Get a job in Japan – After finishing graduate school #6 Liu from China

Get a job in Japan – After finishing graduate school

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Ms. Liu came to Japan in September 2012 to enter a Japanese graduate school. The courses at the graduate school were conducted in English, so when she arrived in Japan her Japanese language ability was mostly limited to greetings.

When I came to Japan I was determined to find a job in a Japanese company. Because of that I first needed to pass level N2 [of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test.] So, besides studying at graduate school, I was studying in the library every day from morning until night.

Experience studying at Japanese Language Schools
While on the one hand her learning proceeded with the advantage that she understood kanji, her speaking ability did not advance. Even if she might be able to listen and understand, her fear of making a mistake meant her speaking ability did not improve. While worrying about this, she heard from a friend about Coto Japanese Academy (ILS at the time) that the friend had seen on Twitter.

The good thing about Coto Japanese Academy is that there are many adult students who are there for themselves, or for their jobs, and are learning with a sense of purpose. I also got a lot of good inspiration from my classmates.

She had previous experience attending a Japanese language school for a short time, but all of the students were teenagers or university students without much of a sense of purpose. It looked to her like everyone was just playing around, so she decided it was not a good environment for her, and she quickly quit.

Making progress in Japanese Conversation skills

By continually taking the intensive course and private lessons at Coto Japanese Academy, in December 2013 she passed level N2. She said she felt a great sense of accomplishment in the progress of her conversation skills. Her life in Japan greatly changed as she became able to understand what was being said on television programs, and she became confident in her speaking ability.

During the private lessons, one by one the teachers accurately taught me about the mistakes I was making, and the points I should be practicing. In lessons about job-hunting activities, they gave me a variety of advice depending on the situation. While the results of learning a language do not come in one day, through intensive learning for one month I was able to feel a big change in myself.

Her teachers said that she progressed because she had an intensive attitude to take what they had pointed out to her and confidently make it her own. Compared to when she first came to the school, her Japanese speaking ability has dramatically improved, and she has exhibited her intelligence and sincerity.

Get a job in Japan at major company

Her repeated practicing for interviews and various other efforts have borne fruit. In June 2014 she got a job offer from a competitive major Japanese company.

When job hunting in Japan, the most important thing is collecting information. Because students from overseas have a limited amount of information to begin with, I made a lot of effort to read books, to strategize for the SPI test, and to exchange information with student colleagues from overseas in our job-hunting activities.

However, I think that the most important thing is to have the determination and resolution that you are absolutely going to get a job in Japan.

While the stress and impatience were really painful as those around her got job offers, she said she was able to overcome this because she was resolute. She said that while many people gave up midway because it was hard, by persevering to the end you can get a result.

Next Step
When asked about her goals for the future, she said that while it is the same in any country, Japan has it own rules. She said that she will first equip herself with the rules to become a member of Japanese society as she begins working for her company from April. She said that she wants to build up a career where she can grow.
Even now that she has found a job, Ms. Liu will continue studying in the intensive course for her job that begins in the spring. We wish her all the best in her future activities.


Coto Japanese Academy is a unique Japanese Language School in Iidabashi Tokyo, we offer relaxed and fun conversational lessons for all levels of Japanese learner. Coto Japanese Academy prides itself on its community atmosphere and fun lessons that focus on creation of opportunities to speak and learn Japanese. If you are interested in studying Japanese in Tokyo – please visit our contact page here.

 


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