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Under the guidance of teachers and seniors
While gaining practical experience
I want to continue working in Japan!
2025.07.31
Working abroad is a major challenge in life. What experiences have Specified Skilled Worker gone through to get to where they are today? What dreams do they have for the future? We introduce the careers of these challengers.
Nicknameアキラ (36 years old)
Specified Skills start date: December 1, 2021
Length of stay: 10th year
Origin: Myanmar
Interview conducted on December 23, 2024
I attended night school while working at a bank.
After graduating from university, I worked in sales at a bank. Around that time, I heard stories from a friend who was attending a Japanese university, and my longing for Japan began to grow. So, I attended night school for two and a half years to learn Japanese. Balancing work and studying every day was tough, but my understanding of Japanese deepened, and I gradually gained confidence. A strong determination to "definitely go to Japan" kept me going.
During the interview, my experience as a banker and my familiarity with calculations were appreciated, and I was hired. I joined the company in 2015.
My dream life in Japan has begun.
After arriving in Japan, I had a five-month internship period where I received guidance from my supervisor, Professor Muroi. I lived in the dormitory with two other people from Myanmar, and we got along well, so it was a fun and memorable experience. Japan was as beautiful as I had seen in pictures, and the dormitory was clean and comfortable. However, although the work seemed easy, actually doing the wallpapering was much more difficult than I had imagined, and I struggled with it.
Gradually, I gained physical strength and was put in a position to teach younger students.
In my second year, I became able to apply vinyl wallpaper to flat surfaces, and I had more opportunities to practice under the guidance of my seniors. In my first year, I mainly did putty work, and my body wasn't used to it, so I got tired easily, but as the amount of work became half wallpapering and half putty work, I had more physical stamina. Furthermore, I had juniors, and I gradually became in a position to teach them what I could do.
I teach younger students as an instructor at a Japanese language school in my home country.
After completing my third year, I returned to Myanmar and taught the putty and surface preparation processes to the fourth group of trainees who were scheduled to work at Kanefuji next, at a Japanese language school there. I also taught them the basics of Japanese and the fundamental tasks I had learned at the company's training center, putting my experience to good use. After about a year of training, I returned to Japan with the fourth group of trainees, and my work in Japan restarted. A new challenge had begun.
I want to expand my field of activity as a craftsman!
Since transitioning to Specified Skilled Worker (i), my responsibilities have increased, and I'm now in more situations where I need to make my own decisions. I've become able to appropriately respond to situations, such as repairing or replacing parts that have been bumped during work, and my confidence in my work has grown.
We made our first appearance at the 33rd J-CIF Kanto Skills Competition and the J-CIF National Skills Competition.
I practiced at the training grounds in preparation for the competition, receiving guidance from Professor Muroi, and continued practicing after work and on Sundays. With the support of my company, I was able to grow even more.
In 2023, I passed the national certification exam for Level 1 Wall Covering Certificed Skilled Worker.
After three years of experience as a foreman, I aim to become Specified Skilled Worker (ii)
After gaining three years of experience as a foreman, I plan to move on to Specified Skilled Worker (ii). I want to continue working in Japan.
A message from senior employee Muroi
When I heard we would be accepting a Myanmar national, I was worried about the language and cultural differences. We had to be especially careful about religious dietary restrictions, and teaching him was a challenging start from scratch. However, once he was on-site, his seniors guided him, and he gradually adapted to the environment. We thoroughly taught him the basics of the job, and he proved to be incredibly talented. I failed the national Level 1 Wall Covering Certificed Skilled Worker three times, but he passed on his first try. He truly possesses remarkable talent.
