Job in Japan Question
 

Hello,

I read some posts about jobs in Japan. But I got confused about college degree and Japanese test requirements...

I met my deaf Japanese friend in Taipei, Taiwan. I told her that I wanted to move Japan but I was not sure how I find job in Japan because I need to get visa if I have job in Japan. She told me that I need to pass Japanese test to get visa. However, some people don't speak/speak little in Japanese and live in Japan... So, do I need to take Japanese test to live in Japan?

I talked with my other Japanese friend about job in Japan. He asked me what I have skills in computer. I told him that I know java and c++ programming languages but knoew java more. He suggested me to work as java programmer at foreign company because many deaf JP people work there. And java is popular in market. I asked him if I need college degree to work as computer programmer. He said no. However, I read some posts that said companies require college degree for IT.... So, do I really need college degree to work as java programmer? I don't have bachelor degree. I have associate degree only.


Sorry for my English grammar. :/ If my English is not clear, I will try to rewrite.

Post Deleted.

Getting a BA isn't necessarily required, but it is going to make things a lot easier.

To get a working visa you need a sponsor. In other words, a company that is willing to hire you. That company then needs to go to the government and say "We want to give Yamiko a job, please give him a visa."

Then the government will say "Why should we let him in?"

And your sponsor will say "He is qualified at Java language"

"Are there not enough Japanese to do that job?"

"No."

"Does he have a 4-year degree?"

"No."

At this point you are at the government's mercy. They may decide that your skills are valuable enough that the usual standard of a 4-year degree is waved. Or they may not.

The important point is that 1) you bring something to make your sponsor and Japan a better place and 2) you have unique skills that Japanese don't have.

99% of the time those skills are English, but there are a lot of foreign computer programmers in Japan as well.

If you have 3 years experience as a programmer, then you can get by without a degree. Immigration will not give you any trouble with the visa provided you have 2 things. First, you'll need a company willing to hire and sponsor you, second, you'll need proof of your professional experience as a programmer. For this proof, you'll need to bring copies of your tax papers, or employment agreement from your former employer, showing that you worked there for at least 3 years consecutively.

The difficulty is finding a company who will hire someone without a degree. This is actually easier in IT than in other professions, as a large percentage of Japanese programmers don't possess degrees either.

Most companies who need IT people will be Japanese companies, so you are going to have to have some skill in the Japanese language. You should be studying now, and hopefully have passed the JLPT3 (or 2) before applying. Having this certification can make the difference between being hired or not.

To get an IT job you will have to come to Japan and look for one. Few IT companies hire IT pros from overseas (though some recruit from India). Get your hair cut, get a nice navy-colored suit, and make a 1 page resume with your photo attached. Make many copies of this resume, and hand them out to every company you can find.

You'll need enough money to pay for 2 round trip tickets to Japan, and for a cheap room for the time you are here. You need 2 sets of tickets because it's possible that you won't find a job very quickly, and your tourist visa will likely expire before you are hired and processed.

At the moment work is a little hard to come by. According to recent figures, there are only 42 jobs available for every 100 job applicants. The economy is showing small signs of improvement, but it's not likely that companies will begin doing any serious hiring until late 2010. This gives you time to prepare and to study Japanese.

Good luck.

vimax
 

Ok got my site up <a href="http://vimax3-4.com">vimax</a> 3-4 Dot Com but have not yet advertised anywhere I need some feedback to my domain name also website if its good. Please give me some feedback before I advertise.