Hi everyone. Iplan on taking up a WHV in about 2 years. I’ll be graduated with my bachelors in marketing, and I plan on being N3/N2 around the time I leave.
Anyways, i’m wondering if anyone has had success finding work in marketing in Tokyo? I plan on having enough savings to last me for the entire year of my WHV while I travel around and do part time work. Depending on how i’m enjoying living in Tokyo, i’d ideally like to find a more permanent position towards the end of the visa term. I know a lot of positions require native Japanese with business level English, but are there a decent amount of positions with the opposite language requirements?
I’d like to get into the brand management side of things, and ideally i’d want to work for an international company. I also speak Norwegian for what thats worth. Any input or even your experience with Working Holiday Visas would be greatly appreciated!
2 comments
Your best bet by *far* would be to get some years of experience in your home country and then try this move.
Trying to get a new-grad job in marketing, in Japan, as a non-native speaker, with no guarantee of even being N2 at the time – this is absolutely not something you can consider a reasonably likely plan. The *overwhelming* majority of these roles, at entry level, will require near native-level Japanese. The whole industry is about communicating to people. You’ll be at a significant disadvantage to every other new grad looking for those same roles, not to mention needing visa sponsorship. Any company that would hire you would likely be the sort of company you wouldn’t really want to work for.
With 2-3 years of experience under your belt, and spending those years getting yourself closer to N1, you’ll be in a much better position! You can do your working holiday anyway, though! Enjoy Japan, love there for a while, visit whenever you can over time, then make the move when you’re in a much better position career-wise!
I got a marketing gig with minimal experience and 0 Japanese, in Japan. You gotta network, check all job sites,and apply direct. Look for a global marketing position and sell yourself.