2 years enough?

[kireikoori]

Hey, I'm just almost finished with my two year associates degree. And I've heard that you need a four year degree to get a working visa and work in Japan. But I'm not sure.

I'm only close to having my two year finished and I'm getting impatient. It's been nearly four years since I left Japan and the longing to be back is driving me crazy. But I don't want to go if I can't work. I'd like to stay in Japan a while and it would take a bit of work and saving up just for a short travel. I wouldn't want to get stuck in Japan with no money left and no ability to work.

What the heck would Japan do if some gaijin got stuck there? Having run out of money while staying, not enough college to get a working visa and not enough money to fly back home? :| Would they just pay for a ticket for the foreigner to get out anyway? Would the foreigner just starve?

I do have a place, a family I know will take care of me while I'm there so starving in Japan isn't a worry. But I don't want to burden them like that. I want to be able to hold my own. To pull my own weight.

I gotta go back ASAP and I want to stay a while. It's killing me I tell ya, killing me. Is there any way I can get a job in Japan on two years college?

 

[Mars Man]

Where there's a will, there's a way...well, it's basically so. I think Glenski has pointed out on a number of occasions, and I agree, though the likelihood is very small, it's not totally impossible to come over and get a job teaching English.

Now these folks who come from, say, Pakistan and get jobs on the road crews or dealing in used cars probably don't have a four year college degree in most cases, I wouldn't think. As for specifics, I can't help much, and for that I do apologize. j

I yet wonder though, why the pressure to do it so soon?

 

[Glenski]

Yup, practically zero chance to get a work visa. Strictly speaking, you need a bachelor's or equivalent or 3 years of work experience (for teaching jobs, anyway). Some people have reported on forums (if you can believe them) that they sneaked by with an associate's degree or less. Very few give details on how they (presumably) did that. I would not count on doing it.

Your chances of staying here and working long-term are far better if you can come with a degree in hand. Even if you disregard immigration's regulations (a silly thing to do, but let's do it for the sake of argument), I think you will find that most employers prefer people with degrees, even ones unrelated to teaching. They see such things as a mark of completion, or as a sign of academic worth, or whatever. Japanese people are very big on certificates, licenses, or degrees, even if they never use them. (Lots of "paper drivers" here.)

Ways to get in without a degree:
1) work visa is ok, but you need 3 years of experience.
2) student visa (more than one type, PT work only allowed with special permission)
3) cultural visa (PT work allowed only with special permission, craftsman needed as a sponsor)
4) dependent visa (if you are married to a non-Japanese with a valid visa here, PT work only allowed with special permission)
5) working holiday visa (limited nationalities can apply, limited lifespan of 12 or 18 months, limited to once in your life, age restriction)

 

[kireikoori]

My, what a bummer. Well, I guess I'll just have to keep up the college then. -__- I do hope I get to return to Japan for a while before I'm 26 or anything. As slow as I've been getting through college, that seems around the time it'll be happening.

 

[Mike Cash]

What the heck would Japan do if some gaijin got stuck there? Having run out of money while staying, not enough college to get a working visa and not enough money to fly back home?

I believe they require you to have a return ticket before granting you landing status. But I am the world's most infrequent flyer, so don't take my word on that.

And asking us for advice on how to hamstring your chances for a successful stay in Japan would be akin to asking a bunch of doctors for advice on how to chop your leg off.

 

[orochi]

Japan will deport you if they have to.

And having a four-year degree is your best option.
Why not spend a year or two abroad via your university?

 

[Homerduff]

Japan will deport you if they have to.

And having a four-year degree is your best option.
Why not spend a year or two abroad via your university?

Many (if not all) professional bachelors degrees here in Belgium are 3 years. That would be sufficient enough wouldn't it ?

 

[kireikoori]

Why not spend a year or two abroad via your university?

...how do I do that? Wait you mean go to school in Japan. I know I can't afford that. Nor do I think most colleges would let me in.

*sigh* Well..it seems that I could in fact do it on two years, but that it wouldn't be worth the trouble. If Japan wants me to be highly educated to work there, well then I better respect that. It's getting so tiresome though, I miss Japan more than words can say.

I'm getting quite tired of trying to experience Japan vicariously since last leaving. It's very hard to get ones hands on Japanese stuff here in the US, the best way to get it is on the net. And on the net only abuse waiting for you. Example: People calling you Wapanese or Weeaboo and saying things like "oh you just like those dirty Japanese because of that nasty anime crap don't you?" and other anti-Japan, anti-anyone who likes Japan statements. Because remember gais, Japan has to be perfect in order to not hate it like them! ARRRGH! I'm sick and tired of such Japan and Shinnichiha bashing, and acting like shinnichiha don't know about any flaws Japan has. Good God, it's not like the lynch foreigners!

Watching Japanese shows, going to forums like this, studying Japanese, listening to Japanese music...it's all just not enough. I'm only able to get bits and pieces over here. And those bits and pieces are just not enough. It's torture really. I really miss Japan and this all just isn't enough. And I don't know how to fill that gap enough to make me feel better right now without going to Japan. But I'll just have to wait it out I guess. More reason to make sure to pass my classes!

This sucks. -___-
Oh how refreshing it's going to be when I finally get to go back to Japan.

 

[Glenski]

Many (if not all) professional bachelors degrees here in Belgium are 3 years. That would be sufficient enough wouldn't it ?

Many people from places like Australia get 3-year bachelor's degrees. They get work visas. Whether immigration accepts such from a non-native-English-speaking country such as Belgium is up to immigration to decide. Besides, if you are Belgian, you are going to have a harder chance at landing an English-teaching job anyway.

 

[Glenski]

...how do I do that? Wait you mean go to school in Japan. I know I can't afford that. Nor do I think most colleges would let me in.

Then look for other options. Cultural visa, for example. No degree required, but it has a limited term, and you must study a craft under a master who sponsors you for the visa. Martial arts, pottery making, ikebana, etc.

*sigh* Well..it seems that I could in fact do it on two years, but that it wouldn't be worth the trouble.

Look, you are pretty darned young, and 2 years goes by fast. Plus, sit down and look at things realistically. If you truly want to come here that bad, you will make the effort to meet immigration's qualifications, or to earn enough money to come as a tourist. There is no other way unless you have a J girlfriend here that is willing to come to your home and marry you for a spouse visa. Harsh words, but realistic ones.

If Japan wants me to be highly educated to work there, well then I better respect that. It's getting so tiresome though, I miss Japan more than words can say.

Take this from a long-termer here... get real and stop whining.

#1. You don't have to be "highly educated" to work here. There are plenty of visas that permit work without a single degree. However...
#2. What chances do you think you have of finding anything better than entry level English teaching without any degree? Turn the situation around and ask what chances a non-American has of landing a decent job in the USA without the qualifications for a green card? Pretty slim to none.

Don't ask for loopholes in your situation. There pretty much aren't any, other than getting educated and learning more Japanese.

I'm getting quite tired of trying to experience Japan vicariously since last leaving. It's very hard to get ones hands on Japanese stuff here in the US, the best way to get it is on the net.

If you live in Arkansas, I believe it.

And on the net only abuse waiting for you. Example: People calling you Wapanese or Weeaboo and saying things like "oh you just like those dirty Japanese because of that nasty anime crap don't you?" and other anti-Japan, anti-anyone who likes Japan statements.

My advice is twfold:

don't go to those sites anymore, and
change your focus. If all you are interested in is anime, you have a pretty weak foundation for coming here to work. Employers will not take you seriously if you put that on a cover letter as background material for a reason to come here.

Because remember gais, Japan has to be perfect in order to not hate it like them! ARRRGH! I'm sick and tired of such Japan and Shinnichiha bashing, and acting like shinnichiha don't know about any flaws Japan has. Good God, it's not like the lynch foreigners!

I am not sure where you are going with this, but please be aware that lynching may not occur here, but there is a huge population that discriminates against foreigners here. The governor of Tokyo himself is a blatant racist and gets away with it. And, as of Nov.20, 2007, the government has just introduced a rats-nest of an immigration policy requiring practically all foreigners to be fingerprinted and photographed every time they enter the country. (See the other thread on this instead of warping this thread into that one, ok? Let's just stick to discussing your problem here. Resolutions have been given. It's up to you to choose which route to take. Whinging about a mere 2 years of education is pointless.)

 

[Mike Cash]

People always seem to act like Ishihara being a blatant racist and getting away with it is some sort of inexplicable mystery.

Do the math, folks, it ain't that hard.....He's a blatant racist, the electorate knows it, and they keep reelecting him. That tells you the electorate either agrees with him or doesn't consider it an issue. The fact that Ishihara is a blatant racist and in a position of power isn't half so bad as the fact that the electorate either actively wants that or is willing to accept that. That is the flip side of the Ishihara coin that I never see mentioned. Everybody jumps on Ishihara and gives the people who put him in office a total pass.

And what the hell is a "shinnichiha"?

OP, if you're constantly going on and on about Japan-this Japan-that Japan-the-other-thing blah blah blah blah blah then yeah you're going to annoy the piss out of the people around you and they're going to say some nasty crap to you. That would be true whatever the object of your obsession and wherever on the planet you happen to be. Tone it down.

 

[tokapi]

If one doesn't feel like home in own country,why & how would it be any better living in a foreign land with xenophobic native population

 

[kireikoori]

If all you are interested in is anime, you have a pretty weak foundation for coming here to work. Employers will not take you seriously if you put that on a cover letter as background material for a reason to come here.

No no no no. You misunderstand. I haven't watched anime in years even. I was just giving an example of Japan bashing. You try to stick up for one thing related to Japan and that's what people will say. It's a sort of stereotype that no matter what you do, people won't listen to otherwise.

Please please don't mix me up with the anime fanatics, because I'm most certainly NOT one. Haven't watched anime in forever, the majority of Japanese media I watch not is the TV Game show type stuff like YeahYeahYeah and Music Fighter. And I'm getting into Dorama too. But entertainment still only makes up one of many interests I have in Japan.

Then look for other options. Cultural visa, for example. No degree required, but it has a limited term, and you must study a craft under a master who sponsors you for the visa. Martial arts, pottery making, ikebana, etc.

Hmmm...you're right. I dunno about Martial arts though. I haven't taken Martial Arts in years, and that was Tae Kwon Do which is Korean, not Japan. This cultural visa doesn't sound like a very easy thing to get a hold of.

Look, you are pretty darned young, and 2 years goes by fast. Plus, sit down and look at things realistically. If you truly want to come here that bad, you will make the effort to meet immigration's qualifications, or to earn enough money to come as a tourist. There is no other way unless you have a J girlfriend here that is willing to come to your home and marry you for a spouse visa. Harsh words, but realistic ones.

Oh, I am quite willing. These four years since my last visit to Japan has moved slow to me. Doesn't seem like the next two will go by any quicker, but it will go by nonetheless. My though, if getting a Japanese girlfriend weren't appealing sounding enough, this only makes it more so.

Take this from a long-termer here... get real and stop whining.

#1. You don't have to be "highly educated" to work here. There are plenty of visas that permit work without a single degree. However...
#2. What chances do you think you have of finding anything better than entry level English teaching without any degree? Turn the situation around and ask what chances a non-American has of landing a decent job in the USA without the qualifications for a green card? Pretty slim to none.

Don't ask for loopholes in your situation. There pretty much aren't any, other than getting educated and learning more Japanese.

Whining? I prefer "expressing displeasure over circumstances". I'm not even all that sure about how the Green card thing of my own country works, but it seems a lot of people immigrate to this country. Doesn't seem that hard. At times entry level seems fine enough, I just want to live in Japan for a decent amount of time. So this entry level Japanese teaching you speak of at times seems tempting.

My advice is twfold:

don't go to those sites anymore, and
change your focus. If all you are interested in is anime, you have a pretty weak foundation for coming here to work. Employers will not take you seriously if you put that on a cover letter as background material for a reason to come here.

I do try to avoid such sites. But it seems every time I think I've found a site where it doesn't exist, I find myself sorely mistaken and it's quite riddled with such things.

I am not sure where you are going with this, but please be aware that lynching may not occur here, but there is a huge population that discriminates against foreigners here. The governor of Tokyo himself is a blatant racist and gets away with it. And, as of Nov.20, 2007, the government has just introduced a rats-nest of an immigration policy requiring practically all foreigners to be fingerprinted and photographed every time they enter the country. (See the other thread on this instead of warping this thread into that one, ok? Let's just stick to discussing your problem here. Resolutions have been given. It's up to you to choose which route to take. Whinging about a mere 2 years of education is pointless.)

I'm saying, that in my experience anytime you mention to someone you like Japan they go on a tirade of mentioning everything wrong about Japan. As if to change your mind on the matter. Sure, Japan may have it's share of xenophobia/nationalism, but it's not like they're lynching foreigners. I don't see why people make it a point to focus on the negative. And yours and Mike Cash's statement just further proves my point.

And what the hell is a "shinnichiha"?

親日派 - Wikipedia
親日 - Wikipedia

OP, if you're constantly going on and on about Japan-this Japan-that Japan-the-other-thing blah blah blah blah blah then yeah you're going to annoy the piss out of the people around you and they're going to say some nasty crap to you. That would be true whatever the object of your obsession and wherever on the planet you happen to be. Tone it down.

.....what? Since this is a Japan forum I'm going to assume people in my town. I don't even talk about it. Only one person in my main circle of friends at my college knows I even listen to Japanese music.

If one doesn't feel like home in own country,why & how would it be any better living in a foreign land with xenophobic native population

Please stay on topic, your words have nothing to do with, my, the OPs topic. Nobody here claimed it would be easier living in a foreign land with a xenophobic native population.

If you're asking what would make me long to be back in Japan so, it's because of the people in Japan I stayed with that I miss and the longing to experience Japan again firsthand. Xenophobic country or not, it's not something I can experience here in the US. Why & how is xenophobia to be the be all end of what makes a country worth visiting or not? And who in this thread doesn't feel like home in their own country? Obviously not me. I guess you have no interest in ever going to Japan tokapi, they're too xenophobic for you.

See, there we go. And tokapi is doing the whole stereotype thing again. I don't know what site I'll be able to get away from this crap, but it's certainly not here. Everything I've expressed disgust for in this thread has now in this thread. Congratulations guys. This has just become another "lol I bet u like dem stuppid japn cuz of that anime crap why would anybody wanna go to dirty japan lololol". This is a Japan forum, you guys shouldn't be doing this.

Oh, and Glenski, why's that fingerprinting thing a big deal? To my knowledge they do that here in the US as well, do they not?

You know, the way people like you talk, it'd make people think that Japan simply HATES all foreigners. And that by wanting to travel there you're disrespecting the wishes of Japanese people. My, I didn't realize the only way to express a liking for Japan is to stay in my own country and not burden them with my presence. Apparently English teaching is one of those Shikata ga Nai things. They don't the presence of any nasty dirty subhuman gaijin in their country, but they put up with a handful just because they're so desperate to learn English. And this isn't just a very or even half, but ALL Japan, they ALL hate us and view us as worthless subhumans. Better watch out Glenski, they might try to ethnically cleanse you while you're there!