Hi everyone,
I will be studying Japanese in Yamanashi for one year from October (3 h/day). I was planning to just take the year off to enjoy experiencing the country and honing my language skills but currently I’ve been thinking that another gap year might not look that great on my CV (I did one after high school).
I have a master’s in biochemistry with a focus on chemical synthesis and have done quite a few lab rotations in academia. However, although I want to work in the industry later, I have no work experience in that regard.
So I was thinking of doing an internship with a pharmaceutical company during my time at language school.
Does anybody have experience in combining language school and internship? Is it possible to find part-time internships in Japan?
2 comments
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>Is it possible to find part-time internships in Japan?
Internships aren’t really a thing in Japan *at all*. Those that exist are internships of the old school, where you spend your day emptying trash bins and making coffee runs, not actually doing productive work.
>Does anybody have experience in combining language school and internship?
The issue with combining an internship and language school is the same as the issue with getting a “professional” part-time job during language school: Availability. Even if you’re only studying 3 hours a day, due to transit, homework, and all the other things you’re not really going to have very much availability during core business hours.
Ultimately, you have a master’s degree and a lot of lab experience. Interning (at least the way Japan does internships) is going to be such a step down that you might as well just take the gap year. Language School + Crummy Internship is going to look the same on your resume as just Language School.