Job hunting support in Japan
In Japan, students generally secure employment while still in school. If you are considering finding employment in Japan, you should start preparing early by actively participating in career guidance sessions and seminars held both on and off campus. The Career and Employment Center (Aoyama Campus) and the Career and Employment Section (Sagamihara Campus) have staff members specializing in international students who provide various guidance sessions and individual consultations. They also collect job postings and internship information from companies. Announcements of career and employment-related events will be posted on the Career and Employment Center/Career and Employment Section, the International Center bulletin board, the student portal, WebAsh (career and employment support system), email, etc.
When you advance to the third year, you will be given the Aogaku original job hunting notebook (Ash), so make use of it. In addition, listening to the stories of seniors who have experience in job hunting can also be helpful in your job hunting efforts.
When you find employment in Japan, you will need to change your status of residence to one that allows you to work. Applications for permission to change your status of residence can be made from December each year. Please check with the company you plan to work for regarding the necessary documents.
Various courses for international students
We hold orientations for new students and new academic year, preparation courses for finding employment in Japan (preparation for internships, writing resumes, preparing for interviews), roundtable discussions with senior international students, etc. For details, please check WebAsh.
Subsidies for Japanese Language Proficiency Test examination fees provided
The program aims to support the job-hunting activities of international students who wish to find employment in Japan and those who wish to use their Japanese language skills to find employment in their home countries. It subsidizes the examination fees for Japanese language proficiency tests designated by universities for privately funded international students.
From 2024, in addition to the BJT Business Japanese Proficiency Test, which we have been providing subsidies for up until now, we will also provide subsidies for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test and the J.TEST Practical Japanese Test.
Job Hunting Support Network System for International Students
As part of our job-hunting support for international students, we have joined the "International Student Job Hunting Support Network System (Asian Human Resources Network)" operated by the General Incorporated Association International Student Support Network (tentative name) and will begin job-hunting support for international students enrolled at our university. Please use this system in conjunction with Web Ash, which is provided by our university. Please read and understand the instructions in the PDF below carefully before using the system.
The following off-campus organizations provide job hunting support for international students. You can also search for jobs by registering with private employment information websites that specialize in international students or with new graduate recruitment agencies.
Japan Student Services Organization
We post information about seminars and guidebooks for international students on our website. Our job-hunting guidebooks are available to download in Japanese, English, Chinese, and Korean.
Tokyo Employment Service Center for Foreigners (inside the Foreign Resident Support Center)
This is a public employment security organization under the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare that specializes in providing career counseling for foreigners, job introductions, and information on hiring foreigners to employers. When registering for a job, please bring your residence card and student ID. Two to three times a month, a specialized counselor with extensive experience in dealing with international students visits the school and holds individual consultation sessions at the Career and Employment Center (Aoyama Campus) either online or in person (optional).
Another way to find jobs is to register with private employment information sites that specialize in international students or with new graduate recruitment agencies.
Residence procedures for continuing job hunting
If you wish to remain in Japan after graduating from our university and continue job hunting, you must change your status of residence from "Student" to "Designated Activities (Continued Job Hunting)" at the Immigration Bureau. You cannot continue job hunting while still on "Student" status.
However, to apply for a change of residence status to "Designated Activities (Continuing Job Hunting)", a letter of recommendation from the university is required, there is an internal screening process to issue the letter of recommendation, and the change is not guaranteed to be approved. Therefore, if you wish to find work in Japan, it is important to fully understand Japan's unique job hunting schedule and make every effort to receive a job offer while you are still a student.
