Does JLPT really open up very many doors? I’ve been working my ass off during my free time since I got here and finally managed to pass N1 last summer, but when I look at job listings and what not I don’t really see so much of a change in my options. There are some B2B Sales and translation entry level jobs that require more working hours that pay less than the teaching jobs that I’m currently qualified for, but thats about it. I feel like I need to pick up another skill or I can’t actually take advantage of my language certification. Based on your experience and knowledge of Japan, what are the industries to go into right now? Is there any low hanging fruit out there in terms of certification that when combined with Japanese proficiency can make money?
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Speaking from experience, I made the switch from English teaching to doing what I do now (**not** English teaching), and I think what swung it for me was having had a little experience in a related field. I’ve never taken JLPT in my life.
I went to two job interviews and was offered a position by both companies. At no point was the JLPT even mentioned. The entire interview process was in Japanese, and that plus the practical test (doing a sample of what the actual job would entail) was the extent of it.
Having a JLPT qualification isn’t going to *hurt*, but if we assume that (X) people pass N1 each year, then potential employers are going to want something else to elevate that person above the other however many applicants. I think your point about picking up another skill is definitely important.
Alternatively, you try and find a niche position that doesn’t attract hundreds of applicants. Obviously has to be a niche that interests you and for which you’re suited, but that’s another possible way in. You may have to think laterally – you may already have a useful skill, but you may not have thought of it in that way.
TLDR: Don’t be competitive, be different.
TBH the certification itself not so much. It is more of a guideline as to how far your Japanese skills should be in order to work without language barriers, rather than a strict requirement.
JLPT N1 tells a possible employer that you can use Japanese just fine at work. That you shouldn’t have a very noticeable language barrier. But then you need to be able to do the job regardless of language.
JLPT N1 does imply that you have a different native language, and virtual bilingualism is a big plus for many jobs, but no JLPT level us required by most jobs. I don’t think you can effectively filter by jobs that will require it.
Some sites do offer the option to filter by “Japanese required”, but the required level can be hit and miss. Well, now you can be sure that you don’t need to worry about that anymore! Congratulations 🙂
Being able to speak the language of the country you live in isn’t an advanced qualification, it’s a minimum qualification absent of other exceptional/unique qualifications. Being able to speak Japanese, nothing else considered, means you’re no different than a Japanese person with no qualifications/experience.
Moreover, unfortunately the JLPT isn’t recognized by most companies in Japan for various reasons, and the test itself does not certify you at all for a specific “level” of Japanese since there are no speaking or writing sections. You could have a library of knowledge on kanji, grammar, and vocabulary, and not be able to speak a single word, and still pass JLPT1.
As it is in most countries, connections, qualifications, and experience, usually in that order, are what get you a good job.
JLPT only tells the employee that you have a good understanding of the Japanese language – that’s it.
In fact, it’s not even about active verbal skills. I came across plenty of N1 holders (from other Asian countries) that could not really articulate themselves that well in verbal discussion.
Usually N2 is enough for an employer to invite the person to an interview, and confirm actual conversation level there. (Also talking from the viewpoint of an employer here)
It then solely depends on the other hard and soft skills you have, for the respective industry.
My advice would be get into the financial industry if you are young and especially if you have a stem background. Aim for a CPA etc., that can land you a wide variety of jobs.
It’s also not too crazy hours in many firms. I worked in technology before and moved to financial.
Having N1 on paper does not necessarily reflect to N1 conversation either.
Besides getting yourself to N1 is basically just making you on slightly lower level than Japanese native.
Now that you already overcome the basic qualification, you need something special on why they should recruit you and not actual Japanese.
Which is why IT related job is kinda popular among foreigner.
It compliments English speaking skill quite well too.
> I feel like I need to pick up another skill or I can’t actually take advantage of my language certification.
This is the reality of it that many students don’t seem to grasp.
Getting N1 is not the end goal. It’s the starting line.
N1 (and being able to speak in an interview) will give a Japanese employer the proof that you will function just fine in a Japanese work environment. Past that, you need to prove you’re capable of getting a job – if you’re straight out of school, you’ll be competing with Japanese university students who will all graduate with a degree in their preferred fields. If not, you’re competing with people who have industry experience and probably also have relevant degrees.
In other words, you’re basically unemployable if your only skill is N1, as (compared to a Japanese candidate) the only skill you end up with is English. They might have a degree, other qualifications and could well understand English at a reasonably high level themselves.
In terms of low-hanging fruit, then, you’re probably looking at entry-level IT. Most IT companies will have OJT and most other candidates will have irrelevant qualifications and experience. IT is a huge field with many many different specialties within it, but being able to understand Japanese and use Excel are basically the only requirements for getting started. You might have to take a salary cut to begin with but the growth potential is far more than with teaching.
Other options you’ve already found – entry-level sales, entry-level translation etc. Generally you won’t get higher level jobs unless you have higher level skills to match – for example, a portfolio of translated works, subtitling software experience, real-world business interpreting experience, national qualifications etc.
If you want to get into translation seriously, you need to train for it, get way better Japanese than N1 and get experience. If you want to do anything else like finance or medicine etc, you’ll need to hold relevant qualifications.
I work at a rather large company, but I don’t think anybody knows what an N1 is aside from our gaijins.
People usually judge language ability on how fluent they sound/vocabulary. For client facing positions, the biggest thing is whether the manager/partner will be embarrassed to have you talking in front of the client or not. If you can clear that, you’re good.
Most companies won’t even know what JLPT is, but it’ll still look good on your CV
Japanese alone is not making money, it’s a must. You don’t even need N1, it’s mostly ancient Japanese you will never use anyway. Luckily, if you are a new graduate, you can simply apply for almost any job that is 新卒採用 because in this case, they don’t expect you to have any serious skills yet. If they are not good enough, you will have a hard time without any real job-related skills. So you might want to do the 新卒採用 route first and then look for something better later when you got some experience.
Many employers don’t understand the levels. I see job listings that say in English “daily conversational Japanese” but then say 日本語レベルはJLPT N2
Which I’d view closer to “business Japanese”
I got my first job as a translator with N2 and no other real experience besides some travel blog articles.
Even translation companies don’t particularly care about JLPT, and most companies outside of translation probably wouldn’t have even heard of it. It’s a nice goal to set for yourself but it is no way necessary, and I’d even say it’s barely even helpful.
(My current job is also translation and for better or worse they didn’t ask me about my qualifications or study at all. Just sample translations and the two job interviews.)
Get a skill that people want to pay you to do.