No. However remember that the aim of the working holiday scheme is to promote understanding and friendship between countries, and work shouldn’t be your primary motivation for coming to Japan on a Working Holiday Visa. There is no limit on how many hours or days per week or how many months you can work on a Working Holiday Visa in Japan.

The current recession is affecting wages and the number of jobs that are available. The job market for working holiday makers has been getting tougher for several years because of poor economic conditions and also an increase in the number of people coming to Japan looking for work. However, if you are over 21 and have a university degree you should be able to find work in Japan eventually if you aren’t overly particular. It is absolutely essential to bring enough money to survive on until you find a job and to tide you over if you suddenly become unable to work or lose your job. It used to be fairly easy to find a job as an English teacher, but due to the large numbers of people coming to Japan seeking jobs in this field, it is becoming a little more difficult. On average, it takes newcomers about one to two months to secure a teaching position. During this time it can be quite difficult emotionally, mentally, and financially and it really is important to make sure you bring enough money to survive on while you search for work.

Wages for language teaching jobs in Japan have been dropping in recent years. The most common hourly wage for language teaching jobs in our job files is approximately 2,000 yen, though wages do range from about 1500 yen to about 3000 yen. The wage for non-teaching jobs in our job files is approximately 1000 yen per hour.

Yes, it is more difficult to find teaching jobs in Japan without a degree, especially in the major cities. Many employers require applicants to have a degree, but there are exceptions. Teaching jobs that don’t require degrees tend to have lower wages. In the case of unskilled non-teaching jobs, fewer employers require a degree, but conversational-level Japanese is usually required, and in many cases a high level of Japanese proficiency is required. If you are planning to come to Japan in a gap year before continuing on to university, it is important to be aware that not having a degree and being under the age of 21 does make it more difficult to find work.

Yes. It does tend to be difficult for people under the age of 21 to find work, and some unfortunately return home disappointed (see above). English schools usually require teachers to be over 21 years of age, but with non-teaching jobs it doesn’t seem to be so much of an issue. Your chances of finding such work increase if you can speak Japanese.

No, but being able to speak Japanese is often an advantage when you are looking for work, and when interacting with Japanese colleagues, even if you aren’t required to speak Japanese in your daily work. You might be surprised by how many people there are in Japan who are unable to speak English. We recommend that you try to learn some Japanese before you leave for Japan, as it will likely make your stay a lot more enjoyable and fulfilling.

It does tend to be difficult to find skilled non-teaching work that doesn’t require a certain level of Japanese ability, but it very much depends on your other abilities and your field of work. Jobs in the service industry usually require a high degree of Japanese ability. Sometimes people with high levels of expertise in certain fields find employment even though they don't speak Japanese. However, such people are rather the exception.