I have chosen to give this post the 'General' flair because it is a combination of both the 'visa' and 'education' flairs (as well as hinting on others too).
This is the follow up to a post I made here a year ago, however this post will be much longer and with much more detail.
TL;DR: I'm working towards JLPT qualifications, I want to go to university in Japan as a primary option for moving there after I'm done in UK education, please give me assistance in this and other options to moving to Japan pre-20.
So, I have been studying Japanese for 4 years, and more intensively for the past 2.5.
This ultimately led me to take GCSE Japanese as an independent candidate this year, where I achieved the highest possible grade 9. I plan to take this to the next level with JLPT exams (N3 or N2 as an end goal) over the next few years.
I am hoping to be able to go to university in Japan after I finish mandatory education in the UK (up to 18). I'm not quite sure how to get there, but I do intend to do something with computer science and software, because not only does it interest me, but this is a field in high demand in Japan right now, so I could get a favorable job. If anyone has some university recommendations that are good for international students and that offer my desired courses, that'll be excellent. Please also let me know about the application process and how to actually get there in the first place (likewise for anything in this post).
As well as Japanese university, I could even take the route of vocational schools to study in areas I personally find more fun to work with, such as music (I've been making songs in Japanese with vocal synthesizer programs for this past year), because I've always been intrigued by the Japanese music industry.
Another option I researched was a working holiday visa, but I'm unsure of the way that works, and I don't know if it's quite right for my situation.
As for Japan, while most see it as a utopia at my age, I do know the truth to an extent. The work culture is incredibly unforgiving, but to me I feel that I'm willing to live with it. Personally, I'm always pushing myself hard, with balancing school and independent Japanese study every day of my life, often with little free time to myself and still without truly burning out. The dream of moving to Japan has enough value to me that I'd literally do anything to get there.
Thanks for reading this, if anyone has anything to help contribute to this dream, please let me know. Also, maybe share your personal experiences too.
by RatSwirl
10 comments
Whatever you do, you’re young. Build skills. Don’t be one of the people that do the English teaching programs and end up in a dead end.
Actually build skills and start a career, like you would if you stayed in your home country. A lot of people get too blinded by being in Japan they forget to actually build a career until it’s too late and they end up having to leave.
A working holiday would allow you to experience living in Japan without a long term commitment.
Studying at university in Japan will provide longer term options than vocational school. However, for any study in Japan you will require significant savings to pay for tuition and living expenses. You will need to research universities and application procedures yourself.
Have you considered studying at home in the UK, where you can pay domestic fees and have a support network, and looking for a university that has an exchange program in Japan?
Don’t rush moving. Japan’s not going anywhere.
Hi OP! I’m also from the UK and have lived in Japan for a while. Can’t help you with everything here, but can give a few pointers.
There is a *lot* of info out there about university courses and enrolment requirements for international students. I think you should do more independent research on that and narrow down the options yourself.
edit: I don’t know for sure if/how your age will affect various life admin.
If your language study is going this well, your end goal should be passing JLPT N1. It opens far more doors than N2 does.
Recent changes to the Working Holiday Visa system make it incredibly difficult to switch to another status of residency now. If you plan to come over and stay, WHV isn’t a good option any more.
Universities have exchange programs and curricula for foreign students. Best would be to research this as a starter.
During this research, you’ll also notice the fees, so you might want to find a way to finance your studying in Japan.
Also research the student visas, and what they allow you to do, in terms of side jobs.
Also research the university rankings, and more importantly, the job opportunities your curriculum offers interest will provide post graduation.
Then you will notice that there might not be any sustainable way for you to move to Japan. That’s not bad, but you could study in the UK until you get a Bachelor or Master, and then visit, or you could do a 6 months exchange program, given a UK university has this.
As a final caveat: please know that Japanese universities only create the generation of office drones to staff regular Japanese companies. This is probably not the career you’d like to take as there are better alternatives: get a degree and sone work experience in the UK or in the close by EU, then move to Japan later as a mid-career move to work for a better salary at a western company.
Look up the MEXT scholarship, usually the Japan embassy homepage has info on those
Get an in-demand skill, or a skill where you can find a job in your home country if things in Japan don’t work out. It’s good that you’re making a plan for your future already, but I strongly advise not to rush over to Japan and putting all your eggs in Japan yet at such a young age at 18 (but it’s up to you).
Have you at least visited? I think the UK has a working holiday visa so you can stay in Japan for an extended period. I also strongly recommend working part time if you go the WHV route (instead of not working and treating it like a vacation), so you can see what real life Japan is like and see if it’s for you or not.
Learn Japanese. Like, fluently
Get a student visa and teach English on the side. Hope you have good grades because they’re pretty strict. Once you’re done with college get a job and a workers visa. Look up companies that sponsor you for it.
You’re going to have three options for university in Japan. 1: attend college in the UK and take an exchange program to Japan; 2: attend a Japanese university in an English curriculum; and 3: attend a Japanese university in a Japanese curriculum. Option 1 is probably the most accessible to you, followed by 2, then 3. Option 3 is probably the most difficult since you will be required to complete the Examination for Japanese University (EJU) for admission, and all the courses will be taught in Japanese. You’ll basically be competing with all (native) Japanese applicants for admission at a particular institution. There are quite a few Japanese universities (public and private) that have well-established English-taught programs, but not many of them cover computer science. I can’t really answer your other questions, but hopefully this gives you something to think about. Good luck!
Basic question. Who’s gonna pay ur tuition fees in japan? U need a somebody from ur family to be ur sponsor and a certain amount in the savings to qualify for a student visa.
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