I am 38 years old and considering moving to Japan

[dxr]

Hello, long time reader, first time poster *bows*

I am a 38 year old that has always had an interest in Japan. I have gone there many times since my mid-twenties up until just last year. It had always been a dream of mine to attempt to live there, at least for a while, one day.

I have a bachelors and a nursing degree. I have moderate savings. I can speak very little Japanese (I have actually taken two years of Japanese and tons of self study, but as I am sure is the case with a lot of people, I have have not retained much due to not being immersed in any type of way for years since I learned).

I'm simply looking for advice and/or experiences from people living in Japan at my current age or older. In any way you see fit. From jobs, to social life to any other tips.

Thank you in advance

[josebrown]

you can be an English teacher, but unless you marry a j-lady I don't think you/anyone else can stay.

[MMM]

What are your specialties, as obviously you have been working for several years?

[RealJames]

Originally Posted by dxr

Hello, long time reader, first time poster *bows*

I am a 38 year old that has always had an interest in Japan. I have gone there many times since my mid-twenties up until just last year. It had always been a dream of mine to attempt to live there, at least for a while, one day.

I have a bachelors and a nursing degree. I have moderate savings. I can speak very little Japanese (I have actually taken two years of Japanese and tons of self study, but as I am sure is the case with a lot of people, I have have not retained much due to not being immersed in any type of way for years since I learned).

I'm simply looking for advice and/or experiences from people living in Japan at my current age or older. In any way you see fit. From jobs, to social life to any other tips.

Thank you in advance

Hey, I think you'll do just fine and you'll probably find it's easier than you expect.

You have a few options but here are what I think are the best and most likely 3 options:
1 - Teach English, any school can sponsor a work visa for you, it's dead simple as long as you bring your degree with you and you're not an ex-con.
2 - Be a nurse, Japan is in dire need of nurses and with your light Japanese language experience you're a better option than the other nurses that come here from abroad.
3 - Marry a Japanese girl and take your time looking for a job you want.

English teachers and Nurses are relatively in demand, and you can easily do them without a spousal visa, you can get work visas easily.
If you want to do something other than teach English or be a Nurse, you'll have a more difficult time finding an employer and then getting them to sponsor your visa, but it's still possible.

I strongly recommend coming here on a tourist visa, and then looking for a job while you're here. Looking for jobs from abroad will severely narrow down your options and likely at a lower salary.

[dxr]

Originally Posted by josebrown

you can be an English teacher, but unless you marry a j-lady I don't think you/anyone else can stay.

Thanks for the tip... not entirely looking for romance though.

[GoNative]

I came to live in Japan at the age of 33 and was already married to an Aussie girl. I've managed to stay here 7 years so far and have a pretty nice lifestyle. I did have to use the english teaching route to initially get a working visa but only did that for barely five weeks before moving onto something I actually enjoyed. So it's definitely possible and you don't have to marry a Japanese national to get to stay here. It's all about getting that initial working visa. Once you get that you're set.

[MMM]

Originally Posted by GoNative

I came to live in Japan at the age of 33 and was already married to an Aussie girl. I've managed to stay here 7 years so far and have a pretty nice lifestyle. I did have to use the english teaching route to initially get a working visa but only did that for barely five weeks before moving onto something I actually enjoyed. So it's definitely possible and you don't have to marry a Japanese national to get to stay here. It's all about getting that initial working visa. Once you get that you're set.

Are there no repercussions to quitting your job after a month? I mean didn't your employer need to spend considerable time and money to get you that visa? I am not being judgmental, but am asking neutrally.

[GoNative]

It was NOVA. They weren't overjoyed but there wasn't any reprecussions in terms of our visas. I think they were pretty used to a high turnover of staff.

[RealJames]

The employer doesn't have to pay any money to get a visa for their employees.

I've sponsored a work visa myself once, it was pretty straightforward.

Technically when the terms of employment change the foreigner is meant to go to immigration to renew their status, but of course no one does that, they wait to get another job where the boss will agree to sponsor their visa.

Unless that English school paid for the plane ticket and a bunch of training it's no loss to them.

The English schools I worked at all gave me a whole day of paid training lol, not much spilled milk to cry about

[MMM]

Originally Posted by RealJames

The employer doesn't have to pay any money to get a visa for their employees.

I've sponsored a work visa myself once, it was pretty straightforward.

Technically when the terms of employment change the foreigner is meant to go to immigration to renew their status, but of course no one does that, they wait to get another job where the boss will agree to sponsor their visa.

Unless that English school paid for the plane ticket and a bunch of training it's no loss to them.

The English schools I worked at all gave me a whole day of paid training lol, not much spilled milk to cry about

There is a lot more to a business's bottom line when hiring than a day of training. People are paid to read applications, conduct interviews, arrange housing, fill out government paperwork, etc.

As a JET we were flown in on business class, put up for three days in nice hotels in Tokyo, fed for those three days, took the shinkansen to our local region, etc. There were also pre-departure orientations... probably a couple to a few thousand dollars were spent per person. We were reminded again and again to quit would cause EXTREME hardships on all the people that got us here, and leave a school without an ALT for the remainder of the year.

I realize different programs are different, but I wonder how headache inducing it was to have a bunch of teachers at NOVA who pull out upon arrival.