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Australians, New Zealanders and Canadians, who can take advantage of the Japanese working-holiday visa Click here, are in a slightly better position. Schools are happier about taking on unqualified teachers if they don’t have to bother with sponsoring a teacher for a work visa.

There is a definite hierarchy among English teachers and teaching positions in Japan. The bottom of the barrel are the big chain eikaiwa (private English-language schools), followed by small local eikaiwa, inhouse company language schools, and private lessons, with university positions and international school positions being the most sought after. As you would expect, newcomers start at the lower rungs and work their way up the ladder.

ELT News (www.eltnews.com) is an excellent website with lots of information and want ads for English teachers in Japan.

GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS

The program run by Japan Exchange & Teaching (JET; www.jetprogramme.org) provides 2000 teaching assistant positions for foreign teachers. The job operates on a yearly contract and must be organised in your home country. The program gets very good reports from many of its teachers.

Teachers employed by the JET program are known as Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs). Although you will have to apply in your home country in order to work as an ALT with JET, it’s worth bearing in mind that many local governments in Japan are also employing ALTs for their schools. Such work can sometimes be arranged within Japan.

Visit the JET website or contact the nearest Japanese embassy or consulate Click here for more details.

INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS

Major cities with large foreign populations, such as Tokyo and Yokohama, have a number of international schools for the children of foreign residents. Work is available for qualified, Western-trained teachers in all disciplines; the schools will usually organise your visa.

PRIVATE SCHOOLS

Private-language schools (eikaiwa) are the largest employers of foreign teachers in Japan and the best bet for the job-hunting newcomer. The classifieds section of the Monday edition of the Japan Times is the best place to look for teaching positions. Some larger schools rely on direct enquiries from would-be teachers.

Tokyo is the easiest place to find teaching jobs; schools across Japan advertise or recruit in the capital. Heading straight to another of Japan’s major population centres (say Osaka, Fukuoka, Hiroshima or Sapporo), where there are smaller numbers of competing foreigners, is also a good bet.

Proofreading, Editing & Writing

There is a huge demand for skilled editors, copywriters, proofreaders and translators (Japanese to English and, less commonly, vice versa) in Japan. And with the advent of the internet, you don’t even have to be based in Japan to do this work. Unfortunately, as with many things in Japan, introductions and connections play a huge role, and it’s difficult to simply show up in Tokyo or plaster your resume online and wind up with a good job.

You’ll need to be persistent and do some networking to make much in this field. Experience, advanced degrees and salesmanship will all come in handy. And even if you don’t intend to work as a translator, some Japanese-language ability will be a huge plus, if only for communicating with potential employers and clients. If you think you’ve got what it takes, check the Monday edition of the Japan Times for openings.

For more information about proofreading and editing in Japan, visit the website for the Society of Writers, Editors & Translators (SWET; www.sw et.jp).

Ski Areas

Seasonal work is available at ski areas in Japan and this is a popular option for Australian and Kiwi travellers, who want to combine a trip to Japan, a little skiing and a chance to earn a little money. A working-holiday visa (Click here) makes this easier, although occasionally people are offered jobs without visas. The jobs are typical ski town jobs – ski lift attendants, hotel workers, bartenders and, for those with the right skills (language and skiing), ski instructors. You won’t earn much more than