Living in Japan - a feasible life's desire?

[osekihan]

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.

Whoa, you're 100% right. Thank you so much.

What about going to Japan via a company in the USA? Is it feasible or are they only part time stays?

[dmr214]

osekihan,
If you go with a company that is outside of Japan, like one from USA or from Europe (like some English/German firm) you should have no problems. Most companies help you find housing, set up your bank accounts and move your stuff to a new apartment (or the apartment that you choose to live in). It's very nice to do it that way. I think the trend these days is that they move people in 1 of 2 ways. The first way is called EXPAT. Expat is when the company will move you and your family and pay for your childrens schooling and give you an apartment with a nice salary etc... . As you can imagine these positions are quite hard to come by because you need to be very good to get them. With that said, there is another more common type called LOCAL EMPLOYEE. This is as if the company treats you like you were a local person, or a Japanese person. I am not considered an expat myself and I am a local employee. I find that being a local employee forces you to really live in the culture and is a wonderful experience. These positions are easy to come by in any global firm. If you are into Wall St and finance and business and stuff you can work for any major bank like Merrill Lynch, JP Morgan, etc... and after a year or two transfer over. I think thats what most people do, and they usually provide language training as well. So there are many opportunities out there besides teaching english. Just take your time, enjoy what you do and keep on moving towards your goal of living in Japan and you will definitely get there!

[osekihan]

Oh my. Japanese policies. Now, that'd be a bit over my head...

What are the best majors (non science/hardcore math related) for a person who wants to live in Japan after college? (With good pay, etc., etc.)