Not that long ago, I’ve heard that any English speaker could jump a flight to Tokyo and score a decent gig in Japan within mere hours of clearing customs. I know several that originally came here during those Golden Years, and they tell me it was truly a wondrous time.

Sometime around the G.W. Bush Administration, things began to change for those thinking about moving to Japan.

For a start, there were a lot more of us. I don’t have any statistics handy, but when I decided to move here in 2003, there were blue-eyed Americans everywhere I went in Tokyo. And Starbucks on every corner. There remained places in the smaller cities and the countryside where non-Japanese were still rare, but you could no longer count on celebrity status by virtue of your birth.

Another change was that a lot of Japanese municipalities were in financial trouble. The economic downturn that had hit Japan hard at the end of the 90s didn’t seem to effect the government very much at first, but when it came, it came down hard. Many towns experienced financial collapse and were forced to negotiate to be annexed by neighboring cities. These cities tended to be a lot tighter with budgeting and didn’t see the wisdom of paying 36 million yen a year to entry-level teachers with no skills. Private staffing brokers began to pop up everywhere.

Meanwhile, the English conversation industry was experiencing rapid growth. Anyone and everyone with a reasonable command of English was finding employment with companies like NOVA to teach ineffective lessons to Japanese students who paid exorbitant prices on long-term contracts. It sounds like a model for massive profit in the near view, but eventually, people came to see what a shifty system it was, and NOVA fell into bankruptcy in 2007.

Exactly when I was looking to return to Japan after a short hiatus back in Atlanta, the market was inundated with thousands of newly-laid-off ex-NOVA teachers willing to work for next to nothing so they could afford to get back home. Let me just say, it was a challenging job market to be a job seeker in.

To obtain quality employment in Japan today is much tougher than it was 15 years ago. Honestly, even just a few years ago. There is a lot more competition, beginning salaries are much lower, and being from another country is just not all that special anymore.

So what can you do to improve your chances? Simple: you have to have a plan.

From 2010, English will be a required course of study for elementary 5th and 6th grade students. Conversation schools have learned from NOVA’s example and are adjusting their services and more flexible contracts. They’re also being more discerning with their hiring.

Thanks to the worldwide economic uncertainty and the meteoric rise of some of Japan’s Asian neighbors, Japanese businesses are placing a premium on language skills. Television programs often feature visits to Chinese and Korean schools full of young students speaking English at a much higher level than their Japanese counterparts. This is a nation that prides itself on its business savvy, and they do not want to lose to China.

Also, you may think this is news, but there’s this thing called the World Wide Web now. Yes, I’m aware it’s been around a while, but for much of the world, it’s a very new ability, and most people in Japan are still getting used to it. The exciting thing about the internet is that it’s helping English become the de facto lingua franca of the 21st century (wow, two Latin phrases in one sentence). Japanese people, especially younger ones, want to learn English to communicate online and learn about what’s going on in places they find more exciting than where they are.

On the subject of excitement, many Japanese are really into travel, especially young women. Sometimes it seems as if the majority of the English students I meet in Japan are young women who hope to visit places like Hawaii and New Zealand. There is a huge demand for people to teach English conversation without all the formal rules everybody hates learning in junior high school.

Getting a job in Japan is not like finding employment in your home town. In addition to the difficulties resulting from issues with international communication, relocation, and etc., you also have to interact with Japanese people and their culture (and their stereotypes of your culture).

I’m going to just let you in on the bad news first, because it may save you from making a mistake if you can’t handle it. The bad news is: you will probably be unable to land your dream job in Japan without having already lived here.

I’m not telling you that it’s impossible, but you can’t expect to apply from overseas with no experience and no Japanese skills and get offered a great job with great pay and benefits in an area you want to live in. You wouldn’t expect that kind of deal at home, so you’d be silly to expect it in another country, wouldn’t you? I knew you’d agree. Which is why I know you want to prepare the best possible strategy to get yourself to Japan so you can start looking for the job you really want.

Times have changed, and it’s no longer enough to simply fly over and begin living the dream right away, but don’t think it isn’t possible to live a totally fulfilling life doing what you truly love in Japan. It is quite doable, and with the right planning, it’s inevitable.

Learn more about the JET Programme. Stop by the Japan Job Blog where you can find out all about working in Japan.