Hi everyone,
I’m 35 and currently working in international trade, with over 10 years of experience. I’m planning to move to Japan long term in about 11 months and would really appreciate advice from anyone who’s taken a similar mid-career path.
My plan is to start applying for jobs roughly 10 months before arriving. I should have around USD 55k in savings, and I reached JLPT N1 in about two years. I also hold a bachelor’s degree in International Relations. The idea is to be financially stable enough to avoid pressure, but also to avoid any gaps in the resume.
Initially, I plan to move on a Japanese language student visa to further refine my business Japanese. If things align, I’m also considering doing an MBA later on, possibly at Sophia or another institution that offers night programs while working. My goal isn’t to stay in school indefinitely, but to integrate into the job market as quickly as possible.
Ideally, I’d move directly into a full-time, visa-sponsoring role. If that takes longer than expected, I’m open to working arubaitos in the short term to generate some income, but only as a temporary measure while continuing the professional job search.
I’m aware that being 35 puts me firmly in the mid-career category, and I’ve read about the challenges that can come with that in Japan. I’m not looking to restart my career from zero, but to leverage my experience and transition smoothly without a long employment gap.
What I’m trying to understand is what actually works in practice, when to start networking seriously, whether applying from abroad is effective, and how realistic it is to move quickly from student status to a full-time role.
If you’ve gone through something similar, I’d really appreciate any insights on what helped, what didn’t, and what you’d do differently.
Thanks for reading. 🙇♂️🙇♂️🙇♂️
by TottreJP