I’ve got a job offer as an Assistant Director in a local TV boardcast company (Nagasaki).
I have no experience in TV production, I have only touched design and video editing software a few times as self-studying. The company knows that I’m a complete fresher and a gaijin with broken Japanese (all I did was attending the interview and say that I’m really interested in the job), they also have never worked with a foreigner, so they’ve decided to lower the pay a little bit (190,000 yen, plus yearly bonus, housing support etc).
Eventually I want to move to a bigger city if I am to pursue this area. Working here for a few years can be a good start and I can improve my skills and Japanese in the meantime.
However, I also received another offer with a higher pay in a rural area. I neither like nor dislike the job, but the job also ensures a stable income and a stable life in Japan, and the people seem very nice.
I like the job (1) and I think that I’m super lucky to get the offer, but I also have some worries:
1. How is it like working in the media production field in Japan as a foreigner (for example, competitiveness, discrimination, opportunity for career development)?
2. Since 190,000 yen is not a very high pay, is it likely that I will encounter financial struggles living in Japan?
It’s really hard for me to decide which is better, so I would be very appreciated if you guys can give me any advice, even if it’s your experience working in other professions in Japan!
Thanks a lot 😊
EDIT: Sorry for causing misunderstanding. I think the reasons for the low salary is my lack of experience + my Japanese is not that good (they didn’t say out, but I can feel that). “They have never had a foreign employee” is not one of the reasons, it’s just I don’t know how they will possibly treat me.
Again, I didn’t mean they are bad, in fact, they are quite welcoming me. They are just…unsure of what I can do.
14 comments
“Learn or earn”. That is really low pay but if you can break into the industry and learn a lot, maybe it’ll be totally worth it for a couple of years. No one will be surprised when you move to a bigger market after “cutting your teeth” there. Go in there and work your ass off and learn everything you can.
Depends on the company I suppose, but media in general in my experience has been “high expectations, low budget”. The pay you listed is low even for media, and I imagine you’ll be wearing all sorts of hats while doing it as well. This also means you can learn a lot of different skill sets that can easily transfer to other media companies.
And honestly if your starting title is “assistant director”, I wouldn’t imagine you’d go up to “director” anytime soon unless you just excelled at every aspect of your job. If it’s the kind of work you wanna do, could be worth it for the skills you’ll learn, but for your sake I hope your rent is very very low.
I saw the 190,000 and immediately thought “how are you planning to live on this”. But then again I live in Tokyo not Kyushu.
Honestly if you are unsure of either one, pick one that sounds more fun.
Working in TV industry also sounds like it would enable you a lot of networking with high profile people, that’s always a positive. <- this is something that didn’t even cross my mind when I got my job offer (law firm). Im not even a lawyer but I got to meet so many people with pull.
Think about how you can use this opportunity as a stepping stone and how to use the “perks” and “access” for your own benefit.
Nagasaki is great. Your salary, not great. They can triple that, and it would still be shit pay.
“AD” in Japanese media companies usually means “general dogsbody”
So far, I’ve only had experience working with traditional media in Tokyo so please keep that in mind with the response.
Generally, media related jobs in Japan tend to be very time consuming. Shoots tend to vary in length. On some days you’re done within 5 hours, others you might be done after 18 hours instead.
Traditional hierarchies on set are still very prevalent. They often will expect you to work overtime.
There are many people applying to media fields and the industry itself is still competitive. You have a unique standpoint as foreigner as you have certain advantages (and disadvantages) for specific purposes. For example, if you shoot a commercial and you work with foreign extras, they might even prefer a foreign team member. You’d likely not go to Aomori to explore local dialects though.
At the same time, the job is great if you are passionate about it. There’s a lot of approaches and since one could consider movies as a form of art, it would not be too far fetched to consider the same for regular TV as well. This gives a great range of variety both in terms of topics and things to learn about.
That being said, I would also suggest comparing the credentials of the directors and companies looking to hire you. If you take the job to learn, this becomes especially important.
Japanese will most definitely be needed and putting in extra hours to study it will be necessary if you are looking to move to larger companies at some point. Also, it is also required to connect with most of your coworkers so please keep that in mind.
As you are moving to Nagasaki, you should likely not encounter major issues with your budget. There are of course limitations such as considering if a car is worth it or too expensive, but you can generally manage to find a decently located apartment at a much cheaper rate than in Tokyo.
How did you find the job?
I’m only speaking based on what I heard from a former coworker who tried working in broadcasting, couldn’t cope with it so went back to my company, and then eventually found a job elsewhere… outside of broadcasting.
tl;dr: Pay low, expectations high, workload high. If you’re passionate and have a strong body and will, you might be suitable for it. My coworker had a ton of passion, it was their dream, but after the 20th day of incredible overtime and several days of overnight work, they cracked.
This was in Tokyo though, so it might be a little better in a smaller local company. But really, who knows…
If you are interested in production work, take the job. The pay sucks, but you will learn a new skill, make important contacts for the future, and probably have lots of fun doing things like coiling cables and such. If you do end up in Nagasaki, look up the awesome beer bar just outside Chinatown called “the local.”
Lots of good insight here. Nagasaki or not I’d only do this if it’s *worth it to you* and you feel you’re prepared to try and wring it for everything you can experience-/learning-wise.
‘Because they’ve never worked with a foreigner’ is some…i hesitate to say it but insulting bullshit, plus you don’t have much experience….both of those are on them, not you, and you’ll be asked to do the same work either way. That said if you’re going to need more coaxing up to speed then it might be a trade-off i guess, and to some extent it’s the nature of the beast. If you still want to do it, accept that and move on willingly. Maybe try arrange some kind of 6 month and 1 yr pay review before you start.
*Do* expect to have everything English-related thrown at you too….handling script stuff, any non-J talent etc. plus fingers crossed your D isn’t a お前、バカだなー OG wannabe type. There are more younger, chiller directors etc coming up as well though too.
Will it be a totally diff experience that could set you up here for life? Absolutely, and if I was in my 20s I’d probably say yes. Kinda reminds me of Brad Warner, the guy who started working on Ultraman productions in 1994 and became a buddhist monk….some fascinating stories.
ソース I do a lot of tv etc media-related work in Tokyo
Go for the comfy job in the countryside – sounds great!
The first sounds like a diversity hire dogs body. Yes there’s a chance you’ll be the best damn dogs body they’ve ever had and it’s your ticket to a cushy life in media but I’d say there’s a bigger chance you’ll get chewed up and spat out.
“Since 190,000 yen is not a very high pay, is it likely that I will encounter financial struggles living in Japan?”
What’s the difference between this and the other job?
Man that is so cool hell yeah. Over English teaching? Hell yeah. If anything hits and you make any connections the upward opportunity is unlimited potentially. It sounds like paid education on dual fronts – Japanese, entertainment industry. Like literally a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Immediate downsides that come to mind are:
1) Pay
2) I am guessing there will be very stereotypical scenarios that you will have to add fuel to the fire to. Thus I think you may have to ‘sell out’ in the role (English correspondent, translator, English CD) but just my assumption. I think worth it as a junior to learn the skills and get connections.
You will at minimum have a great story to tell.
I would honestly dive headfirst into that job and ignore goals of ‘moving to a bigger city’ for now because if you generate any momentum you’ll get offers or end up traveling around for work anyway, no? Your Japanese skill will probably jack too. You could also become a local ‘influencer’ on social media of your choice as a local expert potentially, as a side hustle, if that’s appealing. With the skills you could also potentially learn video editing, production, for youtubing or otherwise, if that’s appealing, also side hustle.
~~Please sub-contract me as a remote worker.~~
I think you should be cautious and ask more questions before accepting. It is already a bad sign how company is treating you, such as the extremely low pay “cause they’ve never hired a foreigner”.
Do you know their reasons for hiring a foreign now, and why they decided you should be the first?
Also, I worry you’re a bit dazzled that it’s nice-sounding job title in field that’s hard to break into. They are more than aware of your circumstance. I can’t help but feel that you’re being taken advantage of.