25 years of teaching I`ve learned the Japanese (be it a lowly language school or a J-university) are often going to do what`s best for them regardless of contract or what you were told.

You need to do likewise.

[KansaiBen]

I have no idea what you're talking about (as usual).

If she (the girlfriend) were able to get hired and subsequently sponsored, her work visa would be for the length of her contract. No problem there.

companies usually follow immigration's lead, not the other way around. Once a visa expires then a contract becomes null and void, and she becomes an overstayer unless she renews it.

Assuming she gets a one year work visa it will expire probably long after her boyfriends, and several months after his visa expires. Its unikely she will hang around in Japan just to serve out her contract.

But by the time she gets employment her BF will already be well into his one year stay so if she leaves when he finishes she would be bailing on the remainder of her contract.

Contracts are not sacrosanct, nor are they written in stone in Japan and most are mere formalities needed for immigration.There is no indentured labor in Japan, no one is FORCED to work a day longer than they have to. If you want to quit, then give notice and leave, it is done every day in Japan. As long as companies and employees abide by the labor standards law (and employers know what that is) then everyone is happy. No one is MADE to work a 12 month contract just because its written on a piece of paper. You are I know contracts here are not worth the paper they are written on.

It's obvious she would have to leave with him because apparently him coming alone is too unbearable for them to consider.

Well thats really between them isn't it? Who are we to tell them what they should do and how they conduct their affairs on account of a mere job? You treat working at an eikaiwa as if its a sacred inviolable trust. Follow the labor laws here, and thats the best you can do.

[Effected After]

Unless the g/f tells them they`ll never know. If she gets the job her best bet is leave just payday.

And the owner of the school? What about him or her?

Well, assuming the school hasn`t already begun screwing over the g/f she is just beating the owner to the punch.

When it comes to language school teaching rarely does the gaijin come out a winner.

Often the best you can hope is to minimize your loss.

The problem with this is that it becomes a chicken-and-the-egg situation, where language schools/companies treat employees like crap because employees treat language schools like crap because...

There are some good schools and companies out there. They may be in the minority, but so are good employees.

[KansaiBen]

There are some good schools and companies out there. They may be in the minority, but so are good employees.

Bad employees tend not to work at good schools very long and if they do, are weeded out or knocked into shape pretty quickly.

Its the big schools like NOVA and ECC that employe a lot of people have a large budget are run like a Walmart but call the shots when it comes to employees and most people tend to toe the line or they leave.

[Ken44]

The problem with this is that it becomes a chicken-and-the-egg situation, where language schools/companies treat employees like crap because employees treat language schools like crap because...

There are some good schools and companies out there. They may be in the minority, but so are good employees.

Ultimately you can be sure the Japanese owner of schools as well as J-universities will do what is in their best interest and if this means breaking the contract or getting rid of you they`ll do it.

On the other hand gaijins teachers are like renters. You trust them at your own risk (which is why I insist on a deposit/credit check) Unfortunately, for J-owners it`s a lottery when it comes to hiring. However, given the current teaching market I think most gaijins would be on their best behavior in order to keep the job.

The J-owners have had the upper hand for years and while I believe they don`t deliberately set out to ____ over the gaijin profits are often razor thin and schools do what they do to stay in business.

[KansaiBen]

The J-owners and schools have had the upper hand for years and while I believe they don`t deliberately set out to ____ over the gaijin profits are often razor thin and schools do what they do to stay in business.

and why I would also recommend joining a union. Whatever you think about the efficacy of unions in japan Id much rather be on the inside looking out than on the outside looking in.

Im in this position at the moment as I have been thrown under a bus this week by my employer (dispatch co) and there is not much i can do about it.

[Glenski]

Originally Posted by Glenski:

Tell her to stop applying to cr@p places like Borderlink, too.

Do you have any suggestions otherwise? It's been an interesting ride to search for other places.

She has a BA in Russian, so hopefully her foreign language experience and ESL teaching will help.

Borderlink is a known cr@ppy employer. There are others. Not all places here are all that bad, though. There are so many employers to choose from, she should have no problem in finding them. The trick is in getting hired because of the great number of foreigners looking for work. Since she has some experience, it might be to her advantage, as long as the employer here doesn't disregard her experience. Some do that because they figure if you don't teach Japanese, you don't know how to teach.

If she wants to teach Russian (unclear from your post), see if Berlitz has anything.

[Super Grover]

OP,

Kyoto is a harder nut to crack than others because there are far more young people (but also older hippie types) there looking to work and do the Zen thing. Competition for the already few jobs (Kyoto does not have tons of eikaiwa all over) is more intense. Even the BBs at the International Center and similar places are usually filled with people offering to teach privately. As someone pointed out, September is a bad time to test the waters. In short, she shouldn't expect too much.

If she is HOT and blonde, maybe she would have more luck applying at the classy hotels.

[Ken44]

...If she is HOT and blonde, maybe she would have more luck applying at the classy hotels.

Humm... doing what?

[vallient]

The reality you need to deal with is that your going to need to support your girlfriend while your here if you want her to come. Otherwise have her stay back in the states. You might get lucky and she might get something but don't count on it. You need to be prepared for her doing the stay at home "wifey" role.

[Super Grover]

Humm... doing what?

I was being serious this time. At the Tokyo majors, all have some foreign staff as valets, at the front, as bellhops, you name it. Some in Kyoto also.
She could try a tourism office, too. But not so hot and not blonde =little likelihood of a hotel job.

Maybe she could do TV work or try working at Alpha Station.

[KansaiBen]

I was being serious this time. At the Tokyo majors, all have some foreign staff as valets, at the front, as bellhops, you name it. Some in Kyoto also.
She could try a tourism office, too. But not so hot and not blonde =little likelihood of a hotel job.

Maybe she could do TV work or try working at Alpha Station.

OP doesn't say what country hes from but Australia has a hospitality intern program where people on working holiday visas can do menial jobs in hotels (waitresses, valets, housekeeping, bar work etc). Americans are ineligible as they dont have Working Holiday visas, in the US.

Ditto the wife thing, if she cant find a job then you have to support the both of you for a year. I have no idea how much Doshisha is paying you. Do they know she is coming too, or is she coming in under the radar? There is also the pesky problem of a visa. If she cant find a full time job/sponsor after 90 days then she will have to go home, unless she renews her visa.

[Shakes Spear]

OP doesn't say what country hes from but Australia has a hospitality intern program where people on working holiday visas can do menial jobs in hotels (waitresses, valets, housekeeping, bar work etc). Americans are ineligible as they dont have Working Holiday visas, in the US.

Uhhh...yes he did.

Currently she is teaching ESL in her home state (Florida)

There is also the pesky problem of a visa. If she cant find a full time job/sponsor after 90 days then she will have to go home, unless she renews her visa.

This has already been discussed at length. The OP is well aware.
Do you have problems with short-term memory loss or are you just oblivious??

Now I`m sure your g/f is lovely and all that but why brown bag it to a smorgasbor?

Leave the g/f at home.

This is the best advice given yet, and I don't even like Ken!

[Topher]

Amherst is a college in the US. It is in the state of Massachusetts. So I guess they have an exchange with Doshisha.

In general getting a job at Doshisha is pretty hard.

[HarrisonMuskat]

To those of you who actually gave advice, thanks. To the others, well, I suppose I should have expected the Internet to brings such returns.

In other news, my girlfriend was just offered a job with visa sponsorship after a successful interview and is in the process of filling out the proper paperwork to send to the company. So all's well that ends well. Japan hasn't been as tough a nut to crack as most of you have made out - we just had to put in enough effort (which was quite a bit). So that's what I am going to start telling people who ask.

[kurogane]

To be fair, that run on sentence you posted as an OP probably put everybody in a bad mood just reading it.

Are you hoping to learn more English during your time at Doshisha???

Good luck with that. Study hard.

And remember, son: paragraphs aren't just good for you, they're good for everybody.


PS Has anybody else heard of this here "late-basic Japanese" his GF speaks???

I wonder if that is like in those period movies where they end everything with "de gozansu".

I could probably get on that program.

Ore ha kore made de gozansu

[KansaiBen]

In other news, my girlfriend was just offered a job with visa sponsorship after a successful interview and is in the process of filling out the proper paperwork to send to the company. So all's well that ends well. Japan hasn't been as tough a nut to crack as most of you have made out - we just had to put in enough effort (which was quite a bit). So that's what I am going to start telling people who ask.

I would be interested to know exactly what package she is being offered and what the working conditions are like. You want to ensure she is not buying into a lemon, as well.

[Glenski]

In other news, my girlfriend was just offered a job with visa sponsorship

Congratulations to her!

Japan hasn't been as tough a nut to crack as most of you have made out - we just had to put in enough effort (which was quite a bit). So that's what I am going to start telling people who ask.

If it truly required a lot of effort, why wouldn't you label it as a tough nut to crack, as we told you?

[Nightwalker]

I would be interested to know exactly what package she is being offered and what the working conditions are like. You want to ensure she is not buying into a lemon, as well.

Lol. Who cares whether it's a lemon or not. She is going to get her work visa. That is the number one priority. She can always quit the company and find other work.

[Nightwalker]

Amherst is a college in the US. It is in the state of Massachusetts. So I guess they have an exchange with Doshisha.

In general getting a job at Doshisha is pretty hard.

Amherst and Doshisha are actually sister schools. The entire Doshisha curriculum and architecture are based on Amherst's. The founder of Doshisha was an Amherst alumnus.

[Effected After]

Yeah! After all, who cares that a company may have spent hundreds/thousands of dollars and numerous hours on recruiting someone from overseas. Everyone should think for themselves and not care about the impact their decision has on others!

[Super Grover]

To those of you who actually gave advice, thanks. To the others, well, I suppose I should have expected the Internet to brings such returns.

In other news, my girlfriend was just offered a job with visa sponsorship after a successful interview and is in the process of filling out the proper paperwork to send to the company. So all's well that ends well. Japan hasn't been as tough a nut to crack as most of you have made out - we just had to put in enough effort (which was quite a bit). So that's what I am going to start telling people who ask.

Never discount luck! I have been in Japan for a long time so I believe I was being accurate when I wrote it is harder to find a job in Kyoto than some other places. Anyway, it's moot now. Congratulations! Doshisha has great students and the Imadegawa campus is quite nice (have been a guest lecturer there 3-4 times). Tanabe campus, too, but VERY out in the sticks. Maybe you can get a part-time gig up at Notre Dame Women's U or at Otani U. Good pocket money.

You are certain to see some VERY weird foreigners in Kyoto. Enjoy.

[Nightwalker]

Yeah! After all, who cares that a company may have spent hundreds/thousands of dollars and numerous hours on recruiting someone from overseas. Everyone should think for themselves and not care about the impact their decision has on others!

You are clearly exaggerating the cost. Normally, people should have some morals in the real world. But, when it comes to dispatch companies, morals and loyalty get you stuck on an unstable, crappy job. There will be plenty of dumbass gaijins to take her place if she bails for greener pasture.

[Effected After]

You are clearly exaggerating the cost.

Really? Between posting the job ads, hours spent interacting with potential candidates (time = money), preparation for the new employee, trips to immigration to set up a visa, it's at least hundreds of dollars, and potentially thousands.

Normally, people should have some morals in the real world. But, when it comes to dispatch companies, morals and loyalty get you stuck on an unstable, crappy job.

He hasn't said it's a dispatch agency. Actually, he hasn't even said it's English teaching.

But regardless of this, when you have staff that jump ship at a dime, and other people encouraging people to jump ship right away for anything else, is it any surprise these companies have no respect for their staff?