Dear fellow redditors,
This is sort of a throwaway but I have been diligently reading this sub for a couple of years.
So, here I am, second year in a row that I try (and fail) to land a job in Japan. I am currently in Hong Kong, have been teaching there for 10 years (with a stint in mainland China), I got a BA in English, a MA in business (with a thesis since it seems to matter in Japan from what I read), a rudimentary online TEFL course and, regrettably, not a passport from one of the big 5.
I tried applying from overseas for the greater part of June/July/August in 2022 and didn't get a single reply. I mainly looked at Daijob and gaijinpot back then.
After this unfortunate experience, I decided to upgrade my qualification by studying the PGCE from Sunderland this year. I have passed all the subjects and I am waiting for the piece of paper to make its way to Hong Kong. In the meantime I have been sending CVs like I did last year but despite my newly acquired certificate, I have not been able to secure any interview.
I will be in Japan the whole month of August, albeit on a tourist visa, to hopefully go to some interviews and land a job there.
Additional info:
-I don't have the 12 years of education in an English setting/English speaking country.
-I cannot get a spousal visa since I am already happily married.
-I cannot get a working holiday visa since I am just too old to apply for one.
-I don't mind working outside of Tokyo (quite the contrary).
-I have very limited Japanese proficiency (if at all).
So here are my questions I am asking myself:
1-Which extra qualification should I aim for to make myself more desirable to Japanese employers? TESOL? Japanese level N3 and above?
2-I have 60 master level credits from my PGCE that I need to use within 5 years and have been looking at some Master of Education taught in English in Japan to try and reach the 70 points for the special visa. I could consider going for the University of Tsukuba but I wonder if it would be worth the hassle.
3-What could I do, short-term, to increase my chances to get an interview during my stay in Japan in August?
4-Generally speaking, what should I attribute the lack of answers from Japanese schools/companies? timing? passport? qualification? poor targeting on my part?
by Hercules_Son_Goku