I’m 38 and have been teaching in adults in Korea for almost 13 years now. I’m currently teaching at an IT company and I have quite a few years of working in a Korean office environment (which is actually quite rare).
As much as I love Korea, I have always wanted to live in Japan, and various factors have kept me here for much longer than anticipated. If I had come to Japan all of those years ago I could have had a PR by now, but I didn’t. Instead, I stayed here and ended up meeting my wonderful partner.
My partner and I are interested in moving to Japan now, but it seems I’m not in a good position in terms of getting a visa. I could always teach English for 10 years until I get a PR, and as much as I do enjoy my current job and the niche I’ve carved out for myself, it’s time for something else.
I don’t speak Japanese, my salary isn’t quite high enough to earn points, I’ll soon turn 40, and I only have a bachelor’s degree. The HSP seems impossible without studying for a master’s in Japan.
I’m willing to devote myself to studying Japanese (hopefully my knowledge of Korean would help me with this) but I would still need to work and support myself. An ESL visa would surely take up all of my time for the next 10 years and wouldn’t allow me much time to learn Japanese and pivot into something else.
Am I screwed? Do I have many other options available?
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
by DaechiDragon