It's not 'technically' distance learning but...

[Ninpo]

Hi there everyone,

I'm in the process of signing up to take my A level course in September, I'm in the UK.

I've only signed up for two so far, I'm waiting to hear back from my college to see if I've been accepted.
After that I'm hoping to take a BA in Japanese Languages & Social Anthropology.

I'm thinking of applying to go to SOAS, but I've also heard that Birmingham and Sheffield are also decent Uni's for Japanese Studies.

Does anyone here have any experience of SOAS and how strict it is to get in?

As I say I'm only going to take two Alevels as I was at college a few years back previously and I managed to leave with the equivalent to two A levels as I passed at L3 National Award Levels.

Thanks everyone!

Ninpo

[Effected After]

No clue whatsoever, but I'll tell you, all you are going to end up with after getting a BA in Japanese Languages & Social Anthropology is a really nice piece of paper. And maybe a big student loan. A BA in Japanese language doesn't qualify you for any work in particular, and social anthropology isn't much better.

Some food for thought.

[Ninpo]

Thanks for your input Effected After, I apprechiate it.

I'm into my Budo Studies, I've been learning Martial Arts since I was very young. That kinda got me into Japanese culture and then onto language from there.
I'm kinda self taught atm and I'm still hankering to go and work in Japan.

I'd really like to be a Translator for Japanese Textbooks or potentially even games.
I'm currently working in the IT field as an SEO Consultant / Technical Assistant so I am also thinking about potentially trying to get a job in the same field in Japan.

Cheers,

Ninpo

[Effected After]

What you need to do then is talk to some people who are in those fields in Japan, and see how they did it. You may have to do some searching, but it's a big internet, and you can find some. Maybe even here if you are lucky.

The degree isn't going to help you much in that direction. You have to understand, there are a lot of people in Japan with a degree in Japanese language studies - and most are working as English teachers. Japanese language in and of itself isn't enough to qualify you for a many jobs, you are much better off with a solid skill set of some sort plus Japanese language. The SEO stuff may work for you, but I have no idea if there is a market for foreigners in this field or not.

One way to check if what you are doing will help you get into Japan is start searching the job boards as if you already had the qualifications you are thinking of going for. See if there is a demand or not. This site is a job portal, so you can start here, there are others too. Do this for a month or two. If you don't see any jobs come up that you would be qualified for, then you can imagine that the qualification isn't going to get you far. The opposite side of this is that you will start to see trends in the types of jobs offered, and the salaries they bring. Then you can start making an informed decision about what direction works with your abilities and interests.

[lennonix]

I know one guy that found a university after he got here, but he said it was a bit pricey. If you are irrationally desperate to move to Japan you can come on a tourist or working holiday visa, get a temporary housing solution and apply for a university here. You will probably have a better job that way. I know very few people that learned Japanese through university study and more that learned it independently and through talking while living here.