Another finding a job in Japan

Hello all,

I'll try to keep this message/post short and sweet. I am from the United States and I am aware of the Japanese immigration/work laws that are in place (or at least a few of the important ones related to this).

I do have Bachlors of Health Science from an accredited university and have worked in the health/medical field for two years now.

Are there any websites or any way to get a job in a hospital/health facility in Japan? I fluently speak English, and I am currently learning Japanese (just learned a the hiragana characters - I know, I am a newbie). I am aware of speaking Japanese is a huge part of obtaining a job there, but I was hoping someone would have some inside information on professional growth in the country.

Thank you for your time and I look forward to your response!

English teacher.

To work in the health/medical field in Japan, you must pass the registration exams in Japanese, so if you are just now learning hiragana, I'm afraid you are a very long way from that level of ability.

Also, very few non-Japanese have ever been able to work in this field in Japan. Currently the only foreign nurses for example working in Japan are those who have been brought over through special agreements with the Philippines and Indonesia- they have been working in the field of care for the elderly (this is where there is most demand in Japan) for more than a year now, but of over 250 Indonesian nurses brought over, so far only 3 have passed the registration exam.

As they were all qualified nurses in their home countries, this is thought to be due to language issues- it takes a very long time to be able to read Japanese in particular and especially to be able to read all the technical terms necessary for the exam.

I think you can see how hard it is to succeed in what you want to do- with over a year in Japan and with previous study as well these nurses still have not reached the level of Japanese that allows them to pass the exam.

I'm not saying that what you want to do is impossible, but you have a very long road with a lot of obstacles ahead of you, which may lead to nothing, so you need to decide if it is worth pursuing. If you are wondering about positions in facilities catering mainly to foreigners, all the foreign doctors I have seen here speak fluent Japanese, and all the nurses were Japanese nationals.

If you really want to experience Japan, perhaps come here as an English teacher first so you can get some idea of how things work here and do some more research into the medical field while improving your Japanese.