Want to experience teaching/working in Japan for a year

[Skuu]

Hi all. Hi again to anyone who remembers my past threads.

I'll try and keep this short. I've spent a few months living on my own in Japan and have spent about 3 years studying Japanese (on and off since I was 16, am now 23). At the moment I want to try living and working there for a decent amount of time, around a year, to see how I get on.

I'm not a big dreamer who wants to live there forever without much prior experience, and I've read the 'Graduate from college' and 'I don't want to live in Japan' threads in their entirety (thank you MMM and others for your contributions).

Ideally I'd like to do a bachelors degree (as has been exhaustively recommended) and try to find a teaching job after that, but recently it has gotten harder to do that. I have college (secondary school here) grades which aren't that good, although I got the highest grade possible in the Japanese one, and I'm currently doing a diploma in Japanese which gets you to jlpt 2kyuu level.

Aside from general advice about what to do next, I'd like to know if anyone thinks there're other options to having this experience I wish to have in Japan. I'm open to the idea that I may not enjoy the experience and after the year I'd try and ply my skills back in England.

I'll totally understand if the only advice you can proffer is 'well without a degree you're a bit screwed'.

Also, regretfully, I cannot use the 'working holiday visa' even though that would have been perfect.

Teaching seems ideal as I consider myself a good teacher, I wouldn't mind teaching as a career, and it's the most common job for foreigners.

Thanks in advance!

[tazzy]

Well yes, without a degree you are screwed. Not only is that what 99% of jobs for foreigners in Japan ask for but its needed to get a work visa.
You're British though so I think you might be able to get a working holiday visa even without a degree and there should be jobs in pubs and the like for you.
Hell, doubt some eikawas would even check if you actually have a degree, or care much.

[Skuu]

Thanks for the advice, tazzy. I thought as much. The degree isn't out of the question but I recently found that the Japanese diploma I'm doing isn't good enough to get me on the course. I have to do another diploma or retake a fee of my secondary school exams (a-levels). I'm not sure I can do either of those things at the moment. I wish there was a way to qualify just by studying Japanese!

I'm very fretful of trying my luck going to Japan without a job. I'm not financially able to support a failure.

[seaghyn]

.....and to the people for the people....