Finding a job in Japan as a foreigner

6 comments

1. This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.

   —

   **Finding a job in Japan as a foreigner**

   Hello!
   I know this must be asked all the time here, but I wanna know if there are any updates on how to get a job (Engineering to be more specific) in Japan? And most importantly, is it wise to do? I’m having trouble on finding a job because of my limited qualifications, and because most of what I see on job search sites are either requiring more work experience that what I currently have, or not is in the engineering field. I heard about the J-SKIP and J-FIND visas recently, but sadly, I’m not qualified for both of them.
   I’m also currently applying for the **Awaji Youth Federation (AYF) Fellowship 2023** as a another way of getting in Japan, if anyone here knows anything about it, I have the following questions.
   -How do you get your salary?
   -Are the overtimes frequent? And how long do they usually take?
   -How much will be the deduction of the taxes, pension, and insurance from the monthly salary?
   -Are the accommodations (Utilities and Lodging) already included in the aforementioned deductions?
   -How is/was the experience?
   About me:
   Nationality: Filipino
   Age: 25 year old
   College Degree: BS in Chemical Engineering
   English skills: (Fluent)
   Japanese skills: (non-existent)
   Work Experience: 1 year and 8 months
   Thanks in advance to anyone that can help! 🙂

   *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.*

2. If you can’t google everything that you asked in 5 minutes you are probably not qualified for an IT position lol

3. >Engineering to be more specific

   Just a heads up, that not very specific at all. You do end up specifying a bit more later, though.

   >-How do you get your salary?

   Bank transfer. That’s the most common way by far.

   >-Are the overtimes frequent? And how long do they usually take?

   That’s very industry/company specific. I have 0 overtime. I stay late some days when I’m in the flow, but compensate by leaving earlier other days.

   Some people will have several hours of overtime every day.

   >-How much will be the deduction of the taxes, pension, and insurance from the monthly salary?

   Depends on your salary, but around 20% if you have 5M yearly salary. https://japantaxcalculator.com/ is a good tool for this.

   >-Are the accommodations (Utilities and Lodging) already included in the aforementioned deductions?

   Some companies provide housing or some housing allowance, but for most people, no. Rent and utilities are separate and the cost depends where you live and your standards.

   >Japanese skills: (non-existent)
   Work Experience: 1 year and 8 months

   This will make it difficult for you to find a job in Chemical Engineering. In Software Engineering and IT, there are so many jobs and international companies that Japanese Language isn’t very important to find a job. But there are far fewer jobs in Chemical Engineering that would allow for low Japanese language skills if you don’t have more experience.

4. >How do you get your salary?

   By bank deposit, usually on the last week of the month.

   ​

   >Are the overtimes frequent? And how long do they usually take?

   Depends on the company.

   ​

   >How much will be the deduction of the taxes, pension, and insurance from the monthly salary?

   Depends on your income, but about 25-30%.

   ​

   >Are the accommodations (Utilities and Lodging) already included in the aforementioned deductions?

   Usually no, so that’s about another 20-30% of your income.

   ​

   >I’m also currently applying for the Awaji Youth Federation (AYF) Fellowship 2023 as a another way of getting in Japan

   If you’re not yet in Japan, then getting a job with zero Japanese may prove difficult.

5. Awaji mentions requiring at least N3 in language skills. If you need more about it, it’s on their website. Most of your concerns are already there.

   If you need more ideas about searching for a job in Japan, try joining Filipino Facebook groups, those people can be of much more help since they know most of the visa process too.

6. It is possible to get a job as an engineer in Japan, and I did it straight out of uni with almost 0 Japanese ability. However, I did so because my master’s degree was pretty specific and the company needed me. It was a lucky shot, but they do exist. I have a few other uni friends who also got lucky in the same way in various industries. It may be worth it for you to look at agencies that hire foreigners for Japanese companies (but it’s good to do some research to make sure they’re legit).

   To answer your other questions:

   – For engineering jobs, salary is almost always paid into a bank account which the company should help you set up.
   – Depends on the company. My previous employer had strict limits on overtime set by managers. Weirdly, as a foreigner, I had lower limits than my Japanese colleagues. My current company has a 0 overtime policy – to them, if I need to work extra hours, it’s a management problem, not a me problem. Most big companies will be very anal about making sure you’re sticking to the limits as the government keeps them under a microscope.
   – Salary deductions depend on your salary… As in most places… You can look up Japan tax calculators online as a guideline.
   – Lodging is often provided by big Japanese companies at a discounted rate, if not fully paid for. Utilities, usually not… But you’ll sometimes get other benefits. Smaller companies and foreign companies usually just leave it to you to figure it out.
   – My experience in a traditional Japanese company was pretty shit, and a foreign company has been pretty good. In the former case, I was very lucky that my company was actually one of the better ones. It was shit, but that’s more because everyone was unprepared, and it was just not the right environment for someone with ambition. Hell, no Japanese company is – you just have to coast and kiss ass.