Live and Work in Japan! Finding Work as a Foreigner
People all over the world dream of someday being able to live in Japan. But unless you're already sitting on piles of excess cash, you'll need to work to support yourself after making the move to Japan. And while the Japanese government has been putting in effort in recent years to attract more foreign workers to the country and make it easier to find work, it can still be a daunting task to know where to start looking for employment.
Luckily, if you have the skills and experience or know where to look, finding work in Japan in a wide range of careers is possible. So let's take a look at what you should know before you start job-hunting in Japan before diving into some of the many resources available to find a job so that you can make that dream of living in Japan come true.
What to Know Before Starting Your Job Search
Know What Kind of Work Visa You'll Need
To legally live and work in Japan, you'll need a work visa. Most regular work visas in Japan have strict limitations, meaning that you can't do work outside of the visa you have.
For example, if you have an Instructor visa, you'll be able to teach at elementary, junior high, and high schools, but if you want to get out of teaching at regular schools and go into teaching English at a language school, you would need to change to a Specialist in Humanities visa since that kind of work is not allowed on an Instructor visa.
If you are hired from abroad by a Japanese company, the odds are that they will take care of preparing your visa application for you or guide you through the process of applying for the correct visa for that job. But if you have to apply for your visa on your own, make sure that you apply for the visa that matches your job.
Learn Japanese
If you are planning on working in Japan, you will need to be able to speak Japanese to perform your job effectively and communicate with your fellow employees in most industries. If you are planning to teach English in Japan, then you may not need much of any Japanese skills, but many other industries will require you to have at least conversational Japanese skills if not business-level Japanese.
While there are many online job boards that list work for foreigners in English, there are also many job boards that are entirely in Japanese, so any job postings are also listed in Japanese. These jobs especially usually require a high level of Japanese ability, so the ability to read, write, and speak Japanese can open up many more job opportunities for you in the country.
Beyond that, knowing Japanese will make daily life living in Japan much easier than if you come to Japan knowing little to no Japanese.
Do Your Research About Industries & Companies
This is more relevant once you actually start job-hunting, but it is a good idea to do some research into the industries or careers you are interested in working in when you live in Japan. In particular, looking into labor conditions and work environments in that industry or in specific companies can help you avoid disappointment or stress after you start working. Also make sure that you do research into salaries, benefits, working hours, and the potential for promotion and growth to make sure that you don't find yourself stuck in a job that doesn't align with your future career goals or work preferences.
How to Find Work in Japan
So now you know what you should look into and do before starting job hunting, so the next step is to try to find a job. There are many ways to go about trying to find work in Japan, so let's go over a few of them.
Look for Work on a Job Board
Searching on job boards is the most straightforward way to find a job in Japan. There are many online job boards in Japan advertising positions all over the country. Since you can filter job postings based on job type, location, required Japanese ability, and so on, job boards are a great way to go about trying to find a job in Japan.
While some job boards are Japanese websites where job postings are mostly in Japanese, there are also English job boards where most of the job listings are in English, so these websites are better choices if your Japanese isn't strong.
Job Boards in English:
Job Boards in Japanese:
Register with a Recruitment Agency
If you register with a recruitment agency, an agent will work with you to find jobs that match your skills, experience, and interests. Since these agents are based in Japan, they are familiar with the labor market and can often search for jobs for you more efficiently than you could do on your own. If you want help doing the legwork to find a job in Japan and your Japanese ability is good enough, this could be the best route for you.
While there are many recruiting agencies operating in Japan, PASONA is one that specifically helps foreigners with strong enough Japanese abilities find jobs.
For more information about PASONA, click here.
Apply to the Company You Want to Work For Directly
Many companies specifically looking for foreign workers will advertise as such on their website and have information available about their hiring process. If there's a specific company that you are interested in working for, it is worth it to go to their website or contact them directly and see if there are any positions available.
Use Services for Foreign Workers Offered by the Government
Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has a "Tokyo Employment Service Center for foreigners" located in Shinjuku in Tokyo. The service center offers assistance to students and foreigners looking for work in Tokyo specifically, making this a good option if you are looking to change jobs or careers or to start working after finishing your studies in Japan. This route is only an option if you are already living in Japan on a valid work or student visa, so keep that in mind.
For more information, click here.
The Shinjuku Foreigner's Employment Assistance and Guidance Center specifically offers help to people living in Japan on spouse visas, long-term resident visas, or permanent residency to find part-time employment.
For more information, click here.
What to Do if You Have Problems at Work
If everything goes according to plan, you'll find a great job in Japan that matches your skills, get an interview, get hired, receive your visa, move to Japan, and start working. But what if, once you've been working for a while, you have concerns about your work environment? If you are concerned about work conditions at your job or believe there may be illegal practices going on, the Japanese government has set up several consultation services and hotlines for foreign workers.
The "Telephone Consultation Service for Foreign Workers" provides advice about working conditions in thirteen different languages. The hours someone is available to consult with you in each language vary, so be sure to call at a time that someone is available who speaks your language. Keep in mind that this service is not toll-free.
The "Labor Standards Advice Hotline" offers free general advice on working conditions outside of standard working hours, making it a good choice to call if you only have time after work or on the weekend. They can provide you with information about laws and regulations surrounding working conditions toll-free, so if you are worried about your working conditions don't hesitate to call.
Good Luck Job Hunting!
Now that you know all about the resources available to you to find a job in Japan, you should be ready to get to job hunting if you are serious about moving here. If you're already in Japan and looking for a career or change or are concerned about working conditions, know that there are resources available to you as well.
Best of luck finding the perfect job for you in Japan!
