Potential jobs for people on Working Holiday Scheme

photo by atramos

There are many reasons for you to visit Japan: for sightseeing, for a business trip, and for settling in for good. Working Holiday Scheme is also available for the nationals of some countries. This visa allows those who within a certain age range to stay in Japan for a year, traveling as well as working. It is a great opportunity to see Japan to its depth and experience Japanese life styles, which is impossible within a short stay of a week or two. So, what kind of jobs are available for tourists on working holiday visa during their stays in Japan? You might imagine a foreign language tutor as a common option, but it requires you to hold a relevant degree. In this article, I will introduce other types of potential jobs available for working holiday visa holders.

Working Holiday Scheme

Today, Japan is in agreement with 14 different countries regarding “Working Holiday Scheme”, including Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Detailed eligibility may vary from country to country, but as long as you fulfil some criteria, anyone can apply for it. The conditions include: you need to be between 18 and 30 years old (for some countries, between 18 and 25 years old); the main purpose of your stay has to be sightseeing; and you are a national or a permanent resident of the country under the agreement. Although the purpose of your stay needs to be primarily sightseeing, you are allowed to work to earn expenditure for your stay under the visa. The visa expires in a year from your entry to Japan. You can apply for the working holiday visa at the nearest Embassy of Japan in your region.

Reference: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan

Jobs available throughout the year

Receptionists at hotels

More and more tourists are visiting Japan not only from English speaking countries and European countries but also from Asia. As a result, it has become necessary for hotels in the cities to be able to offer the multilingual services. It seems to be the case that Chinese and Korean speakers are particularly wanted at the hotels. The main tasks include receiving guests at the reception, guiding the guests to the hotel rooms and answering the queries on phone.

Automobile parts factories

Automobile industry has been one of the core industries which support the Japanese economy since the time of high economic growth. There are many automobile factories across Japan and their parts manufacturing departments often hire working holiday visa holders. Some companies even cover the transportation expenses from the airport to the city where the factory is based. However, the instructions and explanations for the job will be given in Japanese, so you are expected to be able to understand the basic level of Japanese language (JLPT N4 level). If you already have some knowledge of the Japanese language, it is worthwhile to explore this option.

Security guard

At foreign affiliated companies in Japan, they have visitors and guests from abroad at daily basis. For this reason, they sometimes look for security guards who can communicate in English. The tasks as security guard involve standing guard, patrolling and monitoring; you might be expected to escort VIP guests too. You might have to report to fire stations and police station in case of emergency, so this job is suited for those who are confident in spoken Japanese.

Seasonal jobs and short-term employment

Seasonal jobs at food processing plants

Among many different types of food manufacturing factories in Japan, some factories require a lot of short-term employees at a certain time of the year, while other places function regularly throughout the year. For example, Wakayama prefecture, which is known for its production of pickled plums, has factories which recruit employees who can work for the busiest couple of months in the year, when selection, measuring and sorting plum fruits take place. Another example can be found in Hokkaido prefecture which is known for its production of salmon. Fish processing factories recruit workers who can work between September and October, taking care of jobs like trimming salmons, separating salmon roe, cutting the fish meat and packaging. The latter can be quite a hard labour, but it remains popular since many employers are happy to provide the accommodation.

Staff at resort hotels

Hotels in the areas with seasonal attractions, such as beach resorts, hot spring resorts and ski resorts, recruit employees with short-term contract every year and they often welcome working holiday visa holders. The jobs vary and may include: a shop assistant at a souvenir shop, an assistant to a chef in the kitchen and a waiter in a restaurant. The more communication with the customers a job involves, the higher level of Japanese language is required. However, for some jobs which only involve internal communication between colleagues, the basic language skills to understand the instructions may be deemed to be enough. Many employers prepare catered accommodation, so it can be a great way to earn some money to spend on your travel.

Ski and snowboard instructors

Japan has a number of quality ski resorts. The typical destinations include Hokkaido and Nagano which hosted Winter Olympics Games in the past and Niigata which is known for its heavy snowfall. Partly helped by depreciation of yen, many skiers and snowboarders visit Japan in winter, seeking for quality snow. This tendency prompted a demand from foreign tourists who want to learn skiing and snowboarding in their first languages. Meanwhile, more Japanese children want to learn English and skiing at the same time by taking lessons from English speakers. Therefore, ski and snowboard instructors who can speak foreign languages have been in demand. If you are a skier or a snowboarder, you can try to apply for these jobs at snow resorts. Of course, you can enjoy skiing and snowboarding yourself in your free time.

Models, Extras, Reporters, etc.

There are some jobs available as a model for a commercial, an extra for a drama series and commercial film, or a reporter for a travel programme, although it can be difficult to get these kind of jobs. Such jobs tend to be one-off and come up only occasionally, so it may not be an efficient way to earn the money for your travel expenses. Nevertheless, it would be an interesting opportunity for you to see the entertainment industry which you won’t be able to experience ordinarily.

Summary

Waiters, waitresses and English tutors are some of the popular jobs for working holiday visa holders in Japan. However, it would be a good experience for you to take up a local job which is unique to that area, or a job in an industry you normally would not encounter. Please make a good use of the web links below – I hope you will find a suitable job during your stay in Japan. And finally, once you arrived in Japan, do not forget to apply for Zairyu Card (Residence Card for foreigners in Japan)!

Job Board
Jobs in Japan
GaijinPot