What's next after Vulcanus?

[Mettaton]

This is a question for the people who were selected and participated in the programme on previous years.

After you finish the traineeship in the company, that is, after one year has passed since you arrived in Japan, what have been your next experiences?
Did the company hire you officially and you are still working there? Did the company not hire you and you returned to your country? Did you stay in Japan?

I'm asking out of curiosity, so please share your experiences if you want to

[yez]

You have the whole spectrum of people I think.

People who came after their BSc. and returned home for their MSc. People who got hired by their company. People who were happy they wouldn't work at their workplace anymore. People who found another company in Japan. People who will try to return to Japan in the future. And maybe people, for whom Japan is "finally over" (though that shouldn't be many).

In my case, I returned to finish my MSc (I took a one year leave) and probably will not return to Japan for work (although I did get quite a lot of headhunter mails) for now, as my priorities are not easily combined with being in Japan (i would like to return though, for maybe 2-3y).

[zaragui]

Yez gave you a very general overview, I'll go a bit more into detail.

In our year, out of 45 participants (yes, a lot haha), there are currently 8 people returning. Because I have a lot of time in my hands, here are some details about everyone:
#1 - ViJ in a Foreign company -> Job at the same company
#2 - ViJ in a Foreign company -> Job at another foreign company (job hunting done in Japan)
#3 - ViJ in a Foreign company -> Job at another foreign company (job hunting done in Japan)
#4 - ViJ in a Japanese company -> Job at a foreign company (job hunting done after going back to home country)
#5 - ViJ in a Japanese company -> Job at another japanese company (job hunting done in Japan)
#6 - ViJ in a Foreign company -> Job at another foreign company (job hunting done in Japan)
#7 - ViJ in a Japanese company -> Job at the same company
#8 (ME! yay) - ViJ in a Foreign company -> Job at another foreign company

You're probably wondering why only 8 people remained in Japan and why we do not go for Japanese companies. Here's a brief list of reasons:
- it is indeed possible to work for a Japanese company even if you do not know enough japanese. However, if you want to be promoted and build a career there, you need a rather high japanese language level.
- one can also consider working for a foreign company there, but the payroll is usually not as good as it would be for offices of the same company in other countries (and Japan is in general more expensive). Also, not as much as in the japanese companies, but you'll eventually need to speak some japanese.

In the end, it all comes down to how much you like Japan and whether you have a strong reason to stay or not. After ViJ it is definitely possible to get jobs there, but it's all about opportunity cost ("could I be better off somewhere else in the world?").

In my case, I came back to my country to finish my MSc. I'll be done by July 2017 and I will start working in Japan in September 2017. The payroll reason doesn't really apply to me because I come from one of the poor countries

[yez]

- it is indeed possible to work for a Japanese company even if you do not know enough japanese. However, if you want to be promoted and build a career there, you need a rather high japanese language level.

And the more Japanese the company is, the more its about how long you were warming your seat in the office everyday and nodded when you superiors wanted agreement.

[CapnJackSparrow]

Hello, people!

Happy New Year and good luck to this year applicants!

Zaragui, does any of the guys you mentioned to remain in Japan is by any chance a Mechanical Engineer? If yes, can I contact him?

Thank you!

P.S.: It is possible I will join Bosch Japan in Shibuya, Tokyo this Autumn. If I will, we must meet!

[zaragui]

@CapnJackSparrow

Out of those 8 people, I am the closest one to being a Mechanical Engineering. I am not in Japan now though.

[CapnJackSparrow]

Hello, everybody!

I finally made it! I came to Yokohama on a 6 months contract at Bosch.

It would be helpful if you would detail how you managed to get a job at another company, especially if you hunted after you returned home. Is it working the same as in Europe, you sent your resume and they interviewed you (on Skype?)? Did you apply on their Japanese site or are there special sites listing Japan jobs? Could you give an example of such a site?

How much did your Japanese skill count in finding a new job?

Thank you!