clear answers

stephan · 5 Oct 2005

hello to everyone

i start this thread because when i was looking other similar threads to find the info i wanted ...i get more confuzed and with more questions than answers.

My simple questions that need equally simple(if there is) and clear answers are

1) if i have a good knowledge of the japanese language but without having a degree ,can i work and live in japan for any time i want???

2) Now the opposite...if i have a degree but without knowledge of japanese language at all....,can i work and live there??

yes i know there are a bazillion threads in this place about that .....but call me stupid or idiot,but as i tell before everytime i read this threads i get more confuzed.

the real reason i make this thread is because this year i have to make a difficult decision......either i will start a college or i will start to learn japanese in a school,one way or another ...my main objective is to get the hell out of here(greece) and the sooner possible to start a new life in japan.

ofcourse i dont expect to find the paradise in japan,i know very well that the first years for me there will be very very difficult and maybe they will make me to rethink my decision to come there....but my love and my passion for this country and the ppl, will make me overcome any difficultys that i will have in the future there

Anyway i hope not to tired you and i expect some advices from the people who live there.

thanks

thanx

budd · 5 Oct 2005

like everything else in japan, its on a case-by-case basis
plus who one knows plays a (huge?) part in it

so do both and some others and be done with it
gl hth

GaijinPunch · 5 Oct 2005

What plays a bigger (huger?) part is having a degree. To get a working visa, you have to have either a 4-year university degree, or a 10 years professional work experience. I don't think they'll even consider you without a degree under 28, and probably not even 30.

If you're wanting to live in Japan long term -- get your degree. Even if not, you should get it anyway.

epigene · 5 Oct 2005

Gaijin Punch's advice is right. Go get your degree first.

You may be able to manage to come to Japan now, but you'll find life here difficult without higher education and may be forced to leave right away. Long-term stay requires that you have some professional skill that is needed in Japan. Gambattene!

budd · 5 Oct 2005

ahahahahaha @ huger?

DoctorP · 5 Oct 2005

Bottom line is...the degree will serve you much better than a knowledge of the language. What I don't understand is...why can't you study Japanese while you work on your degree? Kill two birds with one stone so to speak!

GaijinPunch · 5 Oct 2005

CC1 said:
Kill two birds with one stone so to speak!

This is the obvious point I forgot to mention. Believe it or not, you can learn a lot of Japanese even in a moderate university program. It requires passion and time, but it can be done (and you get your degree as well). Remember though, what you learn in 4 years of university you will double or more in about 4 months of living in Japan (if you study and apply it).

RE: Huger:
Just having some fun.

EDIT: 4 years in university = 4 months in Japan.

stephan · 5 Oct 2005

thank you all for the crystal clear answers

all the way for the degree so.

but i always wonder when you say about a degree ,you talk about a Master

or a bachelor degree or it dosent matter which one?

lexico · 5 Oct 2005

From what I've heard, a bachelors' degree is what they require of a foreigner for a language teaching position in Japan. Just for comparison, for a Japanese to teach Japanese in the US for example, they ask for at least a masters' degree; still many hold a phd, making for a huger, more daunting competition. A bit unfair, innit ? ;-)

mr.sumo.snr · 5 Oct 2005

stephan said:
thank you all for the crystal clear answers

all the way for the degree so.

but i always wonder when you say about a degree ,you talk about a Master

or a bachelor degree or it dosent matter which one?

A three-year UK or four-year North American degree course is generally the minimum. Or whatever the equivalent might be in your country.

A Masters level, or post-graduate diploma level additional qualification will open up the wonderful world of university and junior college teaching - should the notion of teaching giggling young female adults appeal (works for me I must say).

It's basically IMPOSSIBLE not to be able to find work in Japan with a degree-level education under your belt.

I've known English teachers recruited on the spot in coffee shops in Shinjuku simply because they were carrying around their degree certificates (true story). I've also know English teachers who couldn't find an indirect object with a flashlight secure well-paid work in the public school system - yes, they had degrees. The opportunities for work are excellent - with a degree.

stephan · 5 Oct 2005

CC1 said:
Bottom line is...the degree will serve you much better than a knowledge of the language. What I don't understand is...why can't you study Japanese while you work on your degree? Kill two birds with one stone so to speak!

because in the morning i work and the afternoon i will go to the college

so as you understand there is no more time for me......the only solution i can think for the language is only if i study in the summers which is the only free period of the year.

And something else......my bachelor degree will have nothing to do with be English teacher.........it will be something about 3d animation or photography

i will have any chances or opportunities in this fields in japan

or is better to look for something else?

Mandylion · 6 Oct 2005

There are lots of Japanese IT jobs floating on the web out there, but I haven't seen animation or photography postings (and I check online job listings about once a month and have been for about two years). A career in those fields will require connections...

Are there no jobs / companies in Greece (or other region) in your field that have some kind of connection or relationship to a Japanese firm? If there are, you could - for example - get a degree, go work in the field of your choice for a company with some Japanese connection, build up a resume, network for a few years, study Japanese in your free time and, with a little bit of luck, eventually move to Japan in under a decade (sounds like a long time, but remember, you are being productive for that decade (job skills, language, networking)).

Davey · 6 Oct 2005

get a degree, the japanese lanquage you can always learn i think!!! Follow your dreams, do what you think that will make you happy!!! Ganbaremasu

stephan · 6 Oct 2005

Dutch Baka said:
get a degree, the japanese lanquage you can always learn i think!!! Follow your dreams, do what you think that will make you happy!!! Ganbaremasu

i will.......i dont have any more option in my age (32yo) than try,and thank you for your encouraging words. in the mean time i think is a good idea
to start looking for making friends in japan(through Net),
i m sure in the future their help will be valuable to me

Anyway this is my last post in this thread...and one last favour from all
of you.

wish me luck.....i will need it in the difficult path i choose

Arigatoo to all of you

stephan

clear answers

stephan

後輩

budd

先輩

GaijinPunch

遠いから行きません

epigene

相変わらず不束者です

budd

先輩

DoctorP

先輩

GaijinPunch

遠いから行きません

stephan

後輩

lexico

後輩

mr.sumo.snr

Gavin Gives Italian Ducks

stephan

後輩

Mandylion

Omnipotence personified

Davey

先輩

stephan

後輩

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