Terms of Use | Winter Work in Japan

Programme Terms and Conditions

INTRODUCTION

These Terms & Conditions apply to participation in the Winter Work Japan Program (the Program), offered by the American Institute for Foreign Study (Australia) Pty Ltd (AIFS) ABN 58 087 638 499.

The Program is designed for individuals who are eligible for a Japanese Working Holiday Visa, and who seek seasonal employment in a Japanese resort, hotel or ski school in Japan.

1. PROGRAM OVERVIEW

1.1 The Program includes assistance with securing seasonal employment in Japan. Roles may include, but are not limited to: guest services, retail, food and beverage, kitchen, housekeeping, cleaning, laundry, mountain operations, and instructing.
1.2 Job offers included in the Program are based on prior experience, attitude, flexibility, and employer demand. No specific role or location is guaranteed.
1.3 The Program includes an arrival package. This package will include:
- 1.1.1. Airport meet & greet from Haneda or New Chitose (the placement will determine the port of arrival. Dates and times apply)
- 1.1.2. A JPY2,000 travel card
- 1.1.3. 3 x nights 10-share accommodation at a centrally located hostel (does not include meals)
- 1.1.4. A JPY1,000 convenience store voucher
- 1.1.5. 1 x dinner
- 1.1.6. Program T-shirt and tote bag
- 1.1.7. A walking tour of Tokyo or Sapporo (depending on placement)
- 1.1.8. Provide support through the placement

2. SEASON LENGTH, HOURS & COMMITMENT

2.1. The winter season generally runs from November or December through March or April, depending on the employer and the location.
2.2. Japanese employers require commitment for the entire season. No partial season contract can be offered.
2.3. Working hours are normally 40 hours per week (not including breaks) unless otherwise specified in the contract. Participants should expect paid overtime during busier months (lead up to Christmas through to the end of Chinese New Year), and work will include weekends and evenings.

3. EMPLOYMENT RELATIONSHIP

3.1. The employment contract is between the Participant and the Japanese employer. AIFS is not the employer.
3.2. Employers may terminate employment if performance expectations are not met. Reasons for termination may include but not be limited to repeated failure to start work on time, using sick leave for skiing/snowboarding, underage drinking, theft, and harassment of other employees.
3.3. In the event of termination, Program participation may also end. AIFS may provide limited job-search support at its discretion.

4. ACCOMMODATION & LIVING EXPENSES

4.1. Staff housing is included for duration of the placement. Participants will be required to pay the costs of housing. Housing costs are deducted from the Participant salary and ranges between ¥5,000-50,000 per week/month.
4.2. Accommodation is normally in a shared house or dormitory. Rooms generally accommodate one to four people.
4.3. Japanese bedding may either be a western style bed or a Japanese 'futon' placed directly on the floor.
4.4. Participants are responsible for all personal expenses including visas, flights, travel to the resort, accommodation, food, uniforms and equipment (if not supplied), and daily living costs. Uniform costs will normally consist of a black pair of covered shoes and black pants however uniform requirements will vary by employer.

5. VISAS & INSURANCE

5.1. Participants must independently obtain a valid Japanese Working Holiday Visa.
5.2. Comprehensive travel insurance is mandatory for the full duration of stay. Participants planning to ski or snowboard in Japan must have winter spots included in their insurance.

6. CONDUCT & GROOMING

6.1. Participants must comply with employer grooming and conduct standards, including neat appearance, limited jewelry, removal of facial piercings at work, and appropriate hygiene.

7. TIME OFF & HOLIDAYS

7.1.While days off are provided, Participants must be available during peak periods and should expect paid overtime.
7.2. Leave will normally not be given during the contract for any reason.

8. PROGRAM FEES

8.1. Program fees are in GBP and are for the winter season 2026/2027.
- 8.1.1. Registration Fee: £150 (non-refundable)
- 8.1.2. Second Payment: £300 (upon application review/interview)
- 8.1.3. Final Payment: $445 (due within 14 days of placement confirmation and at least 28 days prior to departure)
Total £895
8.2. Failure to pay fees on time may result in cancellation with no refund

9. CANCELLATION & REFUNDS

9.1. No refund applies to the Registration Fee (1st payment) or to the Second Payment.
9.2. If a placement is offered and declined, no refund applies.
9.3. A 50% refund applies to the Final Payment (third payment) if the Participant cancels more than 28 days prior to start date.
9.4. No refund applies if the Participant cancels within 28 days of start date.
9.5. If a placement offer is not offered to the Participant by November 15, a full refund will be provided. Refunds may take up to 30 days from the date of notification.

Any cancellation or refund requests must be emailed to support@winterworkjapan.co.uk for review.

10. PRIVACY & INFORMATION SHARING

10.1. Participant information will be shared with AIFS, and employers in accordance with the Australian Privacy Act 1998.
10.2. Information may be disclosed where legally required.

11. INDEMNITY & LIABILITY

11.1. The Participant indemnifies AIFS and its partners against all claims arising from participation in the Program.

12. FORCE MAJEURE

12.1. AIFS is not liable for cancellations or disruptions caused by events beyond its control, including natural disasters, pandemics, government action, or travel disruptions.

13. GOVERNING PRINCIPLES

13.1. No warranty is given regarding job satisfaction or compatibility.
13.2. Disputes must first be addressed through good-faith negotiation.
13.3. These Terms survive termination of participation in the Program.

14. PARTICIPANT DECLARATION

14.1. By submitting your application, the participant ("I", "the Participant") acknowledges and agrees to be legally bound by these Terms & Conditions.

15. CODE OF CONDUCT

15.1. All participants of Winter Work Japan should adher to all rules and guidlines set by resorts and ski areas.
15.2. All participants should wear helmets whilst participating in snow sports

Website Terms of Use

The following terms and conditions govern your use of the Winter Work Japan Website and you should read them carefully before using this website.

Thank you for visiting https://www.winterworkjapan.co.uk.

Winter Work Japan is a trading name of the American Institute for Foreign Study, Inc (“AIFS US”), which is part of a group of companies with the American Institute for Foreign Studies (UK) Limited (“AIFS UK”).

The Winter Work Japan Website is operated by AIFS UK which is registered in England and Wales under company number 00939488 and has its registered office at 37 Queens Gate, London, SW7 5HR. The VAT registration number for AIFS UK is 939488.

The following terms and conditions (“Terms”) govern your use of the Winter Work Japan Website and you should read them carefully before using this website.

Where we refer to the “AIFS”/“we”/“our”/“us” in these Terms, we mean AIFS US and AIFS UK collectively, and where we refer to the “Program”, we mean the Winter Work Japan programs.

To contact us, please email hello@winterworkjapan.co.uk.

Who these terms apply to
These Terms refer to:

“Visitors” to the Winter Work Japan Website, i.e. someone who visits and/or uses the Winter Work Japan Website but who does not register for or apply to the Program;
“Winter Work Japan Participants”, i.e. someone who registers for or applies to the Program to become a Winter Work Japan Participant and/or who takes part in the Program as a Winter Work Japan Participant; and
Unless we say otherwise, these Terms apply to (a) Visitors; and (b) any Winter Work Japan Participants who register for or apply to the Program on the Winter Work Japan Website.

What these terms cover
These Terms include:

Our Terms of Use (see 1. Website Terms of Use below), which govern the use of the Winter Work Japan Website;
Our Acceptable Use Policy (see 2 Acceptable Use Policy below), which sets out the permitted uses and prohibited uses of the Winter Work Japan Website. When using the Winter Work Japan Website, you must comply with this Acceptable Use Policy.
These Terms also refer to our Privacy Policy, which sets out the terms on which we process any personal data we collect from you, or that you provide to us.

We may amend these Terms from time to time. Please check these Terms regularly to ensure you understand the terms that apply at that time.

1) Website Terms of Use

Accessing the Winter Work Japan Website

You may access and use some areas of the Winter Work Japan Website as a Visitor. However, certain areas of the Winter Work Japan Website are only accessible to you if you are a Winter Work Japan Participant.

By using the Winter Work Japan Website, you confirm that you accept these Terms of Use and that you agree to comply with them.

If you do not agree to these Terms of Use, you must not use the Winter Work Japan Website.

We may make changes to the Winter Work Japan Website

We may update and change the Winter Work Japan Website from time to time to reflect changes to, for example, our users' needs or technical, operational or other business priorities.

We may suspend or withdraw the Winter Work Japan Website

We do not guarantee that the Winter Work Japan Website, or any content on it, will always be available or be uninterrupted. We may suspend or withdraw or restrict the availability of all or any part of the Winter Work Japan Website for technical, operational and/or business reasons. We will try to give you reasonable notice of any suspension or withdrawal.

We will not be liable to you if, for any reason, the Winter Work Japan Website is unavailable at any time.

You must keep your account details safe

If you are a Winter Work Japan Participant, when you register for and apply to the Program, we will ask you to choose a username and password as part of our security procedures. You must treat these as confidential and you must not disclose them to anyone else.

We have the right to disable any username or password at any time, if in our reasonable opinion you have failed to comply with any of the provisions of these Terms of Use.

If you know or suspect that anyone other than you knows your username or password, you must promptly notify us at hello@winterworkjapan.co.uk.

How you may use material on the Winter Work Japan Website

We are the owner or the licensee of any and all intellectual property rights in the Winter Work Japan Website and in the material published on it. Those works are protected by copyright laws and treaties around the world. All such rights are reserved.

You may print off one copy, and may download extracts, of any page(s) from the Winter Work Japan Website for your personal use.

You must not modify the paper or digital copies of any materials you have printed off or downloaded in any way, and you must not use any illustrations, photographs, video or audio sequences or any graphics separately from any accompanying text.

Our status (and that of any identified contributors) as the authors of content on the Winter Work Japan Website must always be acknowledged.

You must not use any part of the content or materials on the Winter Work Japan Website for commercial purposes without obtaining a licence to do so from us or our licensors.

If you print off, copy or download any part of the Winter Work Japan Website in breach of these Terms of Use, your right to use the Winter Work Japan Website will cease immediately and you must, at our option, return or destroy any copies of the materials you have made.

Do not rely on the information on the Winter Work Japan Website

The content which we provide on the Winter Work Japan Website (including any content in our social media posts) is provided for general information only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely.

Although we make reasonable efforts to update the information on the Winter Work Japan Website, we make no representations, warranties or guarantees, whether express or implied, that the content on the Winter Work Japan Website is accurate, complete or up to date.

We are not responsible for websites we link to

Where the Winter Work Japan Website contains links to other sites and resources provided by third parties, these links are provided for your information only. We have no control over the contents of those sites or resources.

User generated content is not approved by us

The Winter Work Japan Website includes certain information and materials uploaded by Winter Work Japan Participants, including information, photos and videos contained in Winter Work Japan Participant profiles (provided when a Winter Work Japan Participant completes an application to the Program). This information and these materials have not been verified or approved by us. Any views expressed by Winter Work Japan Participants on the Winter Work Japan Website are solely the views of the Winter Work Japan Participants submitting them and do not represent our own views or values.

If you wish to complain about information or materials provided by Winter Work Japan Participants, please contact us at hello@winterworkjapan.co.uk.

Uploading content to the Winter Work Japan Website

If you are a Winter Work Japan Participant, when you complete an application to the Program you will upload certain information and materials, some of which will automatically form part of your Winter Work Japan Participant profile (as set out in our Privacy Policy).

When you upload such information and materials to the Winter Work Japan Website, you must comply with the content standards in our Acceptable Use Policy (see 2.Acceptable Use Policy below).

We have the right to remove any content you upload to the Winter Work Japan Website if, in our opinion, that content does not comply with the content standards set out in our Acceptable Use Policy (see 2.Acceptable Use Policy below).

When you submit comments, opinions or other feedback to us about the Winter Work Japan Website, you agree that we can use and share (but do not have to) such feedback for any purpose without compensation to you.

We are not responsible for viruses and you must not introduce them

We do not guarantee that the Winter Work Japan Website will be secure or free from bugs or viruses. You should use your own virus protection software.

You must not misuse the Winter Work Japan Website by knowingly introducing viruses, trojans, worms, logic bombs or other material that is malicious or technologically harmful. You must not attempt to gain unauthorised access to the Winter Work Japan Website, the server on which the Winter Work Japan Website is stored or any server, computer or database connected to the Winter Work Japan Website. You must not attack the Winter Work Japan Website via a denial-of-service attack or a distributed denial-of service attack. By breaching this provision, you would commit a criminal offence under the Computer Misuse Act 1990. We will report any such breach to the relevant law enforcement authorities and we will co-operate with those authorities by disclosing your identity to them. In the event of such a breach, your right to use the Winter Work Japan Website will cease immediately.

To the fullest extent permissible by law, we will not be liable to you for any loss or damage caused by a distributed denial-of-services attack, viruses, or other technologically harmful material that may infect your computer equipment, computer programs, data or other proprietary material due to your use of the Winter Work Japan Website or to your downloading of any material posted on it, or any website linked to it.

Rules about linking to the Winter Work Japan Website

You may link to our home page or sign-in page, provided you do so in a way that is fair and legal and does not damage our reputation or take advantage of it.

You must not establish a link in such a way as to suggest any form of association, approval or endorsement on our part where none exists.

You must not establish a link to the Winter Work Japan Website in any website that is not owned by you.

The Winter Work Japan Website must not be framed on any other website, nor may you create a link to any part of our site other than the home page.

We reserve the right to withdraw linking permission without notice.

The website in which you are linking must comply in all respects with the content standards set out in our Acceptable Use Policy (see 2. Acceptable Use Policy below).

If you wish to link to or make any use of content on the Winter Work Japan Website other than that set out above, please contact us at hello@winterworkjapan.co.uk.

Laws applying to any disputes

These Terms of Use, their subject matter and their formation, are governed by English law. You and we both agree that the courts of England and Wales will have exclusive jurisdiction except that if you are a resident in another jurisdiction, you may also bring proceedings in your home jurisdiction.

In addition, please note that disputes may be submitted for online resolution to the European Commission Online Dispute Resolution platform:

https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/odr/main/index.cfm?event=main.home.chooseLanguage

Severability

If any court or competent authority decides that any of the provisions of these Terms of Use are invalid, unlawful or unenforceable to any extent, the provision will, to that extent only, be severed from the remaining provision, which will continue to be valid to the fullest extent permitted by law.

Miscellaneous

Any words following the terms including, include, in particular, for example or any similar expression shall be construed as illustrative and shall not limit the sense of the words, description, definition, phrase or term preceding those terms.

2. Acceptable use policy

This Acceptable Use Policy sets out the content standards that apply when you upload content to the Winter Work Japan Website, link to the Winter Work Japan Website, or interact with the Winter Work Japan Website in any other way.

Prohibited uses

You may only use the Winter Work Japan Website for lawful purposes. You may not use the Winter Work Japan Website:

in any way that breaches any applicable law or regulation;
in any way that is unlawful or fraudulent, or has any unlawful or fraudulent purpose;
for the purpose of harming or attempting to harm others in any way (including bullying, intimidating, abusing, threatening, harassing, defaming or violating any rights of another person);
to send, knowingly receive, upload, download, use or re-use any material which does not comply with our content standards (set out below); or
to knowingly transmit any data, send or upload any material that contains viruses, Trojan horses, worms, time-bombs, keystroke loggers, spyware, adware or any other harmful programs or similar computer code designed to adversely affect the operation of any computer software or hardware.

You also agree not to:

reproduce, duplicate, copy or re-sell any part of the Winter Work Japan Website in contravention of the provisions of our Terms of Use;
access without authority, interfere with, damage or disrupt: any part of the Winter Work Japan Website; or any equipment or network on which the Winter Work Japan Website is stored;
access the Winter Work Japan Website through accounts of other Winter Work Japan participants without permission, or misrepresent the source, identity, or content of information transmitted via the Winter Work Japan Website or perform any other similar fraudulent activity;
upload files to the Winter Work Japan Website that contain software or content protected by intellectual property laws (patents, trademarks, trade secrets, copyrights or other proprietary rights) or confidentiality, unless you own or control such rights or have received all necessary consents;
directly or indirectly transfer any data you receive from us to (or use such data in connection with) any social network or similar third party, even if a Winter Work Japan Participant consents to such transfer; or
sell or distribute any information or content provided by or related to us or modify, adapt, translate or create derivative works based on statements or material on the Winter Work Japan.

Content Standards

If you are a Winter Work Japan Participant, these content standards apply to any and all content which you upload to the Winter Work Japan Website as part of your Winter Work Japan Participant profile (contributions).

You must comply with the spirit and the letter of the following standards. The standards apply to each part of any contribution as well as to its whole.

Contributions must:

be accurate (where they state facts);
be genuinely held (where they state opinions); and
comply with applicable law in the UK and in any country from which they are posted.

Contributions must not:

contain any material which is defamatory of any person;
contain any material which is offensive, hateful or inflammatory;
promote discrimination;
infringe any copyright of any other person;
be likely to deceive any person;
be made in breach of any legal duty owed to a third party, such as a contractual duty or a duty of confidence;
be threatening, abusive or invade another's privacy, cause annoyance or be otherwise objectionable;
be likely to upset, embarrass or annoy any other person;
be used to impersonate any person, or to misrepresent your identity; or
give the impression that they emanate from us, if this is not the case.
If you see something on the Winter Work Japan Website that you find objectionable or you believe breaches this Acceptable Use Policy, please promptly report it to us at hello@winterworkjapan.co.uk.

Please keep in mind that this does not guarantee that we will remove the content from the Winter Work Japan Website.

Breach of this policy

We will determine, in our discretion, whether there has been a breach of the provisions of this Acceptable Use Policy. When a breach has occurred, we may take such action as we deem appropriate.

Failure to comply with the provisions of this Acceptable Use Policy, constitutes a material breach of our Terms of Use (see 1. Terms of Use above) upon which you are permitted to use the Winter Work Japan Website, and may result in us taking any or all of the following actions:

temporary or permanent removal of your Winter Work Japan profile from the Winter Work Japan Website (or any content you have uploaded as part of your profile);
refusal to consider your application to the Program; and/or
disclosure of information to the police if we reasonably feel it is necessary.
The responses described in this Acceptable Use Policy are not limited, and we may take any other action we reasonably deem appropriate.

Terms and ConditionsWinter Work Japan