Hi guys and sorry for the lengthy (and definitely messy) thread.
I’m a software engineer from Tunisia (currently work as a full-stack web developer though I will be settling as a frontend developer in the future as I prefer that)
As trying to move to any country let alone Japan isn’t the simplest of things, I want to have a clear idea on what I will be doing in the next couple or so of years.
To get some things out of the way, while I only have a year of experience, I will not have to worry about salaries in Japan being lower than where I live because they won’t be. To have an idea, my salary now is roughly 3k USD a year. ( Yes 3k per year not month) and my sister who’s a backend engineer with 5 years of experience still got paid less than 10k in one of the top companies in the country. (This is very normal on Tunisia. Working environment here is really bad and salaries are even worse)
To make up for this, I also do freelance on Upwork and I already make much more many than in my actual job.
So I’ve been thinking about moving to Japan for a while now, (I unfortunately failed MEXT twice. Once for college of technology and once as a research student) so the only options I have now are getting a job or going to a language School.
I currently have 3 plans in mind.
– The most obvious and safest one is actually landing a job there
~~- Getting a remote job and moving through a language school (easier said than done due to timezone difference)~~ (Totally forgot about the 28 hours limit so ignore this )
– Studying in a language school and continue doing Freelance.
I would like to know your opinion on the situation, and if I somehow went with the third choice, what do you think is a safe amount of money to have ready before I move. ( Assuming I would live in Tokyo)
I really appreciate any advice and have a great day ＼(°o°)／
6 comments
Your only issue with number 2 and number 3 is the fact that your visa won’t allow you to do full time work, even if it’s for a company not based in japan. And for option 3, you’d need permission to work whilst at language school and would be limited to the 28 hours (I think) a week.
Do you have enough saved to afford a language school for a minimum of 6 months? We’re talking about 10k€ give or take
If so, then yes, you COULD go there, study and work in the meantime (which won’t be a lot if you actually plan on studying for real)
If not, you’re much better off just going there as a tourist and work remotely, it’ll be cheaper than attending a school and you’d have a lot more free time to work (or enjoy Japan, since you’re there)
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Is this legal? Not really
Will anyone know you’re working for a foreign country while there on a tourist visa? highly unlikely, basically impossible
In order to go to a language school you will need 10k to 12kUSD in your bank. This does not include the money spent on the school itself. This is for about a 6 month stay. If you want to stay for a year or more you will need even more money in your account.
If you’re trying to move to “any country” how about UK? There many IT jobs there and I bet it’s way easier to get a working visa there.
Add this to your list: Apply to a company that accepts foreigner and is willing to assist with relocation and process engineer visa.
> I will not have to worry about salaries in Japan being lower than where I live because they won’t be.
People who say this don’t usually consider that the cost of living in Japan is significantly higher than where they live now. If you’re living somewhere where you get paid 3k USD per year, the typical “cheap single person apartment” doesn’t cost 700 USD per month the way it does in Japan.