Looking for a position in Okinawa ( February 2010 )

[intoc]

Hi all,

At the beggining of 2010, I plan to follow my girlfriend to Okinawa. She will be teaching English as a second language.

I am a 30 year old male canadian citizen who has been working in the security and surveillance industry for the past 8 years. I speak and write a few languages : french, english, japanese, russian ( basic ), spanish ( basic). I also have experience working in an office as an administrative assistant.

I have read on this forum and elsewhere that Hello Work is a good place to start.

Where else should I be looking ?

Your help would be greatly appreciated !

[proudtobnotpc]

I recommend you get scuba certified as there are always openings and they dive year around here. Check out Reef Encounters at www.reefencounters.org for more information

[dk]

Ugh... Not scuba... Put that security training to use...

[Richard Burns]

Check with some of the big shot corporations in Naha like Citigroup.

[Richard Burns]

Maybe you can land a job at the Consulete.

[intoc]

Thanks for the suggestions, people... Keep them coming !

[macker]

Or start your OWN company... Spying on cheating spouses.. Make a fortune doing that!!

[proudtobnotpc]

Or start your OWN company... Spying on cheating spouses.. Make a fortune doing that!!

dude there are companies up in mainland that do that and make a killing. I wanted to set something up here in Okinawa but my business partner (wife) shot it down

[dk]

Use what you learned in security training and become a super criminal! Good money in that! Okinawans will fall for anything! :D

[Samusan1986]

Maybe your best bet would be to check IDs at a military gate... maybe you will come across a russian spy...

[Samusan1986]

or a Canadian Spy...

[DougP]

Missionary... read that how ever you want. :w00t:

[Okiman]

You might want to check with some of the large contractors out here, Boeing, Motorola, Dynacorp, and some others since they are always looking for folks that have clearances.

[z's inmate#2341]

you're ******d delicious

[Sex Wax]

Ugh... Not scuba... Put that security training to use...

Nevermind dk, he just doesn't like to be outside in direct sunlight or in the ocean. Get a job that you don't have to wear shoes to.

[intoc]

So far, the MCCS job listing is the best I've found. A lot of interesting positions for someone like me !

[affiredawg76]

I speak and write a few languages : french, english, japanese, russian ( basic ), spanish ( basic).

Damn dude, no need to brag!! Just kidding!!

Here's a crazy question...why aren't you teaching foreign languages with all that???:scratchchin:

[shleywren]

Don't expect to get a job right away. It can take a while. Maybe your girlfriend can help you out by talking to someone she works for. There are jobs on base, but usually as I recall you have to have SOFA status for some, and some will give you SOFA Status. MCCS is ok, they will call to interview you if you have the right qualifications(mostly), but from experience seem kind of picky in the actual hiring process. There are companies here that work with the military closely, but aren't necessarily affiliated with the military like HR BLOCK here on Okinawa. There are plenty of companies that cater to the military and they look for people who can speak English. There are also Americans here that own businesses and I am guessing those might be a good place to look too. If you have been working in security you have a good chance of getting a job on base of doing security, and there are plenty of stores out in town that have security forces. The other people have a good idea, getting certified in scuba would definitely give you something to fall back on if you didn't get a job right away. So many people scuba dive here. I doubt that any languages other than Japanese and English will do you much good here, but then again you could always offer tutoring services to people who wished to visit countries those languages are spoken in. A thing many people do is offer various services and they advertise in Japanupdate and other local classifieds. Cake making, tutoring, piano lessons, babysitting, teaching karate, etc etc

[intoc]

Actually I did teach french and english in Canada but I found I'm not cut out for this kind of work. I did it for two years as part of a volunteer program at my university.

Thanks shleywren, very useful information !

[TheLastDon]

You have to be a U.S. citizen to be eligible for a S.O.F.A. job.

[macker]

or have a green card!!.. Also... read GF NOT Wife.. Visa issues abound!!

[dk]

So far, the MCCS job listing is the best I've found. A lot of interesting positions for someone like me !
They offer full tuition-assistance too.

Seriously, don't do scuba. Don't work for any gaijin-run company off-base unless it's Citigroup for that matter.

[Mehi River]

never work for dk!!

[oyajikun]

Unless you're a masochist, don't look for work at the 'big corporation'. Start studying japanese, start scuba diving, get your instructors license, bartend in the evenings. Just stay away from the 9-5 jobs. Take my advice, its the best way to spend a few happy years on Okinawa.

[deckplate32]

[QUOTE=intoc;270931]Hi all,

At the beggining of 2010, I plan to follow my girlfriend to Okinawa. She will be teaching English as a second language.....

As has been previously pointed out and not trying to come across as the doubting Thomas, but you are facing an uphill battle.

1. What type of visa are you going to be entering Japan? If it's an ordinary tourist visa, well, you can enjoy 90 days of what Okinawa / Japan has to offer. After this, it's sayonara. It used to be routine to be granted a 90 day extension, however this has gone to the wayside.

2. Nothing against our brethren from the Great White North, but carrying a passport from another country other than the U.S. can prove to be a liability
on this semi-tropical slice of paradise in terms of gaining any meaningful
employment. Like somebody already pointed out, the on-base venues (MCCS)
won't even give you the time of day.

Probably best to initially remain where you are at, and let your GF scout out the situation once she arrives here and get's settled in. Otherwise, you could very well find yourself in a very frustrating predicament and wishing that you had never come over here.

Best of Luck regardless...

[japan-diver]

Being Canadian he can get a working holiday visa quite easily. Now findiing work will be a challenge as there are limits to what they will let you do on this type of VISA. Many of our dive instructors come in on this type of VISA and can stay for a few years as they are renewable for I think 3 years. Base jobs as a non-US citizen will be a problem. There are many quality companies out in town that hire regularly so there is work here.

[cedric brougham]

Job market sucks here. You can survive if you're retired military. But it's hard to get a decent paying job unless you're a contractor for a decent company (that pays a phat base salary, housing, cola, dodds, etc.). Other than that, you'll end up like a 1000+ ex-GI swinging pricks scraping by because they're small head fell in love with some local girl. Then after a while you realize that Okinawa isn't all dat.

[leonthelion]

Unless you're a masochist, don't look for work at the 'big corporation'. Start studying japanese, start scuba diving, get your instructors license, bartend in the evenings. Just stay away from the 9-5 jobs. Take my advice, its the best way to spend a few happy years on Okinawa.

That's kinda what I'm aiming at for next year, though I may pussy out and take on a few programming clients until we settle in. 9-5 jobs, speaking to people on topics unrelated to beer or motorbikes, wearing shoes, etc... all terrible things

[Spadesy]

Ugh... Not scuba... Put that security training to use...

True that...just stay away from Building 1...we have enough civilians getting paid to, uh, talk about the possibility of terrorists being in vacant cars parked outside of the bases in Oki... :rolleyes:

[Spadesy]

Job market sucks here. You can survive if you're retired military. But it's hard to get a decent paying job unless you're a contractor for a decent company (that pays a phat base salary, housing, cola, dodds, etc.). Other than that, you'll end up like a 1000+ ex-GI swinging pricks scraping by because they're small head fell in love with some local girl. Then after a while you realize that Okinawa isn't all dat.

Man, no truer words have been spoken. High five.

[longtimenoseeLTG]

Well well well. I see some things never change. Ignorance is one. What is a gaijin doing security going to do in Okinawa? The Japanese MLC and Marine gate guards provide all of the security. Citigroup....lol. Never seen a job posting for gaijin security worker at citigroup. Those are all Japanese companies. Good luck with that one dude. And for the guy that said you can make big money in the mainland...where? I worked for a security company at the EU building. It wasnt big money. Some clowns from the base do some escort during K1 shows ect, but its not big money.

[dk]

Still enjoying being a custodian engineer?

[Crazysix]

Still enjoying being a custodian engineer?

I thought that was janitorial technician with certifications in refrigeration removal , and microwave oven cleaning....VAC cert:scratchchin: