Please help.
Context Im not a college grad and my only issue with the language is reading and writing, which Im working on.
Ive been working clerical / proj management type jobs for about 5 years.
Currently looking to become skilled enough to get a bilingual job locally since they pay well; but Im not sure of what to do after that. I really want out.
4 comments
Filipino here. I don’t know what you’re going through to make you “want out” but I doubt moving to Japan or any other country would solve that problem.
If you have a degree, your best bet is applying at a Japanese company who will sponsor your visa. Usually requires that you have good command of the language. Otherwise, you can look for non-Japanese companies in Japan and apply there as well with no Japanese required.
Also, like what uberfrost said, I hope you understand the implications of moving to Japan. If you’re trying to escape the Philippines thinking Japan is all flowers and rainbows, I urge you to think again.
Living spaces are small with high rent (in the city, where you will most likely be working). Renting for foreigners in general is difficult. Bureaucracy is still a pain to deal with but even more painful since Japan relies heavily on paper and ancient tech such as faxing which makes things extremely slow. I know the Philippines is catching up in the tech scene which is better apart from the people in power I guess. Similar case with banks. It is not the same experience in the Philippines especially with mobile banking. You need to go to the bank in person for transactions and customer support on the phone won’t get you anywhere. Also, you usually can’t withdraw from ATMs beyond bank business hours (although you can withdraw from convenience stores for a fee). That’s all well and fine but I guess the main problem would be if the Japanese banks allow you to open an account in the first place. Setting up phones, internet is also not as simple.
But, if you get a job from a company based in Japan. They should be able to help you with settling in. Hopefully the company isn’t the type that overworks you though. Also the pay is high but please keep in mind the taxes. 10% fixed residence tax on your gross annual income. And then 5-45% national income tax (depending on your income range) on top of that. Some contributions will also be automatically deducted such as health insurance, pension, etc. If you don’t already have a high salary in the first place, when you subtract living expenses (rent, utilities, transportation, internet, phone), taxes, contributions, savings(?), you need to ask yourself if living in a tiny box for a piece of Japan is worth it.
Or you could go the spouse visa route.
tl;dr Get hired by a Japanese or foreign company who will sponsor your visa or get a spouse visa. Prepare for the major increase in cost of living expenses in Japan vs. Philippines.
Actual Filipino here who just moved to Japan a month ago.
Another option would be the student visa route. For this option though, you’ll need a hefty amount of show money (at least 650,000 php). After a year, more or less, you can find a job and change it to a work visa.
If you need help with the student visa though, I can help you with that if you’re REALLY into it. Just give me a chat.
Japan has always been my happy place but I’m afraid my attitude towards it might change if i work there after seeing their work culture. But at this point, bahala na si batman. Just go for it! A friend of mine just recently moved there as well and he seems to be doing fine.