How to Get a Job in Japan

Don’t let anyone tell you that you must live an unremarkable life.

There is a great big world out there, and nobody is making you miss it. You can get out. You can see what’s on the other side. And you can get paid for it.

• Are you unsatisfied with the direction your life has taken since college?
  
• Are you tired of serving coffee to annoying yuppies who think they are the center of the universe?
• Does your local karaoke bar have a limited selection?
• Have you ever wanted to do something that nobody you know has ever done?
• Do you worry about growing old without having seen the world?
  
• Are you struggling to get by with college loans hanging over your head?
• Are you tired of stale sushi?
  
• Have you ever felt that your life was meaningless?
• Do you love robots?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you owe it to yourself to keep reading, because I created How to Get a Job in Japan for you.

Can You Really Move to Japan and Live a More Exciting, More Fulfilling Life Making More Money than You do Now?

Absolutely. I currently make $158 a day for maybe four or five hours of work, living in Osaka – one of the most exciting cities in the world.

Within the next two years, there are going to be hundreds, if not thousands, of new jobs created doing exactly what I do. And even if you don’t want to teach or don’t like kids, there are plenty of other opportunities available.

Maybe you’ve already thought about moving to Japan.

• Are you tired of trying to sift through all the crap information online wondering whom to trust?
• Have you spent an hour reading something that claims to be “all about finding a job in Japan” only to get to the end and find it’s copyrighted years ago?
• Have you tried consulting internet forums only to find them full of trolls, flames, and complainers?

I’ve Been There, and I Can Help You

Over the past several years, I’ve had dozens of people asking me for the exact information in this guide. These have been people who were tired of wading through all the outdated and contradictory information floating around online. People who tried to figure out what they needed to know by reading internet forums but couldn’t distinguish the good advice from the misinformed.

After rewriting the same series of emails over and over again for years, I finally decided to collect all of my knowledge about Japanese Jobs in one place. The result is How to Get a Job in Japan. Creative title, right?

Before you start thinking that this is just some guy writing theories about the Japanese job market, I want to prove to you that this course consists of tried and true strategies that are proven to work.

After living here for several years, I had to return home to the US for a few months. All the while, my girlfriend and I racked up tons of frequent flier miles (and a sizable credit card debt) trying to stay together. Eventually, Japan won out, and I was faced with finding a work from overseas again. The first thing I did was look around online and apply to a position posted on a well-known job board. A few seconds later, I got this:

That position had been posted about two days, and already there were 662 applicants. I didn’t stand a chance!

At least, I wouldn’t have without a few tricks up my sleeve – the exact techniques and strategies I will teach you.

To compound the difficulty of finding a job, this was in late 2007 – just a few months after the English conversation mega-chain NOVA went bankrupt, leaving thousands of desperate English teachers without employment. Talk about a flooded job market, this was a tough time to be trying to apply for a job in Japan.

But I did apply, and I was offered an interview. The recruiter and I talked over instant coffee and some kind of cookies, and after a couple of hours, he offered me a job on the spot. I accepted, and moved back to Japan a few months later. If I can pull that off in the toughest job market Japan has ever seen, I can help you find work.

Even if you don’t want to teach, I can help you.

The process and principles of finding employment in Japan are basically the same across industries. Though How to Get a Job in Japan is somewhat English-teaching-centric (because that’s where the majority of my experience has been and where the majority of the jobs are), you can use the information in the guide to improve your chances of getting hired in almost any field.

Why You Want to Live in Japan

I know that work isn’t the most important thing in your life. After all, we work to live, not the other way around, right? For most people, working in Japan is really just a means to an end – living in Japan.

Let me tell you, living in Japan is great.

I have a heated toilet seat in my apartment. The neighborhood karaoke joint has songs in Japanese, Korean, and English. In the summer, I can see fireworks from my balcony, and there’s a park about a block away where I invite friends over for BBQ.

Japan is a great base from which to travel to other countries in Asia and the Pacific. I’ve been to Australia, Taiwan, and Korea. I have friends who have traveled from Japan to Singapore, Cambodia, Thailand, mainland China, Laos, Russia, and probably other places. Don’t forget travel within Japan either. This is an amazing country, and there are tons of interesting things to see and places to visit.

This is a Fantastic Country

In the summer, most towns have festivals, and there are a wide variety of crazy activities that go on at some of these, from riding a giant log down a muddy hill to spinning fire off the side of a bridge. There’s some less-dangerous ones too.

There is virtually no violent crime.

There are vending machines everywhere that sell any kind of beverage you can imagine. The convenience stores sell concert tickets, clothes, and a killer selection of instant ramen. You can rent DVDs and pay your bills there too. Japan also has one of the best public transit systems in the entire world.

But more than any of that, you want to live in Japan because it’s intriguing and exciting and offers you experiences you can’t have where you are now.

But I don’t think I have to convince you that living in Japan is an experience you want. You already know that, and it’s the thing that lead you here in the first place. So the question is, why aren’t you here already?

There could be a number of things holding you back:

• You don’t speak Japanese.
• You don’t have any work experience.
• You’re afraid you won’t be able to find work.
• You’ve never been out of the country, and you’re nervous about being able to live here.
• You’ve heard that living in Japan is expensive.
  

Stop making excuses.

Everybody starts with no experience, and most of us didn’t speak much, if any, Japanese at all before moving here. And let me assure you that there are jobs. Excuses should not be holding you back from living your dreams – especially if those dreams include living in Japan someday.

Sure, Tokyo is one of the most expensive cities in the world, but nobody is saying you have to live in Tokyo. There are several other cities throughout the country where you can enjoy a high quality of life on very modest means. You can watch movies in English, eat fried chicken, and shoot hoops at the local gym. If you’re concerned that you won’t be able to adapt to a Japanese lifestyle, rest assured that you have nothing to worry about.

Let’s look at what you should really be worried about:

• Finding a job after graduation that pays more than $8/hour
• Paying off student loans
• Missing out on the opportunity to change your life
• Growing old without having traveled the world when you had the chance
• Being unsatisfied with your current options
• Living an unremarkable life
• Always wondering how things could have been

There are opportunities for you in Japan that will pay you good money while allowing you to experience far more than you would where you are now.

You’ll Never Be the Same

Your experiences here will change the way you look at life forever. I can promise you that. You’ll start out thinking how strange Japan is, but then you’ll start to notice how similar people really are despite their cultural differences. You’ll also begin to see what your own culture looks like from the outside and gain perspective on things back home that you would never have even noticed otherwise.

You’ll have the chance to gain professional experience: teaching, speaking and communication skills, cultural sensitivity, not to mention language. How valuable you make your experience here is only a matter of your motivation to learn and how well you leverage those lessons.

What’s Included

A lot of effort and attention to detail went into the organization, layout, and design of this guide. Check out the screenshots below to see what you’re getting.

How to Get a Job in Japan gives you:

• 7 steps to applying for work in Japan from abroad – so you know what your primary objective is at all times
• specific tips for passing the JET Programme application and interview stages – from a former JET interviewer – that give you a huge advantage in being selected
• 5 little-known ways to find a job if you’re already in Japan – because the best jobs are not posted on the big boards
• 16 (non-obvious) steps you can take to make your move easy and painless – and take the uncertainty out of your trip overseas
• a thorough understanding of the most important “qualification” for getting any job
• 2 ways to leverage non-paid opportunities while traveling on a tourist visa – to make the most of the skills and experience you do have

I’ll also tell you:

• how to research potential employers so you can avoid those with a reputation for taking advantage foreign workers
• how to compare job postings so you don’t get thrown off by misleading or vague information
• the best ways to contact a potential employer – hint: it doesn’t include clicking a “submit” button
• whether you should fly over to search for jobs or stay home
• how to get university teaching experience without an advanced degree
  
• what area of the education industry is about to experience a dramatic increase in available positions
• what Japanese resumes always include that Western ones do not – and how doing it right will help keep your application on the top of the pile
• how to craft a cover letter that speaks to recruiters in their own language so your name gets put on the interview list
• how to make the best impression on interviewers to make sure you get called back
• what points you need to check on a typical contract before making a commitment
• everything you need to know about getting a visa that allows you to work in Japan
• what you need to get started in Japan and how much money you’ll need to bring with you
• To help you adjust, I’ve included a section on working for a Japanese company

…and loads more. This really is the most comprehensive guide to finding work in Japan ever created.

Why You Really Need This Guide

Simply, you need the most up-to-date information because the job market is constantly changing.

You might be thinking to yourself that you can find some of this information elsewhere on the web – for free even. To tell the truth, that’s about half true.

Job boards with positions in Japan are widely advertised. I’m sure you’ve seen several of them if you’ve found this page. These sites will tell you what jobs are available, but beyond the basic qualifications, they won’t tell you what recruiters are really looking for. Over the years, I’ve built relationships with several companies that hire foreign workers, and I can tell you the best ways to impress the people who will read your resume and interview you.

Of course, Google can also guide you to several FAQs covering working in Japan. Some of these pages have a fair amount of information, including everything from applying to moving to getting ready to go back home.

There’s just one problem: most of them are out of date. Very out of date.

Go ahead and look for yourself. The best one (hosted on a popular forum) was last updated in 2007, and I’ve seen others from 2002. I even found one from 1997!

That’s just not going to be good enough. NOVA collapsed in 2007, and it’s a whole different job market now. Information from over ten years ago simply isn’t going to be very useful at all today. Important changes to Japan’s immigration laws and huge changes in the educational system (that directly affect anyone thinking of teaching English in Japan) have occurred in just the past couple of years. More are on the horizon.

Other guides simply can’t give you everything you need, because they aren’t updated regularly.

Don’t Get Taken for a Ride

I’ve met dozens of people living in Japan that got taken advantage of by unscrupulous employers. Japan’s labor laws aren’t very clear when it comes to protecting the rights of foreign workers, so most of these people found themselves stuck in unfair contracts that they couldn’t get out of. Some companies are notorious for making misleading and even false promises in their recruiting materials and on job postings.

I’ve been telling my friends how to avoid such tactics, but these companies still manage to take in new recruits each year.  I wrote this guide, in part, because I got sick of seeing people make the same mistakes year after year.

In How to Get a Job in Japan, I go into detail about how to check up on companies, how to scrutinize job postings, and how to spot an exploitative contract. In today’s market, these are essential survival skills. Some recruiters see overseas candidates as easy marks because they have little or no Japanese skills and little or no understanding of their rights under the Japanese labor laws.

No BS

Let’s be totally honest. I’d love to be able to tell you that How to Get a Job in Japan can help you save the day, get the girl (or guy), and be a rock star all at the same time, but this guide is not about those things (stay tuned for a future release…). What it absolutely will do is walk you through finding available positions in Japan and presenting yourself as the ideal candidate to fill them. This is a strategic guide, and no amount of hype can equal the promise of a proven strategy.

I’ve spent seven years and thousands of dollars learning all the strategies and information I’ve included in How to Get a Job in Japan. And you know what? I’d do it all again! Now you can experience life in Japan without all the embarrassing and expensive mistakes. With the tools I give you in this guide, you really have nothing to lose.

Don’t sit there in front of your computer thinking your life is going to change on its own.

Click below to get you instant download of How to Get a Job in Japan for only $47.

After you enter your payment information, you’ll be taken immediately to a download page, where you can download the entire 85 page ebook in .pdf format, readable on all major computer platforms. If you really want, you’ll be able to get started with your job search within the hour. Take action NOW.

Simplest Guarantee Ever

I promise that you will not find a comparable resource anywhere in terms of the quantity, quality, or freshness of information I have put in this guide. It simply does not exist.

However, if you read How to Get a Job in Japan and haven’t learned something you believe will improve your chances of finding employment in Japan, I want to hear about it.

If How to Get a Job in Japan doesn’t live up to your expectations, simply send me an email, and I will give you a full refund.

Change Your Life for the Better

Of course, If you already have the perfect life, How to Get a Job in Japan is not for you.

Here are a few more reasons this guide might not suit you:

• You can’t imagine life without super-sizing.
• You like the idea of being born, growing up, growing old, and dying in the same place.
• Your idea of “Japanese culture” is limited to sushi, anime, and karate.
• Change frightens you.

You can benefit from How to Get a Job in Japan because:

• You find it rewarding to share your knowledge and culture with others.
• You love to learn and try new things.
• You aren’t afraid of a challenge.
• You’re disappointed with your job prospects after college.
• You sometimes wonder what it would be like to live in another country.
• You want to try pizza with mayo and squid.
• You’ve fantasized about dong something totally different with your life.
• You sometimes think that maybe the things that seem to satisfy everyone else won’t be enough to make you truly happy.

And of course, anyone who has ever just dreamed of living in Japan on its own merits needs to read How to Get a Job in Japan.

You need this guide now, because How to Get a Job in Japan has everything you need to get started and to take you straight through to the conclusion of moving here. There is simply no other resource available that is as complete, up-to-date, or filled with useful strategies as this guide. I give you all the tactics and show you how to avoid all the traps.

Look. Honestly? What do you have planned for the next $47 you spend?

• Rent the entire LOST series from NetFlix?
• Trivia Night at The Rusty Nail?
• Velvet Elvis on eBay?
• Take the girlfriend to Applebee’s? (assuming you have a girlfriend)
• Some other waste of your time and your life.

For $47, you have a choice:

the same old crap you always blow your money on

… or …

the chance to make a significant change in the direction and quality of your life.

PS – Just so you know, I am a JET Program alum and have been an interviewer selecting candidates for the program. I devoted a whole chapter to acing the application and interview for JET that you owe it to yourself to read and understand.

PPS – If you’ve read this far, just go ahead and buy it. I guarantee that this program can change your life, and I’ve gotten nothing but great feedback so far from readers who are already on their way to a new life in Japan. After reading the guide and included resources, you will know everything you need to move to Japan and start living the life you’ve been dreaming of.