How to get a Job in Japan?..

[LegnaDEARS]

I dont know if I am posting in the right area..
I am currently 18 years old, and I am studying the Japanese language, as well as Hirigana and Katakana (although Kanji is VERY difficult for me)

I wanted to know how an American would be able to start living in Japan..I want to be able to work with some type of company in Japan..

Would I need a work visa or become a Citizen?

I apologise if what I am asking is to much trouble..

I also would like to have a a partner for language exchange to learn Japanese a little more.

Arigatou in advance!

[jkid]

I would say the first step is to get a degree. Once you've done that (or whilst doing that) get yourself certified at (at least) level two of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_Language_Proficiency_Test). After you've done that and have a solid command of the Japanese language you can attempt to find employment within a Japanese company through websites like [url]gaijinspot.com[/url]

On a side note, if your school has any kind of exchange program to Japan as part of your degree it might be a good idea to look into taking part. It will give you a feel for what it's like to live here before you make the decision to move.

Best of luck.

[jclemons]

Hi there.

Unless you want to translate, the best bet is typically to become an expert in something other than Japanese. Engineering is always an easy-in at many companies. Then, during your free time, study Japanese and pass the JLPT level 2(http://www.jlpt.jp/e/) at minimum and also the BJT (http://www.jetro.go.jp/en/bjt/).

In your senior year of your undergraduate program, go to a job fair with Japanese companies. I highly recommend The Boston Career Forum if you're in the US. http://www.careerforum.net/event/bos/index.asp?lang=E If you're in Japan at that time, they have other career fairs in Tokyo and Osaka. Go to those with a stack of resumes, business cards, wearing your best suit and a smile. At that point you'll probably get the attention of someone!

Generally they look highly upon those who have studied abroad in Japan before (Junior year is a nice time). Doing so will prove to them you enjoy living abroad and take your language studies seriously.

I'm currently a senior, living in Tokyo right now. I finished my study abroad program in my junior year and transferred into a university in Tokyo. I study economics at my university and Japanese in my spare time, thanks to this site

Ganbaranba!!

[gerald_ford]

Hm, level 2, eh? That's good to know actually. I am studying for level 3 right now, and fairly confident I can pass, but level 2 would be quite a bit higher. I figure by then I should have decent command of the language, and with my IT background, I should be able to get an IT-related job sooner or later.

I was worried that nothing less than level 1 JLPT would be necessary, though in the long-run I really should get level 1 anyways. Nowhere to go but up, I say.

To the original poster: definitely take advantage of any study abroad programs you can. Studying at home is possible (especially if your spouse is Japanese), but especially with listening and talking, the two most important skills, you really, really need as much exposure as possible. Kanji ultimately is about time and memorization, but you can't memorize your way to fluent listening and communication. That's the harder skill to develop in the long-run and manga/TV shows only help so much.

Best of luck!

[Naguib]

I know this isn't really what you had in mind, but at 18 you're probably not going to get a company job in Japan, or anywhere for that matter. Anyway, you'd probably want to get a feel for the country first. So, there's this program where you can work for a Japanese family, usually agriculture work, but also get free food and board. It's more of a travel option, but it's cheap and you just need to pay you're way there. I plan to do it, and I'd expect you could get some more japanese language experience doing it too. Link: http://www.wwoofjapan.com/main/ If that link doesn't work for some stupid reason just look up wwoof Japan.

[untmdsprt]

http://www.daijob.com/en/


This website is good too, and each job will tell you what they're looking for in terms of fluency. Unfortunately, there are a lot of jobs that require a native Japanese with a high level of English, but I did find some jobs that require either JLPT 2 or 1.

As previous posters mentioned, you need to have a set goal in what you want to do. I have both an accounting degree, and a music business degree. I could market both or either if and when my Japanese is up to a required level. My current goal is to actually get a job in copyright law here in Japan once I become fluent in Japanese.

Good luck to you!

[williamchooi]

i'm not that optimistic in finding job in japan even though you can speak fluent japanese during this market downturn.

Having said that, i personally think it is easy to get recommendation only if you are high flyer with lot of experiences, in a short-term basis... (if you like it, you can even try to look for other jobs and it is easy while you are physically in japan). Because i've seen lot of them flying in to help out on project or something

[amost]

http://www.careercross.com/en/

also a good resource