Hello everyone,
I was hoping to get some advice from some of you who have experience job hunting in Japan after JET (particularly in the Nagoya area).
I\`m a 2nd year CIR and I hope to work in Japan following JET. I was wondering what resources you guys used when looking for work in Japan. So far, I have signed up to Daijobs, LinkedIn and Indeed. I have also heard of people going through recruiting agencies to find work.
My major issue is that I plan to work in Nagoya following JET as my partner lives there . However, it seems that the majority of international companies/ roles are based in Tokyo or Osaka. In terms of the Nagoya area, I\`m finding a lot of system engineer job postings. However, I\`m from a business background with no knowledge of engineering/ programming so I\`m afraid these are outside of my reach.
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I\`m generally aiming for a role in any of the following areas:
\- HR
\-Admin
\-Translation and interpretation
\- University Programme Co-ordination
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Any advice or suggestions are greatly appreciated
7 comments
You might also check out GaijinPot and Doda. Check the AJET Jobs Facebook page and the [JETWit](http://jetwit.com/wordpress/) website. JETWit tends to lean heavily on Japanese-related jobs in the US or outside of Japan, but every once in a while there are some good jobs within Japan listed.
You mentioned you’re interested in university programs, there are a few universities in Nagoya that have large-scale study-abroad programs (I attended Nanzan myself), so you could always check their websites directly. Does Nagoya have any foreign resident-facing organizations?
I also recommend joining the CIRHP Forums. You can connect directly with other current and former CIRs and there’s a lot of good job-hunting information there as well.
Background:
Not in Nagoya and in a much more inaka area (wanted to stay here)
6th year ALT
N2 level kinda (failed the test by 8 points)
recently secured a job after JET
Advice:
Network-
When I heard that my contract was coming to an end I reached out to everyone and anyone I knew. I let it be known I was looking for work. Because of this, those who knew me reached out and eventually I got an offer (also skipped a lot of the actual process)
Bigger isn’t always better
Some advice I received is that while bigger companies seem more secure, don’t write off mid to small businesses. Larger companies you’ll be competing with Japanese students, promotions and such may be slow to move. while mid to small are actively seeking foreign-workers
Consider a year or two in a different field:
Though it may seem weird to say, if the goal is to stay in the area or with someone then you may consider entering into the hospitality field or the dreaded eikaiwa while also working on side businesses or freelance work. If your goal is also to enter into a certain field then you may have to reach out of the city for that.
Remote
Thanks to Rona, a lot of jobs can be done remotely. So even if it is a Tokyo based company you could still live in Nagoya. you may be asked to come into office occasionally but if I remember from when I studied in Nagoya it is not *that* far.
feel free to DM me. I know our circumstances are different, but I just went through the process.
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Not specific to your situation but relevant all the same:
having 100% native Japanese is the bare minimum when competing against Japanese applicants. 9/10 times a company will go with a native applicant who can communicate and understands the culture over someone who can’t, even if the latter is technically more qualified.
I say this so anyone else who reads this thread knows to set their expectations. Not even your N1 Japanese is going to impress anyone if you’re going against native Japanese applicants. You have to have something else of value.
Do you have a marketable skill or can you use what you’ve done as a CIR to demonstrate a marketable skill?
If yes, then you stand a chance.
Network, like someone else mentioned. Call in favors and let your intentions to stay in Nagoya be known.
I also recommend working with a recruiter if you want to get lots of interview practice in fast. In my personal experience, working with a recruiter didn’t help me land a job but it did help me get quite a few interviews for practice.
A lot of those types of positions will be based in Osaka/Tokyo however Nagoya does have it’s opportunities (lower salaries than osaka/tokyo though)
If you have n2/n1/n1+ you will be more competitive than 70% of JETs because you have business experience (assuming background means experience)
Do you have a portfolio that’s easily findable? This can help in addition to LinkedIn
I run the [https://www.facebook.com/groups/ajetandjetaaijobs](https://www.facebook.com/groups/ajetandjetaaijobs) FB group where I post Japan based listings for different fields, warning in advance that some salaries aren’t so attractive.
I also wrote a piece on my site that lists various job hunting sites and advice (mostly tailored to ALTs but the Japanese sites may be of help to you) https://firreflly.co/jetjobhunting/
There’s nothing about this question that is specific to the program. You can look at all of the generic job searching websites online, or check the other relevant subreddits.
You could network with the Japan Association for Language Teaching ([JALT](https://jalt.org)). While the organization’s main mission is related to language teaching, there are a number of people involved in language translation and interpretation in the organization. You can look up the next event for Nagoya, Toyohashi, and Gifu. First time attendance is free. Many of the members themselves are JET alumni and are often keen on job openings in their networks.