Hi everyone,
I am greatly in need of a reality check as I keep questioning myself if this is possible for me and my spouse (Japanese National).
About me:
Currently, I am 29 years old with 4 years of experience in Mechanical Engineering with soft skills in programing. I have my Bachelor’s Degree and most likely will not be doing a masters in the near future. Currently in Canada and getting paid ok…(not as good as our American counterparts).
I currently hold N2 in the JLPT and currently practicing business level Japanese but unsure how far I can get in a year.
The reason for the move is because my spouse would like to be closer to her family as they are aging. We will probably move to Tokyo or Osaka depending on job opportunities.
Other notes:
* I am ok with taking a pay cut so no surprise there
* Visa shouldn’t be an issue because spouse
* No kids, no debt, no criminal record
* quite a bit of savings
* Canadian Citizen
My questions so far is:
* Should I strive for JLPT N1 or focus more on business Japanese?
* How worried should I be about field specific vocabulary?
* Is language school worth it or should I delay the move to polish my Japanese skills (I can only get so far without being in the country and interacting with other Japanese speaking people)?
Given my qualifications, is it possible to make the big move? I am alright with leaving my field of expertise as well for another job, as long as it is not sales.
Please advise if I have overlooked anything or underestimated anything in our plan!
2 comments
This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.
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**Reality Check Me: Planning to move to Japan in around 1-1.5 years**
Hi everyone,
I am greatly in need of a reality check as I keep questioning myself if this is possible for me and my spouse (Japanese National).
About me:
Currently, I am 29 years old with 4 years of experience in Mechanical Engineering with soft skills in programing. I have my Bachelor’s Degree and most likely will not be doing a masters in the near future. Currently in Canada and getting paid ok…(not as good as our American counterparts).
I currently hold N2 in the JLPT and currently practicing business level Japanese but unsure how far I can get in a year.
The reason for the move is because my spouse would like to be closer to her family as they are aging. We will probably move to Tokyo or Osaka depending on job opportunities.
Other notes:
* I am ok with taking a pay cut so no surprise there
* Visa shouldn’t be an issue because spouse
* No kids, no debt, no criminal record
* quite a bit of savings (150k+)
* Canadian Citizen
My questions so far is:
* Should I strive for JLPT N1 or focus more on business Japanese?
* How worried should I be about field specific vocabulary?
* Is language school worth it or should I delay the move to polish my Japanese skills (I can only get so far without being in the country and interacting with other Japanese speaking people)?
Given my qualifications, is it possible to make the big move? I am alright with leaving my field of expertise as well for another job, as long as it is not sales.
Please advise if I have overlooked anything or underestimated anything in our plan!
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N2 is good enough for most jobs. You probably will not be in an especially technical position as your first job, unless you find a company that will hire you and have you work in English.
As far as experience goes, you seem to be set. Japan has an [engineering licensure organization](https://www.engineer.or.jp/sub09/) and if you pass that exam you should be just as hireable as any Japanese engineer. You’re no english teacher; you’re an engineer. I’m pretty sure you may qualify for [very rapid PR status](https://blog.gaijinpot.com/japans-new-permanent-residency-rules-explained/) if you do end up going to Japan.
I’m not exactly sure what the visas look like for a married foreigner to a Japanese national but I think that’s also a boon to have. Plus you won’t have to worry about your wife not fitting in!
Honestly if I were you, I’d be more concerned about which color to paint my bedroom in my house in Tokyo rather than if I have a chance at making it in Japan.