I was recently offered a position at a small company in Tokyo for an annual salary of 7,5M yen. I am currently in Europe, and need to think about this move. I have a PhD in engineering with 2-3 years work experience with the current company and thinking of leaving it for want of better options and would be fine moving to another country or continent as long as my career grows. The offer from Japan is interesting because the company has offices in other parts of the world and I could later seek to transfer back again. My question is is 7,5 M yen a fair compensation for my education and work experience in Tokyo?
5 comments
>is 7,5 M yen a fair compensation ?
**YES** for a noob with less than 3years experience, **but**…
>The offer from Japan is interesting because the company has offices in other parts of the world
If it’s a “real” Japanese company. they will **NEVER** transfer out a gaijin to a higher paying position to the West.
*Source:* As a mechanical engineer in robotics, I have worked mainline Japanese companies like Mitsubishi Heavy, Hitachi, Fujitsu and I have begged^※ to be transferred back the USA. Japan Inc. has always said: **No Way José**, grrr.
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※ I had sick/dying parents in the US.
>My question is is 7,5 M yen a fair compensation for my education and work experience in Tokyo?
A Ph.D. in an engineering field with a few years of experience. 7.5M seems pretty bad to be honest.
That’s a mediocre rate of pay for an eng PhD with experience, anywhere, I would think, but you can survive on that. If you really want to move to Japan, it’s not the worst place you can start. Wages tend to be relatively suppressed in Jp compared to cost of living. You’d be able to save, but only if you skip having a car. In Tokyo skipping a car isn’t bad.
Absolutely. That’s a pretty good salary and well above the average, especially for people your age and with your amount of work experience. Families here live on much less.
7.5mn is a good start and a livable salary in Tokyo. For anyone young in their career, I would advise keeping an eye out for higher paying jobs after a year or two at one company. Often, getting an offer from a rival is a way to get a raise, too.