How to Get an Internship in Japan: 5 Tips and Tricks for International Students

JPORT EDITORIAL TEAM

2020 / 05 / 18

Author: Saki Arimoto | Published date: 18 May 2020

Internships are highly valued by recruiters, so having this kind of experience can be a big plus to your resumes. Not only this, but you also get the chance to learn hands-on what kind of skills are useful when you enter the workforce, especially those that are not taught in school.

Difficulties in finding Internships in Japan for international students

Landing that internship you really want might be different when you are applying in Japan. International students experience more difficulties in hunting for internships that they are eligible in. This is due to requirements such as the JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) N2 and above, and some even requiring students to have a native level of Japanese. This limits the opportunities for international students that may not be at that level yet.

What should international students do to find internship opportunities?

In order to optimize the opportunities available to international students, JPort presents  you 5 tips on getting an internship.

1. Learning Japanese

As mentioned above, having a certain degree of knowledge in Japanese will open countless internship opportunities as the majority of companies require this. In addition to this, taking the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) would be helpful as this can be your proof to letting recruiters know that you indeed know Japanese. The test however is limited only to writing so more often than not, students taking this test focus on reading and listening, therefore, it is highly recommended to practice your speaking ability to perform well on interviews. The best ways you can do this, can be by making Japanese friends, getting a part-time job that requires you to speak Japanese, and joining a Japanese class. You can also check out this comprehensive guide as to how to improve your Japanese speaking skills.

2. Keep Yourself Updated!

Sites like Glassdoor, Lightened, LinkedIn and JPort provide a number of internship opportunities, so keeping yourself posted with their job postings will increase your likelihood of finding an internship that suits you best. Whether you are in the middle of the semester or just getting started, applying ahead as soon as you see an internship opportunity can save you from desperately searching when your vacation is about to start and you have not gotten anything. Subscribe to their emails if that exists or save them for when you have the free time to devote on applying for these. 

3. Do Research and Ask for Help

Another tip is to do research on internships. Get to know yourself more, and figure out what kind of company you want to work at, and which industry you think you want to belong to. Finding these answers are important, and getting a head start early as a university student will give you more advantage. Additionally, while searching for answers, you can ask your senpais who have gone through job-hunting, and those who currently are in the process. They can provide you with information you would not have gotten from anyone else such as their shuukatsu experience, and which company or industry you would fit in. As university students, you can also utilize your university’s career center and have a consultation with them. Career centers not only help you with the job-hunting processes but also giving insight into which career path you might be interested in. You never know what they can provide you with until you book a consultation, so it is highly recommended to ask people with expertise on this as early as possible. If career centers are not available for you, try booking a free online consultation with JPort.

4. Contact Companies Directly

After figuring out what kind of company or industry you want to work at, you can now look up companies and directly contact them if they have internship positions available. You can find companies and recruiters directly through LinkedIn, and send them a message. Take note, this works more often for SMEs (Small and Medium-sized Enterprises) but you should not be discouraged from contacting larger companies to widen your network. SMEs may offer an unpaid internship so to those who are thinking of earning your personal allowances from an internship, this may not be possible. As for those who do not mind that they will not be getting paid, this is a great opportunity. If you have worked long enough, these companies may expand their offer into a paid internship or better yet, a full-time position, so working as an unpaid intern is not all that bad.

5. Prepare Your Documents

This advice is not only for students who are looking for internships, but those who are already job-hunting. Get your resumes, cover letters and entry sheets (ES) checked by your advisors, senpais, or your school's career center. This will help you get prepared in the job-hunting process and you can tweak it up regularly so you can improve it when necessary. By doing this, you get to practice preparing your documents that will be vital in the very near future. Some companies may require a Japanese resume, some may require an English one, and some may require both so preparing the two is highly recommended. Japanese resumes have their own formats which you can look up online, or find from stores like 100 yen shops, convenience stores and bookstores. As for English versions, you can be as creative as you want. Some sites where you can create your resumes are Canva, Novoresume and LinkedIn. This is your chance to stand out among other candidates so be sure to optimize writing your skills and experiences.

We are here to support you!

That concludes the 5 tips on getting an internship in Japan, but there is still a lot more to learn. It is indeed very challenging for international students to get an internship so we hope this helps you. If you want to learn more about job-hunting, head over to our 就活 (shuukatsu) Academy page for access to free video courses and other resources.