I work in a MNC and there is an upcoming opportunity for me to move to its Tokyo branch for a leadership role.
I’ve worked with Japanese people in my previous job in the past but have not managed a Japanese team before. Even though I am N2 certified, I am not confident that I can pull off business conversation. Not to mention that I’ve thrown all my尊敬語and 謙譲語 back to my teacher.
I don’t worry much about settling in because I’m familiar with Japan and have lived overseas before. My husband is supportive and will be joining me together with our pets.
The main worry is working in a totally new culture and the high expectations I have for myself despite having zero line management experience. My bosses are lobbying for me and things fall into place if you have bosses lobbying for you in this MNC.
Am I worrying too much? Should I go for it?
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**Should I Move?**
I work in a MNC and there is an upcoming opportunity for me to move to its Tokyo branch for a leadership role.
I’ve worked with Japanese people in my previous job in the past but have not managed a Japanese team before. Even though I am N2 certified, I am not confident that I can pull off business conversation. Not to mention that I’ve thrown all my尊敬語and 謙譲語 back to my teacher.
I don’t worry much about settling in because I’m familiar with Japan and have lived overseas before. My husband is supportive and will be joining me together with our pets.
The main worry is working in a totally new culture and the high expectations I have for myself despite having zero line management experience. My bosses are lobbying for me and things fall into place if you have bosses lobbying for you in this MNC.
Am I worrying too much? Should I go for it?
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> My bosses are lobbying for me
Generally speaking your management wants you to grow and succeed, because that reflects well on them. So if they think you’re capable and are pushing for it then they’re probably correct.
Obviously this is a personal decision you have to make, and I don’t know you or your management. But I wouldn’t expect them to be making this happen for you if they didn’t think you’d be able to handle it.
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>My husband is supportive and will be joining me together with our pets.
Bringing pets into Japan can be a long and involved process. Check the wiki for details on this process. Plus finding accommodations that allow multiple pets can be problematic. It’s not impossible mind you. You’ll just have a much smaller list of options.
JLPT “test” Japanese and professional business Japanese are almost 2 separate languages, there is a LOT of formalism and jargon you would need to fully understand for a position overseeing an entire team. And you’re absolutely right – there would be a bit of work culture shock that would probably catch you off guard once you get thrown into it. Be careful about putting yourself in a role where you can’t perform to the best of your ability and experience; and have to waste time/money/resources to have to move again if things don’t work out. Do research on office work culture in Japan and make an informed decision before jumping in. Best of luck either way!
>…not managed a Japanese team before. Even though I am N2 certified
Whoa! Scoring N2 without living in Japan is grrrreat (even if you’re from Singapore ). However, I manage both engineering and factory teams ^{at ^[MHI](https://www.mhi.com/company)} and from my rather male dominated perspective, you’re going have a lot “fun” if you end up in male dominated environment like mine.
Counter-example: I was lent/sent to Bank of Japan for six months to work out industrial policies. The *many*, youngish, higher level women in the BoJ (¿20%?) had no problems at all comparatively speaking. I wish you good luck!
I’d go for it. I picked up most of my 敬語 at my first job in the USA at a Japanese company. Despite it being in the US, it was a totally Japanese company. The only time I spoke English was when I was working with vendors.