How to Find a Part-time Job in Japan?

By Guidable Writers Mar 15, 2016

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According to JASSO (Japan Student Services Organization), around 70% percent of Japanese students in colleges have part-time jobs. The prevalence of part-time jobs is a result of abundant job opportunities in Japan, as well as an idea of yearning for financial independence. Generally, students in Japan don’t need to worry about their monthly allowance from their families, but they still manage to find a part-time job to subsidize themselves. For foreigner students, a part-time job not only mean income, it also indicates that you are involved in Japanese society in a serious way. What’s more, many students are trying to make the use of part-time jobs to improve their language skills.

Needless to say, part-time job is a good opportunity for a foreigner to expand their social life in Japan, but how to find one? Well, let’s have a look at it.

The most common part-time jobs for students in Japan are cashiers in convenience stores and supermarkets, attendants in restaurants, and shop assistants. Firstly, to apply for these positions, you need be confidant about your Japanese language level, as in most cases employers value your communication skills with consumers more than everything. If you are fully prepared and ready to have a try, where should you start with the application?

I highly recommend you to use Townwork (https://townwork.net/), one of the most popular online job websites in Japan. In Townwork you can search for desired part-time jobs with only a slight effort: choose the area, the type of work, or any key word you like, then the website will present you all the jobs available with detailed descriptions and necessary information. If you are interested in certain jobs, all you have to do is to fill the online applications form with your personal information (normally name, age, contact and other necessary information) and submit them. Thanks to the internet, the job application process is unbelievably easy. The next thing you need to do is to keep your phone open and wait for the the call from your potential employer. The call usually begins with a confirmation of your application, and an initial inquiry of your working schedule. If everything sounds fine to your employers, then he or she probably will offer you a chance to interview.

The interview is the final step, and a crucial step as well. But as any other types of interviews in the world, the only secret of interview is to be relaxed, sincere and positive, so I believe you can accomplish the last step well.

Besides the online application, you can also keep an eye on recruitment advertisements posted out by shop owners in the street. However, an important thing is even if you are standing right out of the store, you’d better call the number in the posters first in steading of directly stepping in and asking for the information, which might be considered as rude in Japanese culture.

It’s true that foreigners are faced with difficulties in applying for part-time jobs in Japan, but I will only suggest you to try it as a part of life experiences in Japan. Good luck with it!