The common stereotype
and perception is of a native English speaker, typically from the United
States, England, Canada, and other western countries, teaching English at an eikaiwa (English conversation school) or
in other English or language related venues.
My experience is not
dissimilar to that of many foreign nationals living here in Japan. I have lived
and worked in Tokyo for the past decade, and I have experienced a wide variety
of professional occupations prior to coming here. While in Tokyo, I have had
the fortune of having had two professional jobs and I have never taught
English. I first worked at an international financial institution with its
headquarters in New York. In
this role, I barely used any Japanese and conducted my work exclusively in
English as I interacted with clients and colleagues from all over Japan, Asia, and the rest of the world. Unfortunately, such roles these days are rare and increasingly
non-existent.
The reality of the
situation is that if you don’t have fluent Japanese language skills, the odds
of you finding a fulfilling and challenging position is low. Improving your
Japanese skills to Level N2 of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT)
will work wonders in helping you find a position with a company. This will
indicate not only your communication skills, but also your desire to pursue a lengthy
career in Japan. As job hopping is not common and even frowned upon in Japan,
employers are seeking a person who can communicate and has the mindset of
staying committed to the company for the long term. Now, whether you agree with
this or not, what is most important is to get the job and the visa first, and
then if you are not interested in staying for much longer, then start searching
while being employed concurrently.
