Zentern Online Internships in Japan

Because of COVID-19, my plans to study in Japan for this fall semester fell through and I needed to find an online internship to do instead so I applied to Zentern. They were brilliant! They found me a brilliant internship with a media and marketing agency based in Tokyo quickly, they provided support during the interview process and during the internship. My internship supervisor was very friendly and communicative. The work I was given helped me work on all aspects of the business. I could never get bored, and I was constantly learning. I even extended my internship and just finished, hoping to stay in touch! I do want to complete another internship with Zentern, and this time I would like to attend in person rather than remotely, once the travel restrictions are lifted.

I started my internship in the beginning of October at an international media company. The internship was all online and had flexible hours allowing me to combine my school work with my internship. At first I was not very convinced on how this would be a good work experience but after a quick meeting with Zentern and their staff, a virtual internship in Japan would be the best option for me and glad I did apply! Just a big shout out to Terry from Zentern who guided me through everything. Zentern offers the best value in terms of prices and what kind of experience you get. They check in with you and offer fun virtual events. I joined a Japanese tea ceremony and was amazed how much fun it was and how much I learned. Through my internship I learned more about video / audio editing, storytelling and marketing. Usually I would communicate with my supervisor Nakamura-san or Josh who would share all the video material with me to work on. I was confident with my Adobe Suite skills but learned more than I thought I would in a short time. Some weeks I was busy for many days and hours while other weeks were a bit quieter. For an online internship you need to be able to have fairly good time-management skills to plan in the work and finish by the given deadline. Luckily my internship was pretty relaxed and they made sure they didn't overwhelm me with too much workload so I could focus on school too. I am surprised how smooth it went and how much fun it was. In the end I extended it by 4-weeks so I will work until the end of this year hoping to be able to fly to Japan next Summer or Winter 2021 for a physical internship. I know it is hard to visualize an online internship and you might be worried on how to combine this with school or free time but trust me, it is super easy. Companies understand that this is a learning experience and will sit down with you to discuss a work method that is most efficient and time-friendly for both parties. I learned that this is a super valuable, cheap and easy-to-get experience. I feel more confident and as many, wish I did it earlier.

My university's program got cancelled due to COVID19 so was looking for other programs to join. At first I didn't think about Japan but found Zentern and thought their services fit what I was looking for. Doing something completely different felt very refreshing and worth it so I signed up. Within a week or so Zentern found me an online internship at a local Japanese import and export company. My boss was fluent in English and we met every other day or so through Zoom. She made sure I was given different types of tasks such as translation, contacting new clients or communicating with current clients. After some weeks she allowed me to run a few meetings with our clients because we were in the same timezone. I helped out with product preparations, creating brochures and learning more about how to work and communicate professionally. Of course I wish I could be in Fukuoka but even without being in the office, I felt I was given enough trust and responsibilities. I'm glad I could use my summer holiday to get some work experience through Zentern. The Zentern team responses very quickly, the people are very nice and understand what you're looking for. They'll check in with you to see how you're doing AND online Japanese lessons were included. We also had a few online seminars about how to utilize this internship experience, Japanese work culture and an e-meetup with other interns. All in all, I had a really good time and might do this again soon!

Hello, I’m Milo from Australia and just interned in Japan through Zentern early 2020. I am a Computer Science major and interned with an IT firm in Osaka. I’ve been to Japan before and was doubting between Osaka, Fukuoka or Okinawa. In the end I chose Osaka because I knew my way around and prefer smaller cities. My internship waas awesome. I didn’t have much work experience before but my boss Kuroki-san and colleagues were great. We mainly communicated in English and I was able to fully assist the team to develop custom-made software for one of our clients. The client was a big international firm so being fluent in English and being able to code was a perfect skill haha. People in Osaka are friendly and it was super easy to make friends. I actually planned going back this July but due to the pandemic my plans were cancelled. And that’s why I can’t recommend Zentern enough, instead of going to Japan I am currently working with another IT firm in Japan through their virtual internship program. Zentern has been great, they’re fast, reliable and take the time to get to know you. Prices were much cheaper too and I felt they had better relations with many Japanese companies. My coordinator in Osaka has been living here for a long time so he took us out to his favorite spots and places. The activities were fun too. I was finally able to visit Arashiyama and Uji. In doubt, just reach out to Zentern and see what your options are. Like everyone is saying you really got nothing to lose, only gain! For me, this is an experience that no one can ever take from me and I will always have. Good luck and I will be back in Japan soon!

Prices with Zentern were cheaper and the service sounded much better than other companies. Communication with Zentern and my company went great too. I requested an internship within UI/UX and graphic design and got a placement within a week or so. Due to my school projects, I had a portfolio ready so I was given several task such as designing our client's website which was a good challenge. I also did photo editing and made our company's website easier to navigate. I didn't expect to learn so much. It felt like an online course but with much more responsibilities and opportunities. It was so worth it! Still busy wrapping up my internship and planning to fly over to Japan next summer. Thanks Zentern team and see you next year!

My online internship was better than I expected! Zentern was able to find me an internship placement in digital marketing. It was a branding and advertising company located in Tokyo. I was partly in charge of their social media and research. I helped out with researching and analyzing different brands and countries our clients would like to launch their products in. For social media, they allowed me to create several marketing campaigns as well which was very exciting. The time difference was a bit difficult at some times but we always had a fixed meeting time and date where my internship roles would be discussed and where my work would be reviewed. I was able to work on my time-management skills and sometimes it felt like the office was just a few blocks away instead of another country! Maybe you are doubting whether or not to do it but just go for it! To me, this is the best way of getting work experience! I feel the team members at Zentern really know what you are looking for. My online internship was confirmed within a month. Good luck!

Hello, this is the first time I did an internship online (I had some work experience before but not anything professional) and wasn't sure what to expect. I am in international relations and marketing and was interested in a marketing internship. Within 2-weeks or so, Zentern found me a great placement with a web design studio. I was able to choose from a few places and with their help and assistance, found the perfect work environment. My team was very international and we communicated in English. I worked on several marketing campaigns for our clients and felt 4-weeks wasn't enough so I extended my internship to 8-weeks. My clients were mostly in Japan so the timezone difference would work out perfectly. I was able to finish work before people in Japan start their day giving us a head start. I'm thinking of doing another online internship again soon through Zentern because school will be mostly online from the new semester onwards. I feel this is a great way to improve my resume and to discover what I would like to do after I graduate. My advise to everyone is to just do it! It's a really simple and easy process and your placement is guaranteed anyway :)! Good luck!!

I just finished my software internship with a Japanese company. At first I had doubts about joining and wasn't sure if I will be given enough job tasks to count it as an internship but as soon as I started, my manager gave me several responsibilities right away such as testing, developing apps, writing / correcting code, etc.. I was busier than I thought and communicating with my team online wasn't a problem at all. I felt I learned a lot of new things and the Zentern Team was always checking in to see how I was doing. I'm really happy I went with Zentern. Before applying, I had a few interviews with other similar companies but felt Zentern understood what I was looking for and had way more experience with Japanese companies and they had better prices. This was honestly the best investment I ever made in myself (and it was so affordable!). If you're doubting just like I did, just get in touch and talk with someone from Zentern!

Hi, I just finished my online internship in Japan through Zentern. My university cancelled all programs and due to corona I can't go on holiday. Zentern has been great from the start helping me find the perfect remote internship in Japan. I worked for an international research company where I assisted the business development manager and marketing manager. In the beginning I was a bit hesitant because I didn't know what to expect and how it would work due to the time differences but both Zentern and my host company made sure I felt part of the team and had several projects to work on. Next year I am planning to conduct an actual internship in Japan and can't wait to meet my co-workers then! If you are thinking of doing an internship, a remote internship might be the best way to get started! I learned SO much in such a short time and the whole internship process was all so easy and simple. Zentern was really fast confirming an internship in the field that I wanted.