This article is a translation of the Japanese original. Where the two differ, the Japanese version prevails. Read the Japanese original（日本語版を読む）
Even if your final education is high school, there is a route: you can qualify by meeting the practical experience requirement in place of the education requirement. The requirement differs by field, though, and simply reaching the number of years is not enough. What decides success or failure is how convincingly you can prove the connection between your past career history and the work you will now do in Japan.
An enquiry we receive from people who are close to giving up on applying after reading the education requirement.
Even without a university degree or graduation from a vocational school, it is possible to obtain it if you meet certain conditions. There is no need to give up.
The rule is a university degree or graduation from a vocational school, but an exceptional route through practical experience is provided.
「技術・人文知識・国際業務」 covers mainly the following 2 kinds of activity in Japan.
As a rule, to carry out these activities you need a university degree or graduation from a vocational school. However, a route is open by which you can qualify without that education if you meet the practical experience requirement.
You need experience connected with the work you will do, for the number of years set for each field.
If your final education is high school, you need a set period of practical experience connected with the work you are going to do.
Both 技術 and 人文知識 are at least 10 years. Only 国際業務, which covers interpreting, translation and language teaching, is set at the shorter figure of at least 3 years. Note that for the 10 years for 技術・人文知識, you may count in the period during which you majored in a related subject at a university, a college of technology or a similar institution.
Also, a person who has graduated from a university and will be engaged in translation, interpreting or language teaching does not need the 3 years of practical experience either. Practical experience becomes an issue only where the education requirement is not met.
This practical experience is limited to experience built up after leaving high school. Periods of part-time work or internships while still at high school are not included, as a rule.
To prove practical experience, you need to submit plenty of objective evidence: certificates of employment from the companies you worked for, payslips, a career history document and so on.
3 points: the connection with your career history, the employment contract and pay, and Japanese ability.
You must clearly prove that your past career history is connected with the work you will now do in Japan.
In your career history document, do not simply write "sales". It is important to set out exactly what you did and what you achieved, for example "sales of ○○ products to overseas markets" or "achieved sales of ○○ yen a year".
You apply on the basis of a stable employment contract with a company in Japan. You submit the letter of job offer, the employment contract, and material showing that the company is stable (financial statements and so on). You also need to prove that you will receive stable pay that matches specialised work (normally at the same level as a Japanese national or above).
Much of the specialised work that is accepted requires a high level of Japanese. A certificate from the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) is a plus if you have one, but even without one it is important to show, through the interview and the documents, that you can carry out the work without difficulty.
Start by taking stock of your practical experience, and once you have a job offer, check that the duties match the requirements.
For someone whose final education is high school, proving practical experience is more complicated than it is for a university graduate. Careful preparation down to the details is essential: the content of the career history document, the certificates from past employers, and the connection with the work you will now do. Rather than judging it yourself, we recommend consulting a specialist who is qualified to submit applications on your behalf.
In some cases, yes. The rule is a university degree or graduation from a vocational school, but a route is open by which you can qualify without that education if you meet the requirement for practical experience connected with the work you are going to do.
The 技術・人文知識 fields (IT engineer, design, legal affairs, accounting, marketing and so on) need at least 10 years of practical experience, and the 国際業務 field (interpreting, translation, language teaching and so on) needs at least 3 years. For the 10 years for 技術・人文知識, you may count in the period during which you majored in a related subject. Note also that a person who has graduated from a university and will be engaged in translation, interpreting or language teaching does not need the 3 years of practical experience either.
As a rule, no. Practical experience is limited to experience built up after leaving high school.
You submit objective material such as certificates of employment from the companies you worked for, payslips and a career history document. In the career history document it is important to set out exactly what you did and what you achieved.
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This page is a translation of the Japanese original. Where the two differ, the Japanese version prevails.