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foreigner with japanese uni degree 2008/11/24 22:23
I'm from Europe, and I was thinking of studying international relations in Japan (I have been admitted by the university, but haven't confirmed my admission), but I am not sure as to what kind of jobs this holds for foreigners who wish to obtain a Japanese university degree.

Anybody out there who has any ideas? Websites where I could find more information would also be very helpful.

I am very interested in studying and working in Japan, but I am perhaps a bit worried if I will be frowned upon in the future as a foreigner who has studied at a Japanese university.

I have also been given the opportunity to study international relations at a North-American university. Choosing between either is quite difficult. I would say what's holdinga little me back from going to Japan is not the language, but future job opportunities...

Thanks in advance
by bents  

not frowned upon 2008/11/25 08:49
You will not be frowned upon as a foreigner who has studied at a Japanese university- why would you be?

For one thing, you will be just one of thousands, not at all unusual- I have friends who did some or all of their studies here and are now working in various companies in Tokyo.
by Sira rate this post as useful

go for it 2008/11/25 21:13
If you graduate from a Japanese university you can use the university`s connections and contacts to find a full time job after university. It is how all the Japanese new graduates do it and if you graduate from a good university you will have a oppotunities to work for some of the best companies in Japan. I work for Toyota and I know of several foreigners each year who enter the company this way. Most, however, have graduated from a Master`s degree from a Japanese university.
by japan university rate this post as useful

answer 2008/11/26 03:20
Thanks for your comments guys.

Sira:

Why would I be frowned upon? Well, I'm just trying to think like Japanese would. Maybe it would be something like 'oh my, this gaijin has studied in our country, and wants to obtain a position within our Japanese companies and wants to function in our society' etc. etc.

This may not be exactly how they think, but it could be like this since we all know Japan is always cautious when dealing with foreigners. See what I mean? Of course, I do hope it's not the case, but I was only suggesting the possibility...

japan university:

Oh, so you work for Toyota. Did you study at a Japanese uni, or are you in Japan as an expat? And about how many hours a week do you work? Do you feel that working in Japan is stressful?

One of my Japanese friends works for a IT company in Tokyo, and he told me that during busy times, he would work up to 85 hours a week...now THAT would be too much for me to bear, to be honest.
by bents rate this post as useful

Don't worry about stereotypes 2008/11/26 08:39
Don't worry about being frowned upon, there are large numbers of non-Japanese these days living and working in Japan, especially a city like Tokyo, and unless the person happens to be very xenophobic they will not "frown on" you.

Many feel quite pleased and flattered that non-Japanese wish to study and work in their country and are very friendly- don't buy into stereotypes too much. I've lived here for 10 years and have never once felt that anyone "frowned on" me for doing so.

Japanese people working for Japanese companies are often expected to work long hours and IT is notorious for this.

My husband however works in IT for foreign companies based in Tokyo (gaishikei) and a 60-hour week would be exceptionally long for him- mostly he does about 45. He is Japanese but works for gaishikei partly because he isn't expected to do as much overtime as he might be at a Japanese company.

Being a non-Japanese, if you stay in Japan you will likely end up working for a gaishikei- recommended especially if you don't want to work a lot of overtime, although it all depends on the company of course.
by Sira rate this post as useful

ok 2008/11/27 03:52
Sira:

I'm happy to hear it's not so weird afterall. However, the question still remains if a foreigner would be given a chance to move up in a Japanese company and have a high position there. That probably would be unlikely to happen (I suppose)

Yeah I've also heard about IT being notirious for it. But IT isn't really my thing. I want to study international relations, and get in touch with lots of different people.

45 hours...hmm, it's not as much as the 85 that my friend claims to do (he doesn't receive extra pay for working overtime either...), but I'd say it's still a bit more than here in Europe. Here it's about 38 hours a week, 's quite a bit different eh.

Japanese people working for Japanese companies are often expected to work long hours and IT is notorious for this.

My husband however works in IT for foreign companies based in Tokyo (gaishikei) and a 60-hour week would be exceptionally long for him- mostly he does about 45. He is Japanese but works for gaishikei partly because he isn't expected to do as much overtime as he might be at a Japanese company.

Being a non-Japanese, if you stay in Japan you will likely end up working for a gaishikei- recommended especially if you don't want to work a lot of overtime, although it all depends on the company of course.

by bents rate this post as useful

sorry, repost 2008/11/27 03:54
Sira:
I'm happy to hear it's not so weird afterall. However, the question still remains if a foreigner would be given a chance to move up in a Japanese company and have a high position there. That probably would be unlikely to happen (I suppose)

Yeah I've also heard about IT being notirious for it. But IT isn't really my thing. I want to study international relations, and get in touch with lots of different people.

45 hours...hmm, it's not as much as the 85 that my friend claims to do (he doesn't receive extra pay for working overtime either...), but I'd say it's still a bit more than here in Europe. Here it's about 38 hours a week, 's quite a bit different eh.
by bents rate this post as useful

working hours 2008/11/27 08:41
Europe is a bit different from the rest of the world- in countries like the US, Australia, NZ, and particularly East Asia, 40 hours is an absolute minimum and we get a lot less annual leave as well.

If you want to come to Japan, and especially if you are interested in working for a Japanese company rather than a gaishikei, and being promoted, then you have to expect to put in a lot of work hours, as that is the norm here.

If you are not wanting to do a lot of unpaid overtime, I really recommend the gaishikei route, where the work culture is closer to what you are used to and you will have more opportunities for advancement as well

In any case, that's all a long way off. First to get your degree and find out if you actually like Japan, right? ;-)
by Sira rate this post as useful

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