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Hi Everyone,

 

Myself and a friend are moving to Niseko (from australia) in december to work a season and travel japan a bit after the season ends. We are looking at arriving early Dec 2011 and staying till about Jun 2012.

 

Iv tried to find as much info as i can about locations, visas, jobs etc but im finding it tougher than i thought.

 

Can anyone give us some advice on the best way to go about finding a job?

 

It would also be great to hear some of your experiences of living/working in Niseko.

 

Cheers

Chris

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working holiday visa would be the easiest one to get.. then email places and ask for a job. (Get the visa first or noone will want to know you)

worked for me in 1999 and I suspect it would be much easier now. whoever you work for can point you in the right direction for a place to live.

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Working holiday visa is definitely the way to go if you're under the age limit. Start applying now to all the companies. This site has links to many businesses in the region. Last season many companies had filled most of their positions before the end of September so apply early rather than later and don't just wait till they advertise. Japanese language skills are generally not required (depending on the position) but can give you a definite advantage. Do your research as well. Know a bit about any company you apply to. Also research a bit about Hokkaido and the Niseko region in general and the tourist market that goes there (it's not just Aussies!) and this will help a lot if you get an interview. It will all depend of course on the sort of job you want. There's a lot of very different seasonal positions available in Niseko. Your previous work experience will be a big factor in many positions and also what you want to do yourself. Do you want a job that just barely covers expenses but gives you plenty of time on the mountain or a job where you can actually save some money but with less mountain time?

 

Hirafu is the main spot you'll find jobs for foreigners but there's also some opportunities at Niseko Village. Few seasonal positions in either Annupuri or Hanazono although as Hanazono starts developing that may change.

 

Most places will be able to keep you employed until around the end of March. After that it will depend on who you are employed by whether they can keep you on at all. I doubt many companies will be overly flushed with cash next season so I'd expect they'd look to get rid of the seasonals as early as possible.

 

Next season will certainly be quieter than recent years so they won't be hiring as many people but there may also be less people applying.

 

It certainly is a great place to spend the winter. Good luck!

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I lived in Niseko last year and loved it! It's a pretty cool little community and I don't know if you do any touring at all but there are so many nice areas around Niseko to get out.

 

Perhaps it would help to know your background but there are lots of ski instructing, restaurant, lodge/hotel service, etc. I can give you a few companies if you say what you have done for work previously.

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Originally Posted By: Go Native
Next season will certainly be quieter than recent years so they won't be hiring as many people but there may also be less people applying.


I would agree with that, though the applications will still be way over and above what is available.

Good luck.
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Go Native, I have heard that a number of companies are cutting staff up there in Niseko at the moment.

 

Will there be many places really open this season given that happening now? Perhaps some of them will decide to stay and do other jobs just to keep being there, meaning positions will be all but gone. (?)

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They are cutting full-time positions. There will always be seasonal positions available though and there's not enough people who've lost jobs who are staying to take up all the seasonal jobs available. There will undoubtedly be many less jobs available though next season and yes I wouldn't be surprised if some businesses decide not to open at all. Other companies are going to have a hard time surviving another year without making much (if any) money. Most made a reasonable amount this last season but that was on the back of a couple of very slim (or losing money) years after the GFC. Will be interesting to see what happens.

 

I still haven't got a job here in Australia so maybe I'll see about a seasonal job over there myself next winter! wink

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