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Trying to settle down in Japan

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kaywai

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Hi, I am a Malaysian Chinese but I am still a student in the States. I am planning to settle down in Japan. What I mean is getting a job and applying for visa. I dont know how I should start this. Considering my age of 27, I heard it is harder for me to get a job there and am not an American as well. I am business students majoring in Finance and Accounting and I have graduated with a Master Degree but I heard from my friends these degrees wont help too. Please teach me how I can get into Japan and be independent there.....yorushiku
 
There is a good FAQ here that you should read.

Basically, if you want to settle down, you should begin with a degree, then find an employer to sponsor a work visa, and then go from there. Work your way into Permanent Resident status, and you won't have to worry about renewing visas or having work sponsors. The keys are to learn enough Japanese, have the right skills, and network.

If you can't find work directly by sitting in the USA and sending out email resumes, you may have to improve your credentials, or come here, or get an intracompany transfer visa arrangement through your employer (after you work for him for at least a year).

Essentially, figure out what it is you can do that a Japanese person cannot, and go for that type of position.

www.daijob.com might also be a good starting point.
 
Thanks for your advice

I have been going through the list of the website you provided, looks like there are requirement in some japanese communication skills. I really have none of those knowledge as I never learn Japanese in a proper way before. I usually just having my friends to teach me some broken Japanese words. I do want to start learning it in a proper way, but I dont know how. Please kindly provide more advice for my situation. How should I start learning Japanese?
 
I'm a malaysian too. And one of my friend(malaysian malay) came to Japan with a degree from a University in Britain and got a job here (non Japanese company) with her basic Japanese skill. I don't really know the details on how she did it, but I know she does have a basic(level 3-2 JPLT) Japanese communication/reading skill and she got the job while she's here in Japan.

I don't know if this info helps or not. sorry.
 
If you're still in school, walk over to the foreign language department and see what's available for learning Japanese right where you are.

How do you know you want to live in Japan long term or that you will even like it here? (Lots of people think that's what they want to do, then come here and get disillusioned and/or disgusted and leave in a relatively short time). Plan your career options to allow for employment in other countries as well. I'm not saying for sure that you will need such an option, but it is always nice to have choices.
 
If you're really serious about learning Japanese (and I mean really serious), you can do what this guy did. It certainly worked for him.
 
Was it really that big a surprise that you need Japanese to live and work here long term? I mean, really!?

Imagine someone coming to the USA with no English skills. What sort of job can you expect with no English?

How to best learn Japanese? I'd suggest studying formally in a college or junior college, coupled with self-study (tons of books and CDs out there) and as much immersion in the language as possible by making penpals (or keypals for email), etc. Whatever works best for you. If you're still a student, consider coming here to study (or finish studying). You can work part-time as a student, and that would give you a taste of how life really is here. What you expect now is probably far from reality anyway. That's how it is with many people.

Glenn,
As for that guy's system, I think he's a lunatic ("Memorize 10,000 sentences." Yeah, right. From scratch?), but whatever works. At least he has some valuable books advertised on the side of his blog.
 
It obviously worked for him. He doesn't really suggest you memorize 10,000 sentences, by the way. He handles that in the FAQ. Anyway, it's really worth reading the whole site, even though I don't agree with everything he has to say either, but it's hard to argue with results.
 
i registered this id just to reply this thread

i am chinese, i got my degree in the states, as you did , and came to japan to work, as a software developer.
even in this field that doesnt ask for too much japanese language skill, still, the very first question of almost all my interview is : can you communicate with your co-workers and independently work on all the documentations?

see... it is really important to know the japanese language, i guess in your case, employers will ask for even more.

i took a minor in japanese in college, however, it didnt work out quite well when i first came here, it really took a while to really communicate...

anyway, i think if you are serious about coming to japan, you need to work on your japanese right away. nothing offensive, most japanese people cannot communicate efficiently in english, you've really got to manage japanese first.
 
Suggestions on landing a job in Japan:
1. check if you can read, write, and speak Japanese and determine the level of fluency.
2. check if you have a BA/BS as a minimum requirement. If you have a post graduate degree, you would have a better chance against your competition.
3. check if you have understanding on Japanese culture and customs. If not, study it.
4. Post your resumes with the variety of employment agencies who will help match you with the potential employers. **don't embellish your language skills too much. they will find that out when they do the pre-screening**
5. To complete the interview process, you would need to be in Japan. Determine the timing when you can go there to complete the interview process after setting up some interview appointments through #4.

I was able to do most of the job search from USA through #4 and I was able to get several job offers within a month after I returned to Japan (not to mention opening bank accounts, changing the US driver's license to a Japanese one, researching the location I want to stay in Tokyo or its surrounding areas, and etc)

The more planning you do before you leave for Japan, the better chance of successful outcome you will have.
 
Jersey boy,
I don't think many people can FULLY check item 3. And, a BA/BS is not always a requirement. Plus, not every employer requires that you be in Japan for an interview. Some send out interviewers, while others make phone interviews.

Glenn,
I can indeed argue with results, especially with the guy writes like an Amway distributor and is touting something very individual -- how to learn something. Not sure if I'll get around to his FAQs, but thanks for the heads up.
 
ashleybb said:
see... it is really important to know the japanese language, i guess in your case, employers will ask for even more.
Click to expand...

The very first time I went to interview for a job as a truck driver in Japan, the branch manager left the interview room and came back with a stack of bills of lading, wanting to see if I could read them.

Fortunately, I could. Otherwise I would have been politely shown the door.
 
Glenski said:
Jersey boy,
I don't think many people can FULLY check item 3. And, a BA/BS is not always a requirement. Plus, not every employer requires that you be in Japan for an interview. Some send out interviewers, while others make phone interviews.
Click to expand...
It is said that BA/BS will get you a leg-up when you are looking for a job. Not a requirement; but, it would be nice to have it to make yourself marketable.
Phone interviews can be arranged by some employers. But, do you really think the potential employers are going to hire a guy without actually meeting him in person? I tried to pull that off when I was still in USA; the head hunters/employment agencies told me the in-person interview is a necessity to nail a job, which I already knew as a fact.
After coming back to Japan, I landed a job to manage the department and will be hiring 9 people for my department. I know I won't hire a single soul by a phone interview alone. Phone interviews will be for screening purpose only for me.
 
JerseyBoy said:
It is said that BA/BS will get you a leg-up when you are looking for a job. Not a requirement; but, it would be nice to have it to make yourself marketable.
Click to expand...
I agree, but the way you wrote it initially, you made it sound as if it were a requirement. It's not. Depends on your visa and work experience. You can get a regular work visa with the right amount of experience and no degree.

Phone interviews can be arranged by some employers. But, do you really think the potential employers are going to hire a guy without actually meeting him in person?
Click to expand...
It happens. Trust me.
 
Oddly enough I was only grilled in Japanese in one interview... and that was one to remember. I think the guy was an auctioneer on the weekends.
 
I think the worst interview I had was with an investment bank, where the branch manager loved me, the team leader loved me, the HR manager loved me, but the IT manager didn't like me because I did shocking with him. He came out firing with (what are really basic) finance terms related to the work done by the people I would support, and it wasn't until the interview that I was able to "study" and work out what on earth he was on about. (ie. gyosha)
 
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