Finding a job in japan as a developer

Hi All,

I am a front-end developer with 4+ years of experience, a BSc in Computing and the JLPT N1. I don't hold a valid visa to work in Japan and I am currently living in London. (I'm italian)

I plan to move to Japan in October/November and was wondering if you guys could give me some advices. What sites should I use to look for a job?(I use daijob and gaijinpot at the moment) Are there any good recruitment agencies that specialise in development jobs and deal with foreigners?

I have an english CV, the standard —š—ð�‘ and �E–±Œo—ð�‘.

Any help would be very appreciated.

Thanks!

I don't know your field of expertise, but did you do a search for recruitment agencies?
In my field of work there are many that look for bilingual candidates like you. Their webpages are in English, so not hard to find. And with your Japanese level you can also search for them in Japanese.

Good luck!

Yokoso! With degree , N1 and good programming skills you will be a hot potato in Japan
Besides the site you mentioned, check on recruiters from Robert Walters and Hays etc. they specialize in tech recruitment

The sites you mentioned are usually for bilingual positions, with N1 you can look for even Japanese only jobs, I don't know sites for them. Native Japanese can suggest

By the way, how did you get N1 even with staying outside of Japan, I wish I could do that too :(

Hello guys,

Thanks for replying to the post and for suggesting some agencies, I will check them out. A problem with japanese only jobs is that as far as I can see they don't seem to be sponsoring visas(they probably only expect only japanese people to apply). Maybe I can give it a go even if it's not written anywhere about the visa sponsorhip?

Also do you guys know if it's possible to get a working holiday visa without having secured a job? I still need to research this type of visa. I was planning to move there for three months on a holiday visa and then start from there.

As for the N1(I got it after getting N3 and N2) I studied using the "nihongo sou matome" which I found really good + anki for reviews (I was adding all I studied in the books into it). For listening I watched a lot of youtube channels and for reading I read the NHK and Nikkei. I also did private lessons to practice speaking + listening for 4 years. My advice is to try and fully immerse yourself in the language!

A WH visa is not appropriate for your situation. It is intended for people who want to visit Japan for a longer period than the usual 90 days, and allows work only as a means of sustenance, not to build a career.

Hi Firas,

Cheers for explanation. I need to get a working visa (normal one) to stay and work in japan but to get that I will need a company to sponsor me(as you probably know).

I was wondering if it's better to look for a job on a holiday visa or a working holiday visa and if that makes any difference.

Working Holiday Visa is intended for people not looking to find full-time work, but for people wishing to travel extensively while earning pocket money on casual work here and there, so while it is possible, if you qualify, but it would not be the intended use of it.

Note that WHV is a once-in-a-lifetime thing (allowing both travel and work mixed, for up to either 6 months or 1 year depending on nationality), so if you just use it for job-hunting, I don't know if that is the best use for it. (Also the number of people granted WHV per year per nationality is limited, so it might not be the best way to go about it.)

Even if you came on WHV, once you find a full-time job like the one you seem to be seeking, your employer will have to sponsor you fully for your working visa (two completely different things), so the only advantage of coming on WHV and looking for work (vs. coming as Temporary Visitor, what you call "holiday") is that if and when you find a job, you can start on it right off, while with Temporary Visitor status you'd need to wait until the change from Temporary Visitor to one of the work-permitting resident status is completed, as working on Temporary Visitor status is illegal.

so while it is possible, if you qualify, but it would not be the intended use of it.

It would also require lying on your application, because if you say you intend to job-hunt your WH visa would most likely be denied.

Hiya :)

There are many developers jobs in Japan for N1 holders. Pls Contact recruitment agents in Japan. Good luck!

Regards,
Kaz