Q&A: Working in Japan, no bacehlors degree?
Posted by Steve in Life in Japan, Questions & AnswersThe Q&A section of my blog is kind of new. People like my “contact me” link on the blog! Every month I get asked some questions and many tend to be similar so I thought I’d share a few along with my answers.
Note: I don’t teach English and I don’t work for a Japanese company so I was hesitant to answer this. But I figured… what the hell… so my answers below are based on what I know and have learned from others, not from experience. Another post, Americans working in Japan, might be of interest to you.
Question Part 1:
Zac writes in – I’m 20 years old and I want to teach English in Japan. My family has done it in SE Asia for years. My question is what do I need to do? I know being an American you have to have a bachelor’s degree go do work of any kind. Sorry for the vague question.
Answer Part 1:
Hi Zac. Without a 4 year degree your options seem limited, but it’s still possible to teach English. I know a guy that has a 2 year degree who taught English for years at a variety of smaller companies and made a decent living. He came to Japan without any work lined up and found work within the first month. He stayed for a few years, but then returned to his home country so I can’t ask him any questions about it. Also there’s the idea of doing private lessons at a cafe or at people’s houses, but you need to look into the legality of that yourself. It’s going to take a lot of searching to the work you’re looking without a degree, but with persistence you might find exactly what you’re looking for.
Teaching English in Japan
(photo from flickr)
Question Part 2:
Steve, thank you very much for the info it did help a lot, but i was under the idea that you had to have a 4 year degree to apply for work visa of any kind?
Answer Part 2:
You need an employer that will give you a work visa. I’m not sure about the 4 year degree requirement but as I said, the guy I knew only had a 2 year degree. If you go on a tourist visa (90 days I think), then find a job that will give you a tourist visa, you just need to ask if you can change your visa status or else you leave the country for a day and come back on the new visa. I don’t teach English so I’m not sure on all of the details. I did see this online…
To get a work visa you need:
- a valid passport;
- an application form;
- one passport-size photo; and
- a certificate of eligibility issued by the Japanese Immigration Bureau (your employer must apply for the certificate).
More info that might help you
mofa.go.jp – Visa types in Japan
ESL employment – teaching English in Japan (requirements, etc)
How to teach English in Japan + many useful links
Maybe my friend got the work visa because of his experience of teaching abroad already. You might look into teaching English in Korea as well. Busan (or Pusan) is a popular spot, and for $200-300 you can take a round trip ferry to visit Japan to get your sushi on.
Here’s an interesting quote from Gaijin Pot – (Living, working or visiting Japan? Not without a visa!)
You normally need to show that you have a relevant college degree to be able to apply for a working visa. However if you can show that you have a certain number of years relevant work experience you are also eligible to apply. You can also be eligible if you have a degree from another higher, relevant educational institution. Each visa and industry has different requirements.
A lot of sites contradict each other. But I think it’s possible.
More links to help you on your journey to information:
Yahoo Answers – Advice on getting a Japanese work visa without degree?
Japan Guide – Teaching in Japan Without a Degree
Yahoo Answers – is an online bachelor’s degree good enough for a work visa?
Yahoo Answers – Entry-level job opportunities in Japan?
3yen.com – Is a bachelors degree necessary to teach in Japan?
thunderguy.com – Japan visa types
JapanForum.com – jobs in Japan question about requirements etc
Escape Artist – Living in Japan
Also as Cornelius pointed out in the comments, it’s possible to self sponsor your own work visa. Here are some sites to check out about self sponsoring a Japanese visa. A page from Gaijin Pot says:
Self-sponsorship is very possible: especially if you are already living in Japan and have steady work. A self-sponsored visa falls under the working visa category and you will therefore need to show that all requirements for a working visa is met. You will have to show that you are guaranteed the minimum income required to support yourself in Japan. For example, contracts from 3 companies promising you payment may be required. Free consultations are available at immigration offices in Japan and will they help you prepare the necessary documentation. Self-sponsorship may require some leg work and extra paper work but might be the best solutions for you!
Also with a self sponsored visa you’re going to need to prove that you have large savings or steady income that is good enough to pay for your living expenses. Here are a few links about self sponsored visa in Japan:
tokyo.japantimes.co.jp – The definitive guide to Visa and Immigration in Japan - Check out the section “Self-sponsorship and Investor/Business Manager status”
jiosu.com – Work for yourself by self sponsoring your visa
ESL Cafe – self sponsored visa
Gaijin Pot Forums – Self sponsorship Japanese visa
Self sponsored visa application in Japan – successful!
Good luck with your quest to move to Japan!
Tags: jobs in japan, teaching, teaching english, work visa, working in japan
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I have a similar problem… I want to study in Japan, but to pay for my studies I have to do freelance work in my free time. To do that work legally, I need a work visa. And to get a work visa I need a bachelor degree. Catch 22, really :/
I’m not a lawyer so you should consult with one if you’re serious about moving to Japan and doing this type of work. From my understanding, if you do freelance work for people or companies that are in Japan you’re supposed to have a work visa because you’re working in Japan’s economy. If you’re doing freelance work and everything is U.S. earned income (banking, clients, etc) then you’re not doing any work with anybody inside Japan which means you could have a different type of visa. I found a lot of useful information at JapanTimes, it’s worth reading.
The way it works out is if you have a 4 year bach or masters degree you can self sponsor your self assuming you have the money for a work visa upon that you can search for a job. if however you do not have the money to sponsor yourself company’s normally higher you based on the degree because of them being forced to give you a visa. that’s why it is easier to get a job if you are here on marriage. because they do not have to go through the legality’s of giving you a visa.
Now this is not always the case but in my experience’s it seems to be this way around. The company dislikes giving out work visa’s so they will require the interviewee to either have a visa and or have a college degree to get a work visa.
Their is no requirement on getting a work visa but a Japanese company must apply for you to have one And or you must have a degree of 4 years and have the funds to support yourself in a Japanese economy.
That might sounds contradictory to no requirements but what i mean is if you find a job that is willing to sponsor you then they will get you a visa. but if they do not think you are either qualified enough or just don’t want to waste their time with the legality’s then they will pass you over for someone who already has the visa and or degree.
Well, there are companies who would be interested in hiring me. The problem is, that I’m not really interested in working for a Japanese company. I want to continue doing freelance work for all sorts of international companies as I’m already doing as well as to continue making revenues on my various online properties, ex. http://nihongoup.com/ As far as I understand, to do so, I would need a work visa, without getting hired by a company in Japan. Is it possible?
That’s really interesting. I never looked into self sponsoring a visa, so I went ahead and added some to the bottom of my post. Also student visas and cultural visas don’t require a University degree and sometimes you can work part time if you get special permission.
The company I worked for would only hire part-time staff if they did not have a completed 4 year diploma.
Thanks for the input, that’s pretty interesting!
Hello! I am a person without job i my own country but want reach japan for earning and living as there are no jobs given in our coumtry and also I have no clue about how to get a permit and visa to work in Japan.
I need a way.
thanx for reading.
hi~steve it means that i should have bachelor degree from japan university or did not?.Because im interested being a teacher after im graduate.
Like I wrote earlier, many places say they want a 4 year degree, but I know a guy that was working with a 2 year degree. If you don’t want to get a degree and start teaching after high school then it’s going to take a lot of looking around. Good luck!