Being an Indian jobseeker in Japan

Data from Japan's Ministry of Immigration has shown that as of May 2016, there are 26, 244 Indians living in all of Japan.

Around 20% of these people settled down in the country three or four decades ago and are primarily involved in trade - in jewelry, apparel and textiles and spices - while others are involved in exporting vehicles and electronics from Japan.

Many Indians are involved in white-collar professions and approximately 40-50% work in the IT sector.

The remaining 20-30% work in or manage Indian restaurants, which are widely popular among the Japanese.

Even within this small population, there are families that want to go back to India or hope to relocate to other English speaking countries. For Indian parents especially, non-English medium Japanese schools are an anxiety-causing issue. International schools tend to be extremely expensive, especially for single-income families. An added fear is that of disasters like earthquakes. In fact, several people packed up from Japan after the Fukushima Nuclear disaster in 2011.

For an Indian working professional, working in Japan is often hard. In the backdrop of ever-blooming Indo-Japanese relations, quite a few young Indians have moved to Japan, inspite of the initial language barriers.

But it hasn't exactly been a bed of roses for all.

Kamini (name changed) is a Delhiite, who pursued an MBA with specialization in HR and Marketing from a premier Indian institute. She was 23 years old when she moved to Japan, where she joined a six-month-long course in a Japanese language school. She was hopeful that post the course, armed with her newly-acquired Japanese language skills, she would have no trouble landing a full-time job in the field of her own specialization.

Several interviews and failed attempts later, all she got was a job as a waitress in a 'washoku' restaurant, which are primarily dedicated to authentic and traditional Japanese cuisine. She decided to give this opportunity a go, with the assumption that it would help her practice and hone her Japanese skills.

But after spending three years as a waitress, she is finding it hard to switch jobs or find one in her own domain. Companies either see her experience as a waitress as insignificant or ask her to join as an intern or fresher in marketing or HR jobs which pay far less than she currently earns.

Tired of her failed attempts at securing employment of her choice, Kamini has completely erased the past three years of experience from her resume. She worries that her goal and past experience does not match and may actually be detrimental. Currently she plans to return to India with a job as an interpreter. But the fact remains, this was not her chosen career path. It stands to reason that though language plays an important role in landing a job in Japan, it needs to be followed up with an appropriate job.

Suresh (name changed) came to Japan on a scholarship to pursue his Masters, prior to which he had two-three years of work experience. Though Japanese scholarships offer decent money for an individual to survive in a dormitory, they have their own demerits and limitations. Dormitories tends to be far removed from the centre and towards the outskirts, nor are they well-connected to the city center where employment opportunities abound. A student visa supports only 28 work hours per week nor do the students have too many employment options to choose from - opportunities are available mostly in convenient stores, super markets and other retail shops which operate on shift basis. Such places hire students at around $8 an hour and consequently, students can make roughly 30,000 yen (close to $300) per week if they are willing (and able) to commute and balance their studies. Though the balance may sound achievable, in reality it is extremely grueling. The high cost of food in Japan also works as a dampener on the student's experience. In Suresh's case, his part-time job as a salesperson at a local convenient store, the commute and attempts to balance his work and academic life and his vegetarian lifestyle are taking a toll on him. What makes it worse it that he is not confident of landing a decent job, as he opted for an English language course in university, and has no Japanese skills. To acquire the required language capability, he will either have to join another school or spend on private tutoring.

The people who have survived in Japan have made their path either by surviving in one specific company or by working in Indian IT firms. Of course, the above cases may not be set patterns for Indians coming here, but these real scenarios cannot be ignored, denied or wished away when a person is seeking to build a career in the country.