My situation...

[Adhesive]

Hi, I'm going to soon graduate summa cum laude at a top public University here in the States. I was planning on starting law school in the fall and have already been accepted, but now I am freaking out and considering going on to a P.h.D. program. The problem is that if I do this, I will be out of school for about a year.

I wouldn't mind pissing this time away in Japan; making enough to pay my student loan payments, but mostly just to improve my fluency and have something to tell the admission council come December.

What type of employment could I realistically seek in Japan that would allow me to work for about 9 months with no strings attached?

Also, my wife, and child, have Japanese citizenship, but we are currently living here in the U.S. and my wife has a green card. She has renewed it once and is in the 10 year phase. Would she be able to leave the U.S. for longer than 3 months?

[Kuang_Grade]

Keep in mind residency requirements for in state tuition rates if you are planning on going to a state school, other wise your side trip might be very costly.

As for the green card question, this might help
http://www.nolo.com/article.cfm/ObjectID/46E25CCD-3076-4CAE-B8909FA9BFF73FEA/catID/C08A0295-9AFE-4F69-A9B7AEE732ECA9AB/118/209/252/ART/

If You Abandon Your U.S. Residence

It is a common misconception that to keep your green card all you need to do is enter the United States at least once a year. The fact is that if you ever leave with the intention of making some other country your permanent home, you give up your U.S. residency when you go. The border officials will look at your behavior for signals that your real place of residence is not the United States.

As a general rule, if you have a green card and leave the United States for more than one year, you may difficulty reentering the country. That is because the U.S. government feels that an absence of longer than one year indicates a possible abandonment of U.S. residence. Even if you do return before one year is up, you may run into trouble. To avoid a full-scale inspection, you should return within six months.

On the other hand, remaining outside the United States for more than one year does not mean you automatically lose your green card. If your absence was intended from the start to be only temporary, you may still keep your permanent resident status. However, you may no longer use your green card as a U.S. entry document. You must have what is known as a reentry permit, or you must apply at a U.S. consulate for a special immigrant visa as a returning resident.

Although for something as much as hassle to get as a green card, you might want to double check with a professional rather than rely on something on the web.

[GomiGirl]

If you have a japanese wife then a spouse (pet) visa is not a problem. So with a visa in hand you can pretty much work anywhere you like. Employers don't want the hassle of visa sponsorship.

There are heaps of contract jobs about - no strings attached. Check the job boards - http://www.careercross.com is a good place to start if you have some japanese ability.

You didn't mention what your specialty was. A head-hunter may be useful for you too. They often handle lots of contract work too. There are heaps of recruitment agencies here.

[Adhesive]

Keep in mind residency requirements for in state tuition rates if you are planning on going to a state school, other wise your side trip might be very costly.

Wow, I can't believe I didn't think about this. See, this is why I ask questions here first! Being that there are many great public universities in my home state of California, it would be a shame if I had to pay out of state tuition.

I'm sure there is a way around this though; wouldn't I simply need to keep an addess in California, and just keep paying car insurance, phone-bill, etc.?

[Adhesive]

If you have a japanese wife then a spouse (pet) visa is not a problem. So with a visa in hand you can pretty much work anywhere you like. Employers don't want the hassle of visa sponsorship.

There are heaps of contract jobs about - no strings attached. Check the job boards - http://www.careercross.com is a good place to start if you have some japanese ability.

You didn't mention what your specialty was. A head-hunter may be useful for you too. They often handle lots of contract work too. There are heaps of recruitment agencies here.

Thanks for the link. My Japanese ability is "intermediate" (six college semesters), and my honors thesis was on risk analysis. I'm not sure what good that will do me in Japan, but I would settle for teaching English.

[GomiGirl]

Nothing wrong with English teaching - the pay is good and the hours fairly flexible. Plus you don't have any strings. Make sure you have a good company though.