March 26th, 2010 | 
Author: If you have nothing other than a Japanese degree, the answer is: not much.
To make the best possibility of gaining employment in Japan in a field other than teaching, a second degree in the appropriate field is essential. Unless you want to become a full-time translator, the best idea would be to minor in Japanese rather than major.
The following are the most common positions a graduate with no more than a Japanese major obtains in Japan:
If combined with a second degree in the appropriate field, the second pool of most commonly entered careers are:
English Teaching Jobs
Teaching English is the most common profession a graduate of Japanese goes on to perform. Within the English teaching realm, there are three major possibilities, all with varying requirements:
English Conversation Teacher
Salary: 250,000 yen to 300,000 yen a month
Social Status: low
Requirements: 4-year university degree
The most common and easiest job to obtain for a Japanese graduate is that of an English conversational school teacher. Incidentally, these jobs can be obtained by any native English speaker with a four-year university degree regardless of specialization, so having a major in Japanese carries little or no weight when applying for the position.
Salary
By law, the minimum amount a conversational school must pay a full-time teacher is 250,000 yen a month. Teaching hours are usually 25-30 a week, with office hours being unpaid. A full day, with teaching hours and office hours included, usually ranges around 7-9 hours.
Expect to work longer hours than the normal 25-30 hour work week, as many conversation school English teachers are required by their schools to work overtime (with overtime pay included, in most cases). It is not uncommon for the school to supplement to and from work commuting expenses, but receiving apartment rent and reimbursement for airfare is rare.
Social Status
Do not expect the Japanese to be impressed or surprised that you are an English teacher. The majority of the population is aware that almost any native-speaking English person can become a teacher at a conversational school. This fact, along with cases of English teacher child molestation abuse reported almost 2 or 3 times a month by national TV and news media outlets, leaves little admiration for English teachers who teach at conversational schools.
Requirements
A 4-year university degree in any field and is about all of the requirements needed to become a conversation school teacher.
Public School Teacher
Salary: 250,000 yen to 320,000 yen a month
Social Status: moderate
Requirements: 4-year university degree, basic to conversational Japanese language skills, certificates, teaching experience or master’s degree
Japanese public school teachers, which can be broken down into two groups of main teachers and assistant language teachers (ALTs), may get a little more respect and prestige than a conversational school teacher but the working hours and pay can end up virtually the same.
Salary
Public school teachers tend to make more money than a conversational school teacher. The position usually requires longer office hours and lesson planning time, but most public school teachers get to enjoy summer vacation and national holidays, something teachers at conversation schools are not guaranteed. Public school teachers average about 8 hours a day of class and office work.
Social Status
Public school teachers enjoy a little more respect by the community since the position is not for-profit and slightly harder to obtain.
Requirements
The ideal candidate would have a 4-year university diploma, 3-4 years experience teaching or a Master’s degree, basic to conversational Japanese ability, and at least one teaching certificate.
University Teacher
Salary: 400,000 yen to 550,000 yen a month
Social Status: High
Requirements: At least a master’s degree, a PhD, at least 5 years teaching experience, solid references, proof of published work, upper intermediate to native level Japanese.
Among all of the teaching jobs in Japan, a university teaching position is the most desired and respected job one can get.
Salary
The salary of a university English teacher in Japan is relatively high. With around 9 teaching hours a week, along with seasonal vacations and national holidays, a university position is greatly desired. Although actual teaching hours are small, there is a considerable amount of office work that must be done, including class preparation, marking papers, student consultation, participating and organizing university promotion activities, and more.
Social Status
Social standing as a university teacher is high. The requirements and discipline needed to become a university teacher makes most people respect you and your profession.
Requirements
You will need at the very least a Master’s degree in a field related to English or foreign language teaching, but most positions these days require PhDs. Connections and good references are crucial, along with proof of published research and work in prominent and well-known journals. Japanese language ability is a must, with upper intermediate to native speaking levels.
Translation Jobs
Salary: negotiable
Social Status: moderate
Requirements: Native level proficiency in the Japanese language, no certification or degree required
Those that have strength in the Japanese language may also obtain translating jobs in Japan. Companies ranging from all fields usually seek translators to convert their Japanese to English and vice-versa.
Translator salaries are negotiable and vary depending on the amount and nature of the text to be translated. It can be difficult to secure a full time position because daily translation is not needed in many companies.
IT, Law, and Finance Jobs
Salary: 350,000 yen to 500,000 yen a month
Social Status: moderate
Requirements: 4-year university degree in the related field, 3 or more years experience working in the position, and high to native level Japanese speaking ability
Those that have a major in Japanese as well as proper accreditation in the appropriate field most commonly enter IT, law, and the finance industry when not pursuing a teaching or translating position.
Salary
The basic salary of most of these jobs starts at 4,000,000 yen a year and upwards in the case of lawyers and senior executives.
Social Status
The social status of the general jobs within these fields are moderate, while lawyers and high-level executives earn high social standing and the most respect.
Requirements
These jobs usually require intermediate to native Japanese ability speaking levels, along with at least 3 or more years of experience working in the position and a 4-year degree.
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