Hello. I am an American with a masters degree in a tech/scientific field and recently got an offer from a Japanese startup. I applied on a whim as the American job market is horrible after getting laid off in April and I really enjoyed being in Japan (albeit on vacation) earlier this year. I'm single, late 20s M, but have never moved countries, and am wondering if I am making too much of a leap with a decision like this. Some details:
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Pay is 8m yen per year which is honestly better than expecting. Although this is maybe a 70% reduction of my previous salary, it's still better than the 0 I've been getting while job hunting for 3 months. From my research, it's a very comfortable amount for a single and I have decent savings. They are also taking care of the work certificate and offer a relocation package. It's also on a 1 year contract with option to renew based on performance. Is this a point of concern or fairly standard for entry/junior level positions?
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Location is in Minoh, Osaka. Anyone familiar with the area?
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My Japanese level is basic. I have been self studying for 3-4 months with decent intensity but obviously this is only enough for very simple conversations. Will this be a major point of struggle in daily life and doing things like setting up accounts/paying bills/renting an apartment?
Can give more details if needed. My field is quite niche and this job is a good fit career progression wise, but am I out of my depth with my Japanese level and the level of culture shock working and living on the other side of the world?
by Scrypto
3 comments
You can find English speaking real estate agents and they’ll find the foreign friendly places for you. I’d recommend a mansion = concrete building as wooden or apaato/apartment buildings have paper thin walls and garbage insulation. Try to get a higher floor and away from any major streets to avoid bugs and street noise as still many buildings have only single pane windows. Be ready to drop a few grand up front for ‘move in fees’ that you won’t get back as well. If you want to save money and aren’t too picky try [UR](https://www.ur-net.go.jp/chintai/sp/?utm_source=google_lis&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=kw_3&utm_campaign=main_google_lis&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=11197718364&gbraid=0AAAAADLoYEzLlprTZBYRqpWU_Q5adpTnl&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIg-usvaeUjwMVl9UWBR3IQysjEAAYASAAEgJaD_D_BwE).
SMBC, Shinsei or Sony have decent English sites for banking. The big ones like mufg and yucho have little English support so I’d be weary of using them although yucho is easy to make a new account when you just moved in. For phone service some you can sign up for online or you can go to the biggest bic camera / electronics stores in the city and ask for English reps and hopefully there should be one to help you?
I think the biggest issue long term will just be your social life if you can’t speak japanese. That being said there’s plenty of bilingual meet ups so if you make an effort you’ll be able to find more international friends.
My last chunk of advice would be to make sure there’s no mandatory overtime in your contract and see what their pto is. Legally the minimum is 10 days and you get another day added per year and these days count as both sick days and pto. If your company gives you more than the legal 10 your first year that’s a good start. Best of luck and I hope you have a good time here.
Single making 8M in Osaka is quite nice.
3-4 months of study is basically nothing, but might help you get past the most basic daily tasks like shopping and paying bills with barcodes. You’re gonna rely on translation *a lot*. Consider putting some money towards a reputable tutor to help you with speaking, as that will probably the most important for you. It may also be possible that your company provides assistance with that, so it’s worth asking.
Minoh is a good neighbourhood, considered upscale.
The train runs to Umeda for ~20 mins. I heard it stops by midnight so your Osaka nightlife might be limited if you plan to be back to Minoh by midnight.