Hi everyone,
Putting out feelers for moving to Japan from early 2024. For context I’m early twenties from NZ with international business/marketing bachelors and a Japanese bachelors. Have been to Japan a few times previously and have about N2 level language currently.
I’m working in market research at the moment and would love to hear from anyone in this field, either agency or clientside. I’m working for an agency, dualist at the moment but leaning more into qual.
It’s a small industry in NZ so I’m looking to hear personal experiences with the lay of the land in Japan, or just anything really! I’ve had a search of the subreddit and online and haven’t found anything specific to what I’m looking for.
Thanks in advance / 宜しくお願いします！
3 comments
Market Research is an industry going to be something that’s going to be ***very*** hard for a foreigner to get a foothold in here. Or frankly anywhere that’s not your home country.
Think about the level of cultural knowledge you need to do your job in NZ. How well do you think someone who didn’t grow up immersed in the culture would be able to do?
And then add the fact that you’re not fluent in the language. N2 is considered the standard for basic business Japanese, but for a position doing domestic market research (and then preparing reports on it) it’s not going to be *nearly* enough.
Most marketing jobs are going to require fluency or native-level Japanese. Some might not, but the vast majority do. In something like market research, where you’ll be talking to consumers or dealing with consumer complaints/suggestions, you’ll need to have impeccable Japanese.
I suggest going on job sites and looking at the requirements of current open positions in your field in Japan.
Your best bet is probably international agencies like Nielsen Japan. I’ve worked with them as a client in the past and their team use English very well. They have a wide range of clients so your international expertise may come in handy.