I’ll be glad if you’re working in finance in Japan and are willing to answer my questions. I’m a uni student in Tokyo who will be graduating in 2 years. I’m hoping to get a job in investment banking or other finance related jobs in a foreign company mainly because they tend to pay better and I don’t exactly favor the general company culture in Japan. I did a little bit of research and most sources say that getting a CFA is a good start, but I understand that it’s a long-term commitment and I wasn’t sure if it’ll be useful here. Some other Japanese sources say that getting an FP, shoken certifications, etc. will help secure a job in finance. My question is, is it worth to try and get the CFA in Japan over these other certifications? Also, how important is formal, spoken Japanese in the workplace? I passed the N2 quite a while ago and I’m fairly certain that I’ll pass the N1 this year. I can listen and read just fine, but I’m not that great at speaking.
Any other tips will also be appreciated, thank you!
3 comments
CFAs are really expensive to get. Going to grad school in another country might make more sense.
All my friends who took the CFA and CPA certif exams who weren’t good in Japanese couldn’t find jobs in Japan but are now successful in their home countries working at Japanese companies. They’re hoping to be transferred to the Japan branch or build up enough experience to find jobs in Japan while still working on their Japanese.
My friends who had those same certifs and who were N1 and taking business Japanese, however were able to immediately find jobs in the finance industry. But regardless of certifs, you can find a job in the finance industry here as long as your Japanese is business level. You can get the certifs while on the job to increase your salary.
Yes, CFA is a great certification.. almost equivalent to MBA in terms of how employers look at it. Be aware though it is very difficult.. much more so than CPA.
With that said it also hugely depends on what you are hoping to do. CFA is necessary for sell-side, equities research etc. But not so much for FP&A and other finance roles. I would figure that out first