Hello – I (31F) am interested in getting some fresh and informed perspectives on my situation. I would like to move to Japan (and, for now, am not looking for that aspect of my post to be questioned!) but I’m finding it hard to establish a career route, either directly in Japan or in my home country (UK) that could set me up to move there.
I have a recent PhD in English (literature), publications, solid experience with university teaching, and a teaching qualification. So perhaps the most obvious route, although highly competitive, is to find an Associate Professor-type position. I’m not enamoured by academia and have experimented with leaving over the past year or so, but I’d opt for it if it meant I could move. I’m currently applying for posts. I’ve looked through the /universityteachinginjapan subreddit but it doesn’t seem very active.
I have prior experience in editorial book publishing and copywriting, but my Japanese is only beginner, in terms of finding work in those areas. Perhaps something else that could be useful to note is that I have a deep interest in Japanese craft that I’ve pursued over several years and have some genuine expertise in a specific area, but no work experience. I’ve wondered if I could find a position in an arts or culture organisation, funding body, etc, but I don’t yet know if that’s viable. My partner is a marketing professional, same level of Japanese as me, so perhaps spousal route is an option since he has better employment prospects than I do, but I would still need to work out what I could build for myself career-wise in Japan.
So, I wanted to ask three things: what is your opinion of my prospects/routes, is one better than another? Would becoming fluent in Japanese seriously skyrocket my chances in any of the areas I’ve mentioned? And second, are there jobs outside of academia that could mean someone with a PhD in English would be desirable in Japan? I’ve seen a lot of great advice on here for people in fields like engineering and I’m interested to see if anyone has any arts/humanities insights. Thanks in advance! Happy to provide more info if needed.
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