Q - Can you briefly present yourself.

• My name is Lin and I am from Taiwan. I studied Japanese for about 3 years at University as an option. I studied at Nihongo Center for about a year. Being from Taiwan, I can speak Chinese of course, but I also understand English. By now my Japanese level is N2 of the JLPT.

Q -  What did you like at Nihongo Center, or what would you have liked to study?

• I really liked all the teachers who are very kind and There is always a lot of occasions to practice conversation during class which is very good but I wished we could have studied a little more about the «Keigo» because it is something that is daily used while looking for a job or working in Japan.

Q - Had you any working experience in your home country?

• Yes, I was working as an office lady.

Q - Can you speak about your job hunting experience in Japan? Where did you search? How long did it take you? Did you have interviews?  What were you asked during the interview etc...

• I mainly looked for job offers on different websites. I supposed that it would take some time to find an interesting job so I started to look for one around 2 months before graduation. First I had to buy a suits because that is the etiquette in Japan. Then I sent my resume, which I learned to write at Nihongo Center, to about 30 different companies and had several interviews, but I quickly realized that my Japanese knowledge was not enough to express everything I wanted during the interview. There were a lot of official expressions that I didn’t know about and it was very frustrating.

Q - Did you managed to find a place to work?

• Yes, from April 2023, I will work as a temporary contract worker at the International Airport of Osaka as a ground staff. A lot of tourists are now coming to Japan and because of my Chinese and English knowledge, my main job is to guide or answer questions from foreign tourists.

Q - Would you have any recommendation for future students?

• If you have studied arts, humanities, letters etc... at university, I really recommend you to get the N1 level. I was refused even before the interview because I am only at N2. Also, this is a little sad but, you would also greatly increase your chances to be hired if you have an education background in Japan. Japanese companies have a clear understanding of their own universities ranking or popularity but they know almost nothing about abroad universities.

Q - Can you briefly present yourself.

• My name is Violetta and I am from the Netherland. I applied for a 6 months course at Nihongo Center from October 2022, but I studied Japanese at University 2 times a week for about 4 years before coming to Japan. I am from the Netherlands but my mother tongue is Dutch and Hungarian. I took a good part of my education in English and I can also speak German. I never took the JLPT so I can’t attest for my Japanese level but I was studying the N4-N3 during class at Nihongo Center.

Q -  What did you like at Nihongo Center, or what would you have liked to study?

• All the teachers were very friendly and it was very interesting every day. If I didn’t understand something, the teachers always explained and helped me. The cultural events organized by the school were also very good. I just wished we could have practiced a little bit more the conversation part during all classes. The class organization was very good. Especially during the «main» class, because it was designed to express our own opinions about different subjects, and I really loved that. I wish we could have had during other classes as well, because it helps us to think and speak more in Japanese.

Q - Had you any working experience in your home country?

• Yes, I was a barista and supervisor at Starbucks. I also participate in a «Au pair» program.

Q - Can you speak about your job hunting experience in Japan? Where did you search? How long did it take you? Did you have interviews?  What were you asked during the interview etc...

• I looked at some sites on the internet like Gaijinpot or Indeed, I asked some of my friends if they had information and I made a lot of research on Google. It is also very important while being and studying here to create a network. In my own experience, without having the N2 of the JLPT or higher, or being specialized in a very specific field it is really complicated to have a chance to find a job. However, it is still possible to find a job because the demand for human resources is high right now. I applied for about 10 different companies. Regarding my resume, I wrote it both in Japanese and English. The interview in my case was in English and it was a really normal interview. I was asked to describe my previous experiences, explain why I chose this job and what are my motivations. The interview was a way for them to check my English level.

Q - Did you managed to find a place to work?

• Yes, I found a job as an English teacher, but the number of applicants for that kind of job is so high you also have to have around a native level in English. I am now teaching English to preschool children.

Q - Would you have any recommendation for future students?

• To be honest, the job hunting process is Japan can be really exhausting. You are always under pressure because of the time limit of your visa so I really recommend you to start looking for job while studying and not after you have finished. You might have some crying time because you might be rejected again and again but don’t give up. If you study Japanese seriously it should be okay.

Q - Can you briefly present yourself.

• Hello my name is Ghari, I am from Indonesia and I studied at Nihongo Center for 2 years and a half from October 2020 to March 2023. Before coming to Japan, I studied Japanese for about 6 months, 5 times a week, because it was a requirement to apply. Right now, I have passed the N2 of the JLPT, I can also speak English, and of course Indonesian.

Q -  What did you like at Nihongo Center, or what would you have liked to study?

• I really like the fact that students come from a lot of different countries. It helps you understand other countries and compare to your own culture or tradition. It opens the fields of possibilities when speaking in Japanese. More than something I would have liked to study, I would say that it would be better to separate students who want to find a job and students who want to continue their studies in Japan. Personally, and because there wasn’t a specific course for job hunting, I looked for a lot details by myself in addition to what we did in class or asked a lot of friends who helped me. If there were a specific program about job hunting in Japan, I am pretty sure students would be happy.

Q - Had you any working experience in your home country?

• Yes, I was a quality control manager in an IT company.

Q - Can you speak about your job hunting experience in Japan? Where did you search? How long did it take you? Did you have interviews?  What were you asked during the interview etc...

• I looked for offers on the internet, applied to companies who help you with finding a job, and went to job hunting events which are quite numerous in Japan. Of course, the most difficult part is be rejected and sometimes you get an answer, sometimes the company doesn’t even contact you. Having to pass the interview in Japanese is also very complicated because it’s not our mother tongue. For most of us it’s our third or more language. Regarding the number of companies, I think I was a little bit obsessed with it, but I applied for more than 100 different companies.
• During the interview, the thing I was asked the most is «why do you want to work with us?» That’s why getting a lot information about the company you are interviewed about is really necessary (website, etc...) Sometimes it’s very difficult to explain how your past experience and skills are very are related to the company so the best option is not to try to connect. Just explain your experience and skills. I was asked a lot about my past education and past experience. Sometimes, the company will be suspicious about your CV because they don’t know if you really wrote it or not, so sometimes they made me read my own CV or asked some questions about the motivations I wrote, etc... There are a lot of motivation example on the internet which can really help you to write your own sentences. Finally, I was asked about the JLPT. If the interview goes well, it won’t really matter if you have the certificate of the level they asked for. If they ask for the N1 but you can speak very well even without having it, you will still be hired. The only problem comes during the selection and that’s why I would recommend you to have at least the N2. Again, if you other kinds of language certification it is always a big plus.

Q - Did you managed to find a place to work?

• Yes, from April 2023, I will work at the Kansai International Airport. I will be at the Passenger Service Section, being responsible for all passenger services from arrival to departure. In addition to checking in customers at the check-in counter, we are also checking travel documents, confirming luggage, explaining how to hand over documents at the arrival airport, guiding at the boarding / arrival gate, etc. Depending on the service of each airline company, we have to respond accordingly.

Q - Would you have any recommendation for future students?

• It is better to take the JLPT seriously. I think it's good to narrow down what you want to do and then have a clear image of what you want to achieve there. A year or two in Japan goes by really quickly, so don't waste your time. Technology is very advanced now, but I think it's better to actively look for a job on your own instead of waiting for job information. In addition, agents sometimes have a lot of job postings, so using them will expand your job options. Finally, you might get a lot of rejection and it may be hard, but don’t give up right away. Have your own perseverance and patience and have confidence in yourself.

Q - Can you briefly present yourself.

• Good day, my name is Jessy, I am from Hong kong and I studied at Nihongo Center during 6 months from October 2022 to March 2023. Before coming to Japan, I studied Japanese for 4 years, once a week. First I started with a Japanese language school in Hong Kong, then I changed to private lessons later. I passed the N1 of the JLPT before starting at Nihongo Center. I can speak Cantonese, English, Chinese and Japanese.

Q -  What did you like at Nihongo Center, or what would you have liked to study?

• Some might wonder why I came in Japan to study Japanese while having the N1 already but being from Hong Kong, I am used to see and read Kanjis all the time. What was missing the most was the conversation skill and this is why I chose Nihongo Center. Conversation practice is permanent here. I wished I could have trained a little more about the «Keigo» because it is really important during the job hunting process and during job itself, especially when the job is clients services related.

Q - Had you any working experience in your home country?

• Yes, I was working for a long time at the Human Resources Department in a Hong Kong company.

Q - Can you speak about your job hunting experience in Japan? Where did you search? How long did it take you? Did you have interviews?  What were you asked during the interview etc...

• So, I was a little bit out of the usual case because I became a worker at the company I was doing a part-time job during my studies. However, we started to speak about becoming a full-time worker with my company about 2 months before graduation and I still passed the normal interview. The most difficult part of it is how to correctly explain everything in Japanese. The interview itself is about checking your Japanese level, if you are able to express your motivations etc... For the resume, I looked for some example on the internet, I crossed data with what other students also produced during class, and I wrote my own. Nothing was about having passed or not the JLPT, but only about conversation skills.

Q - Did you managed to find a place to work?

• Yes, from April 2023 I will be working as a full time worker as a Front Desk Officer at the Aoi Hotel in Kyoto.

Q - Would you have any recommendation for future students?

• It is better to first acknowledge your own strengths and skills, and then recognize in what kind of job you can use them the most efficiently before you start looking for a suitable job. I belonged to the hospitality department at university and have basic customer service skills from my previous work experiences, so I applied for my current job. Also remember that students who can speak multiple languages should definitely use that to find a suitable job.

Q - Can you briefly present yourself.

• My name is Avinash Kumar and I am from India. I studied at Nihongo Center during 1 year from April 2022 to March 2023. As a requirement for the application, I studied Japanese for about 3 months only during week ends by myself. I also received 24 lessons from Nihongo Center with online content check before getting my student visa which also helped a lot for the Japanese interview at the Japanese Embassy. I can speak Telugu, Bengali, English, Hindi and some Japanese. After studying for 1 year my Japanese level is around the N3 which is intermediate.

Q -  What did you like at Nihongo Center, or what would you have liked to study?

• All the teachers have long teaching experience. They can easily explain language nuances and they are always happy to help you improve. I just wish we could have practiced a little more the conversation because apart from exams, conversation is the most important aspect of the language. One should be able to convey their thoughts. Conversation is important to work and live in Japan.

Q - Had you any working experience in your home country?

• Yes, I was working as a Game developer in an Indian company.

Q - Can you speak about your job hunting experience in Japan? Where did you search? How long did it take you? Did you have interviews?  What were you asked during the interview etc...

• I have applied directly through the companies websites which were looking for new members. In total, I applied for 8 different companies. Of course, because your time is limited you should start looking for work opportunities before the graduation. In my case, I started about 2 months ahead of graduation. The most difficult part for me was to prepare all the technical knowledge prior to and for the interview. I have prepared my resume both in Japanese and in English. Also, because I applied in Game producer companies, I had to prepare for technical questions or test. Most of my interview were focused on programming test and my past work experiences. I didn’t have to pass any Japanese proficiency test inside the company but all the interviews were in Japanese.

Q - Did you managed to find a place to work?

• Yes, from April 2023, I will start working at a company called WonderWall Tech. As a game developer.

Q - Would you have any recommendation for future students?

• From my point of view, you need to have strong technical knowledge about how to prepare your job hunting period, interviews, etc... Also, don’t underestimate the necessity of the Japanese language. Even in game developing companies, you might work most of your time using English but you will still be tested about your Japanese knowledge.

Q - Can you briefly present yourself.

My name is Buddhi and I am from Sri Lanka. I did my Master of information technology in a Japanese university before entering Nihongo Center. My education medium was in English so I had little to no knowledge of the Japanese language. I tried to study 1 year by myself during my Master degree, then I decided to enroll in Nihongo Center to then look for a job in Japan. I studied at Nihongo Center for 1 year and reached a level between N4 and N3.

Q -  What did you like at Nihongo Center, or what would you have liked to study?

It was very funny to study at Nihongo Center. I think I really improved in 1 year with the help of the teachers. I would really recommend this school to my friends in Japan if they want to learn Japanese. However, I wish we had practiced a little more the conversation aspect. It was present in some classes but wish we had more.

Q - Had you any working experience in your home country?

No. I came to Japan after finishing my Bachelor’s degree in my own country.

Q - Can you speak about your job hunting experience in Japan? Where did you search? How long did it take you? Did you have interviews?  What were you asked during the interview etc...

A friend introduced me a place where they were looking new members. I started to take contact with them about 1 month ahead of the graduation. In total, I tried to apply for only 2 different companies. The biggest challenge was of course the Japanese language during the interviews but the interviewer was always really nice and praised me for my speaking level which really help being confident. For the resume, I asked the teachers at Nihongo Center to check what I produced.

Q - Did you managed to find a place to work?

Yes, I am starting to work by the middle of April 2023. I will be a full time worker as a sub manager at a tree factory in Nara. I will be in charge of mostly everything in my office but I like the challenge so it should be a big deal for me.

Q - Would you have any recommendation for future students?

I would say the most important is to study Japanese very seriously. Without Japanese knowledge, you will loose a lot of work opportunities. Most of the companies will reject your application without even seeing you just based on your Japanese level written on your resume.