Hello all,
A little background, I am in my mid-30’s and have a husband, a toddler and two cats based in the USA. Moving to Japan is something I’ve always wanted to do, but the logistics and actual possibility seems to be an insurmountable hurdle since I’m too old for an grad-school type scholarships and I have the addition of a dependent to handle. I spent 10+ years doing Public Relations and Marketing work with cultural education non-profits in my area and really have a passion for learning about cultures and helping to facilitate cross-cultural exchange and relationship building. Unfortunately, my Japanese skills are sub-par. I can get around and know a plethora of vocabulary, but have a hard time putting it together in spoken language, largely from lack of use.
I am happy to work as an English Teacher (though, I currently own my own business and build websites, sales funnels and consult with businesses on their marketing strategies and how to tie their online presence together to create a cohesive customer experience that is also full optimized for a mobile experience) and my husband isn’t opposed to it (He currently works in IT). I think both of us would do great with teaching English to business people due to our professional experience. (but we both love kids too)
However, most programs for people going overseas to Japan are geared towards recent college grads, vs. someone with a spouse and dependents, and I’ve even seen some that are unwilling to work with you to get a dependent visa.
So I’d love to hear about other people’s experience of moving to Japan with their spouse + child(ren). Did you go to teach English? Were you able to score a job through some other means, like direct hire in a company? Just any advice or encouragement would be nice. It’s something that we’ve thought long and hard about, then when we stayed in Osaka pre-pandemic for a few weeks and felt so at home, we knew that we wanted to figure a way to return permanently vs. occasionally visiting.
6 comments
Teaching English in Japan is primarily a bottom of the barrel kind of job, unless we get into REAL teaching, which it doesn’t look like you have the skillset for.
If either you or your husband have a Bachelor’s degree, one of you could technically find a job and get a Working Visa to move to Japan and sponsor the other with a Dependant Visa.
It’s also possible for both of you to get a Work Visa but you don’t always have the luxury of choice and you might both get placed at opposite ends of the country completely which I can’t see going well.
The question is more about Salary. English Teaching in itself is awful in terms of Salary so you may or may not be able to sponsor your Husband and Kids for a Dependant Visa.
Additionally, as you have two cats, you’ll also need to account that into your Rent budget as pet-friendly apartments are in short supply and usually way more expensive than other similar non pet-friendly apartments.
You also have to think about your children. They will need to go through the Japanese schooling system and unless they already know Japanese, they will likely struggle.
International schools are an option but it’s not something you’ll even be able to think about on an English Teacher’s salary.
> I am in my mid-30’s and have a husband, a toddler and two cats based in the USA. Moving to Japan is something I’ve always wanted to do,
Okay let’s break this down.
* Is your husband on board and gung ho with the idea of relocating to another country/culture?
* What about your husband’s job/work? Does he have a bachelors degree where he can qualify for his own work visa? If not can you survive on him working as a dependent (limited to 28h a week work)?
* How old are your kids? School age? What are your plans for school for the kids? When I moved my wife had kept our kids Japanese level high enough that they could seamlessly integrate into the local school, something they could not do in Germany for more than a year when we lived there – that meant that after a year international school which cost about 6000 USD a month (not reimbursed by my company) for 3 kids, and they still had trouble. Are you willing to work hard with your kids to keep them up to grade level? Are you willing to accept that you might be damaging their chances at higher education/etc. by putting them into a school system you cannot support them in? Do you have the savings/resources to put them into an international/IB program and is there one available where you want to live (doubtful outside Tokyo/Osaka)?
>I am happy to work as an English Teacher (though, I currently own my own business and build websites, sales funnels and consult with businesses on their marketing strategies and how to tie their online presence together to create a cohesive customer experience that is also full optimized for a mobile experience) and my husband isn’t opposed to it (He currently works in IT). I think both of us would do great with teaching English to business people due to our professional experience. (but we both love kids too)
Oh gawd, you do realize that teaching English, while lucrative during the bubble years, has not been a long term viable career for almost 30 years right? Unless you’ve got a PhD in English/Education/Linguistics you won’t be getting the type of job people get that can support them long term with a family. Even with both of you working. Never mind that business English teachers need you know, actual experience, because the people they’re teaching expect actual results…
Additionally why would you damage your current career?
>However, most programs for people going overseas to Japan are geared towards recent college grads, vs. someone with a spouse and dependents, and I’ve even seen some that are unwilling to work with you to get a dependent visa.
That’s because:
* It’s not an actual career/job that the college kids are going for. It’s the equivalent of spending a year backpacking around Europe and getting paid (poorly) to do it.
* It’s not their responsibility to get your family dependent visas. You will need to get a job that can sponsor you for a work visa, move here, get established, then apply for dependent visas for your family proving you can support them because they are **dependents**. Let me help you real fast, that’s not going to happen on an English teacher’s salary for a husband and children. Are you willing and able to do that? Will your husband be happy with you abandoning the family to go off and play in Japanland while he’s taking care of the family/home?
>So I’d love to hear about other people’s experience of moving to Japan with their spouse + child(ren). Did you go to teach English? Were you able to score a job through some other means, like direct hire in a company? Just any advice or encouragement would be nice. It’s something that we’ve thought long and hard about, then when we stayed in Osaka pre-pandemic for a few weeks and felt so at home, we knew that we wanted to figure a way to return permanently vs. occasionally visiting.
* I’ve lived here twice and never taught English.
* I’ve been a direct hire my entire time in Japan.
* I’m an engineer with graduate degrees in engineering/business and (when I first went to Japan) about 10 years experience now closer to 30.
* The new rules for moving pets make it an easy/inexpensive if long process. Look at the stickies/wiki. The first time I moved here we had a cat and it cost me about $30 a day plus trips to visit her for over a month (quarantine was shorter back then for pet cats).
My advice would be to apply for jobs in Japan and try to get one or look locally for a company that has a branch in Japan you could transfer to.
Postpone this plan for a few years. Focus on improving your Japanese till you can land a job in your field.
Japan is not going anywhere.
Is it possible? Of course it is. It’s the entire reason the dependent visa exists. (See [this section of the visa wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/movingtojapan/wiki/visas#wiki_.22i_have_a_work_visa_for_japan._can_my_spouse_or_children_come_with_me.3F.22), which you should have read before posting per sub rules.)
> I think both of us would do great with teaching English
Ma’am, your husband works IN IT. This is the easiest industry/field for skilled workers who don’t speak Japanese to get hired in Japan. Why would he teach English when he has an in-demand skill that would provide a much more comfortable lifestyle for a family with a child than English teaching ever would??? Honest question here.
Please search the sub and look for posts from the IT and tech industry. People have shared lots of job-hunting resources about this field.
> So I’d love to hear about other people’s experience of moving to Japan with their spouse + child(ren).
I moved here with my husband and three pets.
> Did you go to teach English?
Hell no.
> Were you able to score a job through some other means, like direct hire in a company?
Yes. I applied to a job in Japan and was accepted after interviewing a few times. I have a Masters’ degree in my field. At the time I came to Japan, I had 6 years of professional full-time work experience in said field. Job covered all relocation costs and handled getting my husband over as well.
I think you have a skewed view on this because you’re ONLY reading the experiences of 20-somethings who come to Japan and teach English. Again, search this sub and you’ll find lots of posts about skilled workers with spouses and families who have successfully moved to Japan or ask about moving to Japan with a spouse or a spouse and children.
Anyway, aside from the whole “IT husband becoming English teacher” thing to consider, you also have to consider your child. On an English teaching salary, you won’t be able to afford English-language schools. Can you read forms and materials from your child’s daycare or yochien? Would you be able to read and fill out the little attendance books that parents (usually the moms) are tasked with keeping track of to communicate with teachers about their child’s progress, behavior etc? Would you be able to read enrollment materials and make sure your kid has everything they need for school? What about communicating about changes to pick up/drop off or medical appointments or any other strange thing that can affect the day-to-day schedule of a kid in daycare?
With a kid and English teaching, you’re not going to have much room to learn advanced Japanese.
You also need to consider the potential impact this would have on your child, since you’d be primarily responsible for educating them in English (or whatever language you speak at home). Do you plan to remain in Japan for all eternity? If not, you must think about if your child will be delayed or behind in language (and other subjects) his or her peers if you return to your home country. These are all real concerns.
Also, with a pet, you might have difficulty finding appropriate housing on teacher salaries. You won’t qualify for company-provided housing with pets and a kid, that’s for sure.
Here’s some relevant past posts on coming with a kid. Again, please search the sub next time. You’re not the first person to ask about this.
https://www.reddit.com/r/movingtojapan/comments/u339xw/advice_regarding_japanese_kindergarden_vs/
https://www.reddit.com/r/movingtojapan/comments/j2d8gh/moving_to_tokyo_in_2021_with_a_5_year_old_who/
https://www.reddit.com/r/movingtojapan/comments/6s164x/can_a_family_of_3_survive_with_an_alt_salary/
https://www.reddit.com/r/movingtojapan/comments/92pioc/how_much_japanese_should_my_daughter_know_to/
https://www.reddit.com/r/movingtojapan/comments/gswl28/raising_kids_in_japan_all_foreigner_family_not/
Finally, you’re correct in that, without native-level Japanese, jobs in your field in Japan are extremely rare. They exist, but they’re the sort of once-in-a-lifetime finds and tend to be with major corporations who bring company transfers over. I’ve never seen a marketing or PR job posting that didn’t require N2 at a minimum.
Lots of helpful answers from my brief perusal. There is also a Facebook group called jet couples and families. It isn’t only for jets, but is primarily geared towards them. It would have info that might help you. Also – his income threshold is higher then yours in IT. He should get the job, get the location, and then you get English teaching around that. If you moved based on your English teaching job, he may find himself far from the jobs he would most be suited for.
Plenty of people move to Japan with their spouse and kids, they just tend to be moving for jobs that pay enough to support that family. Any company that’s paying you enough to support that will probably also handle the dependent visa stuff as well.
I moved with dependent and a toddler— the job part was the “easy” part. Job handled visa stuff, and I make a healthy salary. I got the job as I would any other job— searched for jobs in my field worldwide, applied to ones that made sense, interviewed and got the job. Note that I am an not an English teacher, and the other people I know in similar situations are also not English teachers. There are jobs that pay enough to support a family, they’re just often not English teaching.
The everyday life stuff that is definitely tough. My kid goes to a regular Japanese yochien and there’s the whole application process, plus the regular paperwork that gets sent home, parent teacher conferences, little notes and instructions for special events, PTA stuff, etc.
On top of that, my husband doesn’t speak Japanese (yet, learning), so all of that falls to me. In the US we’d share the responsibility a bit more, but here I have to take on the lion’s share due to the language issues.
While we like it and are planning to be here long term, I wouldn’t do it without having confidence in your language skills. My daughter recently got a bump on the head and we had to go see a doctor. Worrying about concussions is tough enough, trying to make sure you understand the doctor is another stress on top of that!