vet in japan?

[louisejapanese]

Hi, I'm not sure if anyone could help me with this, but it's something that's really bothering me.
I'm currently a 1st year veterinary science student studying in England, and am extremely interested in Japan and Japanese culture. In my gap year last year I spent 2 weeks there (doesn't sound like long but I did a lot in the time!), and am desperate to go back. However, this is very difficult as I need to do work placements at vets/farms etc during my holidays, and the studying seems endless. Plus there's the money issue.
I'm trying to learn Japanese whenever I can, but at the moment am only at a basic level. The Japanese population here is very low and I don't have time to take formal Japanese classes.
However, I am perservering with it, and can't stop thinking about the concept of working as a veterinarian in Japan. I know it sounds a bit crazy, but it's my dream.
My degree is a BVSc; I'm not sure what the qualifications are for veterinarians in Japan. I'm also trying to find out about postgraduate veterinary degrees, as I am not ruling out working in research, but it's hard to find out more about it as there doesn't seem to be much information online.
Anyway, to sum up my problem is that I would like to eventually work as a veterinarian in Japan, but don't know how I'd go about it.

Thanks a lot!

[WingsToDiscovery]

The first question you need to ask yourself is, Why would anyone hire you when they can hire a citizen/native Japanese speaker who can perform the same job just as well? What can you bring to the table as a foreigner with basic Japanese trying to work in a heavily technical field? Because of your job, you'll not only need to learn just standard Japanese, but also all medical/technical terms that come with working in that type of job, which is a long road ahead. I don't mean to sound like a downer, but this is something a lot of people don't realize. There are plenty of people here who can do the same job with no language/cultural/citizenship barrier.

[dogsbody70]

surely you should concentrate on studying for being a vet. that is hard enough. maybe later specialise in certain animals etc.


surely also if you had to communicate with clients your japanese language skills should be perfect.

[kitaQ]

Hi louisejapanese!

I think I'm in a similar position and just thought I'd comment.

I am also a 1st year vet student. I would also like to work in Japan if it is possible, but I haven't figured out how to do it yet either. I am going to Japan over my summer break and will volunteer at a small animal clinic. Do you know if any of your professors have contacts in Japan? I asked around and found a faculty member who helped set me up with a vet in Japan.

The workload of the vet curriculum is tough, but keep trying to fit some Japanese studying in! For me, studying Japanese is a nice break from studying the endless material from vet school.

I think proficiency in Japanese is crucial, and I don't know if I can get to a good enough level by the time I graduate. But I'm going to try and see what happens. I want to be proficient enough so I would be able to sit for the exam in Japan. One of my professors also suggested specializing. She said that if you specialize, you would probably be able to work internationally because you will be an expert in a specific field (thus highly coveted anywhere, apparently).

Also found this in an article: "[In Japan] there will be a shortage of veterinarians in companion animal practices unless their efficiency in providing veterinary sevices increases." http://www.izs.it/vet_italiana/2008/44_2/297.pdf

Maybe it is crazy to want to work as a vet in Japan. It'll be difficult I'm sure, but I don't believe it is impossible if you really want it.

Best of luck!

[Jeikobu]

I'm thinking of training to be a vet tech, and Japan is the only place I want to be. How is the situation for Japan for vet techs and vet assistants? Are they in demand? What is their average salary? I've searched online but am having trouble coming up with much for results. I'm not fluent in Japanese so I know I'm at a great disadvantage, but I want to know my theoretical chances.

[masaegu]

You guys are hilarious.

"Is it possible for me to ~~?"
"Do they accept ~~?"
"Where's the information?"

Everything you need to know about becoming a vet in Japan is on the internet and it is naturally in that country's language. If you can't google in Japanese freely, that tells me a lot about the chances of you working as vets in Japan.

Here are some sample questions of the national exam that you must pass to become a vet. Take a look.

http://www.maff.go.jp/j/council/zyui...f/62_hissu.pdf