antantrevolution said:
@Mike - What about if my Japanese isn't so great now, even with a spousal Visa, I can find a decent amount of work?
Ant
Like you, I don't have a college degree. I went a couple of years in the US, and went for a year in Japan on one of those Ministry of Education scholarship thingies, but no degree.
I have to warn up front that so long as you work in fields where foreigners traditionally work (read that "eikaiwa" for purposes of this thread), the lack of a degree will slam a lot of doors in your face. They don't give a damn how well a person can or can not teach English, as a general thing. And that holds whether a person has a degree or not. The role of the eikaiwa teacher at the eikaiwa mills (Nova, Geos, Aeon) is
not the effective teaching of English. The mere illusion of teaching will suffice.
Now, there are lots of smaller schools which aren't so particular. And some of the large ones will take you on without a degree if you are already in-country, with a visa, and ready to fill a slot for them. (I worked at our local Nova when it opened up).
A small number of foreigners, most of whom actually care if their students learn anything or not, go into business for themselves. Some manage to make a living. Some make relatively big bucks and live the life of Riley.
Some people opt out of the eikaiwa scene entirely. In large cities like Tokyo, you can find foreigners working in bars, restaurants, etc. Typically those that cater at least in part to a foreign customer base. Japanese ability, job skills, and your circle of connections can broaden the area of employment you can try for. In my case, for example, I'm a truck driver, a job with no relation to my foreignness or my English ability. If anything, in fact, they are drawbacks rather than enhancements.
To sum it all up, the chances that you'll find yourself on a soup line are really slim, but you will find things more limited than you would if you had a degree.