Quick background: I am a 25 year old from the Philippines with 5 years of professional experience (in the recruitment field). It has always been my dream to move to Japan and having recently been been unemployed (long story). I am now quickly taking a career break and have been having MAJOR thoughts about finally taking the leap of making my dreams come true.
▪︎ I have never been to Japan (is this a major factor by visa people?). I was supposed to travel in Oct 2020 but we all know what happened. I am kind of planning to go soon though once I get my passport renewed.
▪︎ I have almost 120hrs of Japanese language study background, have been studying on weekends since last year as a hobby. I will be taking the N5 this December 2022 (on second thought I should’ve went for N4 instead but oh well).
Based on my research, the suggested way to move is to start on a student visa, study the language for ~1 year, and pray to all the gods that you find an employer after that.
1. Given my experience and age, is it still advisable to go this route?
2. As mentioned, I have never been to Japan and my passport is empty (except for a travel to HK in 2018). Not sure if visa people also question this.
3. Anyone in the recruitment field in Japan? Is the market good for Recruiters? I understand that I probably won’t work in my field until after I hopefully complete language school and have the Japanese language proficiency most employers require, and can only work in places like convenience stores, restaurants, etc. as a student. But I am hoping to work in my field too.
3. Any other advice for me? Should I go for this?
Thanks so much for any insights or advice.
4 comments
> I am a 25 year old from the Philippines with 5 years of professional experience
Do you have a bachelor’s?
I often see recruiter type jobs onGaijin Pot . Here is an example: https://jobs.gaijinpot.com/job/index/lang/en?keywords=recruit®ion=&english_ability=&language=&other_language=&career_level=&contract_type=&employer_type=&remote_work_ok=0&overseas_application=0&has_video_presentation=0
In order to go to language school for a year you will need to have proof of around $12,000USD in your bank account.
Try to research for consultants that offer Study in Japan programs (e.g Jellyfish Education Philippines) and inquire about the process. Travel history isn’t really an issue. Just heads up, corporate jobs mostly require at least N2 level of proficiency. N5 to N2 within a year would be tough.
Are you on LinkedIn?