Whether you are an international student or someone on a “working holiday,” looking for a part-time job might become necessary, whether to make your living or just to earn some extra money. Seeking a so-called “baito” (バイト) for the first time in Japan might sound a little difficult – we won’t argue, it can be challenging for sure – but there is absolutely no need to worry about it too much – especially with the help of our guide!

 

“How do I look for a part-time job in Japan?”

 

We would say there are two ways: the traditional one where you look around in your vicinity for job advertisements, or you could also use a handy-dandy app on your smartphone – we live in a modern world after all!

 

“Where do I look for a part-time job?”

 

The industry that needs the most manpower in Japan is the service industry. Stores and restaurants are in great need of human resources, so if you have work experience or wouldn’t mind challenging yourself in this area, you can find a baito surprisingly quickly.

If you decide to check out your neighborhood for possible work opportunities, our first suggestion would be to look at all the places that are close to your home (or your school) and you wouldn’t mind working at. Do you have a café you like? A bookstore you often go to? A restaurant where the staff is always cheerful and bright? Ask around! You might also get especially lucky around train stations and shopping malls where it’s busy – in shopping malls, there is usually a board near the information counter with up-to-date info on current recruitments (募集情報).

Most stores have also recently started advertising their job opportunities on jobseeker applications and websites. There are other kinds of baito as well, such as office jobs, event staffing, translating, interpreting, and many more.

 

Jobseeker applications/websites

 

Japan has many-many different kinds of jobseeker platforms where job offers vary specifically from full-time positions to part-time jobs, by-work, freelance jobs, and all these combined as well. There are even websites that mainly target foreign individuals.

Most of these platforms have the function to search for jobs based on various kinds of criteria: location, industry, contract period, salary (hourly/daily/monthly wage), etc. On certain apps you can also choose how your (hopefully future) employers should reach out to you – by phone, e-mail, or the built-in chat.

When setting up your account on any of these websites or applications, you will most likely be asked what region you live in, and the location and industry you want to work in in order to show you all possible opportunities based on your personal conditions. If you don’t have anything specific in mind yet, you can also filter job offers by different kinds of criteria – such as amount of hourly wage, day/night shift, daily/weekly/monthly salary, length of contract period, etc. – or just use the free search/keyword to look for something you would like. For example, if you want a part-time job where you can use your mother tongue to earn money, like language teaching, it would be worth trying it out.

Some of your basic information will be necessary to apply for jobs, such as your name, telephone number, e-mail address, birthdate, current occupation, etc. Always make sure to check whether your data is 100% correct. Once you submit your application, you are pretty much done!

After going through the signup process, there is nothing left to do besides patiently wait for the recruitment agency or the employer to reach out and ask for more details or invite you to an interview.

 

Lawson Staff “Work’Z”

 

If you are interested in higher hourly wages, lots of different location choices,  and total freedom to choose when you work, we recommend joining our company, Lawson Staff, as a temporary staff member (派遣). As a group company of Lawson, we support stores across the nation who need help filling open shifts. We do not require any previous experience. As long as you have a minimum JLPT N3 Japanese language level, we will invest in you, providing 30 hours of paid training. You will learn everything from basic Japanese manners to how to operate a Lawson register. By the end of your training, you will be fully prepared to help at any Lawson store in Japan. 

 

How do you choose your shifts with Lawson Staff?

 

Work’Z is a web portal created by Lawson Staff that makes temporary staff members’ search for shifts at Lawson stores even more convenient than before. You can access it from both PC and smartphone. The website is mainly available in Japanese, and access is limited to those who have attended the briefing of and become employed by Lawson Staff. You can find more information about the hiring process by clicking here.

After you receive a QR code at the orientation to access the website and get through the online registration process, our staff will check your form, and if everything is 100% correct and working, you will receive an e-mail with a verification link. Once you open that, you will be asked to set your password.

Once everything is set and you log in to your account, this is what you will see:

The interface is clean and easy to use. Also, after you setup your account, all you need to do is apply for job offers – there are no more interview processes, long waits, or additional paperwork.

You can start looking for shifts  at a Lawson convenience store under 仕事検索, where you can filter the job offers according to your own needs.

Click/tap on 絞り込む.

Feel free to vary the criteria however you wish: you can search for jobs by train stations nearby, the part of the day you want to work, job type, or other given conditions based on your needs. If you have a certain store in mind you want to work at and know the exact store name, you can look it up by its name, using the free keyword search to see all possible opportunities.

 You can also go straight for offers that pay a bonus to anyone who can fill in a specific shift as soon as possible. Extra money always comes in handy, right?

You can find current info on those offers by accessing the home page as well and scrolling all the way to the bottom.

Once you successfully applied (応募) for any shifts, you can find them in the 応募／勤務リスト in the menu.

In case you would prefer to receive offers instead of looking for them by yourself, you can also fill in your Work’Z calendar with your up-to-date schedule and time span you wish to work in. Click Home > スケジュール登録 in order to access it.

Your job offers will show up under オファー in the Home menu.
Once you let us know through Work’Z when you are available, our staff will reach out to you with a recommended deal.

Wishing you good luck on your job-hunting quest!

We always have openings for new members in our team.
Click “Apply” below to become a Hero of Lawson Staff!