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| V. Options after Graduation |
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1. Options after Graduating from a Professional Training College |
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There are two major options available to students who have graduated from a professional training college: stay in Japan to continue their education or find a job, or return home. In July 1997, revisions were made to the way professional training college graduates are treated, and the conditions for continuing education and finding employment were relaxed.
If those seeking employment have “diploma” and want to pursue activities that are included under visa statuses that permit work, such as “engineer” and “specialist in humanities/international services,” and if the nature of their employment is related to the studies they pursued at a professional training college, they are able to change their visa status from “college student” visa to a work visa.
Also, while permission to continue one’s education at a university had typically only been granted if the student’s professional training college coursework was related to their university major, the 1997 changes made it possible for international students with no visa-related problems to receive permission to continue their education regardless of whether their fields of study were related. The changes also made it possible for students to transfer to a university.
Starting in 1999, graduates who had been enrolled in an educational program for more than two years and had completed more than 1,700 hours in total class hours were able to transfer to a university, etc. These were the same conditions for earning the title of “diploma,” and department graduates who had earned the title of “diploma” were recognized as being qualified to transfer to a university.
Also, starting in 2006, department graduates who had earned the title “advanced diploma” were recognized as being qualified to transfer to a graduate school.
International students wishing to find a job in Japan after graduating from a professional training college should check with the advisor at their college before enrolling to find out whether finding a job utilizing their expertise after graduation would qualify them for a work visa. If there are any alumni who have already found work in the same field, students should ask them what kind of work they are doing and what kind of visa they were able to obtain.
Those who want to look for a job in Japan after graduating from a professional training college may be able to obtain permission from the immigration authorities for a “designated activities” visa, which will allow them to continue their job search for a maximum of one year (up to two 6-months periods). |
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2. Options After Graduating from a University or Junior College |
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There are two major options available to students who have graduated from a university or junior college: stay in Japan to continue their education or find a job, or return home.
Those who choose to continue their education in Japan may choose to enroll in a graduate school after graduating from a university, or may choose to transfer to a university after graduating from a junior college. If those seeking employment want to pursue activities that are included under visa statuses that permit work, such as “engineer” and “specialist in humanities/international services,” and if the nature of their employment is related to the studies they pursued at a university or junior college, they should be able to change their visa status from “college student” visa to a work visa.
Also, students who want to look for a job in Japan after graduating from a university or junior college may be able to obtain permission from the immigration authorities for a “designated activities” visa, which will allow them to continue their job search for a maximum of one year (up to two 6-months periods).
International students who expect to start a business, establish a corporation, and apply for a change of visa status to a “investor/business manager” status within 180 days of graduating from (or completing) a university or graduate school program may be able to obtain permission from the immigration authorities for a “temporary visitor” visa valid for a maximum of 180 days. |
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3. Job Market for International Students, Procedures for Changing Visa Status, Etc. |
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(1) Job Market for International Students:
More than 11,000 International Students Found a Job in Japan
What is the job market like for international students studying in Japan? Statistics from 2008 (from the Ministry of Justice, see Graph 1) show that 11,040 individuals changed their visa status from “college student” to a working visa (“engineers” and “specialists in humanities/international services”) in that year. This represents a 7.6% increase over the previous year (when the number was 10,262).
A breakdown of this figure by highest level of education reveals that 5,300 (48.0%) of those who changed from a student to a work visa had a university education, followed by 3,405 (30.8%) with a graduate school education, and 1,821 (16.5%) with a professional training college education (see Graph 2).
A breakdown by sector shows that 2,971 (26.9%) had jobs in the manufacturing sector (machinery, electricity, food products, shipping equipment, textiles and apparel, etc.) while 8,069 (73.1%) had jobs in the non-manufacturing sector (commerce and trade, computers, education, finance and insurance, travel, etc.) (see Graph 3).
A breakdown by job content reveals that “translation and interpretation” was the most prevalent, accounting for 3,717 (33.7%) individuals. This was followed by sales at 1,789 (16.2%), information processing at 1,240 (11.2%), overseas business at 710 (6.4%), and education at 578 (5.2%) (see Graph 4).
It is important to note that more than half (50.4%) of these workers were employed with companies with fewer than 100 employees. This seems to reflect the hiring difficulties of small and medium-sized companies.
With the number of international students expected to increase three-fold through the implementation of the 300,000 International Students Plan, efforts must be made to create an environment that is more conducive to the hiring of those students by Japanese companies.
(2) Procedures for Changing a “College Student” Visa to a “Specialist in Humanities/International Services” or “Engineer” Visa
When an international student finds a job, they must change their “college student” visa to a visa status that permits the holder to work, such as a “specialist in humanities/international services” or “engineer” visa.
For international students who have completed a specialized course at a specialized training college and have earned the title of “diploma,” their work must fall into the category of “specialist in humanities/international services” or “engineer,” and the nature of the job they are hired to perform must be related to the studies they undertook at their specialized training college.
(3) Skills Required by Japanese Companies
These are basically the same skills that are required of Japanese candidates, but there are some differences in the skills required based on the reason for which the employee is hired.
1. Language skills
Most companies require a high level of Japanese language skills. People who are hired as full-time employees in a Japanese company in particular must have a business-level proficiency in Japanese (with the exception of technical sectors), that is, a level on par with native Japanese speakers. Even if an employee is hired by an overseas affiliate of a Japanese company, Japanese language skills are essential if the employee is going to be expected to serve as a liaison with the company’s headquarters. It is useful for candidates pursuing employment in international jobs to have some English language skills in addition to their native language and Japanese language skills.
2. Ability to adapt to a foreign culture
Employers will focus on a potential employee’s understanding of Japanese sensibilities, ways of thinking, and business practices, as well as on their ability to adapt to Japanese customs.
3. Specialized knowledge and skills
To be hired for an engineering or research position, of course, candidates will be required to have the specialized knowledge and skills they acquired during their studies at a university or professional training college. However, the skill level required will differ by employer. |
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