A non-profit program as part of the comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Japan is recruiting 240 Vietnamese nursing staff and nurse aides to work in Japan with salaries up to US$1,240 per month, Vietnam’s overseas labor agency has reported.

The program has been conducted annually since 2012 under the Vietnam - Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (VJEPA), which took effect in 2009, according to the Department of Overseas Labor Management (DOLAB) under the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids, and Social Affairs.

This not-for-profit program is intended for candidates who belong to poor or near-poor households, families just getting out of poverty, and ethnic minority groups, as well as for those who live in poor rural districts or extremely difficult coastal and island communes.

Candidates, for both nursing staff and nurse aides, must be graduates from a junior college or university of nursing, be in good health and aged 35 at most, and not have previous criminal records.

For nursing staff, candidates are required to obtain a practitioner’s certificate according to Vietnam's Law on Medical Examination and Treatment, and have at least two years of experience.

Selected candidates will be given an allowance during their Japanese training course in Vietnam. 

Applicants with certificates of Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) at N1 and N2 levels are not required to take such courses.

Successful candidates will enjoy free round-trip airfare and visa fees for their entry into Japan, and after their arrival in Japan, they will be exempted from accommodation and food expenses as well as professional enhancement training costs.

Monthly salaries for nursing staff and nurse aides in this program generally range from ¥160,000 to ¥180,000, equal to US$1,100-1,240, according to DOLAB.

The agency will continue receiving applications until October 31.

More than 2,000 Vietnamese nursing staff and nurse aides have been sent to Japan for work under this annual program since 2012, deputy director of DOLAB Pham Viet Huong reported.

Among these medical workers, 1,696 have been working at hospitals and care facilities intended for the elderly in Japan.

The employment of nursing staff and nurse aides from Vietnam is a special activity implemented within the framework of cooperation between the two governments, said the Embassy of Japan in Vietnam.

Japan will expand its admission of foreign medical apprentices in the coming time, with top priority to be given to those engaging in elderly healthcare, the embassy added.

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