Internship in Japan

I interned at an international company in Tokyo for 5 months where I was in charge of SNS, Marketing and B2B/B2C (both foreign and domestic companies and clients). Thanks to my previous study abroad experience I knew some Japanese and had already some friends in Tokyo. However, my Japanese improved even quicker than during University and I made actually more friends thanks to my internship. My co-workers invited me to networking events, lunch, dinners and meetings (I even met with some people from famous Anime companies!!) I did a homestay at my friend's place so there was no trouble with accommodation. The hardest part might have been the gap between being a student and a professional. In the beginning I found it difficult to come up with business plans and ideas but thanks to my senpai (supervisor) I got to improve those skills as well. Now I am working at the same company and couldn't be happier!

I did the Internship in Japan Summer Program in the summer of 2013. I interned at a Japanese consulting firm in Hachioji (far West Tokyo). The majority of my co-workers spoke very little Japanese, so I had to do my best to communicate in Japanese everyday. It was definitely a struggle, but everyone (both in the office, at Internship in Japan, and even in my share-house) were incredibly supportive and friendly. It was an incredible opportunity and I learned so much. Not only Japanese language, but also about Japanese business practices, customer relationships, internationalization efforts and life in a Japanese office in general. I couldn't have learned this anywhere else.

I interned in the IT Venture company in Meguro. I was in charge of the Accounting matters for their subsidiary company in Luxembourg. I have learned valuable skills along the way, particularly Japanese business manners, Japanese and Luxembourg Accounting standards. There is not many people that can speak English in my company so I had to use my Japanese everyday to communicate. This helped me improve my Japanese greatly. I recommend this program to anyone that wants a challenge.