Konbini jobs, aka convenience store jobs, are one of the most common choices of part-time jobs in Japan. There are many vacancies and it is easy to get even for international students and foreign nationals living in Japan.
If you are interested, but worried about what working in a konbini is like, then read this article. We will tell you the job scope, how much you can earn, and what level of Japanese is needed.
First Published: 2022/04/05
Updated: 2024/05/06
Table of Contents
- What do people think of international students working in konbini?
- What is the work scope of a konbini job?
- How much can you earn at a konbini job?
- What level of Japanese do you need at a konbini job?
- Important Things to Keep in Mind When Working in Konbini as an International Student
- Finding a Part Time Job? Browse on WeXpats Jobs!
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What do people think of international students working in konbini?
Admiration, pride, and respect - when seeing a fellow foreign national working in a konbini, especially an international student, these are the only emotions we can muster.
Working at a konbini not only requires serving customers in basic Japanese, it also requires the ability to understand and explain things to customers in an easy-to-understand manner. For international students whose Japanese language skills are still budding, this is a difficult hurdle to cross, not to mention the number of things you need to learn on the job.
Being able to master working at a konbini itself is already a great achievement, but it’ll also garner the respect and admiration of your peers and even strangers.
Writer's Pick
What is the work scope of konbini jobs ?
Main responsibilities at a konbini part-time job are working the cash register and product restocking. More details below.
Cashier (レジ reji)
Manning the counter goes hand-in-hand with working the cash register and providing customer service. Aside from just scanning product bar codes and receiving payment, cashiers need to pay attention to details too.
- Depending on food item, ask if it requires reheating
- Ask if customers need a plastic bag
- Provide the correct utensil depending on food item - fork, spoon, chopsticks
- Asking customers if they want to separate hot food and cold food into different bags
- During winter when customer orders oden, ask if customers want condiments - mustard
When it gets busy, you may get anxious at the many waiting customers (some of which become rude due to impatience), it is important to keep calm and stay polite. These come with experience.
Product Restocking (品出し shina-dashi)
Shinadasahi refers to replenishing products upon their arrival or when the store is relatively free from customers. Some products in particular sell out quickly so you’ll need to keep an eye on them and restock whenever you can. Once you get used to restocking, you may be tasked with reordering top-selling products.
Proxy Payment (代行収納 daiko-shuno)
Proxy payment is when the konbini processes payments for other companies, usually public services (pension, national health insurance), utilities (gas, electricity, water), and mobile phone charges. After payment is complete, stamp the customer’s copy with the store’s hanko and return the stamped form to the customer.
Important: Main copy and store copy must be kept at the store and not returned to the customer.
Courier Reception (宅配便受付 takuhaibin uketsuke)
Reception of courier services is one of the important tasks that konbini employees need to handle. You will need to measure the parcel’s size, confirm the recipient address, and process the transaction. Other things to take note of are whether the 「お届け希望日 Date to Receive」and 「品名 Item」have been filled in on the delivery slip. And lastly, the entrusted parcel will be kept safely at the store until the assigned courier service picks it up.
Cleaning (清掃 seisou)
Keeping the store clean is another important duty to uphold. Daily cleaning tasks include cleaning the floors, counters, shelves, and drink dispensers. Cleaning is not just limited to inside the store, for konbinis with parking lots, keeping the area free from rubbish is equally important.
Managing Multifunction Printer and Ticket Machine
Multifunction printers and ticket machines set-up in konbinis may require simple fixing for problems like paperjams or just checking in once in a while to see if there are any issues. More likely, you may need to teach a customer how to use the machines or answer questions about them. If you’re having trouble answering questions about the machine, just get a colleague to help you out.
Cooking (調理 chouri)
Hot foods in konbini like fried chicken, oden, croquettes, steamed buns, etc. require cooking. Although we say cooking, everything is pretty much pre-made so you’ll just do the final step of deep frying, boiling, or steaming them. No cooking skills are required whatsoever.
Cigarettes and Stamps Sales
Not all items for sale are out on the floor, cigarettes (タバコ tabako) and stamps are stored at the cashier counter. Stamps are straight-forward enough, customers ask for the stamp they want, you get it and process the transaction.
Cigarettes are a little more complicated as you may not be familiar with Japanese cigarette brands. Most customers will order according to the listed number, but occasionally there are customers who order by brand. Furthermore, you’ll need to check the customer’s age.
Important: Selling cigarettes and alcohol to those under 20 is illegal.
How much can you earn at a konbini job?
Average Salary
This really depends on which part of Japan you are working at as the minimum wage differs across Japan. The average hourly wage for konbini part-time jobs in Japan ranges from lowest 826 yen (Saga Prefecture, Kyushu) to highest 1,085 yen (Tokyo, Kanto).
To get an idea of how much you can earn at a konbini job, check the minimum wage and average salary at your work location. Our average salary article will also come in handy.
※ Town Work, “コンビニのアルバイト・バイト・パートの平均時給”
Late Night / Early Morning Shifts / Seasonal
If you are willing to work late night or early morning, most konbinis pay higher hourly wages for these shifts. Depending on the stores, the hourly wage can go up to 1,300 yen or more.
During holiday seasons like end of the year and new year (年末年始 nenmatsu-nenshi) when everybody goes back to their hometown, konbinis face a huge problem - lack of manpower or no manpower. Therefore, some konbinis offer higher hourly wages to attract people into working through the holiday. The hourly wage at these times may go up to 1,300yen as well, even outside late night and early morning shifts!
Dispatch Part-Time Jobs
Dispatch (派遣 haken), or registration system (登録制 toroku-sei) style of employment is not a new thing in Japan, especially in teaching and IT industries. It is, however, quite new (though gaining popularity) for konbini part-time jobs.
If you notice, whilst walking around the streets of Japan, konbinis are constantly looking for new employees. The sheer number of konbini means that there are never enough workers, especially as many konbini staff are part-timers who eventually move on to better pastures. To resolve this issue, the registration system was introduced to, in-a-sense, help these stores get “emergency workers” to fill in empty shifts.
What does this mean for the dispatch employees?
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Higher hourly wages compared to regular part-time job employment
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Freedom to choose when and where to work
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No fixed shifts, no fixed stores
Important: Employment is with a dispatch company not konbini. Salary is also received from the dispatch company.
What level of Japanese do you need at a konbini part-time job?
Your Japanese needs to be good enough that you can service customers without problems. In Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) terms, this would be at least N3.
For customer interactions, it’ll be mainly basic greetings and cashier transactions, but you may need to answer customer’s questions at times. It may be difficult at first but you will gradually get used to it. About basic greetings, there’s no choice but to memorize them beforehand.
Important Things to Keep in Mind When Working in Konbini as an International Student
Before you get too excited about getting a job at a konbini, it’s important you read the below!
Permission to Work Part-Time
Photo Credit: © Toshima City
International students need to get permission from immigration before being allowed to work in Japan. There are 2 ways you can get this permission;
①At airport customs upon arrival to Japan, same time when you get your residence card
②Application to immigration with the proper forms and supporting documents
The permission will be stamped on the lower left corner on the back of your residence card. It will state,
許可：原則週28時間以内・風俗営業等の従事を除く
This translates to,
Permission: In general within 28 hours a week ・Excluding adult entertainment and similar business
International Student Working Time Limit
International students can only work up to 28 hours a week.
Except during long school vacations like summer and winter holidays when the time limit increases to 8 hours a day to a maximum of 40 hours a week.
Education Comes First
Your education must always come first. Schedule your time properly so that you have time to study and finish your homework and be careful not to overwork yourself. The first 2 months of working will be the toughest and most stressful as you are not used to it yet so give yourself some leeway.
Choose a konbini near your home or school. It will save you travel time and more importantly energy. Also, consider cutting down on shifts near exam periods.
Finding a Part Time Job? Browse on WeXpats Jobs!
WeXpats operates a service for foreign nationals who want to work in Japan. There are jobs in a variety of industries konbini jobs. There are 2 services available on WeXpats - WeXpats Agent for full time jobs and WeXpats Jobs for part time jobs.
WeXpats Jobs is a part time job site for foreign nationals living in Japan. You can search for jobs in 11 languages (English, Vietnamese, Korean, Indonesian, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Burmese, Thai, Spanish, Portuguese), including Japanese. Find jobs that suit you by specifying your Japanese language level, occupation, location, and etc.
※ You can register from outside Japan, but only those living in Japan can apply for jobs.
