Know any companies that sponsor foreigners?

[wondering_999]

I'm a woman in her early thirties. Moving to Japan has always been a dream. But the responsibilities and uncertainties in life have held me back. Can anyone share their experience? What about jobs? I'm not interested in teaching English. Anyone know companies that'd be willing to sponsor foreigners for a few years?

Any info is greatly appreciated !!

[Bevdeforges]

Hi, and welcome to the forums!

Getting company sponsorship is as simple as getting a job - it depends entirely on what line of work you're in and what the demand is for that type of work where you want to go. It also helps tremendously if you speak the local language, even just a little bit.

The easiest way to get to Japan (or any country) is to have the company you are currently working for transfer you. That way, they take care of the visas and generally pay for the move, etc. (If they don't have to pay for language lessons, they are much more inclined to consider transfering you, too, but usually there are language lessons in the deal if you need them and they need you there.)
Cheers,
Bev

[april]

Check out Gaijinpot for job vacancies. If you are involved in the IT industry it should be pretty easy to get a non-English teaching job.

[synthia]

There is a lot of prejudice in Japan against 'older' workers. When I was looking for jobs teaching English, I was told over and over again that I was too old, and that they wanted someone under 30, or under 35, or whatever.

The problem with getting any other type of job is the language barrier. Unlike many countries in Europe, where everyone speaks English and it may be used frequently at work, the number of people who actually speak English is relatively low, in spite of everyone being required to study it for six years. I think things have improved in the language department, but not to the extent that you could assume that more than a few people in a company would speak English well enough to work easily with you.

The only people I met when I was there (admittedly long ago) who did other kinds of work had all been transferred by major companies or spoke Japanese.

English teaching really is your best bet, unless you have a special skill that is in high enough demand that your lack of Japanese, and possible need for a translator, can be overlooked.

[LexLuther]

Hard to imagine, really. The English that is spoken in Japanese business is fractured at best. Hence, language is going to be a real barrier and not one a Japanese company is going to want to pay for you to overcome.

Also, in general, the Japanese culture remains quite xenophobic. Perhaps not to the extent of the Koreans, but not far bedhind. I recently asked this of a Japanese executive and he stated that foreigners don't have much of a chance for advancement in Japanese business. It is changing, he stated, but quite slowly.

My point is that the fact that you are from the 'States is not going to de facto work for you. In fact -- sans some other mitigating skill -- it will work against you.

What you need is a skill that they lack. Obviously, this is not easy to find. Basically, we are talking about a highly valued, "niche" skill. A highly technical area is the most likely source.

The Japanese business person is pragmatic. He wants to do better tomorrow what he has done today, including making more money. If he believes you can help him do this, he will treat you very nicely. If not, he won't give you the time of day.

[larabell]

I agree that finding a job with a Japanese company if you're not fluent in the language is nearly impossible. Unless, of course the "skill" they're looking for is English in particular (ie: teaching). Most of the non-teaching, non-execs I know here are involved in some kind of technology -- mostly computers. That's an area where technical skill (or experience, if you're supporting a particular product) can win out over the language barrier. Still, better than half of the techie ex-pats I know were sent here by a foreign company as opposed to hiring into a Japanese company.

Best bet for someone with a marketable technical skill: get a support job at home with a company that has a growing presence in Japan, build up some experience supporting a specific product, and then make it known that you'd be interested in working in Japan for a while.

But... that said... it appears that some companies are cutting back on the benefits. I managed to get an American friend over here to take my place when I changed jobs but in order for him to land the position, he had to agree to transfer as a local employee, which means no housing or other perks. He still gladly took the job but he's living in the suburbs now, like the rest of us dweebs.