Planet Tokyo

Get a short-term job in Japan!

Posted on 25. Jan, 2010 by Amy Chavez in Travel

Many people dream of living and working in Japan for a year. It used to be that the only way to get a job in Japan was through English teaching. But these days things are different.

In Japan, the rule is that they cannot hire foreigners to do jobs that a Japanese person can do. If you are a native English speaker, that means that speaking English is one advantage you have over the Japanese. And nowadays there are many tourism-related jobs that require native English speakers. This means that almost anyone who speaks English can go to Japan and work short-term without having to teach English. As a matter of fact, there is a plethora of jobs for young people right now.

The main growing tourist sector is in Hokkaido, where native English speakers are needed to communicate with foreign tourists from Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore, who come to Japan’s winter playgrounds. Ski resorts such as Niseko, Rusutsu, and Furano need foreigners to teach skiing/snowboarding lessons, to hire out skis and snowboards, to take hotel reservations, and to manage small pensions and work in restaurants and bars. You can choose to work for either the whole season (December through March) or, if you’re pressed for time, just January and February, which is the high season when the most help is needed.

I met one girl who was on a two-week snowboarding vacation in Niseko who had also picked up a job working at a bar for that time!

As all these ski resorts are growing rapidly and tourists discover the wonders of Hokkaido, more and more jobs will need to be filled. If you just want the Japan ski/snowboard experience, head straight to Niseko. If you want to concentrate more on honing your Japanese skills, go to Furano or Rusutsu, areas not completely taken over by foreigners yet.

Work in Japan and you will not only have a great Japan experience, you’ll also get to ski and ride for free!

Check out these online companies who also post available job information on their sites. Be sure to check back often for new jobs as the next ski season approaches:

Ski Japan (for jobs in Niseko, Furano, Rusutsu)
http://www.skijapan.com/

Hokkaido Tracks (Niseko)
http://hokkaidotracks.com/tracksWeb/welcome.do

Deep Powder Tours (Niseko)
http://www.deeppowdertours.com/

For jobs in Japan (as well as other parts of the world)

Big Planet Placements
http://www.bigplanetplacements.com/

Snow Workers (updated at every November for the following ski season)
http://www.snowworkers.com/

Tags: Jobs