How I Got a Remote Job in Japan (without Japanese)
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- čas přidán 4. 07. 2024
- It can be difficult to find a job in Japan, especially without Japanese language ability. I know from first-hand experience the challenges that many foreigners face when looking to land a job. I hope that my story can provide insight and value to those who are looking to work in Japan.
If you enjoyed the video, feel free to leave a like and if you have any questions then drop a comment! Thanks!
Buy me a coffee: ko-fi.com/retrojapan
0:00 - Intro
0:44 - Moving to Japan
2:13 - Quitting my teaching job
2:54 - Living with a Japanese family + job hunting
5:23 - Finding my first full time job
7:40 - Gaining experience
8:37 - The Data Center industry
9:10 - My current job
11:10 - Salary and Finances
13:37 - in conclusion - Zábava
During my trip to japan (16 days in april) the cost of living, going out and getting food was the biggest surprise. I genuinely believe if you make the equivalent of 40k usd in japan you will live better than a person making 120k in nyc. (I live in nyc and have first hand experience here). Great video again!
I agree totally. I could probably make a lot more money doing the same job back in the UK, but then I would also be paying double the rent I am (or more), and wouldn’t ever be able to see a doctor and everything else would be far more expensive.
i believe it, 100%
that's because the salary is so low. minimum wage is 1000 yen per hour in tokyo 🥲
If you're using NYC as a criteria, you should also do the same for Japan. 40k usd will go a lot further in Kagoshima than Tokyo, likewise 40k will go a lot further in Salt Lake City than NYC.
Once again I came to say that your videos are really inspiring. Going to try my luck in Japan next year.
Thank you!
Thanks for tuning in again. Your comments always mean so much to me. Enjoy the rest of your week mate 🤝
respect your transparency and appreciate your story telling!
keep good content coming!
Appreciate that mate, thanks for watching 🤝
@@Retro-Japan how much japanese do you use in a day to day job?
Appreciate the video, it was super informative! Keep up the good work!
Thanks for watching mate 🤝
Good to know! I moved to Japan but could keep my job in Germany, working remote. If I should ever want to change jobs, I know what to expect now; thanks for sharing!
Thanks for watching 🙌
Great video man, I'm glad to hear that you did English teacher work first before looking for jobs in your area. I've been working in the UK for several years and am applying to JET and other ALT work so that I can make the move, and then yeah I'd like to try and find more specialised roles after a while.
I do think it’s much easier to go this route as focusing on moving to Japan and landing the perfect job at the same time can lead to high expectations. It’s much nicer to be searching for a job and at the same time getting to enjoy living in Japan (which is ultimately why those who want to work in IT here are applying for jobs here). Best of luck mate 🤝
Hey James! I've been following your page since you uploaded your "How to Get an IT Job in Japan" video a few months ago. I don't have a degree, but I've been working hard studying to get my A+, Network+, and AWS Cloud practitioner. My goal is to get all these certs in the next 6 months, and to apply to all the tech companies that are offering trainee data center positions. I'm from Southern California and will be turning 33 next month, and I want to pursue the data analyst career to help better my life. When you uploaded that video it really gave me hope. I visited japan last fall for 40 days and absolutely loved it. Regardless if this all works out or not, I want you to know you have inspired me and I'm going to try so freaking hard to get my foot in the door in the IT world to move to Japan. Two things, one, thank you for these videos, please keep uploading more Japan IT related videos because they help a ton. And two, are there any other tips or words of encouragement you can pass along to me while I'm pursuing this journey? Thank you so much man, you're the best!
Thanks for the kind words mate. I’m glad you’ve found some value in the videos. I would say that when you want something enough, you’ll subconsciously gravitate towards doing things that lead you closer to that goal. Without a degree, it may be a bit more challenging on the immigration front, but not impossible.
I probably won’t be uploading tons of videos related to getting an IT job in Japan since I’m sure I’d run out of topics pretty soon haha, but I likely will get a couple more out at least later in a few months. I’m also open to Q&As at some point and would be more than happy to answer questions in a more detailed fashion there. I’m always answering any questions in the comments too. I’m also thinking about interviewing some good friends of mine at some point who work at companies like AWS and Google, some of them have very inspiring stories (like going from a hotel cleaner to being a Google engineer Tokyo). Just make sure you don’t limit yourself and you got this ✌️
@@Retro-Japan Dude thank you so much! This means the world to me, and I'll be on the lookout for when you upload those videos! Have a good week dude!
@@Retro-Japan the hotel cleaner to Google engineer sounds super cool. i'm personally very depressed with the current job market (laid off nearly 10 months ago). having these topics lined up makes me look forward to the future despite feeling super grim. thank you @retro-japan, I'm looking forward to this video!
@@Tiffany-dw1yp I’ll reach out to him hopefully he can make some time soon for that! I know it can be a struggle to find a job. As you can tell from my own experience, I also was pretty hopeless for a time and almost had to leave my life behind that I’d made it Japan. But we never know what’s waiting for us around the corner. Always stay optimistic!
From my experience looking for job outside Japan without a Degree: it's gonna be near-impossible to get a certificate of eligibility if you don't have that or 10 years of work experience on that work field, or if you don't pass the PhilNITS test(which is in the Philippines btw).
Like, the companies MIGHT like your CV, and you might be a top candidate for your role, but the moment you don't have a Uni Degree or a PhilNITS certificate they will not move forward, as the Certificate it's almost impossible to get without a Degree or without having already an advanced visa like a working one, which means being and working already in Japan
As somebody who fell in love with Japan years ago, I decided to pick up an IT study at 35 this year with the dream of moving to Japan in the future. Hoping to be able to move to Japan in a couple of years and experience life there :)
Thanks for this insight video!
Best of luck mate!
Most westerners who come to live in Japan have a honeymoon period for 2 or 3 years, then a hate-it-all period for a year or two, then a roller-coaster for 10 years or so, then either move on, or accept it.
Excellent job
Thanks for watching!
Almost went to Japan myself like you I didn't quite pass JET but had a job with Interac with a placement in Nishinomiya which sounded really good, this then was cancelled over Covid. I was a bit heart broken, so I got a supermarket job for 8 months to wait to go, but they kept delaying it over and over again. I eventually decided to give up on interac and went into accountancy in the UK, as I just wanted a normal good job, it would be hard to go back now that I have established my career and its alright I don't mind it or anything but I very nearly almost went to Japan and do think of what could have been sometimes.
I’m sorry to hear that. I know a lot of other people that were in similar situations due to covid with placements being delayed or cancelled. But you never know where you might end up, if you once again do desire to try and move to Japan, there may be options that present themselves or you can look into coming via another route if your priorities in life change. I know many people who dropped their entire career, came here, completely skilled up in something else and found other jobs
Interesting story, Joe. I used to teach some private classes in Nishinomiya.
All the best.
I applied for several trainee roles after watching your last video, although I only heard back from one! I spoke to a recruiter who said that they would forward my application to the hiring manager so that he/she could ultimately decide whether to interview me. I saw that there were lots of applicants - over 100 - on LinkedIn, so I'm not feeling too confident! I feel it might become more competitive as more people know about it. I'm going to keep trying no matter what though, as I want to switch careers before my time with JET ends.
Thanks for all your useful videos!
I do worry that perhaps my last video may have brought more attention to the roles than I imagined (didn’t think many people would watch), but also, I’m not sure of a better way to share these kind of opportunities without gatekeeping. If you’re already in Japan it does give you a strong advantage. I have read applications/done interviewing for my company as well as when I was at AWS and there’s quite a few overseas applicants. Anyhow, the industry is really only just starting to take off in Japan and the amount of DC positions is going to increase significantly. It’s a good sign that you’re in touch with a recruiter though, regardless of what happens it’s good to stay in touch with the recruiter on LinkedIn and let them know you have a strong interest. This is all part of building up your network. Best of luck 🤞
@@Retro-Japanno your videos are helpful so I'm glad they're available! I imagine there would be lots of applicants regardless due to it being an entry level job that offers training.
Hey man, thanks for this video! Recently I've been very depressed and feeling like I'm in a dead end in life. I'm finishing up college and just don't feel confident in getting a job since my current job has nothing to do with what I'm studying. After watching this video I now feel like I have a potential path to get a foot into a job I will love and that will allow me opportunities to grow. My dream in life is to move to Japan and be able to make a comfortable living and this video made me feel like that is possible, it just might take awhile to get it started.
I know what it feels like to feel you are stuck in a rut mate. It’s hard for us to imagine there might be a path out of it, but speaking from first hand experience we really don’t know what’s around the corner for us. Stay optimistic and keep an eye out for opportunities. When you want something enough, you’ll find a way. You got this 🤝
Hi, came across your vids and loved it. I am also in Japan right now and struggling with jobs kinda basically same situation as you but living with my relatives which is kind of nice but then i am unemployed for too long, I am kind of a burden on them rn for sure. I am also not good in Japanese, also not good enough at my IT skills with relatively no experience. I am so lost I dont even know what to do now. I'm just doing online courses and practicing DSA now. I feel like there are lots of roles with javascript for entry level jobs english only works. So I'm trying my best to learn frontend stuff using react but I'm really confused as hell right now 🥲🥲. Loved this vid, I'll make sure to go through your other vids ❤
Thanks for checking out the vid it’s really appreciated. I know it can be frustrating when you don’t know which direction you want to start moving towards, but try not to feel like you’re a burden. Keep optimistic and think about how you can best utilise the time you’ve got. It’s good to hear you’re studying and trying to skill up. Perhaps making a LinkedIn account too if you don’t have one could be a good idea just so you can start setting some job alerts in the areas you’re interested in. Job hunting can be incredibly stressful at times so try and take it easy whilst also remaining productive. You got this ✌️
Based on my experiences, I do agree with point about Salary and Finances
I worked in IT for Amazon a few years back but I don't have a college degree; do you think I could get a job remotely and eventually move to Japan?
That is a really interesting story. I am also living in Japan and struggling to find decent work. I think the fact that you were probably young and had English as your main language played in your favor to get that trainee position. In my case, I am already 35, so even if one of those opportunities arose, I don’t think I would get it. That's the key point though-if you don’t get your foot in the door, there's no way to work in this industry. Even though data centers are definitely a growing business, especially with AI needing infrastructure for storage, it’s tough to break in. If you have any advice on getting my foot in the door for a trainee position in the same field, I would be glad to hear it. Anyway, you can be proud; you did very well.
Thanks for watching! I would disagree and say you should avoid limiting yourself based on those assumptions. When I joined, one of the people that joined at the same time as me was a 50 year old guy that had been teaching for 20 years in Japan and didn’t have a lick of IT experience. It comes down to timing and a bit of luck but if you are persistent then I really believe it’s possible. 35 is young and would in no way rule you out. I would set up a LinkedIn if you haven’t already, set job alerts for DC roles in AWS, Microsoft, IBM Softlayer, Google etc. I would also try and look to see if you can find and connect with recruiters and even express your interest. I strongly recommend looking into Softlayer (IBM subsidiary I believe) as they also hire a lot of inexperienced folks, along with AWS.
@@Retro-Japan Alright, thank you, you are making a good point. The fact that they hired a 50-year-old without IT experience gives me some hope. I'll follow your suggestion. I don't have LinkedIn because I thought my CV was a bit of a mess and embarrassing. Thank you for taking the time to reply to me! Best of luck in your journey too.
@@Retro-Japan I'm glad to see that. I've always been told that a career change or finding a new job in Japan was more difficult if not almost impossible in your 30s or older, especially for women as employers expect them to want to have kids an take maternal leave soon after they've been hired (so companies don't want to risk hiring a woman). I worked 6 years as an ALT with JET but had to go back to Canada after failing to secure a new job after the end of my contract (lost my 6-year streak counting towards permanent residency too unfortunately 😭).
I applied to several job through the local job center. Unfortunately, some places didn't even want to give me a chance as I was a woman. Also, I've done some interviews at eikaiwas, but I didn't fit what they were looking for. I didn't have the foreign look (the fate of an East Asian adoptee I guess... It has it's pros and cons but for that kind of job, it's definitely a con). 😅 Oh well. 🤷🏻♀️
Now I'm learning 3D for video games. I have a graphic design and concept art background, but there's almost no jobs in concept art in Japan, it's mostly 3D jobs (I know, I've searched so much on job hunting websites).
I hope I'll be able to go back to Japan soon as my boyfriend is still there teaching English. 🤞🏻
Do you think this would be similar for Korea? I'm living there now and looking to get into IT in the future. The data centre job sounds interesting. are there any online certifications/training courses that you recommend?
I imagine it’s probably similar in Korea. I know there are data centers there and in the companies I’ve worked in, I’ve occasionally interacted with the teams in Korea and they all speak English. I recommend you check out the video I made a few months back for more info on the topic but in short A+ and Network+ are probably the best foundation certs related to DC work
@@Retro-Japan thanks 👍
this seems like a really good option, this was already a field i was interested in going into here, and with my dream of moving to japan this seems like a really good option. some questions, would you say learning japanese is a crucial part of networking? i plan to learn it anyway but just what level i should get to before searching for a job. and also, would getting a degree help me at all to get one of these jobs? or is there any past experience that would assist in getting a position? love your channel and your videos are really informative, keep it up!
Thanks for watching glad you found some value in the video! I would say as far as networking goes, Japanese is not needed. The data center community especially is quite small in Japan and is mainly foreigners. Recruiters usually all speak English for these types of roles too. If you’re looking for roles outside of that, it would be useful to have some conversational Japanese but it’s very role/company dependent and there are many other companies that use English as the primary language, especially if they’re an international organisation that has a HQ outside of Japan.
Past experience of course is very useful for all jobs. A degree is usually a requirement for getting a work visa in Japan (unless you have equivalent work experience) but not necessarily a requirement of the job itself.
@@Retro-Japan ok cool thank you for responding, maybe getting a degree here before moving will be the way to go, as it also gives me time to figure out some other stuff too
I dream for this, welp gotta go back to grinding
Great video. Thankfully I speak Japanese fluently. Once I get some years of experience in IT where I live I'll try my luck in Japan. I bet it's gonna be much easier getting a qualified work VISA there because of the population crisis the country is facing. But I think the hardest thing is gonna be finding a job with a company that does not make you work overtime. That's what worries me the most.
This is why I’ll always recommend data center jobs, there’s no overtime (unless you actually want to) and the industry is growing faster than they can even hire for. I just recently was involved in a massive hiring spree and I was interviewing people almost everyday for a couple of months. These hiring sprees will likely continue as there are forecasted plans for more huge data centers to be built which basically need entire teams created.
@@Retro-Japan do you have any tips on how to get one of these data center jobs especially if your not living in Japan
Japan keeps tightening the screws on foreigners getting permanent visas.
@@Retro-JapanHow would one apply to these data center jobs? Gaijinpot?
@@Krisprom1se gaijinpot rarely has them, I think I got lucky in that regard. You should watch my previous video on this topic for more info but in general I usually recommend LinkedIn as all the major companies post all of their job openings on there and you can set up filters to get alerts when new jobs are posted. I get job alerts multiple times a week for DC jobs in Japan
what the name of place you're making video in this video? is it Shinjuku Kyoen center?
Which part of the video mate?
Got an email yesterday saying they were no longer going forward with my application. Thought I might be in with a chance after speaking to the recruiter, but no interview this time I guess! I'm going to work on improving my CV and apply again in a couple of months.
Which company were you looking at? AWS? I would also suggest checking out Softlayer (part of IBM). I’m not sure on the availability of their roles but I know quite a lot of people who worked there and went from English teaching to getting hired by them. I’ve heard it’s easier to get accepted there than it is with AWS.
@@Retro-Japan yeah, I was looking at AWS. Thank you! I'll have a look at Softlayer, too.
could you share more detail about your experience getting job in japan as software developer? that would be very helpfull for me and any other foreigners who want to get job as software engineer. is there any limit of maximum age as software engineer in japan?
I don’t think I can really give much advice since I basically failed at becoming a software developer. Although I’m happy with the industry I landed in, as its growth is rapidly accelerating. I feel I no longer would want to go into software development. I would say there’s no age cap for sure though. I know a few people who started in the data centers then changed teams internally to software development. I was personally involved in software development projects when working in the data centers too. As for direct hiring, there are newer companies like Octopus Energy/Kraken that have been recently hiring relatively entry level positions
@@Retro-Japan Thank you for sharing
i saw there were tons of Data centers in Chiba New town, is that where you are located? im currently living in edogawa and my wife is from Chiba and wants to go back there but is worried that the place will be deserted etc. can you speak on that or are you just working remotely for a tokyo based DC?
I work remotely supporting the data centers globally (for my company) so not any specific data center in Japan. I live in Chiba though and I really like it. Unlike other prefectures that are bordered with other prefectures (ie Saitama), Chiba is right on the edge so nobody is passing through the prefectures to other prefectures so it’s nice and quiet. Plenty of things to do if you live towards the west side (I wouldn’t live south or east Chiba). Inzai is a bit of a DC hub but there are data centers in other locations around Tokyo too.
@@Retro-Japan Yeah Chiba is great, ive lived in Funabashi and Chiba city before as well, I did an ALT stint back in 2019 in Chibas only village as well haha. Edogawa is pretty much just like Chiba rather than Tokyo. thanks for your answer!
Do you have to be a resident in Japan to be able to apply or get accepted?
Actually no, I know several people that got hired from overseas. I would only say that it makes it easier if you are in Japan already, but it’s not a hard requirement. I know many people are adverse to the idea of teaching or getting a visa some other way first, but as long as it’s treated as a stepping stone, it can be a great life experience while you are looking for another job.
They will roll out a "nomad visa" soon (if not yet) where you'll be able to stay in japan for a 1 yr i think. might be a good look if you're working freelance at home.
@@shiro-akane that'd be very nice!
The demands are pretty strict there
@@shiro-akane shiro, the Japanese govt. is tightening the screws on permanent visa requirements.
Great video, really like your background scenery.
Recently completed a computer science degree and unfortunately it hasn’t been enough to land an interview at AWS for a data center role. I had an interview at a local company known for severely underpaying and at the 4th interview they said i would have to cut my hair as it didn’t align with their conservative values lol
I live 1h from a huge aws hub in the US that had those trainee roles but i think they saw my application, where i was living and that i had no experience with ticketing systems so they let my application sit but didn’t deny it then forgot about it. For the Japanese trainee position they just rejected it outright after a few days.
My last hope is going for 2-3 of the relevant certifications and trying again. If that doesn’t work then I’m going to apply to a Japanese language school. Seems impossible to land an entry level tech role in the US right now with no experience. Data center like you have alluded to seems easier but i don’t think they are willing to bring someone from outside japan with no experience.
I understand it’s not easy. I know these same roles are much more competitive in the US as everyone speaks English, there is far less competition in Japan with that regard. Sometimes it can come down to timing too, you can’t ever know if perhaps they already filled the role recently, or if they have had the job as up for a while, if they are hiring one vs many people. So all of these things play into it. You have the right attitude though and coming back a little more skilled up will put you in a good position. Your thoughts of going to a language school as well are really good too as being in Japan already can give you a significant advantage.
@@Retro-Japan Thanks for the feedback. Gives me a little motivation that i need to keep pushing.
Please what Qualification or Certification do I need in order to apply for a Data Center Technician Job?
The data center jobs usually don’t require any specific qualifications or certifications outside of a high school diploma. However, higher education and certifications can be helpful and Japanese immigration usually requires any type of bachelors degree for visa sponsorship. I recommend you watch my previous video “how to get an IT job in Japan” if you want more details on this ✌️
@@Retro-Japan so my bachelor's degree in Management won't bother so much for visa sponsorship?
@@ryanpratama14 it doesn’t matter what the degree is in, so if you have that degree it will be very useful!
Thanks for sharing your origin story! Sounds like you're able to save a good part of your monthly income. Hopefully you can divert the surplus into stock options and 401k. Now's the time to get your nest egg started while your young.
It’s good advice. Luckily these companies offer 401k equivalents and there have been some better investing options through Japanese banks in recent years (ISA / RothIRA equivalent). 5 years ago though it was really difficult to find investing options as it wasn’t really encouraged/spoken about much in Japan. Paperwork is always a pain too.
@retro bro do you give out referral?
My current company recently went through a huge hiring spree but those roles were recently filled. There will be another hiring round in a few months I believe but usually they ask me to be an interviewer so I can’t really give out referrals when I’m directly involved in the hiring process unfortunately
@@Retro-Japan thx bro! Let us know next time that your company is hiring. I'm already in japan if that makes it easier lol
Are there really fresh eating bacteria outbreak?
As always, the news overplays most of this. It’s a form of strep throat that can progress to other illnesses such as tonsillitis. Most people who are infected are fine or even asymptomatic but in rare cases it can progress into something more serious called STSS. There were a similar number of cases last year but I didn’t see any news then. It’s just what gets clicks at the time. Put it this way, most people in Japan don’t care or even talk about this. But hey, I’m just a guy on CZcams talking about jobs and I’m not a doctor 🤷
@@Retro-Japan thanks man
yoyoyo
Yoyoyoyo 🤝
"How I got a remote job in Japan (without Japanese)"
4 minutes later - "talking about my university experience, all in Japanese"
But that was unrelated to the actual job I ended up getting which I didn’t need any Japanese for 👀