evamodel00

I should have specified i meant jr./senior year of college. Senior year is probably even better because as long as your credits are all lined up you can take the semester to relax a bit.

Unfortunately to all of your other questions i'm not 100% sure. I did not go through JET to teach there. My friend who was in the program had a 2 year contract although i'm not sure in the least if that's standard.

When you get out you go about your life and find a job that satisfies you. If you still have your heart set on teaching over there you'd need to take some more standardized tests and get a certi for teaching english as a second language. Then you'd need to be hired by a company in Japan.

Rama

You will need to get PIC time in a transport category jet to get hired by the Japanese. Some did it by flying freighters for US companies, others were furloughed from their jobs and went to fly in Japan. Its the catch-22 you need a job to get a job and it takes quite a while to get to that level.
It is a worthy endeavor, though not a quick road to get there.

mac man4444

I see. Thank you for sharing what you have with me. I've still got some time before important decisions need to be made so I'll continue researching.


Thank you for the reply. Most of the best things in life end up being this way. I'll be patient.

unkoman

The only way to become a permanent hire pilot for a Japanese airline is to get accepted in their ab initio cadet program. The only other option (which is getting very rare these days) is by joining the Japanese Air Self Defense Force and transferring to the airlines once your duty period is fulfilled. From my knowledge, they (JAL or ANA) have never hired foreigner permanent pilots. I applied for ANA’s cadetship a few years ago and unfortunately I wasn’t able to make it.

Not to discourage or scare you off, but path to getting into Japanese airlines is extremely difficult and limited. Although there is no requirement to be a Japanese citizen, they expect you to have native college level literacy and speaking ability. Remember, you are competing against thousands of natives thus you are expected to be at the same level. I am a Japanese American who is fortunate enough to be bilingual but the language barrier was still large for me when I applied. Also, the age requirement is extremely strict; you have to be a fresh 4 year college graduate with a minimum of bachelor’s degree (any field is fine). They won’t even consider you if you are over their age limit requirement.

There are usually five to six steps in the selection process not including the prerequisite exams (look up SPI exams on google) and initial screening process. The process involves two to three interviews, few aptitude tests, and a physical exam. ANA’s aptitude test was quite difficult and I was not able to pass it (if I had my instrument rating back then, it may have helped me a bit). As you may already know, passing the JCAB physical (AKA: astronaut physical) is much more difficult than the FAA’s, and majority of the applicants wash out because of it. You can search up on google about the JCAB flight physical criteria.

All of the interviews and testing are held in their main training facilities in Japan (Haneda and Tokyo training centers), which means you would have to fly across the Pacific every week if you live in the states. They do not provide transportation fees so you need to provide your own means of transportation (I was lucky to be able to get NRSA tickets through my family member). It was pretty cool experience for me to see their main flight ops center in Haneda airport, though.

If you are serious about the Japanese airlines, the first step would be to study the language and culture, and then get accepted/ attend a 4 year university in Japan. Having a PPL may or may not help you through the selection process, but being adept at flying the ILS to ATP level may help you pass ANA’s aptitude test.

Hope these information help!

aviatorhi

The above post refers to being accepted as a cadet pilot, totally different than a foreign hire based on experience, it is like comparing apples to nazi oranges.

If you are a foreign hire expect (no joke here) 8+ months of ground school starting with the history of aviation in Japan (hence my earlier comment about selling your soul).

mac man4444

So I should take the JLPT N1 and do well in that? Also, I need to look into JCAB requirements. Thank you for this information.


I'll keep that in mind. Honestly, I would be fine with the 8+ months of ground school. Thanks.

Tankerhead

Backup plan: get a job with Delta and "immerse" yourself in their Asian trips once you can hold them. Yep.

Sounds

I'm around a lot of expats that have spent considerable time in China and Japan. They're two of the most "foreign" countries for us in the US, which is part of the draw.

Obviously fluency is going to be required to get the job, and I don't mean the "fluency" they teach you in school. Classes are garbage at teaching language. You need to be mistake for a Japanese over the phone.

I'm sure you know all about the culture, about how they feel towards gaijins and everything.


AJATT | All Japanese All The Time | You don't know a language, you live it. You don't learn a language, you get used to it. is a really good source of info. He's got a packet of info that helps you apply to Japanese jobs. Includes a copy of a Japanese resume and everything (which is way more important than it sounds). I've used his site for Mandarin.

我仍然需要中国的语言实践

ClarenceOver

Are foreign airline physicals still like astronaut physicals?

PotatoChip

In japan, yes.

I currently fly for a Japanese airline as a contract employee and I am happier than anywhere else I've been. I did the 8 month long training experience for a type rating I already had, but thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

I like the Japanese culture, enjoy my trips to Narita and have spent lots of time in Tokyo. Wouldn't trade any of it.

PM me if you'd like.