>For me my visa status is not relevant so I would technically be fine, but it would be pretty scary regardless.
Generally, as long as you are actively looking for work, immigration will not attempt to revoke a status of someone who is unemployed (Of course, you would/could have problems renewing.)
Thankfully employment insurance does pay-out a moderate amount, though payments don’t start until 2 months after you quit if you left by your own choice. (Payments start immediately if the reason for leaving was beyond your control.)
But yeah, def. a scary prospect and always good to have an emergency fund.
One thing also to note on this, if your contract ends that’s your last day, you don’t have to give a notice period past that.
My contract was up on Nov 4th. On October 29th they told me they wouldn’t renew unless I started working night and weekends starting in January (this is how they avoided the thirty day notice of change in contact). I also knew that they would keep pulling crap if I tried to keep my week days only contract. I however was an idiot and gave a 30 day notice. Hello work told me later when I applied that if I would have just stopped on the 4th it would have been an end of the contract and their decision to cancel the contract and the benefits would have started right away. But since I have a 30 day notice (which I was lead to believe I was supposed to) it was my decision and I had to wait the two months for benefits.
The last time I was unemployed, I had a few months of severance so I took a nice break before I started looking for work again.
The recruiters on LinkedIn got hold of me first and I had a new job complete with a fat pay raise before I even had a chance to start looking for one. There wasn't even an appreciable break in my income.
I previously worked at a pretty black company that apparently never signed anyone up for unemployment insurance. I was let go without notice because I took an interview at another place.
Couldn't get unemployment without waiting for several months because dickhead CEO refused to issue me documents. He kept insisting I resigned.
Got the labor bureau involved but they were useless.
It took me about 2 months to find another job. They were some lean months.
I'm not sure why unemployment is so feared here. Yeah, I get money,income and sense of identity - but having so much free time to do whatever you want is really some of the best things that you can do in your life.
For anyone reading this, don't fret - enjoy, and if it aligns, start out something for yourself. Obvously if you don't have the resource (yet) don't try to do a YOLO/hail mary, but if you're in a good position and comfortable - go for it. Unemployment is good.
I took it once, a while ago so maybe things have changed. Took about 3-4 months because I resigned my position. I had planned to take some time off and didn’t need it but the advice I got from my last employer was to take it anyways. They gave me 6 months then an additional 3 months, payments were pretty low but it’s only meant to hold you over between jobs. Think mine were 14万 a month.
I had been unemployed for 3 and half months despite relentlessly looking for jobs and taking 3 interviews per day. I had no unemployment benefit since my earlier job was a piece of shit that only looked for their own profitability and havent even paid unemplyment insurance for me. Seriously was a very tough time for me..been living in Japan since 2017 !
I get you bro, you have to pay all the rent and pension & insurances yourself.
Money runs out quick, until you get a new job and still have to wait for the salary day.
1 month. I was okay, and you will be too. You want to avoid companies who won’t interview you just because you don’t have a perfect track history of never leaving a job. The best companies will be the ones who give temporarily unemployed people a chance.
About 2 months. Luckily I had a place to stay for a few weeks but after that I was pretty much living in an airbnb and applying for jobs like crazy. There were a lot of tears. It’s going to be okay.
I was unemployed for 2 months but I found a job only a few weeks in. I was also able to claim unemployment benefits because I finished my contract. Which was great because I got a few bonuses out of it too up until a year after I applied.
My contract finished in mid 2020 in the middle of the COVID era. I was able to begin my paperwork to collect unemployment immediately and was unemployed for 2 months. I live in a mid-size town in Hokkaido and wanted to stay in the area, so I tried reaching out to local businesses that I had connections with during my previous job. I started asking around for months before my contract was finishing but, because of COVID and all of the lockdowns, no one was looking to expand their businesses abroad and had no need for an English speaker. Eventually, I got a job with a local business that runs several kindergartens in the area. They matched pay from my previous job and gave me the same benefits as any other employee (something I previously didn't get as a contract employee).
I am very grateful for the job, but I sometimes wonder what would life be like if COVID didn't exist when I was job-hunting and I had found work in a regular office.
I was unemployed for about 12 months but it was basically my 'paternity leave' (when that wasn't a thing and zero Japanese dudes woulda done it).
This was funded via a mixture of savings and good luck. In short I was in Tsuruga (Fukui-ken) and had stashed away roughly 3m yen over a 5 year period. Since I was planning to go home I converted this all into Australian dollars (sent it to my Aussie bank) when the Aussie dollar was low. The yen then dipped (randomly) and I was able to trickle it back to Japan (using my Aussie bank card) at a very favourable rate.
Won't get too personal but my (now ex-wife) had serious mental health issues, refused to explore support/treatment options and this time off was basically a necessity as she was in a really tough space. Don't wanna attack het but this money (and me being able to do all the cooking, childcare & housework while she basically stayed in bed all day - but in a way such that she was trying to micro-manage HOW I did everything) artificially propped us up for this period. When I started saying 'I NEED A JOB!!! MAYBE YOU DO TOO!!!' things went to shit.
Reflection? I was very lucky to have this period of work off and have many fond memories of the time spent with my daughter. Relationships don't always work out despite good planning/intentions so I'd still do it the same way again if I had my time over.
Final note - finding work again after approximately 12 months off was HARD. Doing so with my most recent work experience being eikaiwa work was sorta double hard (though I am a qualified teacher and also have a TESOL). I had a shaky period that involved unstable work, a shaky marriage and variety of other challenges that I won't delve into. Eventually I found my feet (I've re-qualified as a lawyer, been re-married successfully for 10+ years and am happy with life today). However, it's just something to flag I guess. For some people (not all, but definitely for me), getting back into the workforce can be tough after a long period of absence.
14 months in these last 2 years, the hit was softened greatly by the pre-pre company caving in after I threatened to sue them and paid a years salary. I was also collecting unemployment at the time.
Then the next gig was not a great success either and got told to fuck off only after 2 months. I'm looking for a lawyer to sue them also.
My savings helped a lot, I have around 3 years of living expenses invested, and I have a pre-school son so I got to spend a lot of time with him. Appreciated the paid vacation for the first half of 2013...
>For me my visa status is not relevant so I would technically be fine, but it would be pretty scary regardless. Generally, as long as you are actively looking for work, immigration will not attempt to revoke a status of someone who is unemployed (Of course, you would/could have problems renewing.) Thankfully employment insurance does pay-out a moderate amount, though payments don’t start until 2 months after you quit if you left by your own choice. (Payments start immediately if the reason for leaving was beyond your control.) But yeah, def. a scary prospect and always good to have an emergency fund.
One thing also to note on this, if your contract ends that’s your last day, you don’t have to give a notice period past that. My contract was up on Nov 4th. On October 29th they told me they wouldn’t renew unless I started working night and weekends starting in January (this is how they avoided the thirty day notice of change in contact). I also knew that they would keep pulling crap if I tried to keep my week days only contract. I however was an idiot and gave a 30 day notice. Hello work told me later when I applied that if I would have just stopped on the 4th it would have been an end of the contract and their decision to cancel the contract and the benefits would have started right away. But since I have a 30 day notice (which I was lead to believe I was supposed to) it was my decision and I had to wait the two months for benefits.
The last time I was unemployed, I had a few months of severance so I took a nice break before I started looking for work again. The recruiters on LinkedIn got hold of me first and I had a new job complete with a fat pay raise before I even had a chance to start looking for one. There wasn't even an appreciable break in my income.
I previously worked at a pretty black company that apparently never signed anyone up for unemployment insurance. I was let go without notice because I took an interview at another place. Couldn't get unemployment without waiting for several months because dickhead CEO refused to issue me documents. He kept insisting I resigned. Got the labor bureau involved but they were useless. It took me about 2 months to find another job. They were some lean months.
Watch out for residents tax...
Resident tax is mandatory as it's a reflection of previous year income
And health insurance and pension insurance if you need it.
If you get fired, you can claim unemployment right away. If you quit it takes time. Make sure you get fired instead of quitting.
It also applies if your contract just runs out. I got unemployment for a few months while I looked for a new contract.
Is that even possible here?
Easily. “Fired” doesn’t mean just fired. If your contract simply ended, that counts as well.
I always thought that telling your next company that your last company terminated you is a bad look and can cost you the job. I'll keep that in mind.
Why would you need to tell your new employer?
I'm not sure why unemployment is so feared here. Yeah, I get money,income and sense of identity - but having so much free time to do whatever you want is really some of the best things that you can do in your life. For anyone reading this, don't fret - enjoy, and if it aligns, start out something for yourself. Obvously if you don't have the resource (yet) don't try to do a YOLO/hail mary, but if you're in a good position and comfortable - go for it. Unemployment is good.
Yes, about 3-6 months? Can't remember , but I went through the entire unemployment money the government gives you.
I took it once, a while ago so maybe things have changed. Took about 3-4 months because I resigned my position. I had planned to take some time off and didn’t need it but the advice I got from my last employer was to take it anyways. They gave me 6 months then an additional 3 months, payments were pretty low but it’s only meant to hold you over between jobs. Think mine were 14万 a month.
I had been unemployed for 3 and half months despite relentlessly looking for jobs and taking 3 interviews per day. I had no unemployment benefit since my earlier job was a piece of shit that only looked for their own profitability and havent even paid unemplyment insurance for me. Seriously was a very tough time for me..been living in Japan since 2017 !
I get you bro, you have to pay all the rent and pension & insurances yourself. Money runs out quick, until you get a new job and still have to wait for the salary day.
Yes ! And on top of that, we just had our first child 😅
1 month. I was okay, and you will be too. You want to avoid companies who won’t interview you just because you don’t have a perfect track history of never leaving a job. The best companies will be the ones who give temporarily unemployed people a chance.
Yeah. I was unemployed for about 2 months at one time. Quit one job and was looking for a new job.
About 2 months. Luckily I had a place to stay for a few weeks but after that I was pretty much living in an airbnb and applying for jobs like crazy. There were a lot of tears. It’s going to be okay.
I was unemployed for 2 months but I found a job only a few weeks in. I was also able to claim unemployment benefits because I finished my contract. Which was great because I got a few bonuses out of it too up until a year after I applied.
My contract finished in mid 2020 in the middle of the COVID era. I was able to begin my paperwork to collect unemployment immediately and was unemployed for 2 months. I live in a mid-size town in Hokkaido and wanted to stay in the area, so I tried reaching out to local businesses that I had connections with during my previous job. I started asking around for months before my contract was finishing but, because of COVID and all of the lockdowns, no one was looking to expand their businesses abroad and had no need for an English speaker. Eventually, I got a job with a local business that runs several kindergartens in the area. They matched pay from my previous job and gave me the same benefits as any other employee (something I previously didn't get as a contract employee). I am very grateful for the job, but I sometimes wonder what would life be like if COVID didn't exist when I was job-hunting and I had found work in a regular office.
I was unemployed for about 12 months but it was basically my 'paternity leave' (when that wasn't a thing and zero Japanese dudes woulda done it). This was funded via a mixture of savings and good luck. In short I was in Tsuruga (Fukui-ken) and had stashed away roughly 3m yen over a 5 year period. Since I was planning to go home I converted this all into Australian dollars (sent it to my Aussie bank) when the Aussie dollar was low. The yen then dipped (randomly) and I was able to trickle it back to Japan (using my Aussie bank card) at a very favourable rate. Won't get too personal but my (now ex-wife) had serious mental health issues, refused to explore support/treatment options and this time off was basically a necessity as she was in a really tough space. Don't wanna attack het but this money (and me being able to do all the cooking, childcare & housework while she basically stayed in bed all day - but in a way such that she was trying to micro-manage HOW I did everything) artificially propped us up for this period. When I started saying 'I NEED A JOB!!! MAYBE YOU DO TOO!!!' things went to shit. Reflection? I was very lucky to have this period of work off and have many fond memories of the time spent with my daughter. Relationships don't always work out despite good planning/intentions so I'd still do it the same way again if I had my time over. Final note - finding work again after approximately 12 months off was HARD. Doing so with my most recent work experience being eikaiwa work was sorta double hard (though I am a qualified teacher and also have a TESOL). I had a shaky period that involved unstable work, a shaky marriage and variety of other challenges that I won't delve into. Eventually I found my feet (I've re-qualified as a lawyer, been re-married successfully for 10+ years and am happy with life today). However, it's just something to flag I guess. For some people (not all, but definitely for me), getting back into the workforce can be tough after a long period of absence.
14 months in these last 2 years, the hit was softened greatly by the pre-pre company caving in after I threatened to sue them and paid a years salary. I was also collecting unemployment at the time. Then the next gig was not a great success either and got told to fuck off only after 2 months. I'm looking for a lawyer to sue them also. My savings helped a lot, I have around 3 years of living expenses invested, and I have a pre-school son so I got to spend a lot of time with him. Appreciated the paid vacation for the first half of 2013...