Zentern - Amazing Internships in Japan

As a student of product design in Germany, I wanted to gain my first real work experience. Since I'm half Japanese and pretty fluent in Japanese, my university teachers suggested that I do an internship in Japan. As I am very interested in Japan and always wanted to experience, what it is like to work and live there, I accepted this challenge.

Internships in Japan are still somewhat uncommon and it is very difficult, especially for someone from abroad, to organize it by yourself and to gain the desired internship in your field. There are a lot of uncertainties; whether in application, job interview, or the working conditions. For this reason, I initially also considered to study abroad at a university in Japan. But firstly I rather wanted to finally gain real work experiences as a product designer and secondly, it is super expensive to study there. I was in a quandary and was trying to find solutions. Then I figured out that there are internship agencies like Zentern Internships, focussing on exactly what I was looking for. I compared, contacted and even spoke with three different agencies and clearly decided for Zentern Internships. The pricing was the best and they had a selection of interesting product design companies in Tokyo. Getting to know the Zentern team was very pleasant and I felt like, they understood very well, what I was looking for.

Zentern provided excellent support in preparing for my internship, helping me craft my CV and prepare for my interview. I was surprised and super happy that my first job interview in Japanese with my internship company went so smoothly. Zentern also helped me with the complicated visa registration and with organizing the fitting accommodation. Thanks to their expertise and support I was perfectly prepared for Japan. There was no way I could have handled all of this so well on my own.

The internship itself was very exciting, versatile, and fun, but at times also quite challenging. You get to experience the Japanese politenes and friendliness but also their strictness, high ambitions and their well known work culture and mentality. As an intern they don't expect from you to do any overwork, but their schedules can be tight and their expectations can be high. Yet, these were exactly the things I wanted to learn about Japan — what it is like to work there and how I would like the lifestyle in Tokyo. Throughout my internship, Zentern always offered me great support and advice, especially in challenging situations. They were incredibly friendly and I felt very well looked after and safe. In the end, I was able to experience everything I wanted, acquired new skills for product design and am very grateful for the valuable insights. I have gained more self-confidence and now have the certainty that I am able to live in Japan and work in a company with my Japanese language skills.

I was about to start the final year of my 4 year bachelor and for this I wanted to go abroad, to experience a different culture and boost my CV.

Zentern helped me with finding an internship. It was an amazing experience. Zentern helped me prepare my CV and interview for this internship and the whole process went faster than expected.

Zentern also provided the option to get some Japanese lessons. These lessons were fun and super helpful. During these lessons, I was also able to meet and hang out with some of their other interns. The lessons can be a bit difficult if you don't know how to read hiragana, so try to prepare a bit beforehand. You are welcome to make mistakes during the lessons.

During this internship was I able to work with Tempu-san and Tetsu-san. The project that I worked on where fun, and challenging and helped me gain new knowledge. I was also invited to come visit their clients, where I was able to demonstrate and get feedback on the features that they requested.

During this, I stayed in a Shared House using a Housing Company. I was lucky to find a place with super low rent, close to the station, and near all the right places (restaurants, conbini, etc.). The house was a bit far and the housing options were on the low side. I did not ruin my experience.

It was such an amazing experience, it made me want to go back as soon as possible.

One of the main reasons I chose Zentern was because of the kindness and professionalism of its team. At the very start, Noa (internship contact) made sure to program an interview with me to discuss the type of internship I would like, the field I would be interested in etc. For every question that I had, she made sure to reassure me and patiently answered each one of them. She was also kind enough to prep me for the interview. I can honestly say that Zentern found me my dream internship!
As for Satomi sensei (Japanese teacher), she taught the class with great passion and kindness, taking her time to explain any doubts or questions we had. She made sure that the class would always be fun to attend as well.
The class being fully in Japanese helped me get immersed right away into the language and therefore, forced me to put into practice the lessons I had learned.
Another perk of this program was that, because the Japanese class was conducted in a small group, it was easier to meet and befriend other interns. A perfect mixture for both introverts and extroverts.
I would highly recommend doing an internship abroad (especially if you have doubts) as it really helps with personal growth and to gain more confidence.

I chose Zentern Internships because their prices were competitive, and their aesthetic website gave me confidence in their professionalism. My contact, Noa, was always responsive and helped with visa support and interview prep, despite the time difference. She remained easy to contact even after I arrived in Japan.

The placement process was smooth, and while my internship was less technical than ideally preferred, I still enjoyed it and gained valuable experience. If you're considering using Zentern, I recommend providing all the details they request for job applications as early as you can. This will raise your chances of securing your ideal internship.

Zentern also assisted with housing and visa arrangements, though I encountered some delays on my visa application due to unclear visa instructions. I think Zentern could improve in this area by labelling the visa documents they supply in the applicant's desired language, e.g. English, and staying well informed about the required visa type for the specific applicant.

Finally, I thoroughly enjoyed the fun cultural outings Zentern organised (I paid for an internship + cultural program). I experienced traditional festivals and visited Asakusa, where we explored and had a variety of classic Japanese desserts. We also went to Kamakura and visited famous shrines. Another highlight was seeing the entire city from the Roppongi Hills observation deck. And I got to visit a unique, beautiful aquarium, which was great quick thinking on Zentern's part as our initial trip to Tokyo Bay was cancelled due to a typhoon. All these experiences and more really enhanced my experience in Japan. Overall, I had a positive experience with Zentern Internships and would highly recommend their service!

Zentern found a great company for me to intern at. The managers at this company were organized, supportive, and provided good mentorship. The internship experience helped me grow personally and professionally and was a good first step into a new career field.

Noa is so kind and caring! She gives great career advice. I appreciate that she made time to meet with me in person to answer my career questions and review my resume towards the end of my internship.

It might’ve been nice if Zentern had checked in a little bit more or made their presence more apparent during my stay in Tokyo. I also didn’t meet very many other interns through the cultural events like I had hoped (but the ones I met were fun and nice). This wasn’t always something that could be controlled, but I feel like it wasn’t totally uncontrollable either.

Overall, I had a wonderful time in Japan. I got to do pretty much everything I wanted to do, and I gained so much from my experience. I’m super late with this since my internship was July to September 2023, but thank you for everything, Zentern!