Hi this is my first post on reddit so bare with me on my terrible writing.
Backstory: I'm 22 years old, from the U.S. and about to finish my degree in finance. I have a girlfriend that I've been with for 5 years (she's willing to go wherever I decide to go) and a small 11lbs Pomeranian. My relationship with my family isn't that great so I have to move out after I graduate. I've always saved a good amount of money throughout my part-time jobs as well. I've also been studying on my own, planning to take the N5 test soon.
Problem: Once I move out I have quite a bit of stuff with me. Currently I'm debating on what the best and smartest course of action to take me, my girlfriend, and my dog to live in Japan.
Option 1: Attend language school and work part-time, and attempt to find a job after.
Issue: Students are only allowed to work up to 28 hrs a week and once I'm finished with school I would have to go back to the U.S. until I can renew a Visa, however I would have no place to stay.
Option 2: Move out to a smaller apartment, and keep applying to foreign companies in Japan
Issue: This is highly unlikely, as I would be fresh out of college with only beginner levels of Japanese.
Option 3: Keep studying Japanese until I qualify for the JET program
Issue: Although it is a sure way to move to Japan, I feel as though the time frame would be too long and having to take the N2 test, I would be capable of finding better opportunities
I'm appreciative of any suggestion, I just feel a bit lost on my options and don't know what the best path is especially since I'm nervous moving out already, yet to another country. My end goal is to hopefully live in Japan, I currently have around 60K saved in stocks and saving if I could afford a house that would also be fun.
by Anduos
6 comments
You can apply for JET with absolutely no Japanese whatsoever.
However, your dog situation may be difficult because a lot of placements are through BOE teacher housing that don’t allow animals, or placements in rural areas where rentals that include pets are few and far between, or placements in larger cities where renting to foreigners is uncommon and to foreigners with dogs is slim pickings at best.
Also, the requirements to bring your dog to Japan from the states are quite strict, time consuming, and expensive.
https://www.maff.go.jp/aqs/english/animal/dog/import-other.html
You cannot bring your girlfriend unless she gets a visa of her own, she won’t qualify as your dependant. Your dog also complicates things a lot, as the first commenter described.
The biggest question, though, is why Japan?
What will your girlfriend do? What will she do to get to Japan? What visas have you guys looked for her? She is going to need to find her own way to Japan.
Must it be Japan? Why Japan? Japan is not what you see on the documentary and youtube. What special skills do you have the locals do nit gave? Are you willing to do very very specific little things and solve more problems than the locals do?
If you’re both Americans, consider South Korea. You can teach English there, and your gf can get a working holiday visa. Japan is a non starter if she doesn’t have a degree as well. She won’t qualify for her own visa
So, have you even been to Japan yet? Perhaps ;
Option 4- Enjoy the cheap yen to dollar, visit Japan after graduate. Take a month or two and travel around the country and see it.
Option 4a- don’t bring sand to beach. Find a future wife in Japan. Visa issues disappear. /s