Hello Work Kurume

Employment Services at Hello Work

A friend suggested I try out Hello Work, which of course I had heard of, but had never visited. Hello Work is an employment agency that matches people with potential jobs and is used in Japan by anyone qualified, from students to retired people. The staff was maybe surprised when I showed up, but very helpful and patient with me. Actually I didn't expect them to try very hard based on what I've heard. First I filled out a form to register, then I met with one of the consulting staff. The staff walked me through how to search using keywords and locations, and suggested I search with staff if using the computers on my own was too difficult. Everything is in Japanese, including computer search term input, so using Hello Work for a job search requires a minimum of basic conversational Japanese, reading, and typing ability. If you're lucky, staff will speak slowly and use simple vocabulary for you. There may be positions for native English speakers at times, but it doesn't seem common. There are very few jobs other than teaching English that I'm qualified for at my level of Japanese, and most employers don't list jobs with keywords like 'foreigner' to make it easy to find something appropriate. It's possible to find something interesting then ask staff to call and see if they accept applications from foreigners with a proper visa. After not coming up with much, I decided asking around is probably a better way to find work than searching on the Hello Work computer database. Still not a bad place to check periodically in case something comes up. Lots of parking for cars and bikes, after entering the building go into the room to your right.