After just 3 months in Japan, my college kid is now a working student, and I never thought I would say this, but I am now the proud dad of a dishwasher.
When our kid got into a university in Hiroshima, one of the things we liked about studying there was the possibility of having a part time job, which is included in the terms of the student visa, which allows up to 28 hours of work per week.
Of course, we agreed beforehand that studies were the priority, since they were there on a scholarship, and being sidetracked by work to throw away a university education abroad would be a crime against humanity. However, as the first few months of university life flew by, it became clear that the culture there really allowed for students to work, as both school and the employers readily adjusted their schedules for it. Also, most other batchmates had already found their own jobs by then and our kid was actually among the last to get a job, mostly because he went home for the holidays, while most other international schoolmates did not.
Being among the last not to have a job also meant it was getting boring at the dorm, because that meant you’d be stuck there alone when everyone else is at their part time work.
The combination of a part time job being culturally acceptable and even being encouraged, along with its accessibility in terms of scheduling meant that as far as getting a part time job was concerned, and the decent pay, which ranges from around JPY1000-1500 per hour (or approximately 400-600 PHP), our kid getting a job was a matter of when, not if.
And so, last week, he told us that he was going to be a dishwasher at an izakaya, which is basically a bar/grill. He works for 4 hours a couple of times a week, from 6-10pm. The izakaya is just a 10-15 minute walk from the dorm, so there is no cost to get there.
And because it is Japan, he doesn’t really wash the dishes, but basically cleans the dishes for loading into the dishwasher. Of course, he still gets his hands wet, and even got a burn on his 2nd day, probably due to the scalding hot water, and it is still full-on manual labor, but the important thing is that he was learning how it is to work and get paid properly.
Getting a part time job as a university student is one of the reasons why we were so excited when we found out we were accepted in Japan. First of all, it would be impossible to pull off in the Philippines, where part time work is not really the norm, as those who do it are either really desperate and have to subject themselves to desperate schedules just to keep a minimum wage job. Secondly, it wouldn’t even be worth it here, where an 8-hour workday will get you the minimum wage of less than PHP500. If my kid earns the minimum wage of JPY1000/hour, a 4-hour night earns him JPY 4K, or PHP1560. That is a rate that makes getting a part time job a no-brainer.
As a parent funding the education and living expenses, our kid getting a part time job also eases a lot of the burden, allowance wise. We made sure to give him a survival-level allowance in order to encourage him to work, and now that he is working, I’m sure that he would appreciate its value more because his allowance was just enough for the bare necessities. If he gets a better job along the way, we may even be able to adjust our budget for his allowance.
As a parent wanting the best education for our kid, a part time job is an experience that any college kid would definitely benefit from. The university he got into may not be that big or prestigious, but by the time he hopefully graduates, he would’ve studied abroad, learned a foreign language, had work experience, and maybe even earned a scholarship. Just 3 months in, 3 of the 4 goals are already in progress. If he can also get and keep a scholarship grant, his college experience and resume would be better than that of any magna or summa cum laude from any top university in the Philippines, if I were to say so myself.
Getting our kid into a university in Japan was like winning the lottery, so a lot of people probably cannot relate there. However, when it comes to part time jobs, most Pinoy parents would probably be glad to see their kids become working students, not just for the financial benefits, but for teaching the value of work and money. The problem is it is practically impossible in this country. The ease at which our kid was able to get a part time job was mind blowing, especially from the perspective of a Filipino. The university allowed him to pick a schedule that would accommodate a part time job.
And since employers there hire part time university students regularly, they already know the drill when it comes to matching schedules. Such a system made it easy for students to get a part time job in that part of the world, leaving this Pinoy dad who was privileged enough to never even consider working as a student, in amazement.*
