I am really frustrated right now. I’m a 24 yo man, with a Master’s degree in Linguistics and over 700 hours of language-teaching experience. I am a native Italian speaker, I am native-like in English (’cause I’ve been exposed to the language for almost 20 years, I’m certified C1 rn and I’m planning on getting the c2 qualification too), and for what concerns Japanese I’ve got N3 and I’m studying for N2. I CAN’T SEEM TO SPARK ANY INTEREST IN ANY COMPANY. It’s literally a vicious circle I can’t get out of. They keep telling me:
1. You’re too young
No comment on this one, it’s just lame
2) You need to have a VISA
That’s also why I’m applying. So that you sponsor me and I can get said VISA, and then get to Japan and work
3) You need to be residing in Japan
Landlords want me to have secured a job before they’re willing to rent me a place. But as I said, it’s a vicious circle. Do I want a job? I need to be in Japan. Do I want to be in Japan? I need a worker’s visa in order to get in, because of the covid restrictions. It’s a never-ending story.
What should I do? I can’t even get in as a tourist and look for something from the inside. I’ve been sending curricula to so many companies, and the majority doesn’t even respond ç\_ç
24 comments
Language school
Why don’t you try asking in more subreddits? 3 times is clearly not enough for answers
Honestly, now is just not a good time to be looking at jobs in Japan from outside the country in general. Your best option would probably be to take an ALT job just to get into the country. Yes, you’re well overqualified for it, but use it as a way to get your foot in the door and then look from there. I don’t know what the hiring situation is now with Interac and the other ALT companies, but there might be a bit of a backlog of people waiting to get in.
“Finding a job in Japan _teaching English_”, you mean.
Unfortunately ALT/JET/eikawa jobs don’t seem to have a specific criteria for hiring. Some don’t like old people, some don’t like qualified people, some don’t like non-white people, and on and on it goes.
It’s a different story altogether if you’re a licenced teacher though.
As for the ‘residing in Japan’ gripe, don’t forget the country hasn’t been able to get in fresh blood for almost 2 years. Now that the borders are loosening, the floodgates have opened and those that have been waiting since 2020 have priority. Even if you get accepted now, you’ll have to wait your turn.
You might want to look for places that are looking for a native Italian speaker.
As far as number 3 goes, there’s basically no way to get an apartment without a visa. So this one can be dropped. No one is going to rent an apartment long term without a visa. It might even be required by law.
You need to be residing in Japan doesn’t mean what you might think. It means that you already have a visa and can change jobs. It doesn’t mean that you need to find an apartment to get the job.
If a job states that you already need a visa, then you most definately need that first. Having a company get and sponser your visa can be an annoying process that companies don’t want to go through. So it’s just easier for them to sponser someone already living in Japan.
It didn’t take me long to find one either. [https://www.careercross.com/en/job/detail-1015070](https://www.careercross.com/en/job/detail-1015070)
Why do you want an entry level job when you have a masters?
You‘re overqualified. That’s pretty much it. You’re overqualified and they want someone who doesn’t have a masters in linguistics and can speak 2 and a half languages.
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EDIT: 3 makes total sense. Why rent an apartment to someone who cant even guarantee them rent let alone pay it from a japanese bank account they dont have yet.
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think, bro. Thiiiink.
MEXT scholarship, you can do one year of research and then get into a doctoral program (there are other ways to get to Japan as a student but cost more/need to have a part-time job). Not sure how competitive in Italy.
Ask yourself: what Italian company would sponsor say a Brazilian person who studied linguistics and speaks English and N3 level Italian? Would they give this person the light of day if they were not even living in Italy?
You probably need N2 for translation lowest level (I guess any experience you have freelancing now would be okay)
If we are talking a career with a good chance. I would go into AI language processing for a PhD. If I had a linguistics background and knew the basics of AI and machine learning, I could probably get a foot in the door at many cool companies that paid decent salaries as well.
Bruh… welcome to Japan.
Those places haven’t been hiring from outside Japan for two years now. COVID restrictions caused a huge mess for immigration and it hasn’t totally cleared up yet. Some companies, such as Interac, also have a backlog of hundreds of people waiting to come in. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that problem is widespread of ALT/Eikawa dispatch companies. There’s also the fact that all of those 6th and 7th year JETs will finally get kicked off the program in July, meaning you are competiting with them for jobs. Now just isn’t a good time to come to Japan.
I’m a Brazilian and I studied in Japan because I got that Mext scholarship. The most feasible ways I can get in Japan are going through the Jet Program as a CIR or hiring GogoJapan so I enroll in a Language Acho AGAIN.
It’s really annoying finding a job usually, it is still more annoying now because of Corona. Let’s see with the borders getting opened, but I still think Jet or Interac would be a better option for you. After that you can get a better job. You have a master degree. You can get a permanent visa after 3 years if I’m not mistaken.
You being too young is not the real reason.
They infact do want young people over old ones in the teaching industry. The fact is the interest for Italian speakers are low in Japan and the fact that you are not even established here in the country. If I had to choose between one person in the country and the other who is not. I choose the former every time.
Wrj
If you’re already frustrated with Japan, I honestly wouldn’t recommend you moving here.
If you do end up getting in, oh boy are you in for a treat!
Being Italian may have some affect on it. You’re unable to teach in public schools unless you can prove you were educated in English for 12 years. This means that all your classes were taught in English. If you don’t have that then half the positions available for you are legally unable to hire you.
It sounds to me like they just don’t want to hire you because you’re not a native English speaker, but they’re not actually allowed to say that.
You’re doing it wrong.
Use an alt job to get your foot in the door, then change after your 1 year is up.
You’re outside Japan and they can’t get a COE for a non-native speaker. Immigration will not give a visa for English teaching to an Italian because English is not the official language of Italy.
Of course, once you are in Japan, by whatever means, then it doesn’t matter.
Keep [this place](https://www.jacet.org/wp-content/uploads/Kanazawa_Institute_of_Technology_E_211203.pdf) on your radar. I know for a fact that they have had a number of non-native teachers in the past, and it’s a non-permanent position, so this same (updated) ad will come up every year–they regularly need people.
If you’re looking for a job teaching English, the pickings will be slim. You’re Italian, so that’s a huge strike. Not in the country is another huge strike. The third and last strike is that you are overqualified. All of that stuff you listed about language proficiency and a masters in linguistics screams “don’t hire!”.
You’re talking about a country that will hire people with no Japanese, and a BA in lesbian basket weaving. They love them! Actual qualifications are a detriment.
>over 700 hours of language-teaching experience.
So you only have four months experience working full time?
You don’t need qualifications to be a white monkey here.
There is simple application point you don’t seem to have addressed:
There is a simple application point you don’t seem to have addressed: you need 12 years of formal education in English to qualify for a visa teaching English if you don’t hold a passport from a country where English is an official or ‘native’ language (namely: USA, UK, Canada, Ireland, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Kenya, Zimbabwe…etc).
Not trying to be antagonistic, but dem’s da rules and if you can’t get around that from the outset you will need another way into the country.
>3) You need to be residing in Japan
I mean it’s mainly this one over the others. Since you’re asking in a teaching sub, I’m going to assume that you’re talking about teaching jobs.
Teaching jobs which hire from outside of Japan either have a low bar for entry (a bachelor’s degree for ALT/eikaiwa work) or a very high bar to clear (a PhD, experience, and publications for a university teaching position). Go and look on JREC and tell me if you see any teaching positions which will fly you into Japan with just a master’s degree. Chances are those jobs are few and far between because universities can fill those positions with people who are already in the country…which you are not, hence the root of your problems.