I really need to get to Japan and im hoping to get a nursing position there but it that falls through i was thinking about the exchange. If I work overseas as an AAFES employee in Japan will i get SOFA status? If i have SOFA I would be able to drive and so one without a VISA? is that correct? And where would i go if i got sick since i'm not a spouse or a dependent? Any past overseas DOD or AAFES employees have any good answers?
Why do you NEED to get to Japan? Getting a job with AAFES from the US will be nearly impossible unless you are seeking an upper management position. Also, the SOFA we have with Japan heavily favors locals (Japanese) in the hiring for AAFES. Finally, the salary you get paid by AAFES for the other positions that may be available to you won't pay enough for you to live in Japan on. You would be better off trying to get a contract position (no guarantee of full SOFA benefits) or get a civil service job with a government agency. As for nursing, it is a very underpaid job in Japan...not the respect it gets in the US. In fact, there is a shortage and they have been importing Filipinos to fill the void and they pay them even less than they do Japanese. Nursing is not a good career path for a foreigner in Japan.
To work in Japan as a nurse, you need to graduate from a Japanese college / school. That means knowing how to speak , read and write Japanese at an above native level. Nurses are over-worked and under-paid.You need a visa no matter what you do if you're not in the military.
