This post has probably been done hundreds of times but had a hard time finding exactly what I need
I just wanted to know if anyone has a similar experience or knows of others that have done this but I was wondering if it’s possible and if it’s common/easy for people to get a job after graduating language school in Japan
I’ve been saving up to attend a language school in Japan for 2 years, and really want to work and live in Japan afterwards. I do not have a degree though so I dont know how possible it is or if it’s not as hard as I’m thinking. I’m guessing most of the jobs would be English teaching jobs which would be ideal for me because I really would love to teach but I heard you may need a 4 year degree in most cases unless that wouldn’t apply if you were living and attending school there for a while
Thanks for any help and input in advance
10 comments
English teaching would require a Bachelor’s although Japanese wouldn’t be a requirement so you will definitely have a much higher chance getting a BA before going over there as opposed to attending language school. It doesn’t have to be a Bachelor’s from a prestigious school.
Work Visa requirement is generally a Bachelor’s degree so language school alone won’t allow you to get a job in Japan.
You would be able to get a job doing something like teaching English or working in a conbini *while* you are a student at a language school but once you graduate or otherwise leave the school you’ll need to get a regular work visa, which requires either a bachelor’s degree (or country equivalent 4ish year degree), or around 10 years of experience in the job that you want to do.
You would need to do something like go to a Japanese university or trade school to stay in Japan and subsequently get a job after language school.
This question literally comes up on a daily basis. Without a degree and a desired skill, there are very few places that are interested in hiring foreigners. Why would they when they can hire a Japanese person who will have zero problems…EVER with the language? There are a few jobs out there that are available for language school graduates, but all the language school students are fighting for that job. Only the best of them will get it, and all of them have university degrees.
How do I know this? I was a language school student myself. You know which ones got decent jobs and which ones went home? The ones without a degree went home. So did the ones who went to Japan because they like anime. The ones who got the jobs are the ones at the very top of each class and worked their absolute asses off to get to N1 within two years AND they had skills and work experience from before they moved to Japan.
If you’re okay with English teaching, you don’t even need to attend a language school. Save the money to have a cushion, study religiously after work hours, rinse and repeat. It’s not a pleasant lifestyle but that’s the price to pay.
just be very very careful and ask a lot of things in details about the school, there is a lot of shady schools aswell and didnt even give a really good lesson. not saying cheaper tuition fees are always bad but i’d rather pay more to learn a lot rather than having a shitty school.
working in japan is SERIOUSLY tough unless you have a really really good degree/experience and can compete really well with the Japanese people, and even if you can speak Japanese up to Business level, you have to remember that you are a foreigner, its either you have to bear the Japanese working culture or probably find a foreign owned company in Japan. i am not trying to scare you at all, but its better to know both the bad sides and good sides from Japan, do your research about the working culture first before you decide to come to Japan.
i don’t want to spill anymore details but its better to do your own homework and think carefully before coming to Japan.
English teaching is good but thousands of people are also applying from overseas so the competition is very harsh nowadays, DO NOT EVER accept any easy job offer from any company, its totally shit and not worth it. anything that has very easy requirements is really shady, you can search for details about ‘black company’. cheers and good luck !
You can’t work without a valid Visa.
And without a degree, then your best option is probably to marry a Japanese national, or get a degree (either go back to your country or study in Japan).
Thanks for all the comments! I should’ve specified that I was mainly trying to confirm what I’ve already been told
Also should’ve made it clear I’ve already done quite a lot of research and already know what I’m getting myself into, I even have some family members that currently live in Japan and a decent amount of friends.
Glad to see I got some support and help here instead of the occasional people that gatekeep living in Japan and accusing everyone of wanting to go because they watched an anime and that they swear “it’s a hell hole and you won’t like it”
Without a proper college degree you can not work. It’s an immigration policy.
>… get a job after graduating language school in Japan…
>…English teaching jobs which would be **ideal** for me…
Eng^*r* ​sh teaching jobs are never “ideal”—Eng^*r* ​sh teaching is great for a gap year or a working vacation.
> I do not have a degree
#Get a bachelor’s degree or don’t come.
Additionally, get a STEM-related BS degree that is in demand.
Even better, get a Japanese spouse as well as a in-demand STEM degree and an internship and/or relevant experience.
A friend of mine who passed N2 switched from teaching English to proofreading EN translations of scientific papers at some kind of science or drug-related company in Tokyo. He didn’t even have to use Japanese in his day-to-day job, it just qualified him for the role. I think he may have had a science-related degree? I forget that detail, though.