Hey everyone! so, my story is that my partner and I (both 28) are planning to move in the next six months to the Tokyo area. it has been a dream for us both since before we even met. Now he found a job that can provide him with a visa and is settled, sadly that is not the case for me.
Currently, I will be graduating this July with a bachelor’s degree in political science & East Asian studies, with a Japanese level of N4. and I know that if I want to work in Japan I need at least N2 for that.
Now here comes my dilemma, my first plan was to get my master’s degree in Japan (in English) for the student visa, and also because honestly, I’m not interested in working as an English teacher / Kindergarten teacher or anything like that. those jobs are great, but I’m at a point in my life where I need to start thinking about family and a career, and those are not for me long term.
I tried to get the MEXT scholarship but didn’t get it. now I’m left with 3 options
1. try to get accepted to master’s degree programs in English for April 2025. the risk – may not get accepted = no visa for me.
2. start language school this October, and study for a year and a half to get to N2 level.
->2.1 After finishing language school try to get a job in a relevant field to the major I studied. risk – don’t know if those exist in Japan + working full-time in Japanese seems like a lot for me, and also not a fan of japan’s work culture.
->2.2 Start Master’s degree with the help of the language school, after taking specific lessons for that so probably a higher chance to get accepted. risk – I will start my master’s degree at 30 with no actual work experience whatsoever and will be dead poor.
Honestly, It’s my dream to live in Japan for a few years, but there is so much information and every option requires so much planning and PAPERWORK I wanna die lol, but I guess that is a price I am willing to pay.
Would love to hear from people who took one of the routes I have listed.
by Timely_Tear_7027