Some time next year, I planned on going to Japan for the purpose of working/living in Japan for at least 2 years (ideally more, but with this strategy it would be at least 2 years). The plan was to sign up with a language school and still work the allowed 29.5 hours per week. Recently, the idea of potentially getting a Graduate or Master’s Degree instead of going the Japanese Language School route has entered my brain.
I am an American, and nearly 40 years old. I’ve been to Japan at least 3 times before (having spent probably a whole calendar year when everything is added), so I won’t have culture shock.
If I do the Japanese Language school route, my experience will be easier. If I go the Post Graduate route, I will have more homework (aka less free time), and it may cost more, but at least I’ll have a paper with a title on it.
Currently I can probably lightly study for 2 months here in the USA and do well on the N4 (not that it will prove much, but just to give a reference of my level). **Will having to deal with post-graduate coursework limit my extracurricular language learning time so much, that it really won’t be worth it to go for another degree if my real goal is just to learn the language and live in the country?** Or not?
1 comment
What is your career field? You say your “real goal” is to “learn the language and live in the country” but without knowing how long or whether or not you intend to get a full-time job here afterward makes it a bit more difficult to advise you.
For the vast majority of jobs here, you will need a minimum of N2 or N1. There are some exceptions to this, not saying it’s impossible with less, but extraordinarily difficult and your chances won’t be great if your Japanese proficiency is less than that. As long as you have a minimum of a 4-year undergraduate degree, you will be able to get a work visa in Japan. The degree field really doesn’t matter as much, many jobs don’t care what you majored in. Your age might make it significantly more difficult to get hired here regardless of whether you pursue a post-graduate degree or language school. I’m not a recruiter or anything, don’t quote me, but I have seen age limits on job listings here (including and especially “new graduate” hires). Japan is a country where it is common to put your age, birthdate, photo, etc. on your resume so be aware of this before starting the journey.
As someone who pursued a graduate degree taught in English in Japan, I can confirm that it will take a significant amount of time away from learning Japanese. **If your goal is to learn the language, go to language school.** If you already have degrees, then those will be on your resume regardless. Not knowing the language here will hold you back, and an additional degree might offer limited returns given your situation. Having said that, a master’s degree or Ph.D. completed in Japan would be accepted as equivalent in the US so if you decided to go that route, it wouldn’t be completely useless.
Based on what you wrote, I think language school is a better fit. Good luck.