Quote:
Originally Posted by MMM
Glad to be of help, John.
1) on the JET program you get a one year visa that can be renewed up to to times (three years total). They do not encourage people looking for other work while you are there, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't at least look. Your contract is exclusive (though I had another part-time job while I was there... the school just didn't know about it.)
2) Don't worry about taking any teaching or education classes (unless that interests you). You would be applying for ALT: Assistant Language Teacher. You would help a Japanese native speaker(s) with her classes. Every situation is different, but I was almost never in the classroom alone with students.
3) I had no friends in Japan where I lived. (I was outside of Osaka, and my closest friends were in Tokyo and Kyushu.) You will make friends with local JETS soon (if you apply to JET), but since I was a Japanese major I preferred to hang out with Japanese people. The neighborhood adopted me immediately.
4) The bad news: The chances of landing a job a game company in Japan are slim and none UNLESS you are fluent (and I mean FLUENT) and have something the Japanese designers don't... (good luck). Visa sponsorship is very difficult, and is almost exclusive to Foreign Language Schools.
|
Oh wow, so you mean I could apply to be a foreign language teacher without having taken courses or getting any sort of certifcation? So I'd simply get in contact with the JET program (or an alternative English teaching company) once I've gotten a 4 year degree in any field and apply? No sort of schooling in teaching English necessary?
#3 is pretty encouraging. That's really good news. You said you're a Japanese major. What do you mean by this? Do you mean you appear to be Japanese or of Japanese descent? I'm sure no doubt it helps but what if you don't? How accepting are the neighborhoods to gaijins eager to adapt to the Japanese lifestyle?
As far as visas go, once you are nearing the end of your 2'nd renewal (3'rd year in Japan), how would you look into obtaining a visa to stay longer? I believe you need to've been in Japan for 5 years before you can apply for permanent residence as a Japanese citizen. Do you need to have a friend in Japan who's a permanent resident have this done somehow for you? I know you need to have at least a 3'rd grade Japanese reading and writing comprehension level when it comes time to prove your Japanese competance for citizenship.
#4 was exactly what I was expecting. This brings me to what I wanted to ask should you have given me that answer. What kind of work is widely available to gaijins in Japan? What kind of degrees are going to help a gaijin in Japan?
Once again, thanks a bunch for the responses.