Summer student jobs in Japan?

[Robin Irvine]

Hello, I am a 17 year old student from Scotland and am hoping to go to Japan this Summer. I was wondering if any of you know any families who would be interested in hosting a students stay maybe for the purpose for English lessons. Or failing that does anybody know of an interesting student job in Japan. Anywhere in Japan. I have saved up loads towards this and was just wondering if anybody knows anybody who might help me experience Japan in all its glory.

[nodachi]

It is going to be very hard to find students to teach unless you are in the country. There is not much out there for you to work at. Even people with degrees are pretty limited as they can usually only teach English or find other work only if they have a nice connection. Will you have to work though? Have you saved up enough money? If you do some sort of a homestay, I am not sure what that type of situation costs, your expenses can be low if you are careful. A light breakfast from the local bakery, yes there are tons of them all over the place, at least around Chiba and Tokyo, some onigiri with some fruit or something, and then have a real dinner somewhere can cheapen things up. Unless you eat tons, but if you are careful about how you spend your money, especially on food, then you can save a ton. Look into housing costs, plan according and if you don't go party crazy, you may be able to save enough money ahead of time and not have to work. The meals I suggested above cost about 300 to 400 yen for lunch and breakfast (each) and then dinner will cost according to how fancy of a place you go to or maybe your host family will provide it.

I am afraid that job hunting may not yield results for you but if you can budget well, you may be able to save enough ahead of time. To save money on train fare, buy a Japan Rail pass for the appropriate areas you will be traveling in before you go. You can buy them before you go and they are like a Euro Rail pass, but you can't get them once you are in the country, or so I hear. The activities you do and the food you eat will take the most cash. You can experience sight seeing for almost no money at all. You just need train fare or a train pass, and your legs to take you around so you can take pictures and see the sights. That's cheap. Just be careful about budgeting well. Also, buying a bento from a local shop or stand will be more expensive than making your own food if you have access to a kitchen because you will pay for the food preparation involved in making it look all pretty and the packaging to it. The more you can prepare for yourself, the cheaper food is. And if you stick to Japanese food, not food that needs to be shipped in, then it can be really cheap, despite what some people think.

[nodachi]

Oh ya, there are lots of options for lodging that you need to research as well. A homestay will provide you with lodging and living with a Japanese family will help you to experience what it is really like to live like the Japanese. If you travel on your own, research your hotel options. Normal hotels are expensive. Love hotels can be cheaper, even though it may feel funny going to one, but it will save some money, capsule hotels are cramped but will save more money (if you are near urban areas), or look into what options you have with youth hostels (probably the cheapest option, but they have restrictions like curfews and maybe others). Basically do your homework before you go because there is a wide range of options available to you.

[ISSAC RU]

dream and real life are so different..

[Musha]

You should go on some kind of home-stay program. I went on one the first time I went to Japan but I can't for the life of me think what it was called :(. Working is hard and depends on your age and if you have a University degree. Home stays depend on how much money you have and if you find a good one at the right time.

If you want to go to school on a home-stay that I would say is the best you have to be the right age and apply at the right time.

I'll reply again if I remember the name of the program I was on :D.

[Robin Irvine]

Thanks all for your replies, does anybody know of a Japanese home-stay organisation I can approach? Or any useful websites like Japanese youth hostels etc. Also where I can purchase railway tickets and which is the best area to visit?

[nodachi]

Thanks all for your replies, does anybody know of a Japanese home-stay organisation I can approach? Or any useful websites like Japanese youth hostels etc. Also where I can purchase railway tickets and which is the best area to visit?

Home stay organizations may be easily found if you contact the Japanese Consulate or Embassy in your area. They are usually very happy to dispense information to someone interested in their country.

Railway tickets can probably be bought just about anywhere. Ask a travel agent and they can point you in the correct direction to find where to get the pass... they even have brochures on it.

Best area to visit... tough question... Tokyo or Osaka = big sprawling city life environment... Hokkaido in the winter = fun snow festival / ski fun with onsen... Hakone area near Mount Fuji is cool... Kyoto will feel like old Japan, although does have urban elements nearby... Okinawa = beach land... so as you can see, you need to decide what type of environment you want to be in because from northern Japan to Southern Japan is a variety of types of environments and atmospheres to choose from...

[Yo...osh!]

Um...Why not wait till your 18, get a TEFL certificate and teach English? The only problem is without a University degree, you'd probably can't find a job in the big cities.

But smaller cities u could find a job I'm sure. Last year I saw a job ad for Hokkaido and you don't even need any experience!! Just native speaker is enough.

[Robin Irvine]

I contacted some homestay organisations but have not got any positive feedback as yet. So if anybody knows of any more organisations I would be most grateful for your input.