mac man4444

evamodel00, that is a viable option.

rickair7777, I'll look more into it then.

evamodel00

Being serious though for a second mac man, you're 2 goals are pretty tough ones actually to mix together. I had those 2 similar interests as well actually!

Don't let me divert you from your dreams at all, but let me offer a more realistic solution. This is what I did:

I joined a japanese studies program at a 4-yr university, studied abroad there for a year, and then worked there as a teacher as well. The pay was crap, is still crap, and will always be crap (subjective of course, some of my friends were fine with it).

After I graduated, I got a job in IT, and was then able to fulfill my aviation passion by training on the side to get my PPL/IR/CPL.

Your goal for your career is a great one, but also a tough/unsure one.

Now adays with the competition, imho the best thing to do is get a good paying job that you can deal with, to be able to afford what you love on the side.

Again, I would admire you for going after it no matter what the chances are, just offering some humble advice. You don't want to get in debt from all your training and then not get the job you want. You'll be miserable paying it off.

mac man4444

Thank you for your advice. The more I look into it, the rarer the opportunities for that job seem. I have also looked at teaching English in Japan before but was also deterred by the pay. I'll keep searching for a more secure solution. If you don't mind me asking, what did you major/minor in?

evamodel00

The best combo going when I was in school was business major, japanese minor. I know a few friends who did this comp and got good jobs in NYC/Chicago at small Japanese firms. If you are anywhere near the East coast there is a yearly convention in Boston where many Japanese companies advertise work opportunities post-graduation. The other thing you need to do that is a must is you need to take the JLPT. It's a language-proficiency test that you will need to work for any Japanese company (maybe some exceptions). There are 5 grades N1-5 (1 being the hardest), and certain grades are required for specific jobs.

I did japanese major, east asian studies minor. In retrospect I wish I had minored in business.

it doesn't really matter much though, minor or major you still can study abroad, experience the culture, and take many japan-related classes.

Many people are deterred from taking a unique major like that because they figure they will not get a job which is unrelated. Well, I'd say the majority of people don't end up getting a job that is related to their major.

As far as the teaching job goes, if you can get into JET, that's probably the best option. It's temporary so you can get your fill of the culture/experience and then come back home.

Granted, don't try and process all this now. You'll figure it all out once you decide what you want to do. Get a good guidance counselor in college and you'll be all set.

mac man4444

I'm in Texas so it may be hard to attend but thank you for mentioning it. I'll have to keep it in mind. And I knew about the JLPT but not about the different grades. When would you recommend taking the JLPT? I'm currently in high school and am learning Japanese on my own because my school doesn't offer it. I plan on taking it in college though and I've put serious thought into making it my major or minor. I don't necessarily need to major in something related to aviation to get a job with an airline, right?

I've also looked into JET before. I heard that they are quite limited in the amount of teachers they take in. And I don't really want to get a degree in education if it would be temporary.

I have been looking into studying abroad. I would like to some time during my high school career (and during college) but I don't know how that effects graduation and school work. I'm taking several AP classes but I don't know how being gone for a semester would effect them. Do you know? I know you went during college but I'm sure there are some similarities.

evamodel00

Junior year/senior year is the best time to go.

As far as JET having limited spots, do not buy into that. Every one who I know that applied in my university got in. And that is not dependent on your language skills. They actually prefer people in the beginning/middle skill range so they are fresh and willing to learn as much as possible.

The credit system is different at all universities i'd imagine. I got credits towards my major for specialized classes they had set up for study abroad students there.

Not sure about what it takes as far as qualifications for airlines, but I'm 100% sure it's insane.

What grade of the JLPT you take depends on the job you are applying to. If you are fluent and can pass N1, that's what you would take, but N1 is native level so it's impractical. Some jobs which know that you need to communicate on a daily basis with native speakers will require a higher level.

mac man4444

You mentioned that teaching through JET was temporary? What are the people who got in from your university going to do after it is over? Can you renew your contract/time (not exactly sure how it works)? And do you need a degree in education to apply for the JET program?

I'll talk to my counselor about how studying abroad would go once the new year kicks off. I might end up waiting until I go to college if it should prove too difficult.

aviatorhi

First, sell your soul. That would be about it.

brianb

Get your CFI/CFII/MEI and teach at a Japanese flight school based in the states. I did that for several years and the mix of students who were looking to go pro as opposed to private was about 90/10. The school I taught at trained students for their private SEL and then sent them to Sacramento for their rotor craft ticket. It was a great way to make contacts and it also gave me the opportunity to experience the Japanese way of doing things.

mac man4444

That sounds like a great way to make contacts and get hours while doing so. I'll definitely look into that. Thank you.