Hi everyone. After years of consideration, my wife – who is a dual-Japanese citizen – and I are planning to relocate to Tokyo in July 2024. We are both in our mid-20s. I am American.
I am in the process of obtaining a spouse visa so I can live and work in Japan. I have been looking for a new career opportunity in Japan for a few weeks now, and it seems that my lack of Japanese is a real hindrance (which makes complete sense). I am around an N4 level, but not close to a job in my field. I have a B.S. in Economics and \~3.5 years working experience in Financial Analyst / Data Analyst roles.
Right now, the chances of finding an English role at an international company in Japan seems incredibly low.
I understand that English teaching in Japan can have its downsides, but I see it as an opportunity to try something new while having room to improve my Japanese / get used to life in Japan. I am fairly extroverted and the thought of teaching students English excites me. I am aware of the difficulties and have watched plenty of horror stories, but I am willing to give teaching a try. We are happy to live frugally during this stint as we still expect to see a better quality of life overall in Japan.
With all that said, where can I learn more about potentially becoming an English teacher? Will having a spouse Visa help my chances? Are there programs outside of JET that I should look into?
Thank you all!