What inspired you to work for your organization?
Meiji Internships acts as a gateway to foreign students and guides them on their journey through Asia into a new life. I want to be part of that vision and help to show young professionals the beauty of Japan and its culture.
Reading a magazine before a meeting
Describe a typical day at work.
I start my workday with a cup of hot tea along with the checking of my mails and my schedule for that day. After I have worked out my schedule I start to search and contact potential and already cooperating partner companies in consultation with my colleagues of the sales department.
Why do you do what you do?
The consulting industry provides me with a variety of tasks and diversified projects. I feel very comfortable as every day offers new challenges to me.
What is your favorite part of your job?
As coordinator at Meiji Internships I am responsible for the acquisition of new partner companies and the maintenance of the communication of current partners. I love the collaborative and corporate communication aspect.
How do you use your education and international background in your current role?
My time in the Self Defence Force of Japan taught me the value of discipline as well as educated me on teamwork and the efficient sharing of crucial information. Meiji Internships is a start-up organization with a highly flexible structure, where I can implement my skills perfectly.
Travel in India
What challenges do you often face and how do you overcome them?
The greatest challenge in the acquisition of new partnerships with companies is the process of closing after piquing their interest. Sometimes they are very cooperative and sometimes it's hard - it requires a high amount of endurance and discipline, that’s how I overcome it as I am staying persistent.
What are some current projects you are working on?
I am currently working on our virtual internship project. We are now facing a threat of Covid-19 pandemic, and for more safety for our future applicants it's urgent to proceed with our online internship program.
What makes Meiji Internships special?
Our team consists of various nationalities such as Japanese, German, French, Vietnamese, which makes us unique for sure. Also, whenever companies tell us that they were satisfied with the intern we introduced I am always proud of what we have achieved.
Travel in North Korea
Why should someone choose Meiji Internships over competitors?
Because our company is located in Fukuoka, where a more local atmosphere remains, known as a highly developed smart city and also called the gateway to Asian countries, we have a more relaxed atmosphere but developed environment in the company. And as Fukuoka is called the gateway to Asia we have many partners in South Korea (which is just only three hours away by ship from Fukuoka) ,Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, where we could travel and communicate more easily than other cities. Those make us more unique compared to companies in more central cities in Japan.
What hopes do you have for the future for your organization?
My hope regarding the future of Meiji Internships is the sustainability of continuous growth of the company. I hope that through that growth we can extend our global range and guide even more young professionals through their time within new acquired partner companies with interesting tasks!
Are there any developments with your organization that you would like to share with us?
Currently we are working on the implementation of virtual internships, to set a first stepping stone for young professionals to find their way to work with Asian companies independent from their geographical location. This provides young professionals with a frame of higher cost efficiency and in times of COVID-19 keeps them safe without the need to travel.
What is your organization's mission and how do you continue to work toward it?
Our company was founded in 2014 to realize International students’ dreams of studying, working, and living abroad. So our mission is to support their dreams. Since I started working for this company I've faced a lot of difficulties and have managed to deal with it, so all I will do is just to continue my effort in honest ways.
What does meaningful travel mean to you?
In my opinion meaningful travel is connected to a reason and curiosity of experiences. The reason describes a formal urge to travel to a special destination to achieve a certain goal. The curiosity of experiences means a natural, informal want or need to feel, smell and taste the life within a foreign culture. In other words it requires an open mindset and a path.
