I have a Bachelors degree....I can work in Japan now?
 

I'm in a situation here....I know I will resolve it soon but I'm also here for some advice.

1. I have a bachelor's degree in Economics from a 4 year university ( a good university too)
2. Now, I'm a American citizen but I'm Chinese
3. I speak fluent Chinese and English
4. I don't think I can get a English teaching job because I'm not white
5. I have "affiliations" in Japan ( I mean a sponsor)
6. My Japanese is.....I don't know....I can read and write with no problem...listening and speaking is okay I guess (I mean I can read manga and watch anime without subs...that type of thing)

so......

I want to get a job in Tokyo......

what are the chances??

If you are a native speaker of English is does not matter what you look like, you can get an English teaching job.

What about any other types of job???

That's what I'm concerned about. I want to be completely fluent in Japanese. Completely

Uhm. You know, even being an English teacher, if your intent is to relocate to Tokyo several years, will eventually require you to become fluent in Japanese if you want to advance. Entry level ALT or eikaiwa positions are simply not designed to promote acculturation and advancement. Whether they should or not is a regular debate here and on other Japan related forums...

There are programs at some Japanese universities that allow you to earn a Japanese education degree and teaching certification by taking upper level education courses in Japanese (your lower divisions are counted from your current BA).

The catch? You need to pass JLPT1 for most of these programs, or JLPT2 for the others. In this case learning Japanese fluently is not an option; it is a requirement.

If I stay in Japan past the age of 28 (which is coming up too soon, too soon) then I plan to go this route and pursue permanent residency.

You should have no problem getting an English teaching position in Japan. Your ethnicity is not really a factor, and I know a few English teachers who are from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and elsewhere.

If you want to get a teaching position in Japan, you need to do a little planning. The best times to apply for teaching positions are just ahead of the fall and spring school semesters. It is at these times that most hiring is done. If you were looking for a position now, or in early winter, you would have a much harder time.

I wouldn't be too preoccupied with getting a position inside Tokyo. I love Tokyo (and will be working at a new school there as of Monday), but there's a lot to be said about living outside the metro area. It's cheaper, the people tend to be laid back and more friendly, and getting to Tokyo when you have the desire for a visit is usually not that difficult.

If finding a position in the metro area is difficult, you should try for the areas immediately surrounding it. Kanagawa, Saitama, and Chiba are all close by (some people even commute to central Tokyo daily from these areas), but are far less expensive, and have many things of their own to offer.

This weekend I'm moving house to Tokyo after 2 years of living out in the countryside, I'll miss the sounds of the frogs and the smell of the flowers.

Good luck on your move, I hope it all goes well for you.

well hopefully I can find another job that doesn't have anything to do with teaching English.

Well I hope you can too, but what do you have to offer that an educated Japanese person who is already living here, and fully aware of the culture, customs, and social responsibilities cannot offer?

If you do not want to teach English initially your best ticket to coming here and having a decent job is getting hired by a Japanese company in your home country, or by a company that has branches in Japan, and then getting transferred here.

True....but I want to know how the heck I find a company like this? Are there websites where I can apply for such jobs?

If you're very fluent in Japanese, you can attend an event like the Boston Career Forum :
CFN | Boston Career Forum 2010

There are various events like this so look around.

Don't know if it's possible for me to get any of those jobs...

I really need something...


So hold on.

Let me get this straight.

In order to work in Tokyo the requirements are that you need to have a FOUR-YEAR DEGREE from a university in YOUR OWN COUNTRY....right?

Are there ANY OTHER Requirements?

Do you need a degree from a college in Japan??

Do you need previous working experience??

Do you need to at least have at least a certain amount of time after graduation (Such as 2 years since graduation)

You just need a degree and a clean criminal record right?

It depends on your employer, but when I worked for the Hyogo Ministry of Education, that was all I needed. I was accepted for the job before I had graduated college (but obviously if I hadn't graduated the offer would have been taken away).

Ok....but is there an official website that lists all the requirements for the work visa?

Because I've been searching all over google and can't find a list of requirements. It's like a hidden scroll or something.....ridiculous.

I am guessing it is because you do not apply for the work visa, your employer does. In a way, the only requirement is to be hired by an employer who can get you a work visa.

That is the bare requirement for being eligible for a work visa.

Once you're eligible for a work visa, it's up to you to convince your potential employer why they should hire you over a native Japanese citizen.

The obvious advantage you have is your ability to speak English. Hence, the reason why most people take the English teacher route.

If you want to work in the finance field, I'd suggest attending that career forum. Or at least look at the requirements set forth by the hiring companies since they'll be similar to the ones hiring in Japan.

I have several friends in Japan who are working at Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, etc. but they put in their time in N.America before moving onto Japan. They're also near-native in Japanese.