Let's say you just graduated from university and you are looking for a job but your local job market is just not cutting it, or you feel like you need a change of scenery to get a refreshed take on life. So, you look across the pond and contemplate about possibly moving overseas. However, this is the first time ever you actually toyed with such an idea and you honestly do not know where to start. Do not worry! I am going to share with you some of the things that I have learned from my personal experience moving to Japan which hopefully will help to steer you in the right direction, and hopefully taking the plunge to work and live abroad! Although these tips apply best if you consider moving to Japan, they may also applicable if you are considering other places.
I would be covering the essential aspects of the move abroad, starting from where to start looking for work, to the visa application, housing and local life. Long story short, I wished I had known some things before moving to Japan to further ease my transition here, but hey, my loss is your gain! Hopefully, you can take away some useful information to help you make one of the most life-changing decisions in your life. These are the points that I will be covering:
1. How To Find Overseas Employment
2. Visa Application
3. The Preparation Before The Move
4. Housing
5. Local Phone Number, Bank Account & Registration of Local Address
6. Administrative Paperwork - Ward Office & Tax Filing
7. Daily Life
It is a long article, so I have bolded the crucial points* for your easy reference. You're welcome!
*Do note that these tips are just based off of my current situation and experiences, so please do further research to get the best answers!
1. How To Find Overseas Employment
There are several ways that you can secure overseas employment while still in your home country. Obviously, Google will be your best friend for this, but everyone knows that. As I am in the education industry, I can only vouch for how to find teaching jobs, but I will share some other bits of information that may help you if you intend on looking for overseas employment in a niche industry.
I majored in Linguistics when I was in university, hence I am most confident in teaching languages. Fortunately, teaching jobs are one of the easiest and most in-demand overseas job opportunities available, especially English teaching jobs. As such, if you are a fluent/native English speaker and you attended a university with English as the medium of instruction, or have experience teaching English, teaching English could be your ticket into a foreign country. Countries like Japan, China, South Korea, the Middle East, South America and some Southeast Asian countries are constantly looking for English teachers to teach students of all ages, from elementary level up to even retired adults who all wish to master English.
Websites like GoAbroad and Teachaway are great databases where you can search for English teaching jobs in specific countries that you are interested in. The listings include briefs on the salary and employment benefits, the institution you will work for, contract details and the requirements for the job. Pretty much all the necessary details you need are clearly listed for your consideration. Do check the visa requirement as some countries and instutions only offer teaching work visas to certain nationalities. One of the reasons I chose Japan was because it has the least strict requirements to apply for a work visa as a teacher. Some countries only offer visas to nationals of Anglo countries for English teaching jobs, although an exception can be made if you have ample teaching experience. Ironic though Singapore is not considered one even though English is an official language. Anyways, once you have settled on a country you like, you can go ahead apply via the websites aforementioned or directly apply to the respective institutions. I recommend applying directly to the institution if possible as you will most likely have a quicker and seamless correspondence. You could also try to search for similar institutions and compare your options.
As a side note, if you plan to teach English, I highly recommend getting an English teaching certification for various English standardised testing such TEFL, CELTA, IELTS, TOEIC to name a few. These certifications can either be done online, which I did, or in your local educational institutions. It would help to boost your resume and increase your chances of getting hired. You can search for which standardised testing is commonly used or sought after by the students in the country of your choice when deciding for which certification to take. For example, TOEIC is one of the preferred English testing systems in Japan, hence having a background knowledge in TOEIC would be beneficial if you plan on moving to Japan. However, if you already have other English teaching certifications, you do not have to get another one specifically for that country.
However, if teaching is not your thing, there are other ways you can go about to find the right job for you. Try searching for job employments on the local job-hunting portals of the country you wish to relocate and email your resume to as many suitable companies you can. A good rule of thumb is that you typically have better luck with multinational companies (MNCs) that have branches all over the world. They are more accepting of overseas applicants compared to smaller, local companies. Also, if you are already working for an MNC, try to check if they have any vacancies in an overseas branch that you could possibly get transferred to. However, if you are keen on certain local companies that only accept local applicants, an alternative option is to move to the country on a tourist visa and then apply in person. Once you have secured a job, you can then switch over to a work visa. However, this is a riskier and possibly more expensive option, but still viable.
Hopefully, with a little digging and persistence, you can secure a video interview with your prospective employers and get the job! Subsequently, you have to sort out your working visa.
2. Visa Application
So you received the confirmation email that you have secured the job, now you have to start processing your visa application. This process might take weeks and even months. Personally, mine took close to three months until I finally got my hands on the physical work visa. So, be prepared to wait around for a bit and do plan out your timeline if you plan to move out by a certain date.
Usually, your company will start the ball rolling and they will give you the necessary instructions on what you have to do. Most importantly, you should have a valid passport with a few years validity to make things easier for you down the road. You might need to mail some documents to your company as supporting documents for your visa application on their side. Do use registered mail for this so that you can track the delivery and ensure some accountability in this matter. Also, you may receive some mailed documents from your company for you to hand over to the embassy in your country.
Besides that, you may have to visit the embassy or consulate of the country you are moving to apply for your work visa in person. As such, do check if you have an embassy of that country in your home country. You might have to travel to another city or out of the country to the nearest one if one is not available in your city. You have to factor in that you may have to make two trips, one to submit your application and a second to collect your passport at a later date. Alternatively, you could stay near the embassy for a few days instead of making multiple trips.
There may also be an application fee for your work visa. This amount varies from country to country, so do check if you can. You may have to cover the cost by yourself, unless stated by your company that they will compensate you. I had to cover for mine and it costed me about SGD 40 for my work visa at the Japanese Embassy in Singapore. It took about 5 working days, I believe, to get my passport and work visa back. Once it was approved, I was all set to move at any time.
3. The Preparation Before The Move
Now, you have a job and a work visa. It is almost set in stone that you are going to moving abroad pretty soon. Your new life awaits you. However, you can not exactly just pack up and leave. It is always best to plan out for an easy transition once you are in your new home. These are some of the things you might want to consider.
First off, you must be financially prepared to be able to afford rent and your living expenses for at least the first two months. In some cases, you will not get your salary till the second month of your employment or stay in the new country. Before that first pay check, every single expense comes out of your own pocket and it can be quite brutal. On top of covering two months' worth of rent and any possible moving-in costs (which I will cover more in the next section), you have to take into consideration your meals, transportation, groceries, household necessities and any miscellaneous items for your general wellbeing. Also, you might want to explore your new city and that adds on to your expected expenses. This does not include your airfare or any travel expenses. On top of that, you may have to stay at a hotel or Airbnb momentarily while you search for an apartment. So things do add up quite quickly and drastically.
Just for reference, I was advised to have savings of approximately USD5,000 for my move to Japan which would cover me for at least two months as I would only get paid from the second month. This would cover costs for the move-in fees and rent for two months of my apartment (USD2,200), transportation (approx. USD150 per month), food and a little travelling around the Kansai region. I also had to pay for an Airbnb for two weeks while searching for an apartment and settling my bank account and mobile number, and this expense is not included in the estimation. Therefore, you better start saving early and do an estimation of the expenses that you will incur before your first pay check. Once there, it pays to be frugal but of course, do enjoy your new life and surroundings.
Secondly, familiarise yourself with the climate and customs of the country. You may be moving to a country with an entirely different climate from one that you are used to. So be sure to pack appropriate clothing for the climate of the country, i.e. necessary winter clothing for countries with four seasons or light, breathable clothes for tropical countries. Also, with the change in climate, it could mean the exposure to diseases that are novel to you. Hence, it would be imperative to check for any potential diseases you may be exposed to and get vaccinated before moving abroad. Also, stock up on medication that you may need.
On a lighter note, it would be useful if you learn about the customs and traditions of the country you are moving to. There may be customs that commonly practiced that you may be unaware of. Learning about these helps prevent any misunderstandings or awkward situations. For example, one unique unspoken rule in Japan is that you should not take calls on your mobile phones in the trains, whereas in Singapore, it is perfectly fine. So that was something interesting I learnt prior to my move, and I am glad I did.
Third, learn the local language if they speak something different from what you already know. Common sense will tell you that learning the local language will help you navigate around the country easily. Learn the basics - 'please', 'excuse me', 'sorry' and 'thank you'. On top of that, learn additional phrases for asking direction, introducing yourself, shopping, ordering food et cetera. One thing I found really important to learn was saying "Sorry, I do not speak Japanese". You will realise how useful this phrase is when you have to speak to the locals in your residential area, for example, while grocery shopping and you have no idea what you cashier is asking. True story. If you will like me to make a list of Japanese phrases, or phrases in general across the board, which I think are useful to know, please leave a comment!
4. Housing
This is one of the most important decisions you would have to make with regards to your move. In some cases, your company may have prepared your accommodation for you, hence you just have to move in and it might even be free! However, sometimes you might have to source out for your own apartment like I did. Choosing the right living situation will affect your monthly expenses as well as the ease of your commute to work and to other facilities. Hence, it could have a huge impact on your experience living in an environment that may be utterly new for you. However, it does not have to be entire challenging for you.
The first thing to note is how much are you willing to afford for your monthly rent. A good general of thumb is that you should not be spending more than one-third of your total monthly income, excluding the utilities. That would serve as a benchmark for you to start house-hunting. Tied to that is the general location of where you would want to be based in. Are you looking to be in the centre of the city, close to everything, or you do not mind being further out, potentially in the suburbs or even the countryside? There are pros and cons to both. Being close to the city is convenient, you are close to the action and probably work and you may save on transportation costs but housing comes at a premium. On the other hand, moving further out, you get a much bigger space for much cheaper, a break from the hustle and bustle of the city and the authentic local lifestyle, but transportation may be sparse and/or costly to travel to the city regularly and there may be a lack of facilities catered to foreigners. Therefore, you really would need to think about your priorities in this matter.
Once you have decided if you would like to live close to the city or further away, the next step is finding out the general price range of the rental properties in your preferred area. This would help you get an idea of the rent you might be paying as well as the floor space you would be paying for. Another thing to consider is the type of housing you would like to live in. In Japan, there are many apartments designed for single-occupancy due to the influx of young workers flocking to the city to work. Hence, these apartments are on the smaller side, but comfortable to live in (You can check out my studio apartment tour on Youtube!) Also, there are 'share houses' which are large apartments or houses where you rent an individual room and share the common spaces with your fellow roommates. It is a cheaper alternative and you can instantly make new friends right from the start. Hence, it is up to you to decide what is best for you.
On top of that, it is good to familiarise yourself with the basic property laws in the new country. This is because there might be additional costs that you may have to cover as part of the initial move-in costs. For example, Japan happens to be one of the most expensive countries for you to move to. Besides the typical first month's rent as well as a safety deposit, you would have to pay additional fees known as 'Key Money' and a 'Guarantor Fee'. 'Key Money' is essentially a form of gratuity payment to the landlord for renting out the place to you and for foreigners, you are required to have a local guarantor if for any case you default on your payments. Most of the time, you would have to pay for a guarantor company to stand in as your guarantor. Also, foreigners may not get their pick from the entire lot as it is legal for landlords to refuse renting out their properties to foreigners. However, do not be discouraged as there are always exceptions and rental companies might exclude some costs to attract renters. You just need to know where to look.
Having said that, here are some useful resources where you can start your house-hunting in Japan: GaijinPot Apartments, Daiwajin Real Estate, Real Estate Japan, J&F Plaza, Leo Palace 21 and Oakhouse to name a few. The list is not exhaustive, but it would give an idea of the price range for both apartments and share houses in different locations. Most of these companies featured on the listings are foreigner-friendly and can answer your queries in English. Do note that the listings may not be the most current information, so properties may be off the market by the time you move and wish to view them. So do enquire with the respective rental companies. This might be the case especially in March and April which is the peak season for people moving cities, so options might be scarce during that period.
Once you have viewed the apartment of your choice and settled on one, the process from your confirmation to the day you receive your keys may take a minimum of one week, only if you have provided the relevant information, which brings us to my next point.
5. Local Phone Number, Bank Account & Registration of Local Address
As aforementioned, you need to provide some crucial information to the rental company in order to secure your apartment as soon as possible. These pieces of information include a local phone number, a bank account and a registered local address, and you have to acquire this information in this particular order. These should be the first few things that you settle the moment you land in the new country which would expedite your moving process down the road and breaking this order will jeopardise the subsequent steps. However, there are some complicating issues with each task which I would share some ways around them.
First, you need to get a local phone number. Most popular telecommunications company in Japan like Softbank, Docomo and Au require a Japanese bank account or credit card to get a mobile phone contract with them, but at this point, you do not even have one to begin with. An alternative solution is to go to an MVNO provider, like GTN Mobile. They have an English customer service team and an array of mobile plans to suit your needs. Most importantly, they do not require a local bank account. Hooray!
With a phone number in hand, your next step is to open a bank account. This serves many purposes - to receive your monthly salary and to pay rent, even your utility bills, which are automatically deducted from your account. However, as I have forewarned, there is a slight hiccup to this. Most of the Japanese banks require a 'hanko' or a personal seal that most Japanese have for banking or work purposes. Again, being new to the country, you probably do not have one. Also, these banks often do not have any fluent English-speaking staff that can assist you in the process or provide any after-sales services. Fortunately, there is a bank called Shinsei Bank that provides services in English and has a dedicated team of staff and English website for your banking needs. Also, you do not need a personal seal. Hence, I recommend checking it out. Now, you have a bank account and phone number. You can proceed to register a local address in Japan.
Finally, you might be thinking, "A local address? When I haven't even gotten a place yet?" It sounds paradoxical, but depending on the rental company you go with, you might have to provide a local address in order for your application to go through. Remember I briefly mentioned about staying in an Airbnb momentarily while you search for an apartment? What you have to do is to register your Airbnb address at the local city office of the area your Airbnb is located in. So if the Airbnb address is in Chou-ku, you need to head down to the Chou Ward/City Office. Most ward offices would have English-speaking employees to help you with the process if you do not speak the local language fluently. And then, once you have officially moved into your new apartment, you can then register the new address at the corresponding ward office. So, I recommend staying in an Airbnb instead of a hotel to make things easier for this part of the process. Alternatively, there are some rental companies like Leo Palace 21 that do not require a local address, but please do check with the relevant parties.
Each step only takes a couple of hours so you can get it all done in three days, tops. Therefore, if you come with all this information in hand before you confirm your living situation, you can tremendously expedite the approval process for your rental and your moving-in date. In general, I would say one to two weeks would be a comfortable time-frame from the day of your arrival to your move-in date, so foresee living in an Airbnb during this period. It may be lesser if they do not require a local address.
6. Administrative Paperwork - Ward Office & Tax Filing
Another inescapable part of your new life is the amount of administrative paperwork you would have to straighten out from the moment you land in Japan. This would mean a trip, or multiple ones, to the ward office and it could present you some challenges if you are not able to speak Japanese fluently.
The ward office is a local government office where you get most of your residential paperwork done. They vary in size depending on where you are living and not all ward offices would necessarily have English-speaking employees, especially for the rural ones. However, there are ways around it. Often they would have copies of documents translated into various foreign languages that you can use as a reference. Alternatively, they could make a phone call to another ward office with an English-speaking staff which can help you translate via phone. If all else fails, translation apps are your best bet.
There are several reasons you will need to visit the ward office. Your first agenda at the ward office would be to register your local address. You will need to bring your Residence (zairyū) card for the ward office to update your address onto it. If you had stayed in an Airbnb and subsequently moved into your own apartment, you might have to do this process twice. You also might need to get a Certificate of Residence (juminhyo) as one of the documents to secure a rental apartment, and the ward office is the place you go to for it. Another reason would be to sign up for the National Health Insurance (NHI) (Kokumin Kenkō Hoken). All Japanese residents are required legally to sign up for a health insurance policy. Unless your company signs you up for the Social Insurance which deducts the insurance premium from your salary, you most likely have to go for the NHI. You can do this at the same time as you wait for the ward office to update your address on your residence card. You should also register for a MyNumber, which is an individual number ID that would be handy down the road as it is linked to your social security, taxation records and even bank accounts.
Lastly, you will have to go through tax filing. This involves filing for income tax and tax returns. It's an integrated process, so you do it only once. Not only do you have to settle your income tax payment, you may also get some money in return. Your company may deduct an amount from your salary known as 'withholding tax'. Your income tax will be deducted from this sum of money and the balance will be returned to you after the tax filing season. Also, by filing your taxes, it would affect your NHI premium for the same year. For your first year of residence in Japan, your NHI premium will be the bare minimum cost as there is no record of you earning any income. However, after your first year, your premium will increase based on your annual income from the previous year. Also, your previous year's annual income will affect your Residence Tax (Juminzei), which is a tax payment towards the city you live in. Generally, big cities have a higher rate compared to rural areas. So income tax and residence tax are the two main ones that you would have to pay.
Tax filing was the most complicated procedure that I have experienced thus far with my very limited Japanese. This is because I have found that the local ward office employees are not allowed to help you fill in the various forms, so it may be a little challenging doing it by yourself. However, having gone through it, there is another way around it if you are also not very confident of your own Japanese language skills. If you live in a big city, you are in luck. Usually, there is a big branch in the city that has dedicated English-speaking staff that can walk you through the entire process. You just have to make yourself known to any one of the staff that you require assistance in English. Speaking from personal experience, it was such a lifesaver. To find out the nearest branch which can offer assistance in English, you can ask your local ward office for the address and contact information. You just have to make sure you have all the necessary documents with you, such as a copy of your residence card, bank details, receipts and your MyNumber.
In general, most of any kind of administrative paperwork will have to be done in Japanese, so if you have limited proficiency in Japanese, it might be a challenge for you as much as it is for me. But it is something that you do not do all the time, so it is not such a big inconvenience.
7. Daily Life
Last, but not least, are the things you will likely experience in your daily life. One aspect that people easily overlook is grocery shopping. Most of the time, you will be grocery shopping in residential areas where you are unlikely to encounter English-speaking staff. Hence, you will most likely have to conduct your interactions in the supermarket entirely in Japanese - paying at the cashier, reading labels and even asking for things from the supermarket employees. If your Japanese proficiency is pretty low, it would be best to learn some useful Japanese phrases that are commonly asked by the cashiers and also some that you can use to reply to these questions so that you seem like a natural. Also, you will be relying a lot on the camera function on Google Translate to help you translate those labels to make sure you get the right item.
Likewise, the aforementioned situation applies to local restaurants, bars, hair salons, drug stores and other amenities in the residential areas. However, although a large majority of Japanese people, unfortunately, do not speak English or too shy to do so, they are also so polite and helpful when it comes to making sure you get what you need despite the language barrier. Also, if you visit some chain restaurants, even in the residential areas, you could try asking if they have an English menu and most likely they do. However, it's always best to try and brush up on your Japanese so that you can easily go about your day around your neighbourhood.
Now, let's talk about the weather. This was something I was surprised by, especially the summer. As you might know, Japan experiences four seasons. But, to some Japanese, they consider Japan as having five seasons. This is because, in summer, Japan experiences about two weeks of rainy weather, or known as 'tsuyu' in Japanese, in late June to early July and the rain surprisingly last for almost the entire day on most days. Whereas in Singapore, even when it is the rainy season, the rain typically lasts for a few hours at most. On top of that, Japanese summer is notoriously hot and humid. Humidity levels are easily in the 70 to 80 percent range, which makes it so uncomfortable and sweaty. And this is coming from someone who lived in a tropical country for 25 years and still find Japanese summer unbearable. So do watch out for Japanese summer and stay hydrated.
But that's not all. After the rainy season, next up is the typhoon season which lasts from May to October, but August and September tend to be the peak season. Personally, it sounds like never-ending bad weather for the last few months of summer. Therefore, you should take the weather conditions into consideration if you are planning any trips at the end of summer. And since we are on the topic of natural disasters, do make sure you are familiarised with your apartment building's evacuation routes and the nearest evacuation site. Also, it is best to have an emergency kit at home prepared for any natural disasters as Japan is an earthquake-prone country as well.
Awesome if you manage to survive through this really long article, but I want to get as much information as I can out to you. I hope some of the information that I have shared are helpful in making your decision to move to Japan, or any other country as a matter of fact. These are just some of the things that you should look for and be aware of if you decide to start out a new life in a foreign country. Although it may seem daunting at first, I assure you, the new experiences and memories are well worth all the trouble and planning you went through.
I'm looking forward to hearing from you in the comments section if you have anywhere you plan to move to in the future. I wish you luck in everything! Stay safe ;)
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