Job Discussion Forums

[judoka]

For someone who loves living in Japan and wants to probably stay in Japan for a long time, but is sick of the dead-end ALT/eikaiwa jobs, would learning Japanese (conversational level by attending a language school full-time for a year or so) be worth it? Money is not an issue but I really want to break out of this dead-end bubble. In other words, will it be a good investment that will give me more job opportunities quite easily outside of teaching English, even though I don't have much experience in other industries? I'm willing to dish out 2,000,000 yen to make this happen and soon. Anyone take this route and is successful?

[Ryu Hayabusa]

I haven't taken that route myself but I would advise against it. A person could achieve a high level of Japanese for free provided that they had enough time and motivation.

If you're willing to dish out 2 000 000 yen (about $20 000 US/CAD) and spend about a year studying full time, why not spend that time and money on something like a master's degree from a university here in Japan? A friend of mine spent about 2 500 000 yen getting an MA from a foreign university with a campus in Japan. As part of his program, he taught at a few universities as kind of an intern. He made some good connections and one of the universities he taught at offered him a job right after he graduated!

He makes almost twice as much as when he worked as an ALT and his vacation time is even greater.

Study Japanese with a Japanese teacher for an hour or two per week and spend an hour or two studying it own you own. It shouldn't cost you more than 15 000-20 000 yen per month. If you do this while doing your MA, you'll come out of it with a solid, usable degree and a sufficient level of Japanese. That's what I would do if I were you.

[rtm]

[judoka]

[nightsintodreams]

You LIVE in Japan don't you? Why on earth would you spend two million yen on something that can be learnt by oneself?

And why don't you already speak Japanese as well as you'd like? Throwing two million yen at the problem isn't going to solve it.

Btw Japanese can really help you when it comes to applying for direct hire jobs. I also know a few long termers who have jobs outside of education purely because of their Japanese ability. So although I agree with the previous post regarding a Special skill set being desirable, it is not required 100% of the time.

[judoka]

[mitsui]

I don`t agree.
Even to go to a Japanese university, 1kyu is better than 2kyu.
If you work full-time you won`t have much energy to study much.
If you could work part-time, that would be fine.

There are many schools where foreign students go to study for the 1kyu before entering a university.

Japanese is tough. It is better to go to a school with regular homework.

[Pitarou]

If you're 100% committed to Japan then, of course, learning Japanese should be your highest investment priority. But if that were the case, I doubt you'd be asking this question.

Even if you achieve a high level of proficiency in Japanese, you're still a gaijin. Unless you can demonstrate outstanding skills (e.g. you've had a successful career in IT or Finance), you'll find that the glass ceiling is very low, and very thick indeed. Of course there are exceptions: but I reckon that if a foreigner can make it big in Japan, they can make it big anywhere, so why hamper yourself by restricting yourself to Japan? And my pessimism about Japan's longer term economic prospects is a matter of record.

So take whatever time, energy and money you were considering investing in learning Japanese, and invest it in, say, a Master's degree, or in starting a small on-line business, and make your plans to move on.

[kah5217]

You can have the best test score and speak Japanese like you were born here, and there are still those who will say they can't understand your gaijin accent. The companies won't put you in a position to attract clients unless it's an eikaiwa, so upward mobility is limited. Sometimes it's better to accept the fact that you're a foreigner than to try and become Japanese.

[nightsintodreams]

Where did you get that from? Can you speak Japanese like a native? If not, then who told you this was the case?

[Pitarou]

[kah5217]

Probably me. You're right, I don't have a link to back me up. I could point you to our favorite grumbling journalist's website, but I won't. I've formed my opinion from my psychology degree and the research I've done over the last few years for this job.

[Pitarou]

[nightsintodreams]

I didn't ask for a link. I asked if you had native level Japanese and if not then where you heard such an idea from.

I worked at a school with non-Japanese students who were born in Japan and so truly did have native level Japanese, no one ever misunderstood them.

My Japanese isn't great, but I rarely have people misunderstand me (although it does happen sometimes when I try and explain things).

One of my close friends is an American who gives presentations in Japanese for a well known automobile manufacturer. How would this be possible if Japanese people refuse to understand gaijin Japanese?

So I ask again, where did you hear what you're claiming to be true, did someone with true native level Japanese tell you as much or did you just learn it from your psychology degree?

I'd love to see the article you mention.

[Pitarou]