Hi,
I am from the UK, part Japanese (I don’t have Japanese citizenship), speak Japanese and other languages fluently, have a degree in English + TEFL certificate and am currently considering a move into IT. Specifically cyber security and / or sys admin. I am absolutely not interested in softeare development / engineering.
However, I am not really too keen on committing 3 / 4 (unpaid) years for a degree. I would perhaps have the option to do an apprenticeship (paid) or get a ceritification / diploma (1-2 years) here in the UK or the EU ( have several passports).
I don’t have JP citizenship and would not be willing to give up any of my 3 current passports for it lol.
So in the future (if I were to go the apprenticeship / diploma route), would I be able to receive a work visa for an IT position, with only my apprenticeship certification / 1 – 2 year diploma + my degree in English?
Or does it have to be a related degree?
What kind of visa do IT folks get anyway?
Is it the humanities one?
I found conflicting info on that.
Thanks
4 comments
Without degree in IT, I doubt. I don’t think they care about your level of japanese language, though it is a bonus to speak japanese once the basics of the application are set. For example, first find a job. And then the company will sponsor your visa. But good luck finding a job in IT in Japan without prior experience and without any IT degree.
My visa is category E, engineer visa.
For visa purposes any degree is fine also in your case if you have living grand parents/relatives in Japan willing to sponsor you you could even come without a degree via the special descendents visa.
The work visa you are asking about is called Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services.
As a note if you absolutely don’t want to do SW/engineering related tasks it will limit what you can do in cyber security/sys admin.
Edit: clarification on visa name to avoid possible confusion
So for a very basic response, yes it is technically possible – the degree part is an immigration requirement, and it can be any degree.
The harder part of getting a Cyber Sec job with only having done an apprenticeship, is that most Cyber Sec workers I’ve ever met have gone down a Comp Sci, then Cyber Sec Masters, sure you dont have to have done a masters but the problem is youde be competing against people with a better baseline, for jobs in the EU / UK.
Reason for the point above is, getting an entry level Cyber Sec job in Japan, with no relevant degree, and without a couple of years professional experience (apprenticeship doesnt count), its going to be extremely hard – near impossible to find a company that will hire you and sponsor your visa.
So while it is possible, youde want to get some years of experience in a country where you dont need a visa first, and then look to transition to Japan if you really want to go there.
The degree does not have to be related to the field to meet the visa requirements.
Yes, it’s the Humanities one.