[adama]

Hi all. First-time poster; new to the boards, not to Japan.

>Have you spoken in person with English teachers in Japan who said they were planning on getting permanent residency in Japan?

Not to be rude, but if you're serious about coming over here and getting permanent residency, who cares? Just get here however you can and do it.

(p/s - Judging from previous posts, you may want to re-read on what exactly is required in getting your PR. A simple five years in residency isn't going to cut it.)

>Is it common for a foreignor to take a position in teaching with the sole purpose of 1 day becoming a permanent Japanese resident?

No, at least in my experience, because most foreigners are here to screw around in an "exotic country" for a year or two before going back home.

>How often do foreignors who've gotten permanent Japanese residency find work in fields other then teaching?

There are *way* too many variables involved in this question. You can have PR and speak so-so Japanese, or speak fluent Japanese but have few marketable skillsets, all of which would influence the kind of job you can get. You're putting way too much emphasis on the PR and way too little on what YOU have to offer. If you're serious about coming over here, major in a marketable field, get over here, and then use said skill to land a job in the field that it pertains to.

>I'd like to use teaching only as my ticket into Japan.

Whatever works for you. Me, I rode that ticket for a couple years before moving on to a career as a full-time translation monkey. By comparison, a guy I came here with started teaching English and found it his life calling.

>Once I've gotten permanent residency, I'd like to find another profession not pertaining to English. How common is it for a foreignor to achieve this?

Again, way too many variables. Even assuming you're in Japan and have PR, what the heck can you *do*? PR is good, Japanese knowledge is good, but areas of specialty are even better.