Essential information: I will at this rate be graduating in 2024 with a degree in Computer Engineering with a focus in Software Engineering and Design. I’ll have good grades but likely only 1 summer internship of experience. I’m an American so unfortunately Working Holiday visas aren’t an option for me.
So after looking at possibly every post on this subreddit related to a foreigner finding work in Japan, I’ve basically determined I have several options.
1) Apply for the JET Program in a year when I’m a senior, or if that doesn’t work out, apply for an ALT position like Altia Central or Interac, or work at an Eikaiwa. I get this would be seen as a career gap which would look bad, but it could possibly familiarize me with living in Japan and improve my language abilities. I don’t know how hard finding a job after this teaching stint (\~2 years) would be.
2) Attempt to find a job there as a Newgrad and somewhat limited (\~JLPT N3/2 by the time I graduate at the rate I’m studying) Japanese ability, possibly with a company like Rakuten or along those lines (I’m aware of possible issues surrounding them, this would only be for \~2 years as a way to get in). I haven’t heard of many people having luck doing this.
3) Graduate and get a job here in the states in a software development field, acquire 2-4 years of working experience, then either attempt to get transferred to a Japanese office (if I’m working for a large firm) or try to find a job in Japan. By this point I hope that I would’ve passed JLPT N1, but I would still lack any experience actually living in Japan. I also hear that the difficult of finding of job even with experience is a mixed bag. Would recruiting agencies help?
4) Either right out of college or after working a couple years, attend a language school to polish my Japanese ability and get experience living in the country. During this I would search for jobs and hopefully make myself a slightly better candidate through already residing in Japan. Main drawback is I’m already graduating with debt and this would only exacerbate that.
If anyone could offer any insights/advice or their own experiences for any of these options I would be glad to hear them. Or if there’s any route that I hadn’t considered, or if I need to provide more information.
I apologize for the lengthy post, I’m just paranoid about being thorough about a choice as significant as this.
6 comments
If you’ve really read up on this stuff then you know the right choice is number 3. You don’t need great Japanese to work in tech, but foreign skills and experience make you a better candidate. Look again at the posts about finding tech jobs to see what everyone recommends.
Number 3 is your best choice. While you are applying for jobs in your field, go ahead and see if there is anything you can apply for in Japan but understand that’s a long shot. You’re better off getting the experience to improve your resume for the future.
For number 1, Why waste your good degree on teaching english? Number 4 means that when you are done with language school, your a bit rusty with your actual degree so you will struggle with finding/starting work on your field.
Number 3 is the best choice. Get experience and improve your Japanese. You don’t need Japanese to get a tech job, but it will open more opportunities.
Numbers 1 and 4 aren’t going to help your career.
Just curious, why do you want to move to Japan?
If you don’t want to be miserable when you move to Japan, option 3.
Do #3, work a few years, take a few long vacations with your (hopefully) cushy tech job. Decide whether or not your lifestyle can tank a 30-50% pay cut and go from there.
3, you also get to keep your US sized stock grant vesting. For example, some new grad offers I received back in 2018:
– $135k base, $180k/4 equity
– ¥7.5M base, $60k/4 equity
I picked the US offer, and transferred to Japan after 2 years. Was able to enjoy two years of $45k/yr equity vesting in Japan instead of the $15k/yr I would have gotten with the Japan offer.
2 is viable if you have connections at internationalized companies, but I wouldn’t try otherwise. Don’t consider 1 or 4. Prioritize career first for financial stability, and language ability will come naturally later as long as you are proactive about it.