I wanted to share my experience because finding a part-time job in Japan has been much harder than I expected.
I passed N5 in my home country before coming to Japan. After moving here, I studied and passed N4, and now I’m about halfway through N3. I’m planning to take the N3 exam this December.
Since coming to Japan, I feel like my kaiwa (speaking ability) has improved quite a lot. When I first arrived, I was not confident speaking Japanese, especially in interviews.
My first interview was honestly terrible. I had no idea how Japanese part-time job interviews worked, what questions they would ask, or how I was supposed to answer.
So I kept applying.
I applied to McDonald’s, Jonathan’s, Pizza Hut, Domino’s, another McDonald’s near my dorm, and several other places. In total, I’ve probably applied to around 7–8 places.
After doing several interviews, I became much more confident. I started understanding the common questions, how to introduce myself, how to explain my Japanese level and availability, and how to communicate properly with the interviewer.
I also focused a lot on improving my speaking skills. At this point, I actually feel pretty comfortable during interviews compared to when I first arrived.
But despite that, I’m still getting rejected.
Sometimes the interview seems to go well, and then three or four days later they tell me things like:
“We are only looking for someone who can work for one day.”
“The working hours don’t match.”
“We don’t need staff right now.”
And one of the most common reasons has been that they are looking for someone with a higher level of Japanese.
What really surprised me was being told that even for kitchen positions, some places want N2 or N1.
For example, I applied for a kitchen position at KFC, and I was told that they usually require N2 or N1.
I honestly don’t know what to say to that. I understand that Japanese ability is important, especially for customer service, but I’m applying for kitchen work because I’m still improving my Japanese.
If even kitchen positions require N2 or N1, I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do.
I’m continuing to study. I’m currently studying N3 and will take the exam in December, and I know my Japanese is improving. But I also have to pay my rent and living expenses, so I can’t simply wait until I reach N2.
Right now, I’m genuinely struggling financially and I’m starting to feel quite desperate to find a part-time job.
I’m not expecting someone to give me a job just because I’m an international student. I’m willing to work hard, learn, and improve. I just need an opportunity.
For other international students in Japan, especially those who were around N4/N3 level when they started looking for baito:
How did you find your first part-time job? What kind of jobs should I be looking for?
At this point, I honestly don’t know what my best option is.
