I took the job.
New readers probably have no clue what I’m talking about, but some time ago, I wrote about an opportunity in Korea, which I finally decided to take. But before you threaten to boycott my blog, like what Lena did (just kidding), I’m still in Japan, will be based in Japan and do not expect to move in the near future.
The startup was very understanding of my situation, unlike a certain mega corporation who, when I asked if they could wait for my existing contract to end in three months, said no and wanted me to quit that job in 2 weeks because they “urgently need someone to fill the position.” Six months later, after I renewed my contract, they called again and said they haven’t found anyone and asked if I would be interested to take it. If they had just given me that three months in the beginning or contacted me before I renewed my contract, things might have been different. But I suppose a mega corporation of that scale would assume everyone in the world would give everything to work there.
When I told the Korean startup I couldn’t just abandon my current job and move to Korea, they offered the possibility of me working remotely on a contract basis. That was perfect for me. It’s a startup after all and it’s 2017, so cheers to the modern way of working.
The last time I wrote about my first trip to Korea last May, I mentioned how I thought it’s not a place I would want to live in. Among the few places I’ve been to, Japan and New York were the only ones that made me feel I could live there. To be exact, Japan made me feel like I want to live here. New York made me feel like I could live there. Interestingly Thailand and Korea made me feel like I couldn’t.
Backtrack a little: I lived in Thailand for two months for the CELTA back in 2009.
But after the recent trip to Korea, I felt like it’s a place I could live in and probably want to.
* I forgot to mention I just came back from training at the Korea office.
When I think about it, I realized how spending time with locals can make you fall in love with a country. I remember how I used to think I don’t want to live in Singapore again, but when a client hired me on an ad-hoc basis to work at their Singapore office for two weeks some few years ago, I felt like I didn’t mind moving back because the culture was good and I enjoyed working there. Interacting with people outside my circle of family and friends made me fall in love with Singapore again. Likewise, some 14 years ago when I first visited Japan, Tokyo made me feel like it was a fun place to visit and I wanted to visit it again as a tourist, but when I spent 4 days living at a Japanese friend’s place in Fukuoka experiencing their lifestyle, meeting her family and people around the area, I fell in love with Japan.
This trip to Korea, where I spent most of my time at work, made me feel the same. I was with the Korean people and I felt like I’m beginning to enjoy Korea getting to see the real side of the country, unlike a year ago when all I did was follow my friends to touristy places, hardly meeting any locals.
Perhaps everywhere is a beautiful place to live in if you would put down your tourist mindset and mingle with the locals.
Boycott!! Hahaa. Nah, I’ll follow you even if you fall prey to Korea. 😀
But hey, isn’t this the job that you said will cause you to lose your awesome freelance lifestyle? Was there a change in the arrangements?
In any case, good for you! Glad to know you took it up cos back then (when you last wrote about it) I already felt that you should take it up, hurhur.
What fall prey! Lol
Yes, there’s sorta a change in the arrangements. Since I said I couldn’t leave the current job where I work 3 days a week, they allowed me to work for them 3 days a week as well. Which means, I’m working everyday =\
But working remotely means I get to work from home, so it’s still like a freelance assignment. But to be honest, there’s a lot about this company that I like, so it’s a possible option I may choose eventually. We’ll see how it goes.
oOo0o exciting. Waiting to hear more about it. 🙂
A silent reader here, but I wanted to leave a comment to wish you all the best for your new role! I’ve always been very intrigued about living and working in Japan, and reading your blog really put things into perspective for me, so thank you for that! 🙂
Thank you very much, Char.
Wish u all the best for your new job !
i have a question, but not too sure where to ask (not related to your post), but I’ll ask anyways (pls dun get offended ?). Here it is:
Is airbnb legal in Japan?
Cos I’m planning to go Osaka and would like to consider using airbnb.
Haha, why would I be offended? There’s a post about Airbnb though but anywhere is fine.
Yes, Airbnb is legal in Japan. To be more exact, it’s operating in the gray area because of certain Japanese regulations on operating accommodation services and these regulations are not clear whether or not they should apply to Airbnb. The company has since completed negotiations with the government which will set a limit that each unit can only be rented out a maximum of 180 days per year. When an apartment hits 180 days, the Airbnb system will automatically hide it from search results so that no one can rent it anymore. This law has been submitted for review and has not been passed yet. The earliest it will be passed will be in 2018 since review of a new law takes a long time. But you don’t need to know all these so yes, Airbnb is legal in Japan.
Wow, that was really informative…
thanks for the clear info! ?
Now I can browse the app without worries (there’s a lot of random info on forums, thus the question)
Update: I just learned that the law has been passed on Friday.
https://techcrunch.com/2017/06/09/japan-passes-law-legalizing-airbnb-and-other-sharing-economy-rentals/