Oppertunities for me to get a job in japan.. ?

[bluestar887]

I know, another one of those threads again, but i'd really appreciate it if some of you would take the time to read this and give me some advice!

I'm a 21 y/o female (will turn 22 in the summer) from Holland. I don't have a University degree. I do have a diploma for a lab.tech education, but holland's education system is quite different from others I think, so i find it hard to explain this.. Anyway, I do work for a university right now, on a DNA lab ,but I do work that matches my education, obviously.

Okay, so I have been interested in Japan for 5/6 years by now and master a little of the basics.. I'm going to do a course this year and hopefully advance a lot! I've visited japan 3 times for holiday purposes and will return again in 2011. I really love it there..

So, yes. I'd love to go over there and try to get a job, preferably in teaching english, I suppose. Since i'm interested in languages in the first place and it seems great to me . I have a contract right now so this won't happen for the next 2/3 years.. which gives me time to safe up and work on my japanese and teaching skills. (I'm also planning on getting my TEFL certificate and such.)

So my big question is, would I qualify for a working visa, even though i don't have a bachelor/uni degree? Would i stand a chance to find a job in teaching english?

Any tips and advice is more than welcome ~!

[spicytuna]

Originally Posted by bluestar887

So my big question is, would I qualify for a working visa, even though i don't have a bachelor/uni degree? Would i stand a chance to find a job in teaching english?

I think it's highly unlikely.

First of all, the native language of the Netherlands is Dutch is it not? I believe you have to be from a country where English is its native language to qualify for an English teaching position.

More importantly however, your lack of a degree would be the biggest obstacle. The work visa guidelines clearly state that you'll need a degree or relevant work experience in that field. (I think it was 8 years?)

[mackerel]

there are some ways you can work in Japan, I guess. Only wild guess(I'm Japanese, by the way). Perhaps you could come and visit where you want to work and tell them you want to work there. In time you would get some job offers. Sorry I can't give you any practical pieces of advice...

[RobinMask]

Originally Posted by spicytuna

I think it's highly unlikely.

First of all, the native language of the Netherlands is Dutch is it not? I believe you have to be from a country where English is its native language to qualify for an English teaching position.

More importantly however, your lack of a degree would be the biggest obstacle. The work visa guidelines clearly state that you'll need a degree or relevant work experience in that field. (I think it was 8 years?)

To add to that I'm pretty certain you need to have at least twelve years education in a place that speaks English natively (I think there are exceptions, but I can't remember what). To get a visa you really do need a bachelor's degree or higher too; like 'spicytuna' said above, it's actually one of the visa requirements.

It might be easier to go for a job in the area that you have experience and qualifications in. A TEFL qualification will be useful to you, but it might not help you to find a job in teaching English unless you have a degree to go with it. If your passion is teaching (rather than specifically Japan) you can go anywhere in Europe (assuming you're a European citizen) without a visa, and teach English as a foriegn language with just a TEFL or equivilant.