I’m being recruited by a startup in Japan, and they’ve offered me 720万.
My gut says this is low, but I’m used to American tech salaries. I currently make ~$170K.
It’s been a dream of mine to live in Japan forever, but for less than half of what I currently make?
I’m 33 with 10 years of experience. This offer seems like less than what a native Japanese college graduate makes.
Advice? Perspectives?
17 comments
>It’s been a dream of mine to live in Japan forever, but for less than half of what I currently make?
Well how much is your dream worth to you? Which is more important? Fulfilling a lifelong dream or financial security and material possessions?
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I don’t work in tech, but i make a bit more than you. For reference, my equivalent US salary was 98k. I have 5 years of experience.
Also, my Kanji is rusty but what you posted translates to 7,200,000 right?
Edit: i work for the same company i did in U.S. Just a different site here in Japan.
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not really fair comparing US salary to other part of world.
you might be able to get higher from different company perhaps, or maybe not at all.
it is a matter of luck and timing.
fresh grad make around 3.6 mil per year.
That’s not an amazing offer, but its better than average. Are they going to provide housing in addition to that? Is that the total compensation or will there annual bonuses on top of it? Are you single or would be you bringing a spouse/kid(s)?
One thing to mention, when you’re evaluating the benefits is that in Japan its basically standard for employers to pay for your commute. I’m sure they’ll tell you its a great benefit, but its really a basic standard thing.
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This seems low given your experience and your previous salary. You should expect a big hit if you are moving from a high paying tech hub in the US but it should definitely not be more than a 50% decrease. Honestly, I think something around 9M would be reasonable even from a startup.
Perspective:
10 years experience but what level are you and how good of an engineer are you (assuming you’re engineer, cuz you said “tech” but didn’t say exactly what)? I’m also mid 30 and 10yrs experience, I got multiple offers from a few companies in Tokyo, highest is 32million/year, lowest is 20million/year. The smaller startups do offer in the low 20s millions. I’m also in the same boat as you because 32million is a ~60% paycut from my current comp, but I’m coming to accept it, because I want to move to Japan for family reasons and also want an adventure, so it’s worth it to me.
Advice:
1. Interview more, get better offers
2. Know what you’re willing to accept. If you want the same compensation, you’re not gonna get it, unless you get an offer for a higher level than you are now
3. Seriously evaluate if living in Japan is actually your dream or not. Maybe you just like it, but not really wanna compromise for it. There’s no shame in it, really. Having a good income is what everyone wants, so no shame in just staying in the US and enjoying what you already have
170k/yr? 10 years of experience? lol, wth have I done with my life
What stage is the startup at? What’s your role? I assume software dev?
If early stage (Seed, Series A), 720万, while a lot lower than what you make right now, is right around where I would expect a Japanese early stage startup to pay.
If mid stage (Series B), I would expect them to pay experienced senior developers a bit more, in the range of 800万 – 900万.
If late stage or public company, 1000万 or more is not out of the picture, but you most likely still won’t get close to what you are making right now.
>This offer seems like less than what a native Japanese college graduate makes
Do you mean fresh graduates? They make around 250-350万 max.
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This is better than a new grad by a lot, but you should be able to get more with 10 YOE.
I have less experience and get more than double that. My employer is Japanese and I did negotiate.
What field are you working in specifically?
Dunno where you got your misinformation from, but japanese college grad salaries are highly standardized with the vast majority making under 300 man
Compare the offer with what’s being offered in Japan rather than the US. In going to assume you work in software dev. For 10 years of experience this salary is probably mid range for a small Japanese company. Larger Japanese companies probably closer to 9M yen and 10-12M for Japanese fintech. Foreign companies in Japan like the big players will easily be 14M+. Disclaimer. These are ballpark figures and depend on your own skillset and seniority level. I have a similar amount of experience and have been job hunting for a while and I base these numbers upon quoted ranges and offers I’ve received. You could very well receive less than these averages if you’re seen more as mid level.
We had a guy who claimed to be making 750k USD at Meta Platforms getting an offer about 30 million Yen in Tokyo a few weeks ago. By ratio, this sounds about right.