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Anyone here planning long term relocation to Japan? Note I’m not necessarily reffing to permanent relocation, but lets say relocation for a term of at least one year?
I’m going to be going to teach ESL after I graduate college in a couple years. I’m hoping the economy stabilizes somewhat by then. I plan to live there for at least 4-5 years and may permanently relocate, maybe.
As for cost to visit it really depends on what you want to do and how good you are at managing money. I stayed for just under 3 months last year with about $5000 USD and know people who have done the same with less money. Bear in mind while I did some touristy stuff I also just love being there in the culture so I went a lot of places anyone who lived in the country would go, but I didn’t go out of my way to see everything there is to see. Look into CouchSurfing, it’s a great site with excellent resources, plus it’s a great way to get involved and immersed in the culture while you’re there.
Well it’s important to note that unless you are from a country that offers a Working Holiday Visa (only good for one year) with Japan then you will need at least a 4 year degree from college before you can get a work visa. Since it looks like your from the USA that option is not available. If you are a student then I believe you can work part time on your student visa.
There are a couple of ways you can study in Japan (I have researched this extensively).
1) You can go directly to a Japanese university and study there if you can pass the entrance exams, typically you will need extensive knowledge of Japanese language first however.
2) If you are just interested in learning language you can go to a Japanese language school in Japan.
3) You can enter a transfer program with your local university, usually these are for periods ranging from one month to one calender year. You will have to speak with your university to find out what programs are available. (This is the route I am planning on taking)
4) You can attend a university from your country that has a campus in Japan. In the USA I know of only one, Temple University. They are recognized by the Japanese government so their credits and degrees are considered to be equivalent to those offered by Japanese universities, you also get all of the student benefits offered to Japanese students, such as the Japanese student ID card that gets you discounts on some things in Japan. Also since they are still technically a US university you can still receive financial aid from the US government such as FAFSA loans and pell grants.
That’s all I know of, if anyone else can provide more please do. I’m always interested to know more on this subject as well.
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This reply was modified 13 years, 3 months ago by
Hellsing.
A huge playlist of youtube videos. Currently this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDwb9jOVRtU
Yep, very realistic expectations. I’ve met those types of people you mention, it’s as if they expect Japan to be like their favorite manga or anime, and that’s just not the case.
Now I’ll just have to research the different companies and decide who I’ll try to go with. Of course it may change in three years, I’m just planning way ahead. I guess I’ve just been a bit scared off by the Nova and American Club scandals. That won’t stop me though, I’ll just research as best I can and go from there.
Do you mind telling me which company you work for? It’s OK if not, I’ve talked to a couple people who would rather not divulge that information for one reason or another, I’m just searching for ideas at this point and everything helps.
Thanks for your advice.
Are you contracted through a company at an Eikaiwa? Like Geos or JET? I’ve heard some bad things about them, such as poor work conditions, also it seems most teachers find it hard to stay in Japan beyond their contract.
What has been your experience? How much have you made on average during your time there? I’m trying to determine the best route to take for ESL teaching.
Awesome I’d love any advice you can provide. I don’t really have any plans to major in ESL teaching since I don’t want to do it permanently, though I do plan to minor in linguistics. For me I don’t know where else to start so it’s a way to get a foot in the door so to speak.
I don’t want to sound like I don’t care about it though. I genuinely think that ESL teaching would be an awesome experience, I see it as a “foot in the door” but also as a genuinely interesting experience. I enjoy teaching, I just don’t think it’s what I want to do for my ultimate career, as I said before, I’d like to start my own business eventually.
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This reply was modified 13 years, 3 months ago by
