Auto Technician

I was wondering if you guys could help me out. I am currently living in America working at a BMW dealership as a technician. I really want to move to Japan (obviously) and considering I didn't go to college, just technical training, do you think it would be possible for me to obtain a job at a dealership as a technician? I originally thought I could get by with a work visa under the "skilled labor" section stating:

A person with at least 10 years' experience in manufacture or repair of products special to foreign countries (including the period of time spent studying at educational institutions in a foreign country while majoring in the skills concerned) who is to engage in a job requiring such skills.

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And then I saw it said I needed 10 years experience ... Is there any way around this or is there anything I can do to get my foot in the door?

it would help if you spoke Japanese...

nice gaijin said:

it would help if you spoke Japanese...

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Especially when he goes to take the required professional licensing test.

nice gaijin said:

it would help if you spoke Japanese...

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Thanks for the well thought out response! Like I didn't know that.

gtxtom said:

Thanks for the well thought out response! Like I didn't know that.

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You didn't answer, shall we take that as a no?

nice gaijin said:

You didn't answer, shall we take that as a no?

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That wasn't even a question, so no I didn't answer, and no I don't speak it FLUENTLY. I know some, but it's not like I'm moving this year. It's a couple years down the road. I'm just trying to find out how to get there.

gtxtom said:

That wasn't even a question, so no I didn't answer, and no I don't speak it FLUENTLY. I know some, but it's not like I'm moving this year. It's a couple years down the road. I'm just trying to find out how to get there.

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So in the next couple of years you're going to progress from knowing "some" to being able to read/write Japanese well enough to pass the professional licensing exam? You have a plan for that?

Just forget it. Sorry I registered.

Yes I have a plan. Are you done being rude?

gtxtom said:

Just forget it. Sorry I registered.

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I'm not trying to judge one way or the other, just curious why you're interested in moving to Japan ? Have you ever been ? Because you can't tell weather or not you will like living in a country until you actually go there, that's for sure. You can't make a judgment until you get the whole story.


And welcome to the boards ! Try your best and just force your way through learning Japanese, and it will be worth it in the end !

gtxtom said:

Yes I have a plan. Are you done being rude?

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In what way have I been rude to you?

I provided a link to some extremely pertinent information and you didn't so much as acknowledge it. Some might consider that rude.

If you want some informed practical advice on achieving your goal, there are several people here who can help you out with that. We'll take your plan just as seriously as you take it yourself. That may involve telling you things you'd really rather not hear, but which are accurate. If you'd rather hear the uninformed impractical rah-rah feel-good cheer leading posts, we have people who can provide those too. If you're serious about your life, which of the two would you rather hear from? People who tell you what you want to hear? Or people who tell you what you need to know?

I'll ask again....what is your plan?

Mike Cash said:

In what way have I been rude to you?
I provided a link to some extremely pertinent information and you didn't so much as acknowledge it. Some might consider that rude.
If you want some informed practical advice on achieving your goal, there are several people here who can help you out with that. We'll take your plan just as seriously as you take it yourself. That may involve telling you things you'd really rather not hear, but which are accurate. If you'd rather hear the uninformed impractical rah-rah feel-good cheer leading posts, we have people who can provide those too. If you're serious about your life, which of the two would you rather hear from? People who tell you what you want to hear? Or people who tell you what you need to know?
I'll ask again....what is your plan?

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The way you and gaijin both wrote your responses seemed very condesending to me like there's no chance you'll ever make it. My plan was to learn from Berlitz near me after work in addition to just reading up and learning as much as I can about the language. I've already looked up visa info and I planned on getting my international driving permit (can't post urls yet, but I'm sure you know what I'm talking about) which, from my understanding, can be used in Japan. I assume as long as I'm not a permanent resident of Japan, I wouldn't need a Japanese license the moment I get over there, am I right?
The main reason I posted here was because I don't have much info on how Japanese dealerships are run among other things. I'm sure most people here don't either, but it doesn't hurt to ask. I become a "master" MINI technician in about 2 and a half years and I assume that that would make me seem much more valuable to a Japanese dealership (hopefully).

Elizabeth said:

I'm not trying to judge one way or the other, just curious why you're interested in moving to Japan ? Have you ever been ? Because you can't tell weather or not you will like living in a country until you actually go there, that's for sure. You can't make a judgment until you get the whole story.


And welcome to the boards ! Try your best and just force your way through learning Japanese, and it will be worth it in the end !

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I have never been to Japan, but I just moved out of my parents at the beginning of this year and haven't had time to save for much of anything yet. Please don't mistake that for immaturity. It's obviously on my to do list so I can see what it's like as well as scope out some possible dealerhips. It would be stupid of me to email some random dealer on mini.jp and ask to work there without ever stepping foot inside a MiNI dealer in Japan. As to why I want to go ... it's always appealed to me. Culture, music, language, sights (I know it's not like the movies!). Hopefully I won't have to force myself to learn. It's been fun so far and I hope it stays that way.

You're wise to look into visa eligibility requirements early on. You'd be surprised the number of people who don't. Unfortunately, for those without a college degree or a Japanese spouse establishing eligibility can range anywhere from frustrating to entirely impossible.

You can drive on an international permit here. The larger issue is going to be passing the mechanic's exam....which is mandated by the national government. It's one thing to know the material from previous training and experience. It is another thing altogether to be able to pass an exam on it written in Japanese.

I'm not here to discourage you. I'd like to see somebody with an idea like yours finally actually go through with it and make good on it. We get a pretty constant stream of similar inquiries that fizzle up and die at the first mention of actual work being involved.

Mike Cash said:

You're wise to look into visa eligibility requirements early on. You'd be surprised the number of people who don't. Unfortunately, for those without a college degree or a Japanese spouse establishing eligibility can range anywhere from frustrating to entirely impossible.

You can drive on an international permit here. The larger issue is going to be passing the mechanic's exam....which is mandated by the national government. It's one thing to know the material from previous training and experience. It is another thing altogether to be able to pass an exam on it written in Japanese.

I'm not here to discourage you. I'd like to see somebody with an idea like yours finally actually go through with it and make good on it. We get a pretty constant stream of similar inquiries that fizzle up and die at the first mention of actual work being involved.

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I'm ready to work for it, believe me. The visa thing is quite discouraging, though. 7 years (10 years required by MoFA minus my experience) is quite a ways away before legally being able to apply for a worker visa under the category "skilled labor". There has to be some other way though?

Sorry, I thought your link you posted up top was just for Japanese driver's license. Thanks for the heads up.

It would be faster to go to college and get a degree if you are still 7 years short on work experience. And trust me, you really don't want to be a foreigner here without a college degree anyway.

That sounds like a good plan, but that's a plan involving several tens of thousands of dollars ... :redface: I'd also rather not leave the country with a ton of debt.

Well how do some teachers get over there without degrees?

We're not all teachers.

And some people do work their way through college and come out with zero or minimal debt.

People get teaching jobs far more easily because the regulations are lax. One only needs a bachelor's degree (any major) or 3 years of experience. No language requirements. Also, a working holiday visa does not require a degree (Americans are not eligible, though). Some people teach on their spouse visa (married to a Japanese) or dependent visa (married to a foreigner who has a work visa). Most of the time, teachers have degrees, though.

You sound as if you have only 3 years of technician experience. Is there any way around that? Sadly, no. You could come on a student visa or cultural activities visa, but those would probably not be renewed for more than a few years, and even though you could work PT on them, you would still face immense hurdles with language among other things.

Another random thought -- if there are internships for your field, or if you can get an intracompany transfer visa, those would get you here without a degree. But I don't really see as either one exists, so poke around and check.

Stay home for a while. If your goal is truly to come here and work, then get what it takes.

You've never been here, yet you want to come and live? Unrealistic, if you don't mind my saying. I've been here over a decade, and I see posts like yours a lot. Get over here on a vacation and actually see what it's like to some degree. Vacations are not like living (or working) here, though, so keep that strongly in mind. You may still like the culture but not like other things. Plenty of people have the feelings you do, but they don't realize this. People like Mike and I are just trying to head off disappointment.

One more thing. International driving permits are only good for your first 12 months here. After that, you have to get a Japanese license. That means taking a written and driving test. Plenty of people fail the driving test, no matter how experienced they are back home. Costs about US$100 in cumulative fees just to apply the first time (less thereafter, but still not cheap). Just a thought.