Whats involved with getting a visa to teach in Japan? -

I am interested in moving to Japan to teach English. What s envolved with obtaining a visa? Do I send my information to my employer, as far as my school degree documents, and then they give me a sponsership that I will then send to Japanese embassy to obtain my visa or do I send my school docs to the embassy first and then get the sponsership? How exactly does the process work?

Look up the Japanese Embassy Teaching and Exchange Program (JET program) and you ll find out what you need to know.

To get a working visa, quot;Specialist in Humanitiesquot;, you need a college degree. It used to be a full Bachelors degree, but now they are more relaxed with the rules. Depending on where you are from and your situation, you will either go to the embassy or the school first. For a working holiday, go to the embassy, but check their website for information on the requirements. To enter a school, you generally have to wait until they do their overseas recruiting. This usually involves a large mass interview. Once they finish the interview, you ll be given all the documents and information you need to obtain the visa. Whether they do it, or you do it yourself, probably depends on the school. I haven t done this myself, but I m sure you don t have to worry about it. They ll help you with everything. Do note that going in with a school, your visa might be linked with that company, so if you change jobs, you ll have to go to immigration to update your visa. This can be a big hassle. If you enter Japan and have to get a visa, you will need several things. First, you need your school to quot;sponsorquot; you. This involves them saying that they have offered you a contract, prove that you are being paid (if you are currently employed by them), and the company information. This usually involves brochures and public financial statements. The only other thing you d need is a copy of your degree. This could be a photocopy, but make sure you have your real one with you, just in case.