Graduate from college if you want to live in Japan.

[Luca]

I´m maybe one of these dreamer kids, but i´m sure i have the knowledge i nedd to live in japan. in two years, i will finish school and my dream is to go to a japanese university to study law and after that, i want to stay in japan, work and live there. i speak english fluently, i still improve it until i will have finished school and i learn the japanese language, so there are still two years to speak it well enough to understans what´s said and written in japan. now tell me please : is it possible to fulfill my dream, what do i have to do in order to stay and study there, are two years of lerning japanese enough?
i´d be glad whether you answer me
luca

[godwine]

Originally Posted by Luca

I´m maybe one of these dreamer kids, but i´m sure i have the knowledge i nedd to live in japan. in two years, i will finish school and my dream is to go to a japanese university to study law and after that, i want to stay in japan, work and live there. i speak english fluently, i still improve it until i will have finished school and i learn the japanese language, so there are still two years to speak it well enough to understans what´s said and written in japan. now tell me please : is it possible to fulfill my dream, what do i have to do in order to stay and study there, are two years of lerning japanese enough?
i´d be glad whether you answer me
luca

Thats a good plan, at least its a plan that has "University" in it. So you should be fine. I am not sure if 2 years of learning Japanese is enough, especially LAW is a discipline that require expertise in the specific language in wherever you are practicing.

To alphaduck's note above. What MMM and the rest of us are saying is that, to achieve something, you need to have something to offer. Its a very basic concept of life, you want a car with specific requirements, you need to first be able to afford these requirements. Same thing with migration. You want to move to a country, the country has requirements that you need to meet in order to get a job in the country

Its true, there are no black and white rule saying that "One must have a valid University degree to Japan", however, if you read through the entire thread, this is what we are suggesting

1. To live in Japan (or anywhere) you need $$
2. To make that money you need a job that pays you the $$
3. To get a decent job in Japan, the first thing they look for is a University degree

So essetially, getting a university degree is ONE of the ways to get you in the door, and probably the easiest and most direct way to get this job.

Many have suggested jobs like construction, store clerk etc. You have to put yourself in the shoes of the employer, with job like these, what is the benefit for them to hire a foreigner instead local Japanese?

Ruling out these jobs, you are going to start looking at something more professional, professional jobs that you need to be a subject matter expert, an expertise that you can either gain through experience or from school. While lacking the local Japanese experience, your best bet is school, that piece of paper so call a Degree, IS a proof of this expertise.

Guys, be realistic, you need to start understanding how this world operates.

Another thing for people who is graduating soon. Just so you know, I am not making this up, I am a manager myself, and I do a lot of hiring. We do ask for transcript to see the candidate's shool mark. Some will think that we choose people with good score, but do you know the reason behind this? Its not because someone with a GPA 4.0 can do a better job than someone with a GPA of 2.0. But this score is reflective of how well one learn.. yes the learning ability.

There you have it, education IS important if you want to get a decent job. And for jobs in Japan, they really have no reason to sponsor someone who can't even proof that they have expertise in what they do.

[spicytuna]

Originally Posted by godwine

Many have suggested jobs like construction, store clerk etc. You have to put yourself in the shoes of the employer, with job like these, what is the benefit for them to hire a foreigner instead local Japanese?

It really amazes me how some people are willing to move to another country where they're putting themselves at an obvious disadvantage.

I have some Japanese Canadian friends with university degrees and excellent Japanese skills (for a Canadian) who are currently living in Japan. Most of them moved to Japan shortly after graduation and they've pretty much integrated themselves into Japanese society as they work regular salary-jobs where they hardly use any English.

Fifteen years later, their Japanese still isn't at a native level and they're still working junior to medium level positions! Not to mention their 90 minute commutes, 50hr weeks, lack of financial stability, etc. Needless to say, most of them are regretting their career choices but they also realize that the skills they've learned are not exactly useful back in N.America as well.

Talk about bad planning! If they had at least taken some time to make themselves a little more marketable, ie. emphasize their ability to speak English rather than Japanese in Japan, perhaps they'd be living a better life...

[godwine]

Originally Posted by spicytuna

It really amazes me how some people are willing to move to another country where they're putting themselves at an obvious disadvantage.

I have some Japanese Canadian friends with university degrees and excellent Japanese skills (for a Canadian) who are currently living in Japan. Most of them moved to Japan shortly after graduation and they've pretty much integrated themselves into Japanese society as they work regular salary-jobs where they hardly use any English.

Fifteen years later, their Japanese still isn't at a native level and they're still working junior to medium level positions! Not to mention their 90 minute commutes, 50hr weeks, lack of financial stability, etc. Needless to say, most of them are regretting their career choices but they also realize that the skills they've learned are not exactly useful back in N.America as well.

Talk about bad planning! If they had at least taken some time to make themselves a little more marketable, ie. emphasize their ability to speak English rather than Japanese in Japan, perhaps they'd be living a better life...

Career planning is a big thing. A lot of people who voiced out how much they want to move to Japan either have the wrong reasons for it, or they don't qualify for it and kept dreaming about it.

I speak 4 different languages, and one of them IS Japanese, not natively fluent, but good enough. I have an electrical engineering background with a master in Info. Sys. Management. I have 12 years of working experience in the software testing field, from low level software, to robotics controller, to financial software. I also have certificates in photography as well as several international certification for teaching martial art (Not trying to show off. read on).

With a background like this, I thought I can easily find an employer in Japan who will sponsor me. Back in 2005, I started looking for a job in Japan, only because I really like and miss that country. For 2 years I searched, not even a single phone call for an interview after submitting easily over a hundred resume over the course of 2 years. Reason? Simple, it cost too much to sponsor someone for skills that they may not need. What I possess is not what they are looking for, and what they are looking for can easily be filled by a local engineer with limited English ability.

That said, all these people who make all kind of statement of "if you have the will you can move there", or "You don't need a university degree, you just need to be the best" sorry, but the Japanese employers are looking for something more realistic.

[MMM]

Well put, Godwine.

I think people confuse this outdated notion of Japanese school girls fawning over the blond exchange student and Japanese employers fawning over foreign employees, and it just doesn't work like that.

I have worked for probably 4 or 5 different Japanese bosses in my working career. Although my Japanese colleagues never seemed to have a problem with working with a foreigner, bosses are a whole different story. Older, conservative men don't like question marks, squeaky wheels, and change. Guess who is on the hiring committee.

[mercedesjin]

Teaching English in Japan is a popular option and a great choice in my opinion. It's a good way to pay off student loans and other bills, and a way to get out into the world with a good support system offered by various programs.

[spicytuna]

Originally Posted by godwine

With a background like this, I thought I can easily find an employer in Japan who will sponsor me. Back in 2005, I started looking for a job in Japan, only because I really like and miss that country. For 2 years I searched, not even a single phone call for an interview after submitting easily over a hundred resume over the course of 2 years. Reason? Simple, it cost too much to sponsor someone for skills that they may not need. What I possess is not what they are looking for, and what they are looking for can easily be filled by a local engineer with limited English ability.

Or you could have applied at a Yoshinoya's.

Well... maybe that's just me. Hehehe!

[MMM]

Originally Posted by spicytuna

Or you could have applied at a Yoshinoya's.

Well... maybe that's just me. Hehehe!

You can apply to the Yoshinoya's in Southern California, but not any one in Japan.

[spicytuna]

Originally Posted by MMM

You can apply to the Yoshinoya's in Southern California, but not any one in Japan.

Actually, I wouldn't be able to work in the USA without a green card.

Is there any reason I couldn't apply to one in Japan?

[Wasabista]

Spicytuna, yes there is. It's because Japanese people are capable of doing the job. Work permits are available to people who can show that they have a talent in scarce supply.