Hello. So, let me start with my background. I am a 30 year old artist working in the videogame industry in India. In my studio, I do concept art and production work like creating characters, backgrounds, props etc. for mobile games as outsourced work for mostly Disney and Warner Bros. I have about 6 years of experience in this field. I have a Bachelor's Degree in History and currently studying a TESOL course.
I would like to continue working in the same industry long-term, but in Japan. Japan's pop culture has had a huge influence on me growing up with things ranging from videogames, anime/manga, movies, etc. and is the sole reason I got into this industry in the first place. As most people, my dream of working in Japan for Japanese studios is obstructed by the lack of language proficiency. I recently applied to SEGA and they were quite impressed with my body of work and experience. But, as expected they told me that they prefer someone with higher command over the language. I think I have near N5 level proficiency after learning it in my own through internet courses and books for about a year now. Next step will be to apply for JLPT N5.
So, I've come to the decision to just bite the bullet and apply for a teaching job in Japan initially and work on my art and Japanese in my spare time. No getting drunk in izakayas or karaoke bars with Gaijin peers, no extensive travelling around the country,..but just a few spots here and there to unwind sometimes, and no regular eating out…just plain home cooked meals on a budget.
So, realistically…how achievable do you think this goal would be?
I am gonna apply for most of the known ALT companies like Bordelink, Interac, ALTIA and JET as well even though the chances of getting in JET are quite few. I am avoiding Eikaiwas because I heard that working conditions can be quite brutal… with the exception of perhaps AEON. It seems like the lesser of all the evils. I'd hope to get work in some countryside area, preferably in the rich natural domains of Gifu, Nagano or Hokkaido where I can have some peace and quiet to carry out my studies and artworks. At first I thought I'll teach English maximum for about 2 years, but midway through learning N5 Japanese, it seems achieving a business level of proficiency will take atleast 4-5 years if I keep a steady pace at it.
by booty_bandit__