Hello! I would like to ask for any advice or insight about my current situation. I’m from the Philippines (and I’m still currently here) and I got a job offer for an IT company in Yokohama. The offer is 3.8 million yen annually. This is my first work in the IT field as I mostly work in the call center industry here in the Philippines. This salary is a huge upgrade from call centers here. The work requires some Japanese but thankfully, I passed the Japanese interviews with my N2 level. Hopefully, I can survive at my level.
If I accept the offer, I’ll be working remotely from here while they process my visa and I’ll be relocated to Japan after. I’m really worried about the move. It’s my first time going out of the country and my first time going to Japan. The company also said that they can only prove 2 weeks of hotel accommodation and afterwards, I should look for my own place.
Is that salary okay in Japan? I’m single and I can be very frugal. While I’m still here and waiting for my visa, can I start looking for apartments in Yokohama? What else should I do while preparing for the move? Thank you!
3 comments
The salary isn’t exactly great for IT per se, but seeing as it’s truly entry level and they’re essentially hiring you for a low salary because they know it’s a big improvement for you, it is what it is and in your situation I’d take it.
You should search though to make sure it’s not something explorative or the like, especially if it’s your first IT work. Check into the background of the company and make sure they look legit. As long as it is legit though you could be getting a lucky break. Be aware of any possibilities of suspicious stuff though.
That salary is entirely liveable but what’s the breakdown? What’s the actual base pay? You’ll need to make sure that it’s not something like they quote you inclusive of expected bonus and then just not pay it out, etc.
However whatever the case, in Japan work visas (with the exception of the HSFP visa) are typically not solely tied to the company, so keep in mind that this can be your foot in the door to Japan and from there even if it’s not great you can much more easily search around.
I think 3.8M for the first IT job is not bad at all. This is around what oursourcing companies from my country pay for lower level positions. And from what I see, those people can live relatively comfortable and still save a sizeable chunk of their salary to send home. This is especially true when you are single. And you can always job-hop later after gaining more experience. Japanese wise I think you should be fine, you passed the interview in Japanese so obviously the company is satisfied with your skill.
I don’t think many real estate agency will be willing to work with you while you’re still abroad though. Maybe try to look for a sharehouse?
For a first job, the salary is okay. Nothing that really stands out.
You can start looking at apartments, but you should probably take a look at sharehouses as a first accomodation. Getting real apartments can be tricky before you have bank accounts, residence card etc. And 2 weeks will probably not be enough to find something and move in, so starting at a sharehouse will give you a few months to properly look.