High school straight to Japanese Language School

11 comments

1. This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.

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   **High school straight to Japanese Language School**

   Would it be realistic, or good for me to immediately go to language school (ISI language school Kyoto, specifically) after graduating from High School? I’m 17, 11th grade, and I could graduate early in one semester in the 12th.

   I have 12k USD in savings to stay for at least 1 year, and plan to find part time work to support my accommodations in japan, then get a work visa on my student visa to stay in japan after school ends.

   Will language school look good on resumes? My mom told me I should get a loan for going to a language school, but I’d rather not live with debt for the rest of my life, considering the interest in the US on loans. There’s no scholar ships for language schools either, I want to tell her this, but I think she’s pissed over me telling her I want to go to japan so much anyway.

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2. Without a university degree, you won’t be able to get a work visa. Even if you were fluent in Japanese and/or a Japanese national… you would still have to graduate from university to find a decent job.

   You can come to Japan for one year for language school and treat it as a gap year. Plenty of Europeans do it. But if you want to come and live/work in Japan… finish university first and then come back.

   And I’m not sure what resumes you mean. If you mean job searching in Japan, it won’t have any effect and you won’t learn much Japanese in one year anyway (unless you already know some of the language and are placed in more advanced courses). I don’t think it’ll have much affect in the US either but maybe some universities will think it’s interesting. For jobs it’s more about your JLPT level.

3. You’d be better to go to college and study Japanese there. Do semesters abroad in Japan, or summer intensive language schools while your college is on break.
   After that, you have all the requirements to get a working visa. However not too sure what animal husbandry degree will get you in Japan. Live stock is not a huge industry and as I understand it, the beef industry is pretty difficult to break into.

4. Wait, are you planning to get a working visa directly after graduating language school without a bachelor degree? If so, you must reconsider your plan. Because it’s legally impossible.

   Basically a working visa is not granted for non-degree holders but those who have enough job experience (more than 5 or 10 years). You won’t match that condition.

   There is no visa in Japan for just doing a part-time job. Foreigners under some kinds of visa (student visa, dependent visa, etc) can do a part-time job under 28 hours per hour, but if you graduate a language school and your student visa is expired, you lose the right to keep doing a part-time job.

5. No, language school will not look on a resume in Japan. Imagine if you went to community college in the US to learn English. Does that look good on your resume?

   Also as others have said one year of language school will get you nowhere.

6. >Will language school look good on resumes?

   I mean, in the sense that it would fill a gap sure. Otherwise it’s not better or worse than going straight into university.

   Keep in mind something like 97% of the people who live in Japan are native speakers of Japanese, so learning the language is definitely important but it’s not a skill that will differentiate you from other candidates.

   >then go to a university in Japan on my student visa to stay in japan after school ends.

   Yes, you’ll need to go to university (or vocational school) if you want to stay here after you complete your language school program. I think though you should be looking at two years of language school in order to get yourself up to the point where you can study in Japanese.

   What do you want to study in university?

7. Have you researched which university you are going to enroll in and the living cost there? your money enough for language school but not for college.

   part time job is not designed to be able to fund all your expenses unless you are doing something illegal.

   it is possible to enroll in language school and prepare for university or vocational school. your only problem seems to be money. agree that student loan is a very bad idea.

   also 1 year learning to go to university? for many people,even after 2 years of learning they still struggle with classes with japanese language in university.

8. How about this: Are you in the U.S.? Study Japanese on your own and/or take classes this year and next year. Apply to universities that offer degrees in your area of interest. Most universities offer a year or semester abroad options at universities in Japan. For example, my kid is lucky enough to attend a HS that offers Japanese as a foreign language elective. I’m surprised at how much she has improved in four years. She will attend a university in the U.S., and wants to spend a year as an exchange student at a university in Japan.

9. I did this… I went there at 17 in the 90s and climb my way up. Happy to chat.

10. 12k isn’t enough for 1 year of language school. What is your long term goal in Japan? What do you want to be doing in Japan as a job?

    Honestly I would just be patient. Learn a marketable skill in the US and learn Japanese on the side then go to Japan after you finish school. You’re only 17. You have enough time to get JLPT N2 or N1 by the time you finish college.

11. A lot of state schools in the midwestern US started as farming-related schools, many have excellent programs. Get a college degree first. You’re young and starting on the language now will give you a huge advantage. Don’t try shortcuts.