Couple of questions

[Scoey]

I'm currently at University doing a degree in "International Business and Japanese". I'm in between first year and second year right now, the course is four years long, third year being a year in a Japanese University. I know what kinds of jobs I can get here with that degree, but I was curious, if I decided to live in Japan for a couple of years after the degree, what kind of jobs would I be able to get over there? Would I still only be suitable for Eikawa jobs or the JET programme? To be honest, I have no intention of teaching at an Eikawa. Are there any desk jobs or whatever that I could get for a couple of years with that Degree? My Japanese lecturer once mentioned a job she had after she graduated, working for the Japanese government , which sounded like something I might prefer to teaching english to kids, but that would have been a good few years ago. It's the summer break so I can't ask in the University about it. With the business aspect of the degree, would I actually be qualified to get a job with a Japanese company?

Another thing I'm curious about is the year in a Japanese University. We can choose from quite a few Universities in Japan. I've spent a few months in Japan before, and I prefered the more rural areas to Tokyo, so I was thinking of going to one of the Universities in the more rural areas(well maybe not rural, but outside of the main cities). Would this stand against me if I was trying to get a job in Japan? As opposed to having on my C.V that I spent a year in one of the more well known Universities? When I stayed in Tokyo it was just as a holiday, whereas I was staying with people when I was in the more rural area, which may have influenced my opinion on which is better. What would a year in one of the more rural Universities be like anyway? Would I be setting myself up for a year of boredom? Would it be harder to get to know people there? Would the year in a big city University be commonly considered to be a better experience?

[FG Lurker]

I'm currently at University doing a degree in "International Business and Japanese". I'm in between first year and second year right now, the course is four years long, third year being a year in a Japanese University. I know what kinds of jobs I can get here with that degree, but I was curious, if I decided to live in Japan for a couple of years after the degree, what kind of jobs would I be able to get over there?

The best way to get yourself into Japan with your degree will be to get a job with a large company in your country that does a lot of business with Japan. After you have put in a few years and learned the ropes you may be able to wrangle a transfer here. You'll make a lot more money that way and the company will take care of stuff like housing etc. "The package."

Another thing I'm curious about is the year in a Japanese University. We can choose from quite a few Universities in Japan.

This is impossible to answer without knowing what universities are on the list. There are universities with good and bad reputations both in rural and urban settings. It completely depends on which university, not at all on if it is rural or urban.

However, the university you choose will definitely impact the way a Japanese employeer looks at you. A year at any of the major "top" universities here (Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto public schools, many others as well) will be a major plus. A year at "buttfuck university for the mentally slow with rich parents" will be a big negative.

I've spent a few months in Japan before, and I prefered the more rural areas to Tokyo

If you don't like Tokyo you may find Kansai more to your liking. Osaka, Kobe, and Kyoto all provide big-city pluses with considerably less crowding than Tokyo. It's also a lot easier to escape the city here as the city isn't quite as endless as Tokyo is...

[Tommybar]

'NO WORK HERE, STAY AT HOME!'


It's all you foreigners and your cheap labor that are cheating us gaijin out of our good paying jobs.

[kurohinge1]

. . . would I actually be qualified to get a job with a Japanese company? . . .

If the destination you're rushing to is "wage slave", even if it's with a "good company", then I strongly urge you to enjoy the journey, before you arrive. Your questions suggest that you're already aware of that issue but it's always worth remembering.

A chance to study overseas is fantastic. As to where to do it, you might gain something from reading on the internet about the various experiences of those who have studied in Japan, like Ms Dinara, "Graduate of Kyushu University's Graduate School" (which I just googled).

Whatever you decide, enjoy the way.

Good luck, Scoey.

[Scoey]

The best way to get yourself into Japan with your degree will be to get a job with a large company in your country that does a lot of business with Japan. After you have put in a few years and learned the ropes you may be able to wrangle a transfer here. You'll make a lot more money that way and the company will take care of stuff like housing etc. "The package."



This is impossible to answer without knowing what universities are on the list. There are universities with good and bad reputations both in rural and urban settings. It completely depends on which university, not at all on if it is rural or urban.

However, the university you choose will definitely impact the way a Japanese employeer looks at you. A year at any of the major "top" universities here (Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto public schools, many others as well) will be a major plus. A year at "buttfuck university for the mentally slow with rich parents" will be a big negative.


If you don't like Tokyo you may find Kansai more to your liking. Osaka, Kobe, and Kyoto all provide big-city pluses with considerably less crowding than Tokyo. It's also a lot easier to escape the city here as the city isn't quite as endless as Tokyo is...

Thanks a lot, that post was really helpful. To be honest I'm not quite sure just which Universities are on the list. No Todai or Waseda, which as far as I know are the best ones in Tokyo. In Tokyo there's Sophia and Toyo. Ritsumeikan is another that comes to mind. There are a couple in Osaka, one in Kyoto, two in Tokyo,one in Kobe and a few others around Japan. I was thinking about Kanazawa University. However I'm not quite sure. I've heard good things about Kyoto and Osaka, but then again, I'd be worried about not liking the city and then having to spend a year there, since I've never been there. I absolutely hated Hiroshima, and wouldn't want to go there, or a city like there again, ever. I was utterly bored after 2 days.

It wasn't that I disliked Tokyo, it's just, I was there for almost 2 months, and after a while it got a bit boring, then again, I imagine actually living there and going to University there while knowing people would be a different experience. I think for that year I'm more interested in what will give me a good experience for the year, and where I'll have the most fun. I suppose a big city would be the best for that? If I went to a University somewhere more remote, it might be harder to get to know people to hang out with,or not, I have no idea. I appear to be rambling...

[quote="kurohinge1"]If the destination you're rushing to is "wage slave", even if it's with a "good company", then I strongly urge you to enjoy the journey, before you arrive. Your questions suggest that you're already aware of that issue but it's always worth remembering.

A chance to study overseas is fantastic. As to where to do it, you might gain something from reading on the internet about the various experiences of those who have studied in Japan, like Ms Dinara, "Graduate of Kyushu University's Graduate School" (which I just googled).

Whatever you decide, enjoy the way.

Good luck, Scoey.



]

Thanks. I'm not rushing to be a wage slave at all, my feelings on the topic are quite the opposite actually, I just figured if I was living in Japan for a while after University, having a job would come in handy;) . I don't really intend on staying there for more than a couple of years after Uni.

I'll check out the blogs, I've read some similar ones before. I'm quite wary of some of the type of people who maintain such sites though;) Thanks for the help.

[Taro Toporific]

....I'm not quite sure just which Universities are on the list. No Todai or Waseda, which as far as I know are the best ones in Tokyo. In Tokyo there's Sophia and Toyo....

Given a choice, all Japanese companies hire employee's like OL's buy handbags. When reviewing canidates, my former employer Hitachi would always select the "brand-name" school, in this case Sophia over Toyo. The problem is that "top" schools like Sophia and Waseda have a special "international program" that teaches many classes in engrish and are filled with useless rich kids. However, both Japanese and foreign companies are not hip to this problem/

As it been said before, starting work for a Japanese company is less than ideal and it's much better to come to Japan for a foreign company on "The Package" and enjoy Japan as a living god. Simply learning Japanese is useless without learning real skills (finance, MBA, IT, engineering, science) even for translators.

[Scoey]

Given a choice, all Japanese companies hire employee's like OL's buy handbags. When reviewing canidates, my former employer Hitachi would always select the "brand-name" school, in this case Sophia over Toyo. The problem is that "top" schools like Sophia and Waseda have a special "international program" that teaches many classes in engrish and are filled with useless rich kids. However, both Japanese and foreign companies are not hip to this problem/

As it been said before, starting work for a Japanese company is less than ideal and it's much better to come to Japan for a foreign company on "The Package" and enjoy Japan as a living god. Simply learning Japanese is useless without learning real skills (finance, MBA, IT, engineering, science) even for translators.

Thanks. I'd never really heard of "The Package" before. Just how hard would getting sent to Japan on such a program be? I mean, is it the type of thing that senior managers get sent on when they have 25 years of experience under their belt or what? I'm not sure what real skills I'll have, apart from the business degree, I could do a masters in a specific business subject, but would that be worth it? I was really only thinking of the few years after the degree as opposed to planning for the distant future.

[Taro Toporific]

There are plenty late 20s and 30-somethings here on The Package (a full Package including perks costs the company well over $100,000). For younger FG individuals, it means you have real skilz---to get an idea look at the legit jobs on tokyo.craigslist.org.

And yep, a real MBA in a specific business subject (not just marketing) will be 19 zillion times better than a BA in "International Business and Japanese" at the Thunderturd School* of Business.

Thanks. I'd never really heard of "The Package" before. Just how hard would getting sent to Japan on such a program be? I mean, is it the type of thing that senior managers get sent on when they have 25 years of experience under their belt or what? I'm not sure what real skills I'll have, apart from the business degree, I could do a masters in a specific business subject, but would that be worth it? I was really only thinking of the few years after the degree as opposed to planning for the distant future.

* Actually, Thunderturd is has by far the best "networking" opportunities of all the lower-tier schools of international business.

[Scoey]

There are plenty late 20s and 30-somethings here on The Package (a full Package including perks costs the company well over $100,000). For younger FG individuals, it means you have real skilz---to get an idea look at the legit jobs on tokyo.craigslist.org.

And yep, a real MBA in a specific business subject (not just marketing) will be 19 zillion times better than a BA in "International Business and Japanese" at the Thunderturd School* of Business.




* Actually, Thunderturd is has by far the best "networking" opportunities of all the lower-tier schools of international business.

Thanks a lot. This topic has been very helpful. I've never heard of "Thunderturd":D . Probably means something to Americans. I'm in Ireland though.

[GomiGirl]

Tokyo boring?? Damn you were hanging out with the wrong people. This place is like an amusement park 24 hours a day.

[ichigo partygirl]

Tokyo boring?? Damn you were hanging out with the wrong people. This place is like an amusement park 24 hours a day.

Tokyo is the furthest away from boring that any place on the face of the planet could be. Im not sure if its a regular amusement park though, more like one of those dodgy ones that draws people from all walks of life in.... a bit like FG i guess :P

[Mulboyne]

I know what kinds of jobs I can get here with that degree, but I was curious, if I decided to live in Japan for a couple of years after the degree, what kind of jobs would I be able to get over there?

Many foreigners work in teaching, finance and IT in Japan but there people doing many other kinds of jobs. As well as civil servants working for embassies and trade missions you can find translators, lawyers, journalists, actors, sportsmen, filmakers, doctors, headhunters, restaurant owners, secretaries, salesmen, accountants, priests, rabbis, farmers, musicians, retailers, artists etc etc. There are all kinds of jobs but a lot of board members here would argue that there a fewer rewarding careers which is why you'll often hear people advise others to get out before they find themselves stuck in a rut.

One of the problems with asking "what kind of job can I get" is that it indicates that you don't yet know what kind of job you want. That's nothing to be ashamed of because not everyone finds their direction early and, truth be told, many of us fall into what we are doing and, if it works, we stick with it. However, a good way to get a job is try for one field. You might find that there are supplementary qualifications which would serve you well in a specific industry and you'll find it easier to study for those when you are fresh out of college rather than a few years later when you've lost the knack.

As for the elusive package, it comes and goes in cycles. Some of the best packages are given to executives who are being relocated to Japan to start up a business. The whole "package" is seen as an initial investment to get things off on the right footing so it tends to cover everything and includes allowances for entertainment and gifts which often mysteriously end up covering an individual's daily expenses so he or she can save 100% of salary. How do you get one of those? You become senior in a company that suddenly decides it wants to do business in Japan which is not easily forecastable. Alternatively, you can try to inherit one with a bit of schmoozing if you discover that the package-holder has been tasked with finding a replacement.

Over time, the Human Resources department begins to notice that the "initial investment" actually constitutes salary and benefits and a quick calculation can reveal that a package holder is the highest paid employee in the organization and this can lead to an urgent review.

Outside of government positions, the package is usually found where an overseas company has a successful Japan business and needs skilled overseas employees in key positions. Many foreign companies seem to start with a lot of expat employees and then begin to switch over to local hires. Local hires give a company a cheaper cost base and more consistency over time. They are also prone to setting off on their own agenda and when Head Office realizes that their Japan operation has gone rogue, the wheel turns again and expats are flown back in to "reintroduce the company culture" or "misunderstand local market conditions", depending on your point of view.

As a company does switch over to using more Japanese employees, and virtually every company does this at some stage, they will tend to need foreign staff who understand how to work with local staff. This will tip the balance in favour of employees who speak Japanese or have long Japan experience but these people will still need to have the relevant industry experience. If you are in one of these positions, you have to be careful to remember who pays your bills. There are many Japan country managers who have been sacked for going local and telling Head Office that their new proposals are muzukashii.

Governments face the same problems when they appoint ambassadors. Do they want an ambassador who speaks the local language and is well-connected? Often that individual is very sympathetic to the host country and can be guilty of putting its interests above those of his own government. Sometimes the host country would prefer someone who understands them less but has more political clout at home. Corporations are in the same boat so if you get employed by a foreign company, it is worth trying to work out which point in the cycle it is in. As a rule of thumb, though, it is always better to be known in any company for being able to do your job well rather than for your ability to speak Japanese. For that reason, the advice others have given you to develop your job skills is the best advice.

[Scoey]

Wow.. Thanks a lot for that. I would not be lying if I said that's the most helpful thing I've ever read on the subject. You're absolutely right about "what kind of job can I get" being an indication that I don't really know what I want to do, right now I just know what kind of jobs I definitely don't want to do, hopefully I'll figure something out in the next few years before I actually have to make that decision.

It gets a bit disheartening when nearly every piece of information you can find about jobs related to your degree/interests basically goes along the lines of "you can be an unskilled English teacher, but that's crap, so save yourself the hassle and don't bother, there are also some really cushy jobs to be had, but they're for special people and we wouldn't know about that anyway". And I just think to myself "surely there's middle ground that can be found between those two extremes". Maybe there isn't and maybe this really is the way Japan is set up, and facts need to be faced and such. But your post was far less fatalistic than pretty much everything else I've ever read about this subject, so thanks a lot for that, it makes me slightly more hopeful about the possibility of actually finding something relatively enjoyable to do with my life that won't eventually turn me into a bitter husk.

Edit: Just re-reading this post now, I want to clarify that I'm not complaining about any of the other posts in this thread, which have been really helpful to me, and which I'm appreciative of. I'm just talking about the majority of info I've seen on the net about such things, that can be dug up with google searches and such.