Job seeking in Japan

[Tivia]

I know we have a few kitties out there so I figured I would toss this out there in case any are connected.

I am looking for an IT position in Japan. I will call my current ability with Japanese basic, so for the moment it needs to be with an english friendly company. I doubt it will remain basic for more then 4-5 months, but I don't want to set unreasonable expectations. My skill set ranges from help desk support up through IT management including project management. So pretty wide range of skills I work with in IT. I am seeking something that makes a comfortable living for a family of 2 adults and 2 small children, so obviously the amount really depends on the area. I am looking for something that will sustain me a minimum of 3-5 years of employment.

I will go into more detail if anyone has any possible leads. Been applying to places on the usual boards, but we all know that is basically a shot in the dark.

Why? a number of reasons.
1) IT in this country is a disappearing field. What few jobs remain don't pay enough to justify their existence.
2) Education in this country is a joke, especially in the south. I want my children to grow up bilingual. The only thing seriously taught here is spanish due to the high immigration and frankly I would rather my children learn something else.
3) Honestly I dislike the direction the country is going in general. I figure that moving out of country for a while will either reinforce my beliefs or give me fresh perspective on what I had and was taking for granted. Either way I see nothing but benefit to spending a few years abroad.
4) A few years in Japan..I mean do I really need more reason then that?

edit: If you do have anything just send me a PM and I will get you my resume.

[Shirai]

I'm not too sure if you'll get anywhere in Japan on IT grounds.
Also in Japan IT is kind of a "dying" thing right now, an guy I know from another forum lives in Tokyo himself and worked in IT.
He got laid off about 2 months due to budget cuts and he also said that this is happening everywhere.
He also told me that he considers his chances slim getting a job in his direction or IT in general at the moment even with his credentials.

He's lucky to have recently maried, to a surgeon no less (the bastard), otherwise he would be forced to catch the first flight back to the Netherlands after his last workday.

If you're really seeking to leave the US, I'd say a good place to look would be China, India and the somewhat safer places in the middle east.

[Tivia]

Thanks for the info, going to continue trying though. I have zero interest in working in china and especially India or the middle east. That said, I for that matter continue to look for work here in the US as well. Japan is more of a "it would be really great" if it happens sort of thing. Especially since I am tired of my job getting outsourced to india over and over and over. I love my job, but I hate my career if that makes sense. It is amazing what a Bachelors degree and over 15 years of It experience won't get you anymore. I literally had a company try to offer me a job travelling 75% of the time for 36k the other day...yea right, find some other sucker to exploit.

[Shirai]

Had a bit too much to drink to reply on the rest so I will do that tomorrow.

I literally had a company try to offer me a job travelling 75% of the time for 36k the other day...yea right, find some other sucker to exploit.

This thing caught my eye, anual or monthly sallary?

[Tivia]

36k annually working in Atlanta. That simply isn't a livable wage when they don't even provide a company vehicle or fuel. My current job is bad enough with me fronting fuel costs at 500 miles a week. Currently costing me well over $500/mo just in gas, like heck I am taking anything that has me traveling between 1000 and 1500 miles a week on my own dime.

[Shirai]

Urgh..
Yea, poor sucker going for that job, I make more sitting at my desk. >.<
(Granted, it is a job with a lot of responsibilities.)

Thanks for the info, going to continue trying though. I have zero interest in working in china and especially India or the middle east. That said, I for that matter continue to look for work here in the US as well. Japan is more of a "it would be really great" if it happens sort of thing.

My speech may be slightly demotivational, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try.
I do suggest that if you get a position there with the posibillity to take your family along to not burn all bridges like my acquaintance did.
He sold his house, took all of his assets and left leaving nothing behind. If he could he would even dispose of his Dutch nationality.
In Japan they're pretty easy going on about laying people off, especially when it involves foreigners.
He pretty much got a week's notice saying, "We're cutting the budget, there's no longer a place for you within this company. We expect you to have your desk cleaned out by ..." just like that.
As I said, he really got lucky marrying someone that makes enough money to support both of them financially at the time they laid him off or he would have been in real trouble.
This happened roughly a month or two ago by the way.

Anyway here's some links I took from a Dutch Anime forum I moderate from a topic that is about working in Japan: (No worries, they are English sites mostly.)
http://www.daijob.com/en/ (<-knowing a little Japanese myself this url makes me laugh a bit.)
http://www.tokyoconnections.com/
http://www.hiraganatimes.com
http://classified.japantimes.com/
http://www.gaijinpot.com/
http://www.jobengine.jp/

academic:
http://jrecin.jst.go.jp/

Especially since I am tired of my job getting outsourced to india over and over and over. I love my job, but I hate my career if that makes sense. It is amazing what a Bachelors degree and over 15 years of It experience won't get you anymore.

But yes it is kind of like that for almost everything.
Over here people also study hard for a degree to find themself doing something completely different because they find you "overqualified" (read: too expensive.) for the job you actually studied for.

[Tivia]

Right overqualified I hear alot..yet no degree and they won't even speak to you. It really is just Bizarre.

[Karou Ariyen]

Right overqualified I hear alot..yet no degree and they won't even speak to you. It really is just Bizarre.

When my hubby got hired by Norfolk Southern they asked him 2 things, "Any experience outside of a museum railroad?" and "How quickly can you learn and adapt on the job?" He's done a lot in 3 months. Working on a regular switching crew now. But than again, Railroads are about industry and moving capitol. They take whoever can get the job done. 4 more years and I'll make a bet that if my hubby stays in this job he'll be driving those steel behemoths. The pay isn't high, but the health insurance is great.

[Meeyutu]

If Japan doesn't pan out you should try Canada - more specifically Atlantic Canada. During the recession not only have we been barely affected in many industries, but IT has been booming. Right now my company has a ton of open positions that we just can't get filled locally and have been hiring from outside of the province and country.

Where I live (Fredericton, New Brunswick):
-Low cost of living. I paid $100k for my house which is 20 minutes outside of the city, 25 minutes from work. On a river, with 6 acres of land.
-New Brunswick is the "safest" province in Canada. Fredericton specifically I don't think has had any kind of gun related violent crime in 10 years or more.
-No smog, lot of green spaces, parks, walking and biking trails through the city.
-36k is about what someone in a *Junior* IT position would make here.
-"Rush hour" lasts about 5 minutes, and by most city standards would be considered regular traffic.

Take a look around with Google Street view: http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&source=s ... k&t=h&z=12

[Tivia]

Thanks Meyutu,

But there is just about no amount of money that would get me to come to Canada. Your winters are unacceptably cold.

[Shirai]

I'll keep it in mind though, if Holland's (political) climate is really changing towards something I really don't want.

[Karou Ariyen]

Thanks Meyutu,

But there is just about no amount of money that would get me to come to Canada. Your winters are unacceptably cold.

Plus those Canuck Fan...things.

[Alya Mizar (Tsybil)]

But there is just about no amount of money that would get me to come to Canada. Your winters are unacceptably cold.

In most of Canada yes. But Vancouver and the sunshine coast are in the same climate zone as Atlanta. (Seattle too for that mater.) Just imagine an Atlanta with a 5 month growing season, a 6 month rainy season, that rarely gets over 60% humidity (even when its raining), and hardly ever sees 100F.

Great blue herons and everything.

Mind you I have no idea of the employment situation in Canada's southwest. Also, its not like its really a foreign country....

[Karou Ariyen]

But there is just about no amount of money that would get me to come to Canada. Your winters are unacceptably cold.

In most of Canada yes. But Vancouver and the sunshine coast are in the same climate zone as Atlanta. (Seattle too for that mater.) Just imagine an Atlanta with a 5 month growing season, a 6 month rainy season, that rarely gets over 60% humidity (even when its raining), and hardly ever sees 100F.

Great blue herons and everything.

Mind you I have no idea of the employment situation in Canada's southwest. Also, its not like its really a foreign country....

The only reason I'd willingly look for work there is if my hubby suddenly got hired by BNSF and stationed in the Pacific Northwest Division, i.e. Everett, Mulitkeo, SKykomish, etc. The scenary out there is nice, but I'm too attached to the windy city.

[MikaMeow]

Thanks Meyutu,

But there is just about no amount of money that would get me to come to Canada. Your winters are unacceptably cold.

Actually where I am, Victoria, which is on the west coast, is really not that cold. We average about 10 days of snow on the ground a year. It was actually pretty unusual this year when we had snow that stayed on the ground for a whole 4.5 days!

[Tivia]

Thanks Meyutu,

But there is just about no amount of money that would get me to come to Canada. Your winters are unacceptably cold.

Actually where I am, Victoria, which is on the west coast, is really not that cold. We average about 10 days of snow on the ground a year. It was actually pretty unusual this year when we had snow that stayed on the ground for a whole 4.5 days!

That is 10 days too many for me. I hate snow and the drivers that are usually associated with it.

[Alya Mizar (Tsybil)]

Actually where I am, Victoria, which is on the west coast, is really not that cold. We average about 10 days of snow on the ground a year.

Victoria is THAT much colder than Seattle or Vancouver?

About one winter out of four, both of those cities see no snow at all.

That is 10 days too many for me. I hate snow and the drivers that are usually associated with it.

Its the ones who aren't usually associated with it that you have to watch out for.

[MikaMeow]

I thought Vancouver got more snow than us, but dunno bout Seattle. Really we just have it snow like 3 times or so a year, and it usually only lasts on the ground for 2-3 days. And even then its not really much snow.

[Alya Mizar (Tsybil)]

In Vancouver and Seattle snow falls on average 3 - 4 times a year. Most often its a falls at night and gone in the morning thing.

And if they get 6" (15 centimeters) both cities are locked down solid and volunteers are shoveling snow off the Lion's Gate bridge by HAND so it doesn't collapse under the load. It usually makes the news in Seattle. Probably everywhere in Canada where they have like actual snow too.

The Lions Gate Bridge is a lovely early suspension bridge. But 6" of wet snow is enough to give people serious worries about its strength.

[Anou]

Urgh..
Yea, poor sucker going for that job, I make more sitting at my desk. >.<
(Granted, it is a job with a lot of responsibilities.)

Thanks for the info, going to continue trying though. I have zero interest in working in china and especially India or the middle east. That said, I for that matter continue to look for work here in the US as well. Japan is more of a "it would be really great" if it happens sort of thing.

My speech may be slightly demotivational, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try.
I do suggest that if you get a position there with the posibillity to take your family along to not burn all bridges like my acquaintance did.
He sold his house, took all of his assets and left leaving nothing behind. If he could he would even dispose of his Dutch nationality.
In Japan they're pretty easy going on about laying people off, especially when it involves foreigners.
He pretty much got a week's notice saying, "We're cutting the budget, there's no longer a place for you within this company. We expect you to have your desk cleaned out by ..." just like that.
As I said, he really got lucky marrying someone that makes enough money to support both of them financially at the time they laid him off or he would have been in real trouble.
This happened roughly a month or two ago by the way.

Anyway here's some links I took from a Dutch Anime forum I moderate from a topic that is about working in Japan: (No worries, they are English sites mostly.)
http://www.daijob.com/en/ (<-knowing a little Japanese myself this url makes me laugh a bit.)
http://www.tokyoconnections.com/
http://www.hiraganatimes.com
http://classified.japantimes.com/
http://www.gaijinpot.com/
http://www.jobengine.jp/

academic:
http://jrecin.jst.go.jp/

Especially since I am tired of my job getting outsourced to india over and over and over. I love my job, but I hate my career if that makes sense. It is amazing what a Bachelors degree and over 15 years of It experience won't get you anymore.

But yes it is kind of like that for almost everything.
Over here people also study hard for a degree to find themself doing something completely different because they find you "overqualified" (read: too expensive.) for the job you actually studied for.