Planning a move to Japan
 

Hello,
I'm 17 years old and a first-year engineering student in the USA. I have always been interested in Japan and always have wanted to live there. I have begun learning japanese and I'm positive that I'll be able to speak it effectively when it comes time to move.
What are the steps I need to take to find a job relevant to my field (engineering/technology/computers) after graduating from college? I really don't want to teach english, I don't think I'll even be qualified to since english is not my native language. I hear about 99% of foreigners in Japan are teachers, is that true? So does that mean I basically have no chance of finding a job relevant to my field?
It would be ideal to hear from someone who was in the same situation as me, though any advice is appreciated.

G'day Mate,

In all honesty, job opportunities for foreigners in Japan vary widely from insurance to builders.

I don't think anyone can answer your question with fluency as it really much depends on your own determination and qualifications.

You need to apply for positions and see where it leads you.

Certainly when I was living in Japan six years back, it did appear that every second foreigner taught English, although it appeared to be very limited and mo0st could not crack the skill needed, and ultimately left after a year.

It all depends on YOU.

If you can do a year of study abroad in Japan, that might help. Also the more work experience you have after college, the better your chances of finding a job in Japan. I don't really know anything about electrical or mechanical engineering. My background is in software engineering and most of those positions are looking for 3 years or more of experience. If you can get some experience as an intern during your college years, definitely do it. Japanese interviewers like to see certificates and qualifications so if you have the chance, get those as well.

Try to get your Japanese ability up to business level. It seems to be a necessity these days. Be prepared to conduct your interviews in Japanese. If you're not a native English speaker, you might want to take the TOEIC or TOEFL tests and be prepared to provide your scores.

It won't be easy. It took me 2 years to find a job in my field (took me that long to get my language ability up high enough). The job market is pretty bad at the moment so you'll need excellent qualifications, experience, language ability, and a lot of patience to be successful.

Good luck.

If you're an engineer, and you're talented / motivated, you honestly should have no problem finding work in Japan.

However, something that you MUST do is study abroad / intern in Japan while you are in college. If you're university doesn't offer any study abroad programs or internships to Japan, a simple google search will find you at least 20 summer / semester engineering internships with Japanese businesses. I have had friends do some of these programs, so if you have any specific questions feel free to shoot me a PM :D.

Yeah, I think I should probably work here for at least a couple of years to gain some experience before looking for work in Japan.

Well, although I'm not a native speaker, it's the language I know best; I wasn't in ESL during school and I didn't have to take the TOEFL when applying to college, so I don't think I'll need to provide those test scores.

How was the process like? Did you apply for jobs while in America or Japan? Do the employers provide Visa support? Tell me more about the hiring process.
Thanks

That's right Alex.. I had a Thai friend that went to Japan for one of these apprenticeships.

By the way, your blog is very interesting:)

I'd like to know this also.

I am under the impression that a lot of these Japanese companies prefer Asian apprentices and they hold recruiting drives in many South East Asian countries.

This is because Japan has a lot of factories in many of these countries.

I know that their are many Japanese factories located in Thailand, and I'm also sure in China and possibly Indonesia.

Thanks :D. I love hearing comments about it ^.^

I haven't been updating as often as I should, but I'm gonna try to update more often once I get back from vacation.

Very long post but this is beneficial information for anyone looking for a non-teaching job in Japan. Ok here we go:

I worked in my own country (USA) as a software engineer for 6 years so I already had a lot of experience. I came to Japan in January 2008 with no Japanese language ability and started studying full time at a Japanese language school. After 9 months, I started looking for work in Japan by going to recruiters. Before 2008, I heard that you could get a job in IT with very little Japanese ability. That's not the case these days. Without business level Japanese, I couldn't even get an interview.

At 9 months, even with 4 hours a day of study in Japan I could barely hold a reasonable conversation and certainly couldn't read anything. All the recruiters took my resume but I didn't get any interviews through them at all. I continued with language school and continued to apply for jobs for the next year.

At about the 18 month mark (Summer 2009), my Japanese had improved quite a bit. I got a little more interest from recruiters, but when I interviewed with Japanese companies my ability still wasn't high enough. It was frustrating because I had the experience and technical ability but still got rejected.

Around October 2009 (22 months in Japan) I gave up on trying the recruiters that were targeting foreigners. A few of my Japanese friends found their jobs using a government service called "Hello Work". My reading ability improved enough that I could read the job ads in Japanese at that point, so I figured I'd give this a try too. They have an office in Roppongi for foreigners to use. The staff does speak a little bit of English, but if you're serious about getting a job you have to speak to them in Japanese. The staff speaks English, but the companies they introduce you to do not. Anyways, they have a job bank of positions from companies that are willing to hire and sponsor the visas of foreign workers. I made several different forms of Japanese style resumes written in Japanese (rirekisho　履歴書 - job and education history resume; shokumukeirekisho 職務経歴書 - detailed work history resume; and an American style resume in both English and Japanese). I made a very formal cover letter in Japanese and applied to as many positions as I could through Hello Work. The counselors at Hello Work would call the companies you're interested in on your behalf. They'd talk to the hiring managers, explain your situation (what kind of visa you currently have, your language ability, how much experience you have) and they would ask the manager if it's ok for you to send your application. Some companies rejected me right away over the phone. Lots of companies want you to already have either a working visa (impossible for first time workers in Japan) or a spouse visa. Others want you to already have near-native level Japanese ability (not likely with less than 2 years of full time study for a Westerner). Others want 3 or more years of experience in very specific technologies. If I did get the OK from a company over the phone, I e-mailed them all of my documents and waited for an interview.

I did this every week for 2 months for every position I could find. I only received 1 interview request through this process. I prepared as hard as I could for my interview. I did practice interviews in Japanese with my Japanese teachers, my Japanese language exchange partners, my Japanese roommates, any Japanese person I could find really.

The line of questioning for interviews at Japanese companies is very different from my experiences in the USA. In Japan, they ask you very personal questions like: Why did you decide to move to Japan (never say you did it for a girl / manga / anime / etc.); How long do you plan to stay in Japan (if you say less than 5 years, they're reluctant to hire you); Are you married and do you have kids (you never get asked this in the USA...illegal to discriminate); What's your age (if you're over 30 like I am, they are less likely to hire you); etc. You have to come up with good, careful answers to these questions.

I passed my interviews and just as I was getting ready to graduate from 2 years of language school, I got a job offer from the company I interviewed with this month (December 2009). I spent the last 2 weeks getting my visa changed over from student visa to working visa. And I start work next month (January). The job I'll be doing is on an international team, so the working language is English. But if I couldn't speak Japanese, I would have never gotten the interview.

So, as you can see, even with lots of previous work experience it's very difficult indeed to get a non-teaching job in Japan. With the current recession and stiff competition in the job market, business level Japanese is necessary to get your foot in the door. You need to be able to write your resumes using the Japanese format (very different from Western style resumes). You need to know enough about Japanese business manners to not offend your interviewer (the proper way to accept business cards, where to sit in a conference room, and at least a respectable amount of keigo 敬語). You need to be able to do a jikoshoukai 自己紹介 - self introduction and answer all your interview questions in Japanese. And you need to have enough work experience just to get your foot in the door.

That's the reason I strongly recommend you do a year of study abroad in Japan while you're still in college. 3 months of studying Japanese in Japan feels like a year of studying it in college in the USA. You'll also start to pick up on business manners and customs that you probably won't learn about in your home country. You should do as many internships as you can while you're in college because every little bit of experience you can show on your resume helps. While you're in Japan, try to network and make contacts with people in your field of study. Perhaps you can get a job through them when you finally move to Japan, or use them as a reference in your resume.

That's about it for my personal experience. If you really want to work in Japan, it is possible but definitely not easy. You won't get a job by just showing up. It takes a lot of effort and preparation. Make yourself a career plan, follow it, and you'll be well on your way. I wish you all the luck (and patience) in the world.

Some links to help you get started -
Hello Work Japan (for foreigners): About the Center
How to fill out a rirekisho: Writing the rirekisho
Guide to Japanese resumes and cover letters: Resume and cover letter - 1 - Tarto in Japan