Working in Japan for a univ. dropout(!), possible?

[yusu0929]

Hi,
I am moving to Osaka this month to marry my Japanese gf. I was studying business/economics at SFU for 2 and half yrs before quitting the school this summer. There are some personal reason behind the decision and I will have to continue my education later or attend distance-education in Japan (I am considering Waseda's eスクール) while working. I will live in Japan for minimum of 3~5 yrs at least.

Now, obviously the spouse visa will take care of any legal problems/requirements . I will have to find a work in Japan and I am thinking in long-term careers, so 'teaching English' (darn, this term is almost a cliche・・・) is the very last thing I want to do in Japan.

Let me list my problems first..

-I do not have a degree(!)
NOT GOOD, but better than 高卒 I guess

-I am 2~3 yrs older than average fresh Japanese graduates.
because I've done lots of travelling during my time in the school

-I have no full-time working experience

... sounds worse than a fresh NOVA(yes, yes I know it's gone) recruit fresh off the plane!

My skills/advantages are...

-Spouse Visa

-English(duh!)

-Korean and Mandarin
I speak Korean fluently and can speak limited Mandarin, probably mid-to-low level in HSK test. I am still studying Mandarin and will continue to do so in Japan.

-Japanese
I passed JLPT lvl 1 back in high school and can speak the language very fluently - both ため口 and 敬語. My weakness is handwriting kanji - although I recognize all regularly used kanjis instantly, I really have hard time writing them without a computer. I don't have any problem looking up 就職 info on Japanese sites and I won't have any problem doing interviews in Japanese and I won't have any communication problem when a Japanese company hires me.

-Knowledge about Japan
I know what's it like in Japan unlike those anime fanboys. In fact, I can blend in very well in Japan I look a lot like Japanese (just a bit taller) and many Japanese don't know that I am a foreigner until I tell them so, although I think the "gaijin" look actually helps if you want to teach English.

The good thing is that I won't have any problem supporting my wife for now, because she already owns a 3 room apartment and has been working at one of Japanese mega-banks for 7 years. She is earning more than enough to support me while I find a job. In fact if I brush up her English skill a bit (she speaks just a little now) she probably won't have any problem finding a good position at top Japanese/foreign firms. Hmm maybe I should become a househusband and forget about working, but my pride doesn't allow that of course

I looked up some hiring info on ハローワーク, @type and etc. (all in Japanese, in fact I haven't even looked up English ones yet) and there are some large companies such as AIU and Panasonic hire high school graduates for office work - 学歴、年齢不問. In addition, my gf told me that there are lots of good 中小企業 that are looking for someone who can speak English and can handle excel/word with no degree/experience asked, the starting wage isn't that sexy but I can build up my career from the beginning, moving up the ladder. (to be honest, any real office job is better than 'teaching English') I read one of Terrie Lloyd's column at daijob.com and there was an example of a person who spoke 3 languages with a degree, and Terrie was thinking she was a hot-shot who won't have any problem. I want some opinions from people who are working in Japan or someone who was in a similar situation.
Thank you in advance.

[Kirirao]

-I am 2~3 yrs older than average fresh Japanese graduates.
because I've done lots of travelling during my time in the school
-I have no full-time working experience

I'm 5 years old older then any average fresh Japanese graduates, and I still can get a job. full-time working experience? nope, don't have that.

If you're worried about not having a degree, and don't want to go to a University for 4 years, then I would recommend you to go to a 2-year 専門学校 (either night or day class) and that degree could land you an Entry-Level job in any IT company. Probably the same in the other 業界, I think. I only went around researching IT業界 tho, so don't take my word for it.

What kind of job are you looking for? Finance-related, IT-related others??

[Glenski]

yusu,
Your spouse visa lets you work anywhere the employer thinks you are qualified. That is the extent of it. Your level 1 Japanese is still not perfectly fluent Japanese, but it is also an advantage.

Beyond that, you are simply going to have to prove to an employer that you can do whatever job you apply for. It comes down to that.

Get interviewed at a foreign branch in Japan and the odds are you may not have to speak/read/write as much Japanese. Depends on the biz.

Get interviewed at a Japanese company, and your language skills will hold you in good stead, but you still need to show that you can do the job better than a Japanese who had a degree and perhaps experience.

[Charles Barkley]

If you find that you are being rejected by companies after sending 履歴書 in English, you might want to check them to make sure you haven't added any 不必要 Japanese in there. It tends to make writing seem a bit silly.

Seriously though (though I was serious before) pretty impressive being fluent in 2 languages before graduating university. Were you raised in a korean or Japanese speaking household? If not, how did you manage it?

[Emoni]

If your language ability is as high as you claim it is, then I would recommend checking into translation certification. You'd be one hell of an asset to have. However, I've heard it is horribly difficult though.

[bian]

hello maybe you can apply to be an English teacher
they are recruiting
careers.gaba.co.jp/overseas/index.html