There are a variety of ways to land yourself a career in Japan. Naturally, everybody’s experience with this process will be different. In this post, I want to share my personal experience making the jump from being a student at a Japanese language school to landing a job in Japan post-graduation.
First, let’s get a little bit of background context regarding Japanese language schools. There is a huge variety of language schools in Japan, and finding a good one can be difficult. Just remember to stay focused on your end goal, whether that’s passing a certain level of the JLPT or landing your dream job in Japan. Personally, I think the language school route also helped as a kind of gradual exposure to living in Japan which can actually work to your benefit in your job hunt. You’ll have more time to adjust to the flow of life in your neck of the woods and work out any of the “moving to a new country jitters.” I’ll come back to this idea a little more in another article.
Willingness to stay in Japan
One thing potential employers tend to look for in foreign applicants is a willingness to stay in Japan. Culture shock is a real thing, and some who find themselves working in Japan find out the hard way that they enjoy Japan as a sightseeing destination much more than as a place to build a new life. Employers are aware of this and for the most part would rather have an applicant show a real desire to stay in Japan instead of taking a chance on someone who may quit suddenly. The longer you’ve been in Japan being a productive member of society, the better it will look on your resume (履歴書、りれきしょ).
Certifications
Another thing that Japanese companies look at are certificates and achievements. Receiving a diploma from a language school and having passed N2 or higher of the JLPT are great assets to have when applying to jobs. And you can achieve both of these things at a language school!
Interviewing
Established Japanese language schools should have some form of career counseling available to students. This is also a huge benefit that you should take advantage of if you are attending a language school. They can help you with the Japanese resume format, as well as with mock interviews. Having some practice in these is a huge boost to your confidence and extra work you put in will be noticeable by any interviewer.
Putting all of these factors together, what is the actual process of finding a job in Japan (in my case, Tokyo) like? It’s a little stressful and sometimes it can be hard to determine what is the norm here versus what is a weird little quirk that one company does. In a few of my interviews the interviewer would very straightforwardly ask about my marital status and relationship status. It caught me off-guard, and from an individualist American perspective it’s no business of my employer, but in some companies here, the company wants to know as much as it can about its employees to be able to make the best decisions for both the employees and the company.
Chances are if you’ve gone through Japanese language school and can navigate through business-level Japanese, you will be treated like an adult for the most part once you do enter the workforce. There is some paperwork involved, too, in making the transition to working life. You’ll have to ask questions if you don’t know the procedure to update your visa, for example, and you’ll have to start paying into the national pension system, etc. One thing to keep in mind is that not every Japanese person has experience with visa-related matters, so be mindful of who you ask when you are looking for answers.
A lot of this stuff is hard to imagine without experiencing it first hand. One of those things that can be explained to you many times, but it only clicks into place once you give it a go for yourself. Best of luck in your job search! A great resource for starting your job hunt is the GaijinPot Jobs page!
Lead photo: iStock