I was wondering if anybody could give me a realistic idea of what my options are for landing a non-teaching job if I have an N1, a 2-month internship in Japan, as well as a year of classes at Japanese university (only 6 months physically abroad because of COVID) but am applying from overseas. I graduated university in the US two years ago with a linguistics degree.
I basically have no other skills besides languages; I can speak both Japanese and Korean at business level, but that’s about it.
I was originally going to do 就活 in Japan but it didn’t work out because I couldn’t return to the university program I was in because of covid. Right now I’m teaching in Korea but I honestly hate teaching with a passion and would like to do something else in Japan where I can use Japanese every day.
My understanding is that some Japanese companies are willing to train entry level employees and as long as the salary is comparable or higher than my salary in Korea I’d be down for it (approx. 1.8mil). Basically I am at the level of shinsotu so I think it would make sense to apply to this kind of job, right?
Right now I can think of translation, IT, and hotel jobs. Are there any other categories of jobs that I’m potentially missing?
My other concern is financial stability. I’m miserable in Korea but I am at least financially stable, able to save money.
Also, might it be worth it to go back to Japanese language school even if I have N1, just for the sake of finding a job?
I’d rather not spend more money on education; I just want to work. My original prospects were JET or grad school in Japan but JET is not an option anymore because the process takes too long and I have no where to go back home because my mother is abusive and I need financial independence from her.
However, if my chances of getting a non-teaching job are slim, then language school would be plausible for me, though not ideal.
5 comments
This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.
—
**Applying to (non-teaching) jobs with an N1/study abroad experience from overseas**
I was wondering if anybody could give me a realistic idea of what my options are for landing a non-teaching job if I have an N1, a 2-month internship in Japan, as well as a year of classes at Japanese university (only 6 months physically abroad because of COVID) but am applying from overseas. I graduated university in the US two years ago with a linguistics degree.
I basically have no other skills besides languages; I can speak both Japanese and Korean at business level, but that’s about it.
I was originally going to do 就活 in Japan but it didn’t work out because I couldn’t return to the university program I was in because of covid. Right now I’m teaching in Korea but I honestly hate teaching with a passion and would like to do something else in Japan where I can use Japanese every day.
My understanding is that some Japanese companies are willing to train entry level employees and as long as the salary is comparable or higher than my salary in Korea I’d be down for it (approx. 1.8mil). Basically I am at the level of shinsotu so I think it would make sense to apply to this kind of job, right?
Right now I can think of translation, IT, and hotel jobs. Are there any other categories of jobs that I’m potentially missing?
My other concern is financial stability. I’m miserable in Korea but I am at least financially stable, able to save money.
Also, might it be worth it to go back to Japanese language school even if I have N1, just for the sake of finding a job?
I’d rather not spend more money on education; I just want to work. My original prospects were JET or grad school in Japan but JET is not an option anymore because the process takes too long and I have no where to go back home because my mother is abusive and I need financial independence from her.
However, if my chances of getting a non-teaching job are slim, then language school would be plausible for me, though not ideal.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/movingtojapan) if you have any questions or concerns.*
See if you can apply for a run-of-the-mill office job at Samsung’s or SK Hynix’s or LG’s Japan offices. They interface with their home country of course so knowing both Japanese + Korean at a high level (and English I’m guessing) may make up for a lack of hard skills. Note you’d be competing with a myriad of candidates who already know Japanese + Korean at high levels, and there’s a bunch of them.
>I basically have no other skills besides languages
***THIS*** is your problem, not whether or not you are currently in Japan.
You don’t have any marketable skills, so why would an employer hire you over a Japanese person who speaks the language better, is more familiar with the culture, and doesn’t require a visa?
>My understanding is that some Japanese companies are willing to train entry level employees
They do this for Japanese university graduates, not random foreigners from overseas.
>Basically I am at the level of shinsotu so I think it would make sense to apply to this kind of job, right?
You can’t get Shinsotsu positions because you’re not in Japan graduating from a Japanese university.
>Right now I can think of translation, IT, and hotel jobs.
Translation is a dying industry, and the number of full time, salaried positions that would support a visa is dropping every year. The *vast* majority of translation work is freelance/gig work these days, and that won’t get you a visa.
You’re not going to get an IT position with no experience and no education in the field.
Hotel work… Eh, maybe? But there you’d be competing against people with actual hospitality experience, so your chances aren’t great.
>Also, might it be worth it to go back to Japanese language school even if I have N1, just for the sake of finding a job?
No, it wouldn’t be worth it. How is language school going to help you find a job? Being physically present in Japan won’t change the fact that you’re not in a position to participate in the Shinsotsu system.
You can make a bit more money teaching English in Japan than what you’re making now, and the cost of living isn’t all that much higher in Japan than Korea these days. But you’re going to need to teach English for a while before you find another gig, and there is no guarantee of another gig down the line.
You missed the boat to apply for new graduate positions this year. But, it doesn’t hurt you to look at jobs hiring now and also submit your applications for next April.