# Veterinary Jobs in or around Tokyo?



## kakutoudamashii

Hi everyone,

My wife and I are Americans currently living in the Middle East. We're ready to move on and are thinking about relocating to Tokyo or Yokohama. Our only hesitation is that she is a veterinarian and there do not seem to be many job possibilities in the veterinary field for expats.

Visas are not an issues as I lived in Japan previously and have PR. So, the plan would be to move and get set up first. Once her spouse visa is approved, she could begin looking for work.

But, we worry that there may not be any opportunities to be had in her field...

We haven't had any luck finding anything and could use some advice. What websites might we be able to find some veterinary employment opportunities for her?

Alternatively, she is also interested in teaching Veterinary related subjects at a University but, currently does not have much teaching experience with it.

A point in the right direction would be much appreciated!

Thanks!


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## myrrh

kakutoudamashii said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> My wife and I are Americans currently living in the Middle East. We're ready to move on and are thinking about relocating to Tokyo or Yokohama. Our only hesitation is that she is a veterinarian and there do not seem to be many job possibilities in the veterinary field for expats.
> 
> Visas are not an issues as I lived in Japan previously and have PR. So, the plan would be to move and get set up first. Once her spouse visa is approved, she could begin looking for work.
> 
> But, we worry that there may not be any opportunities to be had in her field...
> 
> We haven't had any luck finding anything and could use some advice. What websites might we be able to find some veterinary employment opportunities for her?
> 
> Alternatively, she is also interested in teaching Veterinary related subjects at a University but, currently does not have much teaching experience with it.
> 
> A point in the right direction would be much appreciated!
> 
> Thanks!


As it's Japan, most professional licensing descriptions and adverts for non-teaching jobs are to be found on websites that include Japanese language...websites that we are for some reason not allowed to link to here. (All non-English links get deleted by the mods immediately.) As you have PR, I assume you have Japanese language ability. A quick Internet search in Japanese will tell you both what jobs are available and what your wife would need to do in order to find veterinary employment in Japan. 

Judging from what I found just now, she would need to submit original diplomas, translated transcripts and translated descriptions of all coursework to the Japanese Society of Veterinary Science. They would then view these documents and make a decision--at the very least, they would probably interview her and require her to take the licensing exam. Note that all this would need to be done in Japanese.

Regarding teaching...doubtful, but she might be able to find part-time work teaching English at an agricultural or medical college. The best source for university teaching jobs in Japan is JRECIN:
https://jrecin.jst.go.jp/seek/SeekTop?ln=1
That said, this is the English-language page--the Japanese-language page lists far more jobs (often with better salaries and other conditions). Usually, even as a non-Japanese, one can apply (and get) these other jobs as well, assuming one has the Japanese language ability needed to handle the interviews, etc. Accordingly, I would recommend looking at the Japanese page as well.

Good luck!


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## kakutoudamashii

Thanks for a point in the right direction!

I searched online and found the Japanese Society of Veterinary Science you mentioned. After reading the Q&A, I was able to confirm what you said: that my wife would need to take the licensing exam in Japanese.

This poses a big problem because my wife does not speak any Japanese. She's actually interested in learning so we've played around with the idea of having her attend language school first. But realistically, that would be a long and potentially costly process given the fact that she would need to have a good understanding of the medical field in Japanese. 

Alternatively, there are jobs available from time to time on the US military bases but, we are oping to avoid that.

She's invested a lot of time in becoming a vet and loves what she does. For that reason, I don't think she'd enjoy teaching English.

It may be best for her to study Japanese before moving for a few years to see if she develops a passion for it. Then, if and when the time comes, we can move to Japan at that time.


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