14 yr old girl in usa wanting a job in japan

im a 14 year old girl in the US wanting to get a job in japan, and move to japan when you think im old enough. I am a student in the 8th grade of middle school. I am not sure what I want to be when I grow up but I know I would like to move to japan when I am older. I am trying to learn Japanese while I can, and would like some recommendation for better methods to doing it. I don't know a whole lot about japan but I have heard from others that it is cheap to live as one person and it has a not so pleasant working experiences if you want sleep. Me personally I can push my body to work hard. And I don't mind if I have to live in an apartment with little space. And no, before you say anything about "it's not like anime" I am not going there for the cutesy stuff and anime.. I am going there for the overall lifestyle. Like how you can walk and ride trains places, and how the food is cheap to buy and shops can be close. I am asking for tips on how my grades should be like and what job's I could get. I have all ready taken notes on how to move there . I also would like it if someone told me what it would be like , as in if I would have to work a not really entertaining job for some time because I really wouldn't mind it.

Soooo thank you and give me advice lol...

Well you have a lot of research ahead of you. Start with researching visa conditions. You can�ft just move to Japan and work, you need an appropriate visa. And the qualifications you need differ by visa category but generally it is either specific work experience (such as being a chef) or a university degree.

So I think the general way would be to either persue higher education in Japan (you need money for that as you�fll be only allowed to have meagerly paid side jobs and need to show before getting a student visa that you have sufficient funds to keep afloat. Or to finish university somewhere else and then search for a job in Japan.

But with the exception of English teacher, Japanese companies aren�ft specially looking at hiring inexperienced international graduates. So either you will want to become an English teacher or you need some special skills to improve your chances of finding a job

Frankly there are so many things that can happen between now and when you can potentially move to Japan: make a plan B,C and D.

Learning Japanese is good, but be realistic with how much you achieved. Japanese is complicated. So maybe set yourself a goal to pass N4,N3 etc. You can probably pass N4 or N3 if you study a lot at the time of finishing high school. But actual Japanese �gknowledge �g doesn�ft start until N2. Even N1 still leaves you not understanding sometimes.

Also travel to Japan. Either as a tourist with your parents or maybe there is some school exchange. Just to give a reality check to your imagination of Japan.

Thanks to LikeBike for such a admirably thoughtful and supportive response, please think about what LikeBike has said.

I find Japan exciting and very different, and in some ways better than western societies, but no society is perfect, as everything is a compromise. I think it's really hard to tell what it'd be really like after being there for several years, so i think it's good to keep your options open.

As it would be very different to the USA, learn as much as you can about the culture, history and society of Japan. Maybe other could suggest some good resources to do this?

Once you are 16, one option could be to plan to try volunteer working on farms in Japan via the wwoof scheme https://www.wwoofjapan.com/home/index.php?lang=en . This could be good to do with a family member or friend, so that you can look after each other and learn about Japan together. It is also a cheap way to experience Japan, so you can spend up to 6 months there getting a feel for the place.

@B3114

start studying Japanese now, if you haven't already.

A society or country can change greatly in the decade or so that a 14-year-old needs to mature enough to have a career (as opposed to the part-time jobs that can be hard for any teenager in any country).

For example, Japan was indeed known for its overwork, but not any more. And there even are laws, lawsuits and awareness to prevent it from going backwards.

So, long story short, my advise to you (or to any 14-year-old in any country, whatever future the person is dreaming for) is to pursue education that seems as close to your dream today as possible.

In your case, why not aim to be a high-school exchange student? Ask your teachers about exchange programs. If they're not available at your school or district, perhaps you can aim to enroll in a college that has it, and come to Japan as a college exchange student. Once you come to Japan, in any form, you will have the opportunity to ask questions about careers in Japan to real people who actually know you.

And if you successfully achieve Japanese language/academic skills as good as the best natives have, then you'd be able to compete with them and still have the extra skills as a native of the U.S. language and culture.

Sure, you may not be able to grant that dream, but then you'll pretty much find better dreams to pursue on the way. So, it's never a bad thing to keep moving forward.

In trying to learn a language, your curiosity would be the best motivation. For example, if you're interested in commuter trains, try to find out about them in Japanese language. You will be amazed at how many words and expressions you'd be gaining just by doing so, let alone knowledge on trains.

Hopes.

When I was in my third year of high school, an international student from Australia came to my class.
It was through the Rotary Club of International. (Rotary Youth Exchange)
The target audience is 15 to 19 years old.
https://www.rotary.org/en/our-programs/youth-exchanges
If you are interested, please try the challenge.
Also, the university I graduated from has a branch school in Boston.
There is a program in Japanese, so please take it if you are interested.
https://www.showaboston.edu/japanese-program

Follow your dreams and see where they lead!

One of your questions was about learning Japanese. Other than Duolingo (which is ok at teaching phrases and kanji but not much more) there are lots of free resources that can get you started. For example, take a look at the Japan Foundation UK website that has a ton of free resources and classes:

https://www.jpf.org.uk/language/

Also in Canada and the US there is a Japanese cable network called TV Japan that broadcasts in Japanese only. You might want to see if it is available where you are (but its not free).