Living in Japan - a feasible life's desire?

[Vito]

Hey all, just me with a question(or should that be essay) that has been troubling me..

I visited Japan this year for my holidays and it really was fun..I just like how Japan works..how it's clean..how the vending machines don't get vandalized and defiled *thinks about the vending machines and general cleanliness of my school*, how the people are polite and helpful, so many things.

Anyway, what I would like your opinions on is, I am 15..and this year is where I'm going to have to really start to steer my life towards something (GCSE's and later i will have to choose A levels and so on). The only paths i would really consider now is being a solicitor (I went to a solicitors on work experience) and moving to Japan and doing something. Now, on to my point. Is there any real chance of getting a job in Japan other than teaching English, or should i just stick to being a visitor (when i can afford it)?

Any sort of help would really be helpful, as I can't think of anything the Japanese would need doing that they can't already do themselves (exept, perhaps, teaching them how to cook vegetables, take the yucky bits off fish and cook a yorkshire pudding). Thanks guys..I hope?

[Bueller_007]

Hey all, just me with a question(or should that be essay) that has been troubling me..

I visited Japan this year for my holidays and it really was fun..I just like how Japan works..how it's clean..how the vending machines don't get vandalized and defiled *thinks about the vending machines and general cleanliness of my school*, how the people are polite and helpful, so many things.

Anyway, what I would like your opinions on is, I am 15..and this year is where I'm going to have to really start to steer my life towards something (GCSE's and later i will have to choose A levels and so on). The only paths i would really consider now is being a solicitor (I went to a solicitors on work experience) and moving to Japan and doing something. Now, on to my point. Is there any real chance of getting a job in Japan other than teaching English, or should i just stick to being a visitor (when i can afford it)?

Any sort of help would really be helpful, as I can't think of anything the Japanese would need doing that they can't already do themselves (exept, perhaps, teaching them how to cook vegetables, take the yucky bits off fish and cook a yorkshire pudding). Thanks guys..I hope?

Yes. It's definitely doable.

But you're not going to be a solicitor in Japan without a SIGNIFICANT, HUGE, MASSIVE amount of effort on your part. HUGE. From what I've heard, passing the Japanese bar exam is just about the most difficult thing on earth, even for Japanese people. A foreigner would have next to no chance, as they would probably never be able to write/speak eloquently enough to pass the exam or try a case in court. You'd have a much better time trying to get a job as a corporate/contract lawyer where you'd have the luxury of drawing up contracts in English.

The jobs most open to foreigners are:
a) English-related (especially teaching, but also translation). Pay for translation work is not always particularly high, with many translation jobs paying significantly less than you'd make as an English teacher. But if you can get on with a big company like Mizuho, then you'll be making HUGE bucks, even if you're just a proofreader.
b) Tech jobs & finance jobs. You'll probably need an M.Sc. in Comp. Sci., or an MBA in Marketing, etc. Big bucks to be made here too.
c) Upper-level management positions. You'll probably need to be rich and prestigious enough that you never have to work again anyway.

At the moment, most non-English teaching jobs open to foreigners in Japan are not entry-level, because Japanese companies tend to recruit straight out of (Japanese) universities. So you'll need to:
a) master Japanese to the extent that you can attend a Japanese university, get your BSc/Masters/PhD in Japan and start looking for work as soon as you graduate
b) get a significant amount of work experience in your home country first (thinking about 5-10 years experience here)
c) start working for a Japanese company in your home country and try to get transferred to Japan

Here are the websites I was recently using to find work in Japan. Take a look and see if you find anything that interests you.
http://www.ecentral.jp/
http://www.daijob.com/dj/en/index.html
http://www.gaijinpot.com/
http://job.japantimes.com/index_e.php?
http://www.ingeniumgroup.com/
http://careerinq.com/
http://www.jobdragon.com/index_e.asp
http://www.jobsinjapan.com/
http://www.careercross.com/en/
http://topmoneyjobs.com/en/saleslist.html
https://www.panachejobs.com/Default.aspx

Other things to consider would be trying to get posted in Japan as a reporter for a TV station, etc. in your home country (you'd need a degree in journalism?) or getting posted there as a consul (you'd need a degree in Poli Sci?) But I have no idea how to go about accomplishing those goals.

[Vito]

Wow that's incredible if i wasnt typing on a computer i'd hug you

have 5 imaginary gold stars


*Edit, this site needs a credit system for people nice enough to help like that. I wish my school did Japanese GCSE's now (i knnow one school that does them in Mandarin)*

[Jason]

Sorry about the minor thread hijack, but:

b) Tech jobs & finance jobs. You'll probably need an M.Sc. in Comp. Sci., or an MBA in Marketing, etc. Big bucks to be made here too.

What kind of JLPT requirements would this probably entail? I have a professor who worked at Sony in Japan for a while, but I don't think he speaks any Japanese. I imagine that even though it may not be required, having passed at least JLPT 2 would help if you were in competition with someone who doesn't know as much or any Japanese?

[Bueller_007]

Sorry about the minor thread hijack, but:

b) Tech jobs & finance jobs. You'll probably need an M.Sc. in Comp. Sci., or an MBA in Marketing, etc. Big bucks to be made here too.

What kind of JLPT requirements would this probably entail? I have a professor who worked at Sony in Japan for a while, but I don't think he speaks any Japanese. I imagine that even though it may not be required, having passed at least JLPT 2 would help if you were in competition with someone who doesn't know as much or any Japanese?

Nothing.

My cousin works for a big-name bank in Tokyo, pulling down massive bucks, and he'd be somewhere between Level 4 and Level 3.

If you have qualifications (or in my cousin's case, connections and a willingness to work his ass off) you don't need Japanese.

I have no idea how he survives in his office, given how the Japanese love unnecessary meetings so much.

That said, it never *hurts* to be able to speak Japanese, and it'd probably give you the leg up over someone who was otherwise equally qualified. Of course, the Japanese require you to state your age, sex and often attach a photo when you apply for a job, so even if you find a job that's willing to take you on as a foreigner, you could very well not get the position for agist, sexist or looksist reasons.


Going back to the topic of connections, when I was trying to get out of the English-teaching biz, my cousin highly, highly recommended joining the "Hash House Harriers", which is an international running/drinking club. Most of the members are people with "real" jobs, so it's apparently a good way to make the connections you need to get out of teaching English. I never got around to running around with them though; their ads in the Kansai Flea Market sounded kinda stupid.

http://www.gthhh.com/
http://tokyohash.org/
http://www.kobehash.com/

[Bueller_007]

Wow that's incredible if i wasnt typing on a computer i'd hug you

have 5 imaginary gold stars


*Edit, this site needs a credit system for people nice enough to help like that. I wish my school did Japanese GCSE's now (i knnow one school that does them in Mandarin)*

If you're SERIOUSLY interested in learning Japanese, and working in Japan using the language, this is the school to join:

http://www.iucjapan.org/index_e.html

That's the school that ambassadors and whatnot go to.

[WCR91]

Hmm, I'd also like to live and work in Japan one day. Being Vito's age, it's quite inspiring to know that someone else feels the same way I do. I, however, am more interested in working with computers or engineering.

What would be my best bet?

[Bueller_007]

Hmm, I'd also like to live and work in Japan one day. Being Vito's age, it's quite inspiring to know that someone else feels the same way I do. I, however, am more interested in working with computers or engineering.

What would be my best bet?

Well, most of those links up there are tech-related jobs, so browse through those and take a look at the job requirements.

I hesitate to say what you *should* do, but I think the options I laid out in my first post in this thread are pretty solid advice.

[Brody]

Just so you know, more and more law firms are looking for lawyers who have knowledge in Western law: real estate, mergers, what not. I hear there is a huge demand right now. If you got your law degree in the West and got on with an international law firm, you could be stationed in Japan. I do hear some bad stories that sometimes you're nothing more than a highly-paid paper carrier, but I hear a lot of good stories too. And the money's outrageous.

And, though I don't have much personal experience, I think that if you're fluent in Japanese, you can open many doors. Don't be frightened off by these stories of Japanese businesses that won't hire you just because you're a foreigner.

Mostly, I think if you're creative and do your homework, you can find a way to make it. Definetely make sure you do a study abroad here, for like a year, and see what it's like to live in Japan.

[JordanW]

Okay I'm rather young, so Im kinda "nooby", never the less I have an important question or two. I want to go into an IT related job, mostly programming and design, make software for companies etc. and its something I really enjoy doing, but since a very young age Ive had sort of an "attraction" towards Japan and Ive wanted to live there ever since, so I also want to work in Japan, in the computer industry. And I was wondering what would be best to do, reading through it seems like maybe become fluent in the language and try to go to university there and graduate is a good idea, but yet Im not to sure what I really should do, any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance

just if your curious, Im thirteen years old.

[snipcod]

I was wondering if any one knows about getting jobs in the emergency service field? Say fire fighter or EMT?

[Bueller_007]

I was wondering if any one knows about getting jobs in the emergency service field? Say fire fighter or EMT?

I'd say for something life-and-death like that you'd almost certainly need to be a native speaker. And I doubt you'd be able to get visa sponsorship for it anyway. Lots of Japanese people around to do that work... Maybe if you were married to a Japanese person.

[dmr214]

I work in an American investment bank in Tokyo, Japan. I was sent here by my company, not by choice. I would say that the best bet for a 15 year old to come to Japan would be to at first would be to finish up school (Uni) and while at University, study Japanese. Perhaps even do a study abroad in Japan. Going with a university will give you a chance to see the real Japan.

I would say in general it is much better to be here as a student or with a program such as JET rather than an actual full time worker. Although I work for an American bank, my hours are generally 9 - 11pm and you really cannot get a job which faces clients unless you speak very good Japanese. I think it would be wise to first go and study the things you love and like and then see if you can adapt them to something in Japan. The market is quite good here right now but when you are ready to come and work full time here maybe in 5 years, things could be different.

In the meantime, bone up on your Japanese, and keep studying. Opportunities open themselves up as you get older.

[osekihan]

大学そつぎようしてから日本に住みたい。　

For the job as a proofreader... How hard would that be to manage? Also, in business... Would a Human Resources Management or regular Management bachelor's degree do the trick?

[dmr214]

I think if you are proofreading English documents/books/whatever then you really shouldn't have any issues. However, doing HR in a firm in Japan will often force you to completely understand the Japanese policies and government procedures, so I'm thinking you will probably have to know a significant amount of Japanese.