Hi, i’m a single 25M currently working in a global financial services company, with a decent income. I’ve been going through a couple of scenarios lately regarding whether I should study an English MBA in Japan or learn Japanese and then apply for work in Japan. These are the two scenarios I have in mind:
1. Finish a total of 3 years of experience and then study an **English** MBA in Japan through a fully paid scholarship starting 2024, all while learning Japanese throughout my time there and then apply for work in financial services (main goal is consulting, private equity, venture capital) after my MBA. Note that the total time I would have to study Japanese, would be 3.5 years (1 year remote, and 2.5 in Japan while doing my MBA).
2. Keep learning the language remotely with a tutor and online classes for 2-3 years, with the goal to reach N2 (realistic) or N1 (very optimistic) level and then apply for companies in Japan. I currently have 2 years of experience, so this would mean accumulating 4-5 years of experience.
I need helping in understanding which one is more realistic in terms of increasing my chances of getting a job in Japan? Also are these timelines for learning Japanese realistic? and do companies (both foreign and Japanese) prefer work experience rather than the MBA from a university in Japan?
Sorry for the long rant, but would appreciate any insights and experiences in this perspective :).
2 comments
>Also are these timelines for learning Japanese realistic?
Honestly? No, not really. The standard “average” number for JLPT N2 is 2 years of *full time* study. Given that you’re not going to be studying full time 2-3 years is wildly over-optimistic for N1, and even for N2 it’s going to be a challenge.
Even if you’re living/studying in Japan your timeline is a bit optimistic. While living here and using the language certainly helps, there’s still a lot of study that goes into actually hitting N2/N1.
Hi. I’m doing an MBA in Japan at the moment and am in the process of my Japan job hunting.
I would suggest that you get the to JLPT N2 level by the time you enroll in your MBA. Having some level of fluency will help you in your student life outside school. Studying during the MBA especially during the first two terms will take up a lot of your time which may eat into your time for studying Japanese. Having JLPT N2 qualification on paper gets your foot into the door for most companies in Japan but as mentioned before, employers would be interested in your speaking ability.
If the Japanese university you’re thinking of is Hitotsubashi ICS, the business school has strong links with many companies looking to hire foreign students. The Hitotsubashi name does open many doors.