I am planning to work in Tokyo for 6-12 months. Is anybody here- who made experience as foreign architect in Japan? Would be glad to hear about- Jobsearch, Living costs, Life, Working Conditions, Work permit, possible funding, language problems etc.
same stories everywhere. very expensive living (esp. tokyo), very long hours (12-16 hr/days, 6 days/week), no pay for interns.
that said, it's fairly common for foriegn interns to go to the 'big' firms - they should be able to help you with work permits. not knowing japanese is a difficulty, but the more international offices have some english abilities.
if you want to work as an english teacher you're all set.
working as an architect is more difficult, but not impossible.
the foreigners i know who work for ito, sejima, ando and so on are all graduates of one japanese university or another. i have heard of others who came here with scholarships to work in a japanese office (no financial obligation on the office) but apparently even this is a competitive approach and applicants with this in hand are turned away.
it seems to work in these offices the best way to get a good job is to have a very good introduction (isn't it true everywhere) so try the 6 degrees thing and so where you get...
alternatively there are many large foreign offices here that you can hava go at. HOK, gensler, that sort of place...
as far as language goes, many japanese in tokyo speak a bit of english but i think to work here you will need at least a little abiliy. If you want to do more than build models i would think you will have to be an amazing individual or fluent (both would help).
tokyo is supposed to be the most expensive place to live in the world, I am told. Personally i thought London was more expensive, but i guess it is all relative. depending on where you want to live and the quality of life you expect in a flat your expenses can be quite high here or relatively ok. 1 room flat in the middle of town and beat up is something like 600 to 1000 dollars a month, and some places won't have foreigners. gets cheaper as you move away from the centre but then commuting gets to be a pain. but this is a very big city and you should be able to find something to meet your needs.
working hours for a famous office can be life-threatening. high burnout is pretty normal, though many thrive in the pressure cooker, or so i am told. i have not heard of anyplace that works 9-5 yet but doesn't mean they aren't out there.
i speak fairly well. enough to do CD's, run a job-site, understand most of the daily news, but i still miss a lot.
when i first started in the office i spoke very little though and had to learn as i went along. luckily my firm was 100% non-english speaking (and infinitely patient) and they expected me to learn fast so i could take on responsibilty just as any of the other architects in their office. so i learned fast.
kyoto is a great city. hope you find what you want there.
Jul 12, 05 2:47 am ·
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Working in Japan
I am planning to work in Tokyo for 6-12 months. Is anybody here- who made experience as foreign architect in Japan? Would be glad to hear about- Jobsearch, Living costs, Life, Working Conditions, Work permit, possible funding, language problems etc.
where are you planning to work? I too am interested in spending a year in japan, after I graduate.
same stories everywhere. very expensive living (esp. tokyo), very long hours (12-16 hr/days, 6 days/week), no pay for interns.
that said, it's fairly common for foriegn interns to go to the 'big' firms - they should be able to help you with work permits. not knowing japanese is a difficulty, but the more international offices have some english abilities.
if you want to work as an english teacher you're all set.
working as an architect is more difficult, but not impossible.
the foreigners i know who work for ito, sejima, ando and so on are all graduates of one japanese university or another. i have heard of others who came here with scholarships to work in a japanese office (no financial obligation on the office) but apparently even this is a competitive approach and applicants with this in hand are turned away.
it seems to work in these offices the best way to get a good job is to have a very good introduction (isn't it true everywhere) so try the 6 degrees thing and so where you get...
alternatively there are many large foreign offices here that you can hava go at. HOK, gensler, that sort of place...
as far as language goes, many japanese in tokyo speak a bit of english but i think to work here you will need at least a little abiliy. If you want to do more than build models i would think you will have to be an amazing individual or fluent (both would help).
tokyo is supposed to be the most expensive place to live in the world, I am told. Personally i thought London was more expensive, but i guess it is all relative. depending on where you want to live and the quality of life you expect in a flat your expenses can be quite high here or relatively ok. 1 room flat in the middle of town and beat up is something like 600 to 1000 dollars a month, and some places won't have foreigners. gets cheaper as you move away from the centre but then commuting gets to be a pain. but this is a very big city and you should be able to find something to meet your needs.
working hours for a famous office can be life-threatening. high burnout is pretty normal, though many thrive in the pressure cooker, or so i am told. i have not heard of anyplace that works 9-5 yet but doesn't mean they aren't out there.
anyway, good luck...
jump do you speak japanese. i was interested in practicing in kyoto.
i speak fairly well. enough to do CD's, run a job-site, understand most of the daily news, but i still miss a lot.
when i first started in the office i spoke very little though and had to learn as i went along. luckily my firm was 100% non-english speaking (and infinitely patient) and they expected me to learn fast so i could take on responsibilty just as any of the other architects in their office. so i learned fast.
kyoto is a great city. hope you find what you want there.
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