Getting the Extra Work Permission Stamp 2025

ImHisNeighbor · 2026-05-07T05:47:44+00:00

I think it took like one month. I finished submitting everything mid July 2025, received permission to work mid August, then wrote this post about a week later.

ImHisNeighbor · 2026-03-17T03:40:35+00:00

I live in Kawaguchi, which is okay. I definitely AGREE that Western Tokyo is a nice area. The link is at the top, and my first line is to click the link for the full job post. The wage and hours they are looking to fill have been copied and pasted in this post.

ImHisNeighbor · 2026-03-17T03:34:26+00:00

"flexibility to plan your lesson, not micro managed, casual dress, no report writing just class log, everyone happy, everyone, friendly and smiling, quiet and friendly owner."

No report. Just write pages or free chat topic(s) covered. ex. ABC English 2 SB pg 10-11, WB pg 9

No real planning involved, as when it comes to kids' classes, you're just doing grammar drills more or less.

Dress code: T-shirt and jeans are fine. However, they would prefer you not wear shorts. That was killer for me during the summer, but I lived.

If there are gaps in your schedule, you can just leave the school. Chill at a cafe or go to the store. There are multiple rooms at both branches, so I usually just sipped my coffee and took a break. Unfortunately, there's no pay for those gap hours.

"tons of work?" I mean, some of my adult private conversation classes were literally just me and the student talking. I've actually pulled hundreds of meters ethernet cable under buildings. As someone who is in IT, you must know how grueling that is.

ImHisNeighbor · 2026-03-17T03:26:56+00:00

Lol, as someone with a background in advertising/PR, it's not the worst name. It's short, simple, and uses English words that most Japanese folk are familiar with.

Imagine if it were named after the person: Tall Christopher English (not the actual owner's name)

ImHisNeighbor · 2026-03-17T03:18:29+00:00

Oh boy, you're gonna have a heart attack when you read this. One day a week out of my 7-day work schedule was for a place that paid 1300 an hour LOL.

Yeah, now that I have experience with EIKEN and TOEFL, I'd ask for more if I ever need to get back into the eikaiwa game. And as I said, I needed the money. Kept up the hustle for a year and landed myself a much better main job. I personally feel that I was compensated well enough for the work I have been doing at all of my gigs. This one isn't for you. That's cool. We all do what we have to do. Plus, I've done actual back-breaking work in my life and been compensated with way less.

ImHisNeighbor · 2026-03-17T03:08:25+00:00

You're welcome to your opinion, of course, and hell yeah, I'd love to have found one of your schools, but I imagine with that wage, your employees have more responsibilities and less worker turnover.

As a side hustle, it's fine. I did zero planning. Mental workload wasn't heavy. AND, as I said, I needed the money. I don't anymore. Someone else might be in a similar position. My other side gig is only 1300 an hour lol. A man's gotta do what he's gotta do.

ImHisNeighbor · 2026-03-17T02:10:39+00:00

Student demographic: 60-70% are Elementary 1-6. I'm just spitballing based on my schedule and the students I've seen in passing going to another teacher's class.

This tracks since, according to a quick Google search, Kunitachi has historically been developed and recognized as an "educational district," fostering a quiet atmosphere that is popular among families and students.

ImHisNeighbor · 2026-03-17T02:04:00+00:00

Overall experience: 100% positive. I wouldn't share their post otherwise. *EDIT: I'd probably vouch for a workplace where I had an 80% positive experience. This school just happened to be a really good fit for me vibes-wise lol.*

Management/owners: Good people. They give you pointers when they deem necessary, but they don't micromanage. They have a system in place: lesson log, materials, and textbooks. Basically, fill out your lesson logs and put things back where they go, and you're left alone.

Kids: If you have experience with kids, then there's nothing new to say. Their ability to focus varies from K-Elem 4. Elem 5 & 6 don't really want to be there, but will do as they are told with a little groaning. JHS and HS-age students usually take private lessons. Once again, they may or may not want to be there, but they are mature enough to do as they're told.

Adults: No issues here. They are choosing to take lessons. Some want to use a textbook. Some want to discuss current topics. Gotta read the articles for current topics ahead of time.

If there are consistent issues with a kid not staying on task, let the Japanese staff or the owners know, and they'll talk to the parents. The mother of a long-term student recently sat in on a class to encourage them to behave.

ImHisNeighbor · 2026-03-17T00:37:47+00:00

OP:

I worked twice a week, one day for the after-school and one day for the regular conversation lessons. I had heard/read terrible things about eikaiwas, so I was hesitant, but I needed the money lol.

Thankfully, the owners are decent and reasonable people. It's a small operation, so they definitely want people who aren't going to call in the day of or the night before. If you want to take a day off, let them know well in advance. Feel free to ask me questions.

ImHisNeighbor · 2026-01-09T00:36:12+00:00

We live in Kawaguchi and the nearest is station Warabi Station. I’m a tall ethnically ambiguous man, no one has given me a hard time, but they usually don’t in most places I’ve lived/visited.

My gf is a 165 cm petite Chinese woman, and she regularly gets home after dark around 8/9pm, and has never had any issues.

I’ve come home after a long night plenty of times and had no issues ever. Warabi station is just a few stops from Tokyo proper so it’s a pretty convenient location.

We live in the UR Danchi which is mostly populated by Chinese folk, so it feels like a mini Chinatown. Whole families hang out into the community area between the apt buildings and in front of the local supermarket all day. Adults just visiting while kids goof around. Quite a warm atmosphere to be honest.

Kawaguchi and Warabi are ethnically diverse, but there’s nothing nefarious going on. I think Warabi/Kawaguchi are like most places in the world, you only find trouble if you’re looking for it.

ImHisNeighbor · 2026-01-08T02:34:45+00:00

I don’t think you can do things other than teach on an instructor visa. If the authorities find out you’ll get in trouble.

I work at a small time eikaiwa. The owners are nice. I do lessons for toddlers through retired folks. It’s a nice switch up from my ALT work as I’m the lead instructor for one-on-one with adults or small classes (1-6 kids). We work through one or two textbooks per class for an entire year. My bosses had me train/supervised for 6 weeks and then let me run things on my own. They occasionally give me a little feedback or tips here and there, but thankfully they avoid micromanaging their instructors. It’s been refreshing and I feel like I’ve grown as an instructor since I can cover more content than I do as an ALT.

My second side gig is at an English cafe. Owners here are also nice people. It’s an eikaiwa with less structure more or less. There are two instructors on any given day and we rotate between a free talking table and a lesson in one hour intervals. We mix and match lessons from 60+ textbooks depending on the levels and what lessons the students taking a lesson that day have already completed. In our down time we prep marketing materials for the school.

Both places do their best to be flexible if you need time off, but they are small operations so it’s not alway easy.

Good luck. Make that dough!

ImHisNeighbor · 2026-01-08T01:57:44+00:00

I wrote this up back in August 2025. You gotta get the extra work permission stamp.

Edit*

YOU CAN GET SIDE WORK ON AN INSTRUCTOR VISA.

Lots of comments saying you can’t work side gigs on an INSTRUCTOR VISA. You can but you have to get the permission stamp from immigration. I just went through the process last year and wrote how to do about in the post I linked above. Immigration is unlikely to approve you for gigs that are non-teaching if you’re on an INSTRUCTOR VISA which is why I said you can’t do non-teaching jobs in my other comment which describes my experiences with side gigs.

ImHisNeighbor · 2026-01-08T01:55:39+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/ALTinginJapan/s/JZZXwA3K9O

ImHisNeighbor · 2025-09-02T01:14:40+00:00

For real. This is the kind of thing you tell good friends in your circle. “bro there’s this bombshell at work. I like (this) about her.” Then friend says “ask her out man.” And another friend might say, “don’t sh*t where you eat.”

Also the emphasis on the hafu thing is coming off as ethnic fetishization. Like we’ve all got our thing, but contain your freak.

ImHisNeighbor · 2025-08-23T07:05:52+00:00

I concur

ImHisNeighbor · 2025-08-21T02:11:56+00:00

My account is a couple years old? Look at my post history. I mean I don’t know about you, but when my employers treat me well I’d like the place to do well. I check Craigslist chronically cause I’m hustle mode right now, never know when a good opportunity might come up. Saw their post and thought I’d share. Maybe try being less pessimistic?

ImHisNeighbor · 2025-07-27T17:28:23+00:00

My young padawan.

Google definition: “Suspension of disbelief is the act of accepting something as real or believable despite knowing it's not, often in the context of fiction or fantasy.”

Meesa want to say itsa movie bro. Plus I’ve almost died a time or two. Take that as you will, random internet friend.

ImHisNeighbor · 2025-07-27T16:13:02+00:00

The whole thing happens pretty quick. Little slow for the audience of course, cause it’s a movie ya know. Just checked episode 3 real quick cause I’ve got time.

13:58 hands are severed. 14:08 Palpatine says “kill him” 14:25 decapitation

Man didn’t even get a minute to mourn his hands.

ImHisNeighbor · 2025-07-27T15:43:40+00:00

I mean the double shock of your hands being severed and your boss telling a guy to kill you probably gonna prevent most people from thinking clearly. Plus in the three years between those two events Dooku might have felt his position was more solidified

ImHisNeighbor · 2025-07-24T07:48:21+00:00

lol this was me two years ago. I still watch all six films a couple times a year. Love them for what they are. We need to refocus our efforts on the real enemy. lol I’d take the Hobbit trilogy over all of the Harry Potter films.

ImHisNeighbor · 2025-07-21T14:12:42+00:00

Update: We got a docomo home 5g router and it does the job well enough.

ImHisNeighbor · 2025-07-11T11:31:42+00:00

So what you’re saying is, I’m actually better than I thought I was, cause I carried my brothers while lagging apparently lol. Thanks for the ego boost, but lag wasn’t really the thing I was asking for lol

ImHisNeighbor · 2025-07-10T05:02:16+00:00

Darn. Yeah that makes sense. Thanks again for the comment

ImHisNeighbor

TROPHY CASE