Hey everyone,
My wife and I are considering a long term plan (1-5 years timeline) to move to Japan for the safety and security that the country provides, compared to living in a place like central Los Angeles. My wife has multiple state certifications to teach, and I have a B.S. in Mathematics, M.S. in Higher Education, and a B.S. in Kinesiology.
We’re currently weighing our options and trying to decide whether it’s better for me to continue working remotely in the US while my wife pursues a teaching job in Tokyo, or if it’s better for me to seek a job in my industry in Tokyo that will sponsor my visa.
I have an N2 level of Japanese proficiency, but we plan to further strengthen our language skills through classes and real conversations with others. We understand that the cost of living in Japan is different from the US, but our main priority is finding a safe and simple life, not one filled with material possessions.
We’re not making any rash decisions, and we’re aware of the harsh realities that come with such a move. However, we’ve already undergone a significant change by moving from rural Oklahoma to Los Angeles earlier in our lives, so we’re confident in our ability to adapt to big changes.
We’d appreciate any advice or insight from anyone who has made a similar move, or who has experience living in Japan. Thank you in advance!
4 comments
This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.
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**Building a proper plan to move to Japan**
Hey everyone,
My wife and I are considering a long term plan (1-5 years timeline) to move to Japan for the safety and security that the country provides, compared to living in a place like central Los Angeles. My wife has multiple state certifications to teach, and I have a B.S. in Mathematics, M.S. in Higher Education, and a B.S. in Kinesiology.
We’re currently weighing our options and trying to decide whether it’s better for me to continue working remotely in the US while my wife pursues a teaching job in Tokyo, or if it’s better for me to seek a job in my industry in Tokyo that will sponsor my visa.
I have an N2 level of Japanese proficiency, but we plan to further strengthen our language skills through classes and real conversations with others. We understand that the cost of living in Japan is different from the US, but our main priority is finding a safe and simple life, not one filled with material possessions.
We’re not making any rash decisions, and we’re aware of the harsh realities that come with such a move. However, we’ve already undergone a significant change by moving from rural Oklahoma to Los Angeles earlier in our lives, so we’re confident in our ability to adapt to big changes.
We’d appreciate any advice or insight from anyone who has made a similar move, or who has experience living in Japan. Thank you in advance!
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>trying to decide whether it’s better for me to continue working remotely in the US while my wife pursues a teaching job in Tokyo
Well, there’s no Remote Work visa, so in order for this to be feasible your wife would have to be *working* a teaching job, not “pursuing” one. You would then be her dependent, which would allow you to work remotely *part time* (28 hours a week).
>My wife has multiple state certifications to teach
Does your wife have a decent amount of classroom experience to go along with the teaching licenses? If so, she has a shot at getting a position at one of the international schools. Turnover isn’t very high, but there are usually a few openings at any given time at the legit schools.
>I have a B.S. in Mathematics, M.S. in Higher Education, and a B.S. in Kinesiology.
That’s an impressive list of education, but what do you actually ***do***? Your career experience matters as much (or more so) as your degrees. Without knowing what your experience looks like, or what jobs you’re aiming at, it’s impossible to say anything about your chances to find a job in Japan.
>whether it’s better for me to continue working remotely in the US while my wife pursues a teaching job in Tokyo, or if it’s better for me to seek a job in my industry in Tokyo that will sponsor my visa.
FYI, if you’re here on a dependent status you’re only allowed to work part time hours (max 28 hours per week). You are also not meant to be earning more than (or the same as) your sponsor. That’s assuming of course that your employer will allow you to remain employed from Japan in the first place. A lot of companies, even ‘fully remote’ companies, won’t allow employees to relocate to different countries. Even if the company has a presence in that country already.
>for the safety and security that the country provides
Have you considered places like Singapore? Japan is not unique in the lack of gun violence.
> if it’s better for me to seek a job in my industry in Tokyo that will sponsor my visa.
Yes if you want to work full time in Japan.