In Japan, there are variety of part-time jobs. Of course, You can find a good job, but there are bad part-time jobs also, what is called “Black part-time job” in Japan.

Some  serious problems about part-time jobs are usually featured in the media, but in this site, we will provide valuable information such as basic things that you should know about part-time jobs and what kind of jobs are popular.

If you are an international student actually coming to Japan or planning to study abroad in Japan from now on, you will be able to grasp the informative knowledge of part-time jobs!

Index:

1.Students in Japan and part-time job

2.How to start your part-time job

3.Popular part-time job ranking

4.Black Baito

5.Unique part-time job

6.Useful ways to find part-time job

Students in Japan and part-time job

First of all, let’s take a look at the relationship between students in Japan and part-time jobs.

Well, before talking about it, a survey, which was conducted by JASSO in 2015, shows that 74.8% of international students (studying abroad in Japan) are engaged in a part-time job to earn living expenses.

Reference: Japan Student Services Organization / 2015 Private Expenses Foreign Student Life Actual Survey Summary                     https://www.jasso.go.jp/about/statistics/ryuj_chosa/h27.html

Like this, we can see that a part-time job is an important activity for international students!

For more information, please click on the reference URL and get information!

Let’s get back to the first topic.

The 53rd Survey on the Actual Condition of Student Life (Investigation Period: October – November in 2017) according to the National Federation of University Co-op Unions shows that the number of university students engaged in part-time jobs is 71.7% of the questionnaire answering universities and also the monthly income is 37,920 yen on average for students who are from home and 28,770 yen for students living alone

Reference: The National Federation of University Co-op Unions / Summary report of the 53rd student life status survey https://www.univcoop.or.jp/press/life/report.html

As you can see, most university students in Japan are engaged in part-time job.

Actually, I am a university student in Japan too, but it is very hard to look for a student who does not do part-time job.

The motivation for earning money, such as for entertainment expenses for clubs and for living expenses, is different from student to student, but we also hear critical opinions on news and social surveys that students do part-time excessively.

Certainly, Japanese universities have a loose aspect compared to overseas universities in that students can get credits easily even if they do not study so much. I think the factor that they do not study is also reflected in the results of this data.

Also, there is no doubting that there are many university students in Japan who hardly study because of excessive part time job.

In any case, I think that you could understand how part-time jobs are part of students life.

How to start your part-time job

Next, I will explain procedures or working conditions which are necessary for you to know before you start your part-time job.

【Let’s apply！】

【STEP1】

The most important step that you have to do first is to get permission for part-time jobs at an immigration bureau!

“Originally, studying abroad, which is the status of international students, is aimed at dedicating to studying so, it is not possible to do activities such as receiving a reward.

 Therefore, in order to start a part-time job, international students have to receive

 permission for part-time jobs at an immigration bureau and need to work within the scope which does not affect study, but in regard to the educations or activities which support researches based on the agreement with your university or technical college  (limited to Grade 4, Grade 5 and major), you do not have to get permission for part-time jobs.”

Quotation from Comprehensive information guide for study in Japan

https://www.studyjapan.go.jp/jp/inj/inj03j.html

It sounds a little difficult procedure doesn’t it?

It is noted that the first thing that you have to do is to go to an immigration bureau and get permission for part-time jobs, so I have posted URLs below to search a near immigration bureau from where you live. Let’s find your immigration bureau here!

The list of immigration bureaus

http://www.immi-moj.go.jp/soshiki/index.html (Japanese)

http://www.immi-moj.go.jp/english/soshiki/index.html (English)

【STEP2】

After you could find the immigration bureau, then let’s prepare requirements which youwill need to bring with you! The items are as follows.

• Application of permission for part-time job (you can get this form in an immigration bureau)
• Papers showing contents of activities related to the application
• Residence card
• Passport or Certificate of Eligibility
• Document to prove your identity (Ex. student card)

In addition, this procedure is free, so you don’t have to worry about money!

Just for your information, I will post links below about the application of permission for part-time job and the guide to the procedure of immigration bureaus.

「About the application of permission for part-time job」

http://www.moj.go.jp/ONLINE/IMMIGRATION/16-8.html (Japanese)

※Sorry, this URL has only Japanese ver.

「About the guide to the procedure of immigration bureaus」

http://www.immi-moj.go.jp/tetuduki/zairyuu/shikakugai.html (Japanese)

http://www.immi-moj.go.jp/english/tetuduki/zairyuu/shikakugai.html (English)

These are all about procedures.

In the next topic, we will look at important rules such as the regulation of work or jobs.

【About time regulation and job regulation】

First of all, let’s take a look at time regulation.

International students have to work following these rules, so please be careful!

In the end, I will explain about job regulation.

International students are prohibited to be engaged in these jobs, so please be careful when choosing your job.

• Entertainment and amusement business

For example, a bar or a cabaret

• In pachinko parlors or mah-jongg parlors, you cannot even wash dishes or clean, so please be careful.

These are about the rules concerning part-time job, so I hope that you all will grasp important things that I have explained!

Popular part-time job ranking

According to TOWN WORK, here is popular part-time job for university student.

1st Cafe, Tearoom

2nd event staff, concert staff

3rd waiter/waitress

4th Japanese Pub(Izakaya)

5th Food selling

6th Convenience store

7th Family restaurant(as a kitchen staff)

8th Inspection of merchandise

9th casher at a supermarket

10th Sorting（complete the number of merchandise, divide these things.）

Popular part-time job of the people around me are café staff and cram school teacher. In my opinion, many foreigner work at convenience store or McDonald. As a side note, I work as a confectionery seller.

This part-time job is enable you to interact with many people while working. So I recommend the job for people who want to meet and talk a lot of people.

Black Baito

Have you ever heard the words “Black Baito”? In general many students know this words. So what is “Black Baito”? This word means student can’t living the life as a student because of the part-time job.

For example, forced to work as much as a full time staff by manager, doesn’t give enough break time while working. Because of these situation, sometimes student can’t attend class or join extracurricular activity.

Also some part-time job break the Labor Standards Act in Japan. A volunteer overtime work, power harassment by people who work in same place are break the law.

Surprisingly some job forced to buy these situation being considered as a serious problem.

But don’t worry. There are good  part-time job in Japan still some part-time job are bad. So how can we have a good eye for the job?

• Shop manager’s personality

→After you decide to work there, maybe you spend most of the time with shop manager while your training time. If you can’t think get along well with your manager, you should think again whether you work there or not.

• Visit the shop before you work there

→Look carefully at the staff’s expression, atmosphere in the shop, and how they working. Especially the atmosphere of the shop is most important. If the description of job is little bit harder, those atmosphere or staff’s personality may help you. To visit the shop before work is useful. Because this makes you easy to imagine how you will work there.

• Look carefully both description of job and an hour salary

→In general most students, especially university students have a little money(including me…) . Even they worked hard they haven’t money because they going out somewhere with friends, buying clothes, dinning out for every month. So student attract high an hour salary. But some works request you hard or so busy jobs even you can gain high salary. It depends on how you think, but at least you need to check and compare to these things carefully.

• Try to find out the value of working while you are in training time.

→If you felt strange while your training time, you would better to quit. Once you decide to quit part-time job, you have to do tell the manager quickly!

• Introduced part-time job by your friends.

→This is my recommendation. Because you can know the environment of a workplace before you work. Also your friends help you if you are nervous about work.

There are so many kinds of part-time job in Japan. While some part-time jobs are good situation, some part-time jobs are bad. Anyway, you should think carefully when you decide your own job.

Unique part-time job

There are many unique part-time job in Japan. Let’s see ３ examples.

①          Mystery shopper

→Using some items, eating dinner at a restaurant as a monitor. Mystery shopper mainly receive usage fee of merchandise or cost of meals as a reward. This job can’t earn enough money. But you can use new item or eat dishes for free. This job can do your separate time. I recommend this job who haven’t enough time to start new job, but enjoy something new.

②          Representative

→For example when someone is absent wedding, buy a concert ticket, and do their homework as a job. Surprisingly, there is a job called “Rentaru Kareshi (Kanojo)”. This job is representative as a someone’s partner. People who dislike interference about marriage by their parents or friends. Others want to feel warmth by someone. In any case, part-time job of representative is unique job isn’t it?

③Listener

→To listen to someone’s complain, boast and so on. It may be able to earn 200yen for 10minutes on average. On the contrary it is useful part-time job o want to boast own listening skills.

These part-time job usually you need to work for only once. So if you haven’t enough time to work regularly, you can work. Why don’t you give it to try?

Useful ways to find part-time job

Using some application is one of the useful ways to find part-time job. Baitoru, Indeed, LINE Baito, and TOWN WORK are popular application when you searching part-time job. These application can search part-time job instantly and in detail.

Another useful way is searching on internet for using key words. For example ”Baito Kyuujin ”. Another useful way is using the occupations or the region that you want to work. These ways are useful for find part-time job in Japan.

If you have an opportunity to experience part-time job in Japan, I hope this article may helps you.