How to get a non-teaching job in Japan after JET: my advice

[hamsterpanic]

REPOST

Someone asked me about this thread as they couldn't find it in the archives - on further inspection it looks like it was purged from the archive somehow during the recent forum upgrade(?) and there is no way of getting to the thread. Since it got a lot of positive feedback and because there are a few members of BD who have since then made the move from JET to post-JET non-teaching job in Japan, I thought I would repost it in case they would like to add something. Also this is for the benefit of those new JETs (like the one who contacted me) who would like to read it for planning their post-JET lives. cheers


The Hamsterpanic you all know, love and no doubt masturbate over is moving on. Not from BD (you can never leave BD. Never) but from JET. I’ve been offered a job with a company in Tokyo and will soon be moving to the big city.

As a 3rd year JET it has required a fair bit of effort, regarding the whole JET-->Real World transition and the fact that I currently live in Kumamoto, but looking back the somewhat elusive act of transferring from JET to non-teaching job in Japan wasn’t the insurmountable task that some people make it out to be. This is a little bit of advice from me as to how I went about it. I know there are a few BDers who might find this useful - I certainly would have, but there was relatively little practical advice in the archives, most of it was kind of vague.

Many people will tell you that it is really difficult, that you need to have 2kyu or higher preferably 1kyu yadda yadda. In my experience, although yours may vary according to the industry you want to work in, this has not been the case everywhere I went.

Anyway here are some tips that you might want to think about when it is time to start looking. Bear in mind that my experience is based on applying for work related to IT and to Japanese companies only. I think a lot of BDers would find it helpful if other people who are working in non-teaching positions (perhaps other industries - finance, medical etc) in Japan after JET could also give their tips, but here are mine first:

1) Really think about the specific industry you want to work in. Its no good just thinking “I want to work in Japan at all costs - I’ll do anything!” as you need to give yourself some focus. What are you interested in, what is your degree/qualification/experience in - and most importantly, what can you physically demonstrate your ability in? Talk is cheap but if you have real world examples of your work that you can use, thats a lot more convincing to a prospective employer.

2) Start preparing early. In my case I started working on projects (examples of web application development) to show prospective employers in January, with a view to start applying to jobs in March/April. Bear in mind that you’ll want to show current work - nobody is interested in stuff you did 3 years ago in university as it is probably outdated, especially if it is IT related.

3) Find out what are the publications / magazines in Japan that are related to your field, be they online or in print, and use them to find out about what companies are hiring and what the current trends are. This might involve typing in a lot of urls and looking for the 募集／求人 section on a company’s website (great advice, Rudd). Be prepared to fill in a lot of those stupid online application forms that companies use to ensure the applicant data comes formatted in the exact way they like. Keep a document of your responses to the questions in the online forms so you can just cut & paste for the next one - only a monkey types these things out every time, especially in Japanese.

4) Put together an attractive CV/Resume, one in English and one in Japanese and milk them. Not a single company I interviewed with or applied to ever asked for a traditional rirekisho after they had seen my Japanese CV. Of course, it can’t hurt to prepare a rirekisho, but I think the bespoke design of my CV said more about me than a rirekisho could, which is why I went with that.

5) Fluent Japanese wasn’t an explicit requirement for any of the jobs I looked for, but they were for Japanese companies meaning that it was expected you would be able to function properly in the office. They were the same job adverts that Japanese people would be looking at.

6) Other people may have different experiences but I found recruitment consultants - even personal referrals from friends (cheers anyway Adam) - to be a complete waste of time. Not one recruitment consultant I contacted had anything suitable for me (even the ones who supposedly specialised in recruiting for the exact industry I was looking at), and some didn’t even get back to me at all. Of course, depending on the industry, timing and your skill-set, your experience could be entirely different. My advice is just not to depend on them to find you a job whilst you sit back and wait for the offers. If only!

7) Likewise, applications to online job postings on websites like daijob.com, gaijinpot.com and other various Japanese tenshoku websites, heralded almost zero responses. Maybe it was just me, I don’t know.

8) On the other hand, applying directly via email with CV attached to companies (in Japanese, to Japanese companies) that I actually wanted to work for, I was getting interviews for maybe every 2 out of 5 applications I sent out. I even had to turn down interviews as they either got back to me after I received the offer I accepted or they wanted me to come like, the next day which was impossible for me for whatever reason.

9) Wherever the company is (most likely Tokyo?) you will need to be able to get there within a few days if they ask you to come for an interview, although most companies were fairly flexible in my experience. I timed most of my applications to coincide with a trip to Tokyo I was taking and managed to get a few interviews in whilst on my trip - obviously if you live far away from Tokyo, just try to get as many interviews bunched together as possible to maximise the value of your trip.

10) In general nobody really cared about how I could spin The JET Experience (TM) to make it sound all Important-Like (TM), despite what we are continually told on BD or by those Life After JET workshops. Most employers didn’t even know what the JET programme was and it was hardly dwelled upon. Mostly, the employers were just interested in was the work I had done that was related to the job I had applied for, which had all been prepared in my spare time since January. Also, they were interested in the experience I had in the industry (pre-JET I undertook 2 internships in the industry related to the jobs I had applied for). JET neither helped nor hindered my application, other than the fact that it meant I had lived in the country for 3 years so they weren’t worried about me freaking out or something.

11) If applying to Japanese companies the interview will most likely be in Japanese. In some cases for me there was another foreign employee at the company and thus the interview was in a little bit of both English and Japanese. Nobody asked “what level are you?” - in my experience they were only concerned with how you could communicate in a real sense in the interview (reading included) not whether I have the 2kyu certification etc (which I don’t).

12) My first interview in Japanese was f*** TERRIFYING and if you are still human then so will yours (unless you are bilingual). If I could do things differently, I would have applied to some crapper jobs first just to get the interview experience under my wing. As it happened I applied to a company I quite liked as my first application, got the interview and royally f*** it up because I was so nervous and unconfident in my language skills.
Although content of the interviews was obviously different for each one, to be honest, the kinds of things they asked were basically the same as interviews I have taken in the UK. One question that kept cropping up however was “where do you see yourself in 5 (or so) years?”. I was never sure how to answer that so I usually said something along the lines of more responsibility yadda yadda. I was never asked any arbitrary stuff about Japan (”can you use chopsticks?!?”), most of it was strictly business, although a few did ask why did I come to Japan in the first place.

13) Be prepared to totally let your day job take a back seat as this stuff is brain-consuming. I salute the person who can do all this AND maintain a steadfast interest in teaching English at the same time, but all of this stuff was constantly on my mind and sucking up my spare time during the last couple of months and my role as an ALT had definitely seen better days as far as my motivation goes.

In summary, in my humble opinion to get what you want:

- you need to have a skill to offer

- you need to be able to demonstrate that skill in some kind of practical way (so for example “work well under pressure” is not a skill, “implemented X projects in under X weeks singlehandedly here they are fully functional for you to have a look at” is a skill). Ideally, with this skill, you need to have had some commercial experience using it.

- you need to find and target the companies who want that skill the most

- you need to have a fairly decent level of Japanese, at least a level that enables you to function normally in an office and talk about the industry / your work (may involve jargon).

- and in a very basic sense, you’ve got to really want it! The whole process will take ages and suck up your time and money. Since January I basically spent every weekend in at home working on stuff, and have probably spent about 150’000-yen in total just attending interviews, on transport (trains, PLANES...automobiles), buying a new suit / shoes (old ones were, well, old) etc etc - it all adds up. And everything up to getting the offer is the EASY part! After that you have a world of pain packing up all your crap, finding a new place, probably new bank account, remembering to tell people your change of address (keitai) etc, changing your visa status etc etc. For me, because I am a terminally messy bastard, the packing is going to be the worst part...I have so MUCH crap. Most of it is going to be chucked away.

Some of this sounds obvious to me now (and maybe to you already?) but at the very start of my job hunt I really was all over the place in an organisational sense and advice like this would have been a small help at least - I hope it is for you.

Cheers,
HP

ETA: Perhaps now that some other BDers (TPSReports) have gone through this process we could add a bit more to this thread? Also something about contract negotiations would be good, we had a thread already but it would be cool to have things in one place.

Good luck to all of you who are hoping to work in Japan after JET. I'm currently in Tokyo and Shibuya is my daily backdrop - it's totally bizarre after living in the inaka for 3 years. Having a blast, spending all my money. Word to your mothers.

[landslide]

Thank your so much for sharing your experiences...very inspirational!

[suckmenao]

Hey dude thanks for the info. I was wondering aboutt the money side in Tokyo. What do you think is the minimumal disposal income needed to have a good life there.

[beeell]

Hey dude thanks for the info. I was wondering aboutt the money side in Tokyo. What do you think is the minimumal disposal income needed to have a good life there.

What do you consider a good life?
If you have an overall income of at least 4 million yen then you'll be doing fine. The only major difference between the cost of living here and that in inaka is housing. A decent apartment in a reasonably convenient area will be at least 8 man. Food is about the same where ever you are. You'll spend a lot less on transportation but more on entertainment, so this will even out.

[negi]

i can live quite cheaply in tokyo, the only thing my boyfriend and i spend money on is travel for work (which is reimbursed of course) and food. lately we have both been working late so we eat out most weekdays but we don't drink so most nights it's around 1000-3000 for 2 which is nothing (our local does a good teishoku dinner for 400 yen each: rice, miso, fish!). if we want to save we can get by on 10000-20000 a week. maybe sounds a bit dreary but i do lots of fun things too. i think i could easily live on 250000 but i wouldn't be able to save anything which would be depressing since money is a reason i'm here (i earn quite a bit more than 4million and so does he but we have to send money to a whole lot of different places).

[rai]

You make quite a bit more than 4 million? Are you a teacher? I make 4,080,000 a year at my school board gig, and the only teachers I know who make more are the elementary ALT's here (but man, do they EARN IT!) Do you teach privates or something? If there are other gigs that pay that much, I wanna know about them, 'cuz I'm over the jr. high thing after five years.

[nobody__]

I also got a non teaching job "in Japan." It's actually not really in Japan, but involves living here for 3 months at a time.

My only advice is... meet people who can employ you. Better yet if you're their friend.

[LSHuang]

HP- what kind of job do you have nowadays?

[hamsterpanic]

I give out tissues outside Shinjuku station. Sure it's demeaning but I get to meet loads of hot chicks! Well, I mean I get to see them as they walk past.

[nobody__]

Hahaha me too! I even have my own office.

Your advice is really good though, I think that's the right way to go about getting any job you really want.

Maybe all that I can really add to your advice is "have goals." The only reason I got offered my future position is because I busted my ass while on JET to help out this company; now I earned their trust, and thus a budget for operations, which means a full time job.

[TPSReports]

That's a pretty thorough post, and I don't know how much I can add to it. I guess I'll just go through how I went through my job hunt.

I had basically two target areas -- HR work in the eikaiwa industry (I have a bit of experience working with problem solving between the local government and Fukui ALTs, as well as conference planning and whatnot) or in-house translation. I have no IT/economics background so I ruled those out from the start.

I started with the traditional gaijinpot.com search, but as HP said, the response rate is incredibly low. (Keep in mind that I was not posting resumes for any English teaching stuff -- if I had been, I'm sure the response rate would have been higher.) Interestingly enough, though, I got my first interview through gaijinpot. I was actually the 177th applicant for the position, but a week after I applied, I got an e-mail, which led to a phone interview, which ultimately led to an interview in Tokyo. I ended up taking a different job in the end, but it goes to show that some online stuff can, in rare cases, work.

The other site I found helpful was jobsinjapan.com. I got many good replies from companies I applied to through that site. Aside from that, the only other resources I used were ohayosensei, which occasionally has non-teaching jobs, and the Japan Times, which is how I got my current job.

I guess my situation shows that you can find jobs through the traditional website/newspaper job hunt, which sort of goes against everything I had been told, both in the returners' conference, and many job hunting books (What Color is your Parachute, etc.) I also did almost no cold-calling, and I didn't use any connections to get in -- I managed on my own steam. I did, however, manage to land a position that people with virtually no experience can rarely get. I got a job that will give me tons of valuable experience (as well as kicking my Japanese into high gear), and my foot in the door of an industry that will have many opportunities in the future.

I think the main factor in having success with the kind of traditional job hunt I did was lots of preparation and hard work. I wrote out new resumes and cover letters for each job, changing the formatting and content, sometimes giving the whole thing and complete overhaul. When I did that, I was almost certain to get a decent response. If I just dashed the sutff off, usually I got no response. The amount of time you put into your job hunt is in direct correlation with the amount of interviews you will get.

The timing is a bit tricky. As you probably know, the main hiring season in Japan is in April, but we're looking to get in in August or September. Apply too early, and the company will want you to come in earlier than you are able (unless you break contract, which is an option, of course -- the ends may very well justify the means.) Apply too late, and you'll have interviews scheduled for three days before your visa expires. (I just got a very late e-mail from Namco, asking me to come in for an interview next week -- bit late there, folks.) I'd say start looking a good 4 months before you want to be employed, but be prepared, in some cases, to be turned down for the simple fact that you can't start when they want you to.

HP is dead on about the financial aspect of the job hunt. It can cost tons. I made four trips to Tokyo, at 25,000 yen shinkansen for each trip. You can do overnight bus/whatever if you want to, but I found it was a much better idea to be well-rested and generally not looking like shit when you go for the interview. I probably spent a total of 130,000 yen on my job hunt.

As for interviews, my Japanese is pretty good, so I found that if I just acted like myself then I was in pretty good shape. Of course, you need to be able to back up the skills you say you have. My company started my interview with a translation test -- three pages of technical specs for a cell phone with digital audio playback capabilities -- but I managed to translate three times more than most applicants. Basically they saw that I could do what was asked of me, and I could get along with people in the company as well.

Anyway, I know this isn't nearly as well-organized as HP's post, but here's some final thoughts:

1. make nice resumes. The one that got me my job was a simple but thorough resume that loosely followed the Japanese resume style. I posted a little picture of myself in the header, next to me address, phone number, e-mail, height, weight, desired position, etc. I followed with sections on my education (awards and scholarships included), employment history, certifications, skills/interests, references, and then a short blurb on why I was applying for the position. I made English translations when applying for positions posted in English, but mostly ended up sending out Japanese resumes.

2. write good cover letters. Don't just dash out any old letter. If you want the job, you have to show that you want it. What everybody says is true -- for example, my boss said that the first thing he was impressed by was my cover letter, and it was what made him decide to check out my resume in the end. So, without that decent cover letter, I probably wouldn't have gotten the job.

3. don't be "all talk." You need to be able to back up your particular skill. Many Japanese companies have various tests first thing in an interview, so you need to be able to do them well. Don't apply for something you can't do.

4. get What Color is your Parachute and read it. It does have a lot of good advice. I found the interview section in particular to be very helpful.

5. don't think that you can relax once you get a job. Perhaps the most stressful and busy part is after you get the job -- you need to relocate, change your visa, tie up all the loose ends at your former job, do gooodbye parties -- a million things will jump out at you all of a sudden. Many of those things are expensive, too.

In terms of salary negotiation, my office had a set salary given to entry-level employees, and then after my trial period of three months, I can renegotiate the contract. With no overtime, I would make a little less than JET; with two hours overtime a day, I'll be making more. Just be prepared to have to work later than JET. One thing to keep in mind is that to get your visa changed, you need to obtain an earnings report from your office, and it will usually have the salary/bonus/etc. information from employees. This could give you a little bit of leverage when asking for more money later.

I guess that's about all.

[beeell]

TPSReports, you're doing technical translation then? What else can you tell us about the job?

One thing I have to add: if you are interested in a particular industry then look into joining an industry association, there are lots of them. They are very helpful in answering questions and often have events. The major events are definitely worth taking a trip, they're a great time usually and you'll meet a lot of influential people. Have meshi printed so you can exchange, chat chat chat and then follow up after the event.

Even non-industry specific groups like the ACCJ (American Chamber of Commerce in Japan) has events that are worth looking into as well.

[TPSReports]

Well, not really -- I haven't started yet! I'll be sure to update now and then though when I get a feel for what it's actually like.

[negi]

You make quite a bit more than 4 million? Are you a teacher? I make 4,080,000 a year at my school board gig, and the only teachers I know who make more are the elementary ALT's here (but man, do they EARN IT!) Do you teach privates or something? If there are other gigs that pay that much, I wanna know about them, 'cuz I'm over the jr. high thing after five years.

i have no sweet deals or anything, none of my jobs pays that much but it has been easy for me to find work i enjoy and the hours are available. i expect to make between 5-6million this year from teaching but i will work quite a lot. for example, i have a school job that pays through the summer but i have been able to find another summer job so i can earn extra from this, during the semester i work several evenings and saturdays. i do not have an MA, teachers who do are in a much stronger position because there is just less classroom time but you should be paid through the year. next year i will probably quit my school job (i prefer teaching adults but it is more competitive and i will almost certainly earn less) so i must try and pay off student loans etc this year.

[nobody__]

But you always talk about how you can't do this, can't do that, etc... dammit, if you make decent money, at least live life a little.

[negi]

But you always talk about how you can't do this, can't do that, etc... dammit, if you make decent money, at least live life a little.

what do you mean? i am trying to sort out some financial stuff this year so i am a bit restricted by that but i am pretty happy with my life in tokyo. last year i did more drinking/going to see music, this year i am studying for MA, working and spending time with my fella but i still try to regularly go out with friends though i am not so inclined to drink i guess. next year, we'll see.. i've been abroad at least once every year i've been in japan and have travelled all over japan, no regrets here.

[leighkun]

MY POST-JET JOB SEARCH EXPERIENCE

I'm actually kind of busy today so i may have to post a brief message and then get back to it later to fill in the details.

Unfortunately, I am not as articulate as the Hamsterpanic's of BD so you will have to bear with me.

Basically, my "job search" began around March/April, when i started updating my resume both in Japanese and English. I definately recommend getting at least 10 or so examples of resumes in both languages and getting a native-speaking friend to check them. ReconJack sent me some great links that helped me to no end. It is a great idea to get as much information as you possibly can and write everything you can think of in your resume. The person checking it can then suggest what to leave out or put in (if they have experience in this thing)

Following this, I started applying for jobs online using search engines such as "Daijob", "tempuniversal", "ecentral", "japan.jobs", etc. However, I wasnt getting anywhere at all and almost every job I applied to wasnt even answered.

It was then suggested that i go and meet a consultant from JAC Japan, so I went for an interview on a Friday night in May. We discussed what sort of work i was looking for (international business), my experiences and the chances of finding a success position. I left the agency feeling quite positive that i would soon have a job.

A few weeks rolled by and all the jobs I'd been recommended had either not been answered or had been told that they were looking for a "Japanese" employee.

I thought "f*** this, as hard as this guy may try he's probably not gonna find me a job" so i asked ReconJack if he knew where i could get a copy of the ACCJ (chamber of commerce) Members list. Of course, being ReconJack he dug up a copy and sent it to me. I used this to get names and email addresses of companies in Kansai, as well as searching through the internet.

I cant tell you the number of times i searched for things like "外資系　+ 採用" or "英語圏 + 海外営業" etc.

I got a few "unfortunately we dont have a position available" type emails, and was pretty depressed at this point. Then as chance had it, i was speaking to someone from the Kobe Chamber of Commerce, who mentioned that the founder of *COMPANY* was holding a lecture. I didnt even realize the company was Japanese.

I found out via the internets that indeed *COMPANY* global base was in Kobe, so I figured "what the hell" and searched for an email and name to send my resume to. Actually a good tip is to go to the 採用情報 area of a company's homepage, look up the email that they give (usually something like recruit@leighkunshouse.com") and then go on google and search for "@leighkunshouse.com" and you may find a persons email somewhere. Usually they are from the 人事 section. If you can get a name and their personal email, definately send it there.

I sent a Japanese cover letter along with my Japanese and English resume, and 2 days later i received a reply. They told me they had nothing in "international business" but wanted me to come in for a "chat" (話し) anyway.

I looked up as much as i could about the business, used 日系ナビ for FAQ info on the company, went to their homepage and looked up the 会社案内 and 理念. I also searched for example questions held in Japanese interviews and had a think about what i would say. HINT: Do not memorize what you want to say!! It doesnt come out and you look like a robot.

INTERVIEW TIME:

I came in a suit with a folder containing information id downloaded about the company, emails, my resume, etc. I was sat down and we exchanged meishi. Its always a good idea to have meishi, i think.

The asked me to give a brief introduction, explaining my current job details, etc. Then we talked about why i wanted to join the company, whether i was interested in "promotion", and what background i had in sport. They also asked me whether i wanted to stay in Japan all my life, and whether id be happy moving someone else (be that possibly overseas).

Everything was far more relaxed then i thought, and we even chatted about unrelated things (my country, what i do on the weekends, etc.)

By the end of the interview they were already mentioning pay, accommodation arrangements, start dates, etc. so i knew it went quite well.

I sent them an email the same day thanking them for their time. I again recommend using the internet to get examples of letter to send after an interview (面接後 +　礼状)

3 weeks later i went in for my 2次面接 with promotion division managers from both Tokyo and Kobe. They had told me there was a chance of me moving to Tokyo, so i was a little worried about the outcome.

This interview was a little more formal, but we still conducted quite a bit of chit-chat. Again, meishi were exchanged and they probed me about my language ability, lack of business experience (Japanese love to hear you say something like まだまだ習うこといっぱいあると思いますが,一生懸命頑張りたいと思います or something like that)

Another central theme was my lack of weekends if i began this job and whether i would be able to handle it. I was quite honest about everything and told them that i would keep trying until I had nothing left to give. This seemed to satisfy them.

Honestly, go into these interviews with as much information as you can about the company. When discussion your reasons for joining the company try to tie in the companies goals (usually found on the internets). If you have a passion for the kind of work they do, it will show in the interview.
Also, be friendly and easy to talk to!! I know a lot of Japanese go into interviews and never smile, but if you are looking to get into something like "promotion" / "business" you need to have good public relations, and a smile will go a long way.

I think i have covered most things, but there may be specific questions you want to ask. Feel free to post them and i will try to answer them as best i can.
Sorry for rambling so much!!

If you want a job in a big Japanese company, you can definately get it. You just need to be patient and show initiative.

[leighkun]

should i even bump this?

[jariten]

Good post man, thanks.

[yamishogun]

In summary, in my humble opinion to get what you want:

- you need to have a skill to offer

No. You need to be able to convince a company that you could be useful even without some obvious skill. Not that those are bad...

[panzerdampf]

In summary, in my humble opinion to get what you want:

- you need to have a skill to offer

No. You need to be able to convince a company that you could be useful even without some obvious skill. Not that those are bad...

Are you talking 'soft skills' or no skills at all? Your statement is interesting, and probably true. But this tops all for easier-said-than-done.

[Katsu]

Suppose that one was offered a job in a part of Japan quite far from where they live now. This new employee knows no one in the immediate area, and knows no Japanese people he'd feel comfortable asking to be a gurantor.

Suppose that said employee's employer has refused to act as a gurantor or help them find any kind of housing.

Short of showing up the day before work and hoping to find an apartment, how do you recommend said employee avoids sleeping under a bridge?

[debaser]

There are plenty of companies that will act as a guarantor in exchange for a wad of bills. Combine those with the rather fabulous apartment-hunting websites that were posted on a thread a few weeks back, and who needs the company?

[Katsu]

There are plenty of companies that will act as a guarantor in exchange for a wad of bills. Combine those with the rather fabulous apartment-hunting websites that were posted on a thread a few weeks back, and who needs the company?

People who don't have a wad of bills?

[The Last Dragon]

There are plenty of companies that will act as a guarantor in exchange for a wad of bills. Combine those with the rather fabulous apartment-hunting websites that were posted on a thread a few weeks back, and who needs the company?

People who don't have a wad of bills?

Leo Palace?

[TPSReports]

Katsu, there are plenty of temporary housing arrangements available. If I recall correctly, hamsterpanic stayed in Sakura House when he first got to Tokyo. AFAIK there are also guarantor agencies who will act as guarantors for a commission (3 or so man? I'm talking out my ass, but...).

[debaser]

There are plenty of companies that will act as a guarantor in exchange for a wad of bills. Combine those with the rather fabulous apartment-hunting websites that were posted on a thread a few weeks back, and who needs the company?

People who don't have a wad of bills?

Leo Palace?

I've heard that Leo Palace actually do require a guarantor for foreigners. Never stayed there myself, so I can't confirm that. Yeah, failing the apartment there are loads of gaijin houses. None of the ones I've seen have been exactly luxury, but they're usually in convenient locations.

[hamsterpanic]

There are plenty of companies that will act as a guarantor in exchange for a wad of bills. Combine those with the rather fabulous apartment-hunting websites that were posted on a thread a few weeks back, and who needs the company?

+1.

Does anyone use a real guarantor anymore? I think it's pretty common for young people to use a guarantor agency now, in so much that out of the 2 real estate agents I've used in Tokyo, they just assumed I'd be using one and had the forms for me ready to go. Suited me fine since I don't like the idea of putting some poor bastard's name down as the person to ring if I lose all my money on the greyhound track one weekend.

It's not even that expensive. It's like a nominal signup fee, then X% of a month's rent - that covers you for a year. If your place is cheap/average rent it will only be a couple of man.

[hamsterpanic]

Katsu, there are plenty of temporary housing arrangements available. If I recall correctly, hamsterpanic stayed in Sakura House when he first got to Tokyo. AFAIK there are also guarantor agencies who will act as guarantors for a commission (3 or so man? I'm talking out my ass, but...).

Yes I recommend a gaijin house as temporary, hassle-free accommodation whilst you look for a real place to live. No one expects you to move to a new city and have everything sorted, and really there is no way you can apartment-hunt effectively unless you are in the new city and already exploring. A gaijin house gives you the opportunity to do that without getting raped by key money fees etc. Plus you might meet a couple of new people to kick-start your new circle of friends with.

[ninja_k]

I haven't actually gotten a job yet. Wheels of the big guys are incredibly slow. But as I was talking about my most recent "impress me in five minutes or get outta here" come-from-behind, I can't mention how many times I have had my resume chucked because I am an ALT.

Persistence is the only way to overcome this gap if you are in (real) IT.

Also I will also take my single entry into this thread to thank the anonymous BDers for all of their advice and help via PM.

Oh... and beware of daijob.com... populated by fvckin' bottom feeders. I've had much, MUCH better leads after sitting down with a respectable agency like Robert Walters.