By: Muhammad Rayhansyah Jasin
Being a freshman in an international college with no prior knowledge of how to survive in a new community, could yield two different results. Either become passive and only find out information from people or be independent, challenge yourself to become active and seize your chances. Well, I'm writing this article to offer you one of those chances.
APU students are known for working on various kinds of アルバイト (Part-Time Jobs). This includes working at restaurants (becoming a waiter, dishwasher, etc.), Joining Student Organizations like RA and ALRCS, temporary contract jobs (the most recent being the Gakusei Yell Project), or even teaching basic English to primary students. Most of those job offers or 募集 are posted on online platforms, social media, or shared on Campus Terminal. Many more are directly invited by senpais. However, there is one official website that APU recommends exclusively for students who are looking for some extra money. That is Active Net. This article's main goal is to introduce that site and the advantages of working in jobs offered by it.
What's Active Net?
Its official name is "International Students Talent Bank of Oita". Basically, it's an official website managed by University Consortium Oita, to support international students studying in Oita Prefecture in finding part-time jobs. University Consortium Oita is an NPO that was established by Oita Prefecture International Students Council. This NPO is composed of local officials, board members of Universities in Oita, business representatives, and local communities such as Oita Globalism Forum, Oita Prefecture Venture Council, and Beppu City Chamber of Commerce and Industry. This platform connects students with industries from various fields like education, culture, and environment. Occasionally, Active Net also advertises internship opportunities from local businesses, seminars created by various organizations and training programs. However, the network itself mostly includes short-term paid exchange programs with some year-long contracts.
What kind of part-time jobs are available?
I have been a member of this system since the first month I arrived in Japan and I have joined three different programs through this platform. These activities mainly asked me to introduce my country, teach some basic English, and just play around with kindergarten and elementary students. Usually, there are 2 to 5 activities in one day with one activity only lasting for 1 hour. Frankly, you only need to be confident and prepare some slides for the presentation. However, other activities probably demand different kinds of preparations, but it would still be doable by university students, so don't worry!
What are the benefits?
These activities pay a lot, far more than the standard salary for part-timers. From the three programs I joined, all of them paid me more than 4000 yen per hour as well as transportation costs. Sometimes you can also get bento (free meals) after you finish working. These are only from one type of job. Other types of jobs, like running events, doing environmental work etc. come with different benefits, but one thing is certain, you'll get lots of experience and lots of money.
Cool, how long does it last?
Although there are some long-term contracts available, most of them only offer one time programs, just like the three programs I joined. Since these programs usually aim to bridge Japanese communities with international students, they only make short-term events and look for a few students. This is probably why they're willing to pay higher and give many bonuses to attract more people to join. Therefore, it's better for students to also have some regular baito and occasionally join programs from this platform.
That's fine I think. Well then again, I'm also looking for some new adventures. So, How to register?
To register, you only need to complete four short steps. First, search in your browser "APU Part Time Jobs," and then click the "List of Part-Time Jobs Available" link on the site . Next, log in with your APU account and after that click the link to Oita Active-Net, it's written at the bottom of the page. Then, you will be asked to register by filling in a form about your personal information and upload necessary documents. Make sure to prepare all the documents needed for making the contract like residence card, student ID, Bank Book, and work permit. Lastly, wait for the notification email. Normally, it will take around 3 weeks to verify the documents but from time to time it's probably gonna take a little bit longer due to CoronaVirus restrictions. So, just check your email every day and hope they will notify you fast.
This is the layout for the registration page
Right, understood. How about applying for the programs?
Every time you want to access the system, you’ll need to log in with the registered user ID and password, so make sure you don't forget it. There are four sections on the site. The first section tells you all the opening recruitments and the details for each activity. Sometimes, it's only written in Japanese but you can translate it using an online translation program. Go through all the necessary information and make sure you understand each job's requirements. If you're interested in a particular program, just click apply and move on to the second section. This part will list all of your current applications and jobs you've already completed. Once you register, all notifications will be sent directly to your email, so there’s no need to worry. The third section displays our current activities and will be erased once you finish the program. The last section contains your personal information. If you want to edit any of the information, you can just change it from this section. And that's about it. You'll understand it better once you have started joining the programs.
This is the page that is shown after you log in
Great !!! THANK YOU
APU promotes the flexibility of its students in shaping their life. Many kinds of activities are created by the university, Beppu's local communities, and Oita Prefecture to ease and support students in finding their identity. Oita Active Net is just one of those tools. Now, all that matters is what are we going to do about it. Hopefully, this article will motivate you to explore more of your surroundings. Remember, Reach further and encourage yourself to do more than just finishing academic assignments!
The link for the Oita Active Net Website:
https://activenet.ucon-oita.jp/index.html
The link for University Consortium Oita
http://www.ucon-oita.jp/
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