Can i get a job with a greek degree?

I am greek ,wanting to move in Japan and having a degree in social work (from a greek university) but because of the fact that my degree isn't japanese i have concerns on how much i can get a job.I really like my job and i am also very interested in citizens' mental health there so i don't wanna give up on that.I also wonder if i can give exams or something like that there so i can get licensed in case my degree doesn't get accepted.(of course with the knowledge of Japanese and English language).Thank you in advance!

I don't know what the national qualifications to become a social worker are in Japan, but I will warn you that it is going to be a difficult field to get into. Generally speaking with health stuff Japanese people would prefer to be dealt with by other Japanese people. I think that might be doubly true with mental health stuff. I'm not saying it's impossible, if you pass whatever national exams are required then you are technically employable, but many places will prefer a Japanese candidate. That's just the way things are.

Residency status is another issue. Moving to Japan for work legally isn't particularly difficult if your prospective employer can sponsor you. To sponsor you they will likely need to have a reason for hiring a foreigner where Japanese people are also available. With the above in mind, I don't know how easy it is going to be to get sponsored to do this kind of work in Japan.

Also your Japanese is going to have be better than really, really good.

Thank you for your comment and i totally understand your thoughts ,i can't hide the fact that i am quite disappointed tho since i like this job.Unfortunately ,having a Master from a Japanese university would be the only solution.

Exactly what work is it that you are doing (that you would like to continue if possible in Japan)? There are social workers in hospitals, social workers working at schools, etc., which might require different qualifications.

Even before getting the master�fs degree, I believe the language issue would be a bigger one if you want to work in this field. Are you currently studying it, or are you fluent?

Completing work in another country can be challenging - specifically when it's another language and culture which is significantly different than ones own. Hopefully the following questions will help you and others with more knowledge than I get into the nitty gritty of what is possible (or not possible)

(Q1) What will your job be? Are you a member of a professional organization that is recognized where you live? (medical association, psychological association, accountant association as examples)

If you are to work in Japan - having a degree and experience that is recognized is important. If where you live and Japan does not have a parallel association - this may make it more challenging for your qualifications to be recognized.

(Q2) How will you communicate with your potential clients? What skills or experience do you have which can't be provided by the local population?

If you will provide social work in English or Greek - I'm sorry to say that I doubt that this will allow for much of a clientele base. Many western countries have a large number of positions in social work (and similar jobs) paid for by the government or non-governmental organizations. An inability to speak and read/write fluent Japanese removes the vast majority of employers in this space.

(Q3) Why do you want to work in Japan?

Many people want to work in Japan - but most have specialist skills which are not easily found in the country or are for jobs which are not that suitable for locals (think of English teachers etc).

(Q4) How long are you willing to wait to get the skills and qualifications needed to complete your current profession in Japan? Do you have the finance to support yourself independently during this time of education?

Learning Japanese is not like learning another European language. You have to learn 3 alphabets - including one with thousands of characters which takes elementary school kids most of elementary to learn enough to read a basic newspaper. It normally takes people years to learn a language to an academic language - and it's more difficult if it's another alphabet.

Another thing which Japanese people on this forum who have lived in the west for a significant amount of time can expand or tell me if I'm wrong - but Mental Health is completed in a totally different way in North Asia than the west.

Some people claim that Japan and other countries in the area (Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore) are decades behind in how they deal with mental health - but societal differences play a huge difference in that. To put it simple - things are just different in Japan and how people talk and interact in relation to mental health is different than in the west. It's not my place to say if it's better or worse than the west but I can say it's totally different.

Is it possible to work as a social worker in Japan? Probably. However, there are lots of hurdles which would make it extremely challenging such as: learning a new language (reading, writing, talking), completing further education in Japan to become qualified, getting a visa, earning enough money to make it worthwhile etc....