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Jan 11, 2018

How to find a Part-Time Job in Japan

I already wrote an article about the differences between working full-time and part-time in Japan before. You can find it here if you missed it. This time I will go deeper into the topic of how you can find a part-time job in Japan. In my opinion, finding a part-time job is much easier than finding a full-time job, because part-timers normally don’t have much responsibility and don’t need to comply with many requirements for getting the job. This is main the reason as to why they get less salary than full-time workers.


How to find a Part-Time Job in Japan photo


Here I am talking about finding jobs in restaurants (hall / kitchen staff), shop staff in convenience stores or other shops, hotel staff, and so on. There are all the typical part-time jobs here in Japan. And they all require one thing: a certain level of Japanese language knowledge. So, if you start searching for a shop be sure about your own level of Japanese and assure yourself it is enough for the work you want to do. Surely, there are also jobs where you don’t need Japanese such as English teachers or the computer / gaming sector, but already for your everyday life in Japan it would be good to study the language.


Ok, let’s come to the main point. Here I have four ways of how to find a part-time job in Japan I used myself and actually got jobs with!


a) Using the Internet


Nowadays the Internet becomes ever more important and so websites with job opportunites are booming. In Japan I used Gaijinpot and Craigslist a lot, but there are many more, especially looking for foreign parttime workers. One of these is NihonArubaito which has new offers nearly every day on their Facebook page. I got an English teaching job via Gaijinpot and another one while someone was asking in a FB group what was a really good timing. Use the Internet and social media to get new contacts and find a job!


b) Free magazines with job offers


Going to printed papers you can use magazines such as TownWork, Recruit and so on. You can often pick them up at the stations and other public facilities and they offer jobs in the local area. Be sure, these magazines are generally aimed at Japanese people, so an ability to read Japanese is important. I applied at a hotel as cleaning staff. After a short interview in Japanese on the phone I was invited to an interview (I canceled it later because I found another job at around the same time).


How to find a Part-Time Job in Japan photo


c) Ask directly


Are you planning to work at a certain restaurant or shop? Just go there and ask! They can easily tell you if they are looking for new part-time workers right now and what requirements they have. You can also often find information papers at restaurants, supermarkets, convenience stores and so on that show they are searching. When I came to Japan on a Working Holiday visa (and my Japanese language level was still very low) I went to a German restaurant and asked for work. The owner could speak German and, because another staff left a short time before, I got a part-time job right away.


How to find a Part-Time Job in Japan photo


d) The Japanese employment office


When my search for a job didn’t go well, I went to the Japanese employment office called Hello Work. In Tokyo they have a special section for foreigners and I made an appointment there. The staff there were very nice. We looked through possible job offers after I said what I am interested in. When we found a possible job she called the company and made an interview appointment for me. I could go there right after my visit to Hello Work and got the job. Might have been luck, but I also can recommend this method.



I hope I could help you with this article and wish you good luck with finding a job!


YokoLostinJapan

YokoLostinJapan

A German woman who made several trips to Japan did one year of Working Holiday. Started living in Japan again since October 2016 together with her Japanese husband. Loves music, cats, traveling and food.

Check out my Instagram account for your daily Japan vibes: https://www.instagram.com/yoko_lost_in_japan/


1 Comment

  • Ana1350

    on Mar 24

    Youre very lucky to get these jobs so quickly. I am currently employed in one of the obento factory in Saitama. It's quite difficult because they keep shouting at you and it's still my 1st day (no training at all). Working for 9hrs with 1hr lunch break. We have to keep standing for 8hrs. A bit heavy task though it looks everything is easy.. I am afraid to go back there.