You come to Japan and want to have a part time job but not sure what are the jobs available for which industry would suit you the best? DON'T WORRY! In this article we will explain and give you tips on how to do job hunting; as well as some helpful tips to live in Japan. Be a Jimoto-min aka jimomin, a local with us!
Part time jobs popular among international students
Majority of the jobs discussed here require a certain level of Japanese skills. When you plan to work in Japan in the future, the skills and knowledge you acquired will be useful.
①Hotel Staff
Within hotel staff, there are different job positions such as “Receptionist”, “Doorman”, “Cleaning staff” and so on. In particular, the receptionist or the front desk requires skills such as customer service as they interact with customers. Since there is interaction between customers, it is advisable to have N3 or above Japanese level.
②Restaurant Staff
Working in restaurants, there are two main positions, hall staff and kitchen staff. Hall staff would be responsible for taking orders from customers, cashier jobs, therefore compared to a convenience store, interaction with customers is more. There are younger staff working in this industry, while interacting with customers you can also make new friends and acquire new skills such as teamwork. Alongside, majority of the restaurants in Japan, you can get meal (まかない）so you can also save money! Similar to working in a hotel, you might need N3 or above Japanese level unless you are working in the kitchen area.
③Sales
Similar to working as waiters in a restaurant, working in sales or selling product(s) will also make you gain communication skills and understanding customers' needs. Alongside, you will also have product knowledge and sales skills which will help you if you want to work in sales in the future. Since the interaction is likely to be in Japanese, you will need N2 or above Japanese level.
④Jobs which does not require Japanese language
There are jobs which do not require little to no Japanese language. For instance, construction jobs and/or simple repetitive tasks. Works are relatively simple and are recommended to those who are still not good at communicating in Japanese. However, although simple, most of the tasks require physical strength and work from late night to early mornings.
Things to note!
With a student VISA, you are not allowed to work, therefore, to work in Japan, whether that is a part time job or a paid internship, you must have obtained permission to engage in activities other than permitted under the status of residence(Shikakugaikatsudou 資格外活動) from the immigration office of the Regional Immigration Control Office. After applying for it, it might take 2 weeks to 2 months, so it is important to apply well in advance, not just before starting part-time work.
Another important thing to note is that working hour. For an international student, the working hour is limited to 28 hours per week. So even if you have multiple jobs, you can only work 28 hours a week. However, during long school holidays, you can work up to 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week.
Jobs in the entertainment industry such as working at a cabaret, pachinko, girls bars are prohibited and in some cases, if you are caught, you might be deported. There were also many cases where international students did not follow the rules and overworked and there are many Japanese people who would say it is ok to work more than 28 hours and pay cash in hand. Please be careful and remember that once you are caught, you will be deported and in some cases you can not enter Japan even with a Tourist VISA
Summary
One of the merits of working as a student is you can also learn the Japanese language. Undoubtedly, the skills you will acquire will be beneficial if you are planning to work in Japan. Beside the jobs mentioned above, there are different jobs available for international students such as convenience stores, English teachers and so on!
How can we help you!
In jimomin.work, we offer career counselling where you can discuss your problems and understand what sort of jobs you want to do.
We aim to spread awareness and give tips and information which are not taught in school or universities. Changing residence card, what is an Entry sheet, how to reserve a moving company; we cover all sorts of topics.
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