The aviation field of the Specified Skilled Worker programme covers two distinct kinds of work, and candidates should know which one they are applying for.
Ground handling
Airport ground support: marshalling aircraft, loading and unloading baggage and cargo, towing, cabin cleaning and preparation, and the equipment that does all of it.
Physically demanding, outdoors in all weather, and shift-based - airports run early and late. Employers are the ground handling companies contracted by airlines rather than the airlines themselves.
Aircraft maintenance
Assisting with airframe and engine maintenance: inspection support, parts handling, documentation, and work carried out under the supervision of licensed engineers.
Technically demanding and more document-heavy. Safety and traceability requirements mean written procedures are followed exactly, and the Japanese required for that is higher than the minimum.
What you need
- Language: JFT-Basic or JLPT N4 and above - see JFT-Basic or JLPT. Employers in this field often want better than the floor, particularly on the maintenance side.
- Skills: the aviation evaluation test for the stream you are entering. The two streams are tested separately. The skills test explained.
Why the Japanese bar is higher in practice
Airside work is safety-critical and radio-mediated. Instructions are given quickly, often over noise, and misunderstanding one is not a small matter.
Which means listening - the section most candidates neglect - matters disproportionately here:
If you are aiming at aviation, treat a weak listening score as disqualifying rather than inconvenient, whatever your total.
Conditions
Shift work, including nights and early mornings, with the allowances that usually accompany them. Airports are frequently far from city centres, so check how accommodation and commuting are arranged - housing and rent and the accommodation route.
Contracts must offer terms equal to a Japanese national in the same role: salary and deductions, and check the contract itself against the contract checklist.
Who it suits
Ground handling suits people who want physical outdoor work with clear routines and do not mind shifts. Maintenance suits people with mechanical or electrical backgrounds who are comfortable with documentation and precision.
Both are fields where existing aviation experience from your home country is genuinely valued, even though it does not replace the Japanese tests.
Start with the language
It gates everything, and it is the part you can begin today. Sit our free exam demo - a complete 48-question JFT-Basic mock under exam conditions - to find out where you stand.