When foreign engineers work in Japan, the higher their level of expertise, the better the conditions they can expect to find at a company. However, many people are probably wondering just how high the level of expertise required is. In this article, we will explain the level of expertise required of foreign engineers when working for a Japanese company.

In addition to the level of expertise, we will also introduce the skills that are often required of foreign engineers, what foreign engineers should do in order to work at a Japanese company, and the content of their studies. There are many situations where foreign engineers with expertise can play an active role in Japan, so let's acquire high-level skills and expertise and grow into IT engineers who can play an active role in Japan.

If you are looking to change jobs to a company that matches your desired conditions, we recommend using the job-change agency “G Talent”. This job-change agency specializes in high-level foreign engineers, and provides a variety of support to help you succeed in Japan.

What level of IT expertise is required of foreign engineers in Japanese companies?

First, we will explain the level of expertise required of foreign engineers in Japanese companies, divided into the following categories.

1. Programming skills
2. Industry knowledge
3. Development environment software operation skills
4. General IT skills

The level of expertise required for each of these areas will vary depending on the company and position you work in. Please use the following as a rough guide to the level of expertise required when working for a Japanese company.

Programming skills

One of the key areas of expertise required of foreign engineers is programming skills. You will need to acquire the skills to be able to work in the development of programs, systems and applications. In terms of study hours, you will need to study for at least 1000 hours.

In order to work as a programmer or systems engineer from day one, it is desirable to have around three years of work experience. Before starting work in Japan, it is possible to work for a Japanese company as an experienced worker with at least one to three years of industry experience in your home country.

However, there are also moves by famous Japanese IT companies to hire foreign engineers with no experience as new graduates. By achieving results during your time at university, there is a possibility that you can find employment at a Japanese IT company even if you have no experience or a high level of expertise.

Reference: プログラミングの勉強時間はどれくらい？おすすめの勉強方法についても紹介／QUREOプログラミング教室

Industry knowledge

Knowledge of the IT industry is also essential as a specialist who keeps up with technology trends. As trends in the IT industry tend to change easily, many companies are looking for ideas to utilize high-profile technologies on a daily basis. In Japan, there are many companies that want to stand out from the crowd by adopting new technologies that are popular overseas, so as a foreigner working in Japan, there is a high chance that you will be appreciated if you can bring trends from your home country or the world to Japanese companies.

If you have a good grasp of the information on famous IT companies in Japan and learn about the services of companies that are competitors of the company you are going to work for, it will be useful after you join the company.

Reference: ITの知識とは？IT業界へ就職を目指す学生に向けて徹底解説／レバテックルーキー

Development environment software operation skills

System development technology and software development technology, as well as the operating methods for each, are also areas of expertise that are in high demand for engineers. The reason Japanese companies go to the trouble of hiring foreign engineers is because there are not many excellent engineers in Japan, and they want to employ people from overseas who can make an immediate contribution. For this reason, after joining a company, it is often the case that you will be expected to be able to operate development environment software, and you will be involved in programming and system development work.

Reference: ITエンジニアに必要な基礎スキル47｜おすすめの勉強法を紹介！／.NET Column

General IT skills

No matter what company you work for or what position you hold, as an engineer you need to have basic IT expertise and PC skills. It is a good idea to have knowledge of software and hardware, networks and security 

While foreign IT engineers have a high level of expertise in their own specialized fields, they may not be able to perform tasks outside of their own specialized fields or tasks related to the pre- and post-processes of their work. In Japan, you may have to perform all the processes related to your work, so there may be times when your broad knowledge of IT will be useful.

Reference: 外国人の雇用やビザ申請でお困りの企業様へ／就労ビザ申請サポート池袋

About the IT Skill Standard (ITSS) Level Evaluation

To prove your IT skills, we recommend using the IT Skill Standard (ITSS), a system developed by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry to visualize the expertise of IT personnel. ITSS quantifies the expertise and skills currently possessed by IT personnel, and clarifies which expertise and skills are lacking and which need to be strengthened in the future.

Some Japanese companies use ITSS not only for skill evaluation but also for personnel assessment, so as a foreign IT engineer considering working in Japan, you should check out the existence of ITSS.

ITSS has seven levels, and is linked to the IT Passport Exam (ITSS Level 1), the Fundamental Information Technology Engineer Exam (ITSS Level 2), and the Advanced Information Technology Engineer Exam (ITSS Level 3). There are 11 different job categories, ranging from marketing and sales to IT architect and IT specialist.

Reference: ITスキル標準（ITSS）とは？【スキルマップ】職種・レベル一覧／kaonavi

Other specializations required of foreign engineers by Japanese companies

In addition to IT expertise, the following three specializations are also required of foreign engineers by Japanese companies.

• Communication skills
• Language skills
• Logical thinking skills

Communication skills

IT engineers often have to communicate with other members of the development team and with customers. They are required to have advanced communication skills that enable them to understand the intentions of the other party and then convey their own opinions.

Make sure you have mastered basic Japanese language skills and business etiquette so that you don't offend your superiors or customers. If you learn IT technical terms and words commonly used in business situations in Japanese, you will be able to carry out your work smoothly.

Reference: 日本で外国人がITエンジニアになるには？必要なスキルや会社の選び方[グローバルエンジニア2]／Fellowship

Language skills

As a worker in Japan, it is not a bad idea to have a certain level of Japanese language ability. Depending on the position you work in, Japanese language ability may not be a priority and only IT skills may be required, but having Japanese language ability will also open up opportunities for you in the future, such as being able to take on management positions or participate in business negotiations with customers. By taking the JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test), you can visualize your Japanese language level. 

However, there is no need to worry too much if you can't speak Japanese. At present, due to a shortage of Japanese engineers, many foreign engineers, including Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese engineers, are being employed by IT companies. In many good IT companies, bridge personnel who connect foreign engineers and Japanese engineers are employed, and they often provide support in terms of language and communication.

In such companies, support for applying for a work visa may be provided by specialists. In order to work in Japan, you will need a visa for “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services” or a visa for highly-skilled professionals, so if you can work for a company that provides visa support, you will receive generous support and save yourself the trouble of applying.

Reference: 【外国人ITエンジニアの採用】成功させるために必要なポイントと手続きは何？／就労ビザ申請サポート池袋

Logical thinking

Because the IT industry is based on numbers and data rather than intuition, the ability to think logically is extremely important for engineers. Having a high level of logical thinking allows you to think through the causes of problems and to think about things based on evidence. 

What foreign engineers need to do to reach the required level of expertise

In order to reach the level of expertise required by Japanese companies, there are three key points that foreign engineers need to focus on.

• Study programming
• Develop your own programs and apps
• Study Japanese and English

Study programming

Many Japanese companies are looking for foreign engineers who can hit the ground running, so you should study programming so that you can become an asset to the company as soon as you join. The reason Japanese companies want to hire foreign engineers is because there are not many talented IT workers in Japan. If you have a high level of expertise, your chances of being hired will increase.

Even if you don't have any work experience as a programmer, there are cases where foreign engineers are hired straight out of school if they have a track record of achievements during their time as a student. For example, around 90% of the new graduates hired by the major IT company Mercari in 2019 were foreign nationals.

Reference: メルカリの新卒エンジニア9割が外国人、インドの次はどの国から採る？／DIAMOND online

Developing your own programs and apps

As part of your programming studies, we also recommend that you develop your own programs and apps. The experience of developing your own programs and apps can be submitted as a portfolio when you are looking for a job.

By creating a portfolio that includes details of the projects you have participated in, your experience of working in teams, and the languages and environments you have used for development, you can effectively convey your skills and personality to companies.

Reference: 優秀なエンジニアの採用成功に近づける６つのステップをプロが解説！／採用スマートナビ

Studying Japanese and English

In order to work as an engineer in Japan, you should also make sure to study Japanese and English. At the very least, you will need to be able to speak Japanese in order to communicate with other engineers and customers in Japan. It will also be useful to learn IT terms and business phrases commonly used in Japanese companies. 

In order to promote the acceptance of foreign nationals, some Japanese IT companies have set English as the official language of the company. If English is not your native language, it is useful to study English as well as Japanese.

Reference: 【外国人向け】日本で働くために覚えておきたい仕事で役立つ日本語[グローバル2]／Fellowship

There are many opportunities for foreign engineers with high-level expertise to work in Japan

There are many opportunities for foreign engineers with high-level expertise to work in Japan. In particular, the following five types of engineer are likely to be able to work in Japan.

• System Engineer
• Technical Support
• IT Consultant
• Project Leader
• Project Manager

System Engineer

There are many opportunities for foreign engineers to work as system engineers in Japan. In some cases, a business-level or higher Japanese language ability is required, but annual salaries of 6 million yen or more are standard, and depending on your skills and experience, there are also development positions that offer salaries of 10 million yen or more.

There are also jobs available in regional cities and positions that allow you to work remotely or flexibly, so you can expect a workplace environment that allows you to work in a flexible way.

Reference: 3倍に増えた外国人ITエンジニアの背景や採用状況を解説／G Talent Blog

Technical Support

Technical support is a job that responds to inquiries about IT-related hardware and software. Because the same infrastructure is used worldwide, foreign engineers who can handle both Japanese and English are in high demand in global network divisions and infrastructure operation and maintenance departments.

Depending on the level of technical support, there is a possibility that you can work if you have basic IT skills that allow you to operate and maintain systems. In addition to being able to communicate in Japanese and English, if the network and infrastructure are used in other countries, having local language skills such as Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, or Spanish will be highly valued.

Reference: テクニカルサポートの仕事とは？ 魅力から厳しい一面まで実態を解説／PORTキャリア

IT Consultant

An IT consultant is someone who works on IT strategies for client companies. Annual income is generally between 7 and 10 million yen, and there are also jobs that offer flexible hours and remote working systems.

In order to work as an IT consultant, experience in system construction and management, as well as experience working in the industry in which you will be engaged, is necessary. For this reason, experience as an IT consultant and familiarity with the IT industry are required.

Reference: 【ITコンサルタントとは】激務？学歴や資格は必要？未経験OK？仕事内容や年収も解説！／CAREER Knock

Project Leader

In addition to knowledge and skills related to the IT technology needed for the project you are involved in, and work experience, the characteristic of a leader position is that high communication skills are required.

Depending on the type of job, you may also have to oversee Japanese engineers or manage estimates and man-hours. For this reason, you will need not only team-building skills, but also high language skills in Japanese and English.

Reference: プロジェクトリーダーとは？仕事内容や必要なスキル、おすすめ資格を紹介／株式会社システムイングレータ

Project manager

Like project leaders, project managers are required to have knowledge and skills in development languages and development environments, as well as management and communication skills. They are responsible for listening to the customer's requests and incorporating them into the product, and so they have more experience than project leaders.

There are jobs available from 7 to 10 million yen and above, and in some cases, there are environments where you can work independently with full remote work and flexible hours. If you have experience working in the industry you are interested in, a curiosity about new knowledge, and a desire to work as part of a team, why not try your hand at a project management job in Japan?

Reference: 外国人エンジニアの給与とは｜相場額を把握し適切な金額設定を行おう／SunWells

For foreign engineers with high-level expertise, use “G Talent”

In this article, we have explained the level of expertise required of foreign engineers working for Japanese companies. Foreign engineers are required to have high-level IT skills as well as language and communication skills. By continuing to learn programming and actually developing apps and programs, you can gain employment opportunities in Japan. If you also remember to study Japanese and English, you will have a wide range of career development opportunities.

“G Talent" is a job-placement agency specializing in foreign IT engineers. Our bilingual consultants, who have a wealth of IT knowledge, provide strong support for foreign IT engineers who want to work in Japan. If you want to work in Japan as a systems engineer, technical support, consultant, or in a management position, please consider using “G Talent”.