Oh i hear you i don't want to keep repeating myself, but i think i am a live example of people who "really put my mind into it" but still didn't get a single offer from japan. Both my education and experience meet all the criteria (4 years degree in engineering, 3 years master in info sys, 12 years of work experience).. but thats it, when they don't want you, then they don't want you... none of this "I will put my mind into it and make it work"

You sound too old. The kaisha is a family which must be allowed to rear you.

So what is the view on 3 year bachelor degree programs where someone is qualified to enter at year 2 or 3?

I've got 8 years experience in my field (IT) and have applied to a UK university. They're offering to put me in the final year of a 3 year degree in IT? Does Japan still see it as a 3 year degree?

Ok thanks for a totally useless comment.....

I don't think it matter which year you start in. They look at how long is the degree itself worth. So if the normal program is 4 years worth, and somehow they let you enter the university at 4th year, its still a 4 years degree.

A friend of mine came from Romania, she finished an engineering degree there, but her studies was actually somewhere between a Bachelor and a Master degree (comparing to North America), they (Japan) still considered it as a Master degree and she got a 3 years contract there.

Maybe instead of graduate from college -> live in Japan, I'd recommend doing an exchange year (or a semester) during college and see how you like it. Only after then, consider getting a job in Japan. Though, keep in mind that if you do an exchange, the university in Japan will usually help you a lot (especially if you're a graduate student), with things like a apartment/(dorm), and bureaucratic things, at least from my experience.

It'd be another thing going on your own looking for a job. Some of the universities with international programs will also aid you job-hunting in Japan (at least mine had the offer, so I reckon others would too), so doing an exchange in your last year could be an idea. :)

Hello Guys,
i lived in Indonesia, im just an "another" kids wanted to live at Japan without any skills.. Currently im doing 4Year Degree Majoring Management. For almost half on my life i was dreaming to live at Japan.
When it began , yes its all about anime and the whole thing, etc2...
but lately i realize that will need a live that i can lived for my whole life without regreting that i've been living all out for it. Its not that i dont want to serve my country.. its just that im not into it. Long time ago i learn simple japanese, but it was tripped by financial problems. So i really dont have any talent to offer to Japanese government. event i cant speak japanese at all. i Once gave up my dream, my live objective..
but when my college nearly done, which is right now. i am so depressed.. and i was likely having a nightmare every night that i cant go to Japan and live my live without passion. i know maybe taking a holiday to change our live situation is better. but i am chased by my family financial problem to work, to gain wages, to earn every cent to help my family financial problem after doing college. i am at a single parent family. which its only my mom, and financial is a serious problem at my family.. and my mom not supporting me to delay any kind of "movement" that will waste and not earning any money. i starting to learn nihongo again, but i know i wont make it until i graduate. i am so frustated by the pressure right now.
Today i was wake up from my nightmare , i was really freaked and have a quick mind about finding a forum that maybe that will help me, or at least support me..
and i am somewhat calmed down after read through DarkAngelAthena story.
im not yet reading this whole thread story. so maybe ill continue do read this forum for this few days.
sorry for my bad english..

ill really appreciate any suggestion from my senpai at this forum..
i know maybe i too spoiled for my senpais.. but i want to trully lived my live that i wanted to.. :ywave:

Well said everyone.

This is a really great thread! I'm sorry if a question like this was already asked but would this be a good choice: Majoring in International Business with Japanese language classes? It would be my Bachelors degree. What I want to do when I'm all done is work for a company (preferably a US company) that deals with Japan and hopefuly be sent on business trips to Japan. I'd also save up some money to take my future family on vacations to Japan and other Asian countries. I think Japan is a great place and while I wouldn't say living there is my top priority I'd at least like to visit often. I'm just wondering if my chosen major would help me reach my goal much? Teaching English is a close second if the business track doesn't work out well. I've heard that getting a teaching position is very, very competitive.

No, not really. It's just harder now than it used to be back in the 90s when all you needed was to be a native English speaker with a pulse. Bear in mind that teaching English in Japan isn't really a career, unless you plan to become a university linguistics professor for example. Most people just do a couple of years in Japan teaching English and then go home, so you will need qualifications that allow you to get a decent job once home.

If you decide to stay in Japan longer you will probably want to move out of English teaching at some point, so having the qualifications to be able to do that would be a good idea. Business studies with Japanese language sounds like a good start.

Future plans
 

Hello to all,

I have future plans to live and work in Japan as an English teacher. As of late I have been doing a lot of research on the subject of living in Japan, and have come to find out that there are seven forms to fill out in order to be considered for residency in Japan. I am currently attending college for a Bachelor's degree in Human services administration, and also plan on getting my TEFL certificate for English teaching. I was wondering if there was anything that I may be missing in this search. I also am going for a two week visit at the end of this month to see the area and look for potential residence sites.

Tim

Seven forms? It depends on what visa you are applying for, but I don't remember it being anything like seven. Residency, as in permanent residence, requires that you have lived in Japan for at least 5 years before applying, so I'm assuming you mean a working visa when you say "residency".

More important than the forms is having an employer to sponsor you for the visa- worry about the forms once you have actually found a job. The sponsoring employer does a lot of the paperwork anyway.

Your question is kind of vague- anything that you may be missing in this search? See if you can be more specific if you want helpful answers.

Yes, I mean residency not just working visa. And the statement that I made about the search, was for the process needed to go through for that residency. Thank you for the information that you have provided this will be of great use to me. I did not know that potential employers did some of the paperwork for you.

Very appreciative,
Tim

Don't waste time thinking about permanent residency in Japan at this point. Unless you marry a Japanese national you are probably actually looking at 10 years here before you can apply- the 5 years is for people who have made an outstanding contribution to Japanese society in some way. If you marry a Japanese national then PR can sometimes be obtained in 3 years, but all of that is putting the cart before the horse.

As I said above- first think about how you are going to get a job and whether you will actually like living in Japan. How many forms you will need to fill out years down the track when you might apply for permanent residence is not something you need to be concerned about- the requirements/process are likely to have changed by then in any case.

Incidentally, I have lived in Japan 12 years and have just recently started to think about applying for PR. I have only seen 2 pages of forms to fill out on the Japanese government Immigration site, so I'm not sure where the 7 came from.

As for working visas, yes, companies have to do some of the paperwork related to getting you a visa as they are the sponsors. The companies do not assist with getting PR as that is based on individual merit.

You mentioned going to see "the area" to look for potential places to live- which area would that be- Tokyo? Bear in mind that where you live is going to be dictated more by where you can find a job, not the other way around. Popular areas like Tokyo and Kyoto are harder to get a job in these days.

Absolute Garbage... did you waste time typing this...:eek:

It is quite clear that negativity has shrouded you.. leave people who have an aspiration of working in Japan alone.

Gosh...:mad:

Actually Orochitachi, we see a lot of posts from people who think that moving to Japan will solve all their problems- and all they have to go on is their love of manga and anime. Sometimes they are talking about wanting to become citizens- and they haven't even set foot in the country! Telling those people that they might want to visit before putting all their eggs in one basket is not negative, it is realistic. How much time have you spent in Japan yourself?

Why do you think that a suggestion that Japan is not perfect and that it would be a good idea to visit before moving there permanently means that that person is "shrouded in negativity"? How is that not good advice?

Insert angry diatribe about this being my career here.

I am talking about your standard eikaiwa or ALT job in Japan- there is only so far you can take them. I worked in eikaiwa for 6 years myself, but never considered it a career! I did not mean to offend you or anyone else who is a genuine teacher, which I and many other eikaiwa teachers/ALTs are not because we have zero real training and qualifications. If you consider it your career I am sure you have made the effort to develop your skills and ensure English teaching actually became your career, but the vast majority of people who come here to teach don't, and return to their home countries in less than 2 years.

For a long time now, I've considered working in Japan or China for a while. Maybe just a few years, to experience your interesting and beautiful culture, and also get some new imput in my life.:) After this summer (if I get accepted) I am going to start my four year study to become a teacher, at the Oslo university college (Norway). I will get a bachelor degree + one year to qualify as a teacher in compulsory primary and lower secondary school. Over these four years I am going to specialise in teaching english and I can do some of the education abroad, in Japan or China. If time is on my hand, I also plan to study japanese or chinese language at the same time. What would my chances be of getting a job in Japan? And with my education, can I call the job I might get, a career?

I am a native norwegian with norwegian as my first language, and english second. Is this going to ruin my chances to get a job as an english teacher in Japan? Thanks for all replyes! Good or bad! It is always nice to hear other peoples opinions!:vsign:

It won't ruin your chances, but it will still make it more difficult for you to get a job teaching English. Schools and companies in Japan often prefer hiring people who are from a country where the native language is English. You'll probably have to go out of your way to convince an employer that you can teach English even though it's not your first language -- learning how to speak in a British or American accent is probably one way to boost your chances.

Understandbly, students want teachers from countries where English is the native language.

The reality that a Norwegian's English might be better than someone from a country where English is the native language is a hurdle that may be difficult to clear without an inside connection.

I see you point, but that dosent mean that I'm a bad english teacher when I get my degree? I dont know how it works in other countries, but in Norway we learn english (it's almost just as important as norwegian) from the first day we set foot in school until the very end. So I'm fluid. (Mabye some grammar errors) :) And just because you are a native speaker, dosent make you a great english teacher. Does it? ;) Dont misunderstand me, im not being disrespectful, I just love a great discussion :)

No, you are 100% right (well, almost 100%...you mean "fluent" not "fluid") but like anywhere else, perception is reality. If you are perceived as a non-native speaker then the chances of you getting hired as an English teacher is diminished because there is no shortage of native speakers wanting to go to Japan and do the same thing.

Think if a student studied under you and made a mistake or did poorly on a test. Immediately the thought will be "What if I made this mistake because my teacher taught me wrong because she didn't know better?" That's a real possibility.

I also think that you are right - in theory.

However, English schools in Japan look for, hire, and advertise that they employ native English speakers. This is the industry wide standard. The appeal comes down to "with a real live native English speaker" - not their quality of teaching.

Even if you are an amazing and wonderful teacher, with perfect or virtually perfect English - you will never be considered a "native speaker" by the Japanese employers or the students. It would even be false advertising for a school to employ you as a teacher if they advertise "native speakers".

You could get lucky and find somewhere that is willing to look past this, but the chances are quite low.

Hehe, "fluid"... Now i feel stupid.. lol:o Of course, you're right :) My chances are much lower. Maybe China see things differently? Diddent they just recently strated focusing much more on leraning english, and maybe they would hire anyone? Anyways, I've got nothing to loose by checking things out :) You only loose by giving up! :vsign:

Hmm, I don't know about that. The last I check, China is pretty tight with who they hired as an english teacher. For the most part, English education in China (Where its savailable) are far more advance than Japan, people there can write fairly well, they have need for teachers that can teach them proper pronounciation (US) as the accent is still a major issue for them....

Actually there are more and more people who are not from the main English-speaking countries teaching here these days, but they are often on spouse visas, dependent visas or student visas.

The issue you will face if you want to teach English is not so much being hired (although that would also be tough), it is the working visa. If you are not from one if the countries which has English as its main language, for Immigration to give you a visa allowing you to work as an English teacher, you must be able to prove that you have had 12 years of schooling in English (not just English classes, the language you were taught all/most subjects in should be English). If not, then no visa, and they are apparently very strict about this.

To tell you the truth though, if you are at that point a qualified, experienced teacher, your skills would be wasted on the usual teaching jobs here, which are basically unskilled. What you could do is apply to teach in internationals schools, where you would be a proper independent classroom teacher and be paid accordingly. You would have to focus on an area other than English obviously as many of your students would be native speakers. Maths, science, social studies for example.

Which is precisely the issue with English education in Japan, as is discussed in another thread. The angry diatribe wasn't directed at you, and was explained elsewhere. In lieu of repeating myself, I opted to instead just make an [insert here] joke.

I sure as hell better not have paid $70K in university tuition not to have a career as an English teacher, which is what I went to school for. I also make more money than I would in the states right now, largely because of hiring freezes and budget shortfalls. It was my original intent to teach high school literature courses. Japan offered more money. Period.

Jobs for fresh grads in Japan
 

So what jobs are open to fresh grads (foreigners) in Japan? Other than ESL, that is.

Your employer won't be calling. It'll be the Japanese government (MOFA?) which will be calling to verify.

Perhaps someone can verify but don't they ask you for your original diploma and transcript as well?

Either way, I wouldn't risk it.

How's your Japanese?

This is going to be verified before you even leave the country. When you get your working visa at the embassy/consulate in your country, you will be required to bring your bachelor's degree for proof of graduation.

Hello japanforum ppls.:ywave:
I made a post a WHILE back asking about going to Japan. Thing is I never came back to check up on it... I am asking again because it's almost time for me to go to college. In september I'll be starting my senior year. I'll be 18 in January. So yeah, I have to get all the planning ready, because from what I have read Japan is a pretty tough country to get into.
So about me:
I am 17 y.o and am living in the Dominican Republic. I was born and lived about 12 years in U.S so english is technically a "native" language of mine. Or do they see it differently in Japan since spanish is also "native"? I also LOOK like spanish is my native language and english might of been something I picked up along the way :D. When I made my last post I wanted to do software engineering. I decided that I am going for Mechatronics.
I can study this at the same place I planned on studying software. At ITLA ( You can check out their page it's "itla.edu.do").
Thing is, I only get two years of education so that would be equivalent to an associate's degree right?
So let's say I complete the program, can I get into a college in New York (say, Vaughn) and do another 2 years to get a bachelor's degree?
It would be easier this way because it is easier for me to pay tuition here since I can land a better job with 0 experience, than o do it in the U.S where I will most likely be making less money.
Reason for going to Japan is that I just want to experience the country :) .
Not because of anime or something stupid like that. I just find the idea of Japan attractive. You know it's "different" in so many ways. And I am a firm believer that to truly understand a place/country you actually have to spend time in society, in "the real world".....socializing in said country you know?... Not in a 5 star resort that is made so foreigner's can feel more at home... What's the fun in that? So yeah sorry for asking pretty much the same question twice but I couldn't find my old post.... Any advice would be appreciated:p

EDIT: I'm trying to find any other colleges in N.Y that give Mechatronics but looks like Vaugn is the only one available... Looks pretty damn expensive too. I think any private would be out of the question but I don't see much community colleges, anywhere not just N.Y, with Mechatronics.

ookay. Well I guess if all else fails teaching english isn't out of the question. :D

What if someone is young and good in studies and have a sound knowledge of his or her stream and would like to work in Japan, Will he not get the job?

Hi
 

hi im 4 college grad and im workin here in singapore for 2 yrs in hospitality industy,im planning to study japanese language and some things regarding japanese culture, do you thinks there's a chance that i could get a job in japan?

im living alone and independent :):vsign:

your reply is pretty much appreciated :rheart: :rheart:

Where are you from?

living in japan :)
 

Im from Philippines. Im already 23 this year and i major in Hotels and restaurant management, i know some basic japanese language since its part of our curriculum. Im planning to study and learn more about japanese language/ culture while still here in singapore (part time).:rheart: :rheart:

Do you think there's a chance that i could get i job in japan? or Should take another course major in language/linguistic in foreign language to be qualify?

Thank you so much for the reply :vsign:

I am interested going to school in japan. Is it hard to live there if you are a student? Is there work available for someone that has an associates if they are still going to school for a bachelors?

@MMM - You said, to live in Japan, you need to have done 4 years of college, i.e. a 4-year course. Would you be eligible to live there with 3 years of college & 2 years of university? I am currently studying HND IT at college (my third year), with the goal of 'jumping' into the 3rd year (of a 4-year course) at university. Apparently, after completing the HND course, you can jump into the 3rd year of university, instead of starting from the first year. Please reply soon :)