From High-Tech Toilets to Career Dreams: An Egyptian Engineer’s Path to Japan
In grade school, I was scrolling through my social media feed when I came across the technological advancement that is Japanese Toilets. Have you seen a Japanese toilet? Everything it can do? It was amazing. I was astonished. You see in Egypt–toilet sanitation is a very big deal because cleanliness is part of our religion. Every toilet in Egypt has a bidet to help you get cleaned. I have high standards, but Japan’s toilets are on a whole new level.
Thus began my interest in Japan, but it wasn’t quite enough to make my dream of living in Japan just for toilets.
To be honest, going to Japan is difficult when you’re coming from Egypt. If you don’t have an invitation, you need to have at least 2000 USD in your bank account. As a grade-schooler, this felt unimaginable to me. When I entered college though, I got to know a little more about Japan and their shortage of IT Engineers. This challenge had made them keen on hiring skilled foreigners like me! When it started to look possible, I began to dream of Japan for myself.
I entered college, and I followed my architect mother’s footsteps into STEM. I wasn’t sure of my path, as I was too young then, but as I studied engineering, I felt enjoyment and learned to love it. As I went through my course, I became surer and surer that I was in the right place and had made the right decision-especially in the context of Japan.
This was also around the time that Attack of Titan became a big hit in Egypt. Suddenly, everyone was talking about this anime. Before then, I didn’t even know that anime meant Japanese animation. There was no going back after falling into the anime rabbit hole. It was the best. It was a game-changer. It fed my dream even more to one day work in Japan. I faithfully started taking Japanese classes and even joined this Facebook community for Egyptians interested in Japan.
In that Facebook group, the admin posted about FAST OFFER International. I at once signed up.
Accelerating My Career with FAST OFFER International’s Support
I’ll be honest with you. I signed up with lots of other recruiters too. I was hyped to go to Japan. They just asked for my CV and that was it. It was only FAST OFFER International that really put in a lot of effort. Once I gave them my CV, they interviewed me to check my Japanese skills and to find out about my goals. That’s when they had me join the 6-month global classes for Japanese lessons that helped me improve.
Right after that class, they began to look for companies that would suit me. I found out about the companies that shortlisted me one by one. I was told if at least three companies were interested, I would get to fly to Japan. I crossed my fingers as I waited for a third company to want me. Finally! I got that third job interview offer and I was set to go to Japan. Again, without FAST OFFER, it would have maybe taken me 5 years to even get the opportunity to fly to Japan.
Embarking on a Life-Changing Journey: My Sponsored Job Interviews in Japan
After two weeks of intense interview preparations, the day finally came to fly to Japan. I was so nervous. It was my first time going to the airport all by myself. On top of that, the flight would take 13 hours. Luckily, there were two of us from Egypt in the same program, so we became friends and stuck to each other, helping each other navigate our flights without any mishaps.
During that 1-hour flight, we had so much time to hype each other up. We were so excited. We had all these places we had in mind to eat at and to see. When we landed, I zipped to the bathroom not because I had to use it but because I felt like I had waited since I was in grade school to finally see that super high-tech toilet.
After that bathroom trip, as tired as we were from that long flight, we did some sightseeing. Most of our free time would only be on the first day so we made use of it. To be honest, I wanted to do some more–I wanted to go to Ueno Park visit the museum nearby and go farther to the Nara deer park. My fellow Egyptian friend even called me up, tempting me to do some more sightseeing. I had to say no. I already had 90% of my preparations done but I wanted to do some final tweaks.
I felt it was necessary to push myself a little bit more. I wanted to grab this opportunity, but I was also feeling very insecure. Unlike everyone else on that trip, with the least amount of time studying Japanese–two years to reach JLPT N4–I felt I had to make up for it. In truth, I didn’t expect to pass. I was afraid I was going to blow it because all my peers in the program had way better Japanese skills. In my head, I was already thinking of plan B after failing at this. I was already planning to work in Egypt for a few years before trying again to get to Japan.
Navigating the Japanese Job Market: My Interview Experience
With all these anxieties and excitement swirling in my head, I wound up drinking 3 cups of coffee. It was my first-time drinking coffee too, so I couldn’t sleep at all. When the three interviews took place the next day, I suddenly felt calm. All my preparations paid off. I also took in how nice and kind all the interviewers were and let that sink in.
Nonetheless, I was so sure I failed. It was my first-time doing interviews in Japanese and it really took all of me to answer everything. I did my best, but I thought it wasn’t enough. To compensate for my Japanese falling short, I used body language and even hand gestures to help me express myself. This may have helped. Still, I thought it was probably not enough, and I was starting to feel sad. To console myself, I thought I’d just enjoy my time in Japan while I could. Thankfully, I only had to juggle between those mixed emotions for just a little while because I found out on the same day that I passed two out of three interviews. That gave me so much confidence. It finally started sinking in. I was inches away from that dream life in Japan. I got even more excited when I wound up just sleeping a measly hour.
But confidence, preparation, and mentors giving your prompt, experience-based advice made quite a big difference. I felt way more confident during the second round. During the interview with my first-choice company, they gave me a job offer. I was shocked. I couldn’t believe it. I wanted to sign right there but good sense told me to at least sleep on it.
I was so happy. I called my mom, and she was so excited too. We both couldn’t believe it. That night, I went out with my friends, and we had delicious Japanese food. It was awesome. It gave me an idea of what my future in Japan would be like. Though–perhaps with a little more time for sleep.
The next day, at 7 sharp, a person from the company I was to work with picked me up at my hotel and we rode a Japanese taxi to the Shinkansen. It was winter and cold, but I was surprised by how warm the seats were. The one-and-a-half-hour ride on the Shinkansen was also a dream–it had always been on my bucket list.
When I arrived at the company, I could never forget that first moment when the doors opened, and I saw the footlockers. I was instantly transported to Attack on Titan: Junior High. I was giddy as I deposited my shoes. I then met my kind and inquisitive manager. He made me feel comfortable as he got to know me and introduced me to the team. I got to eat with everyone at the cafeteria. Let me tell you, even Japanese cafeteria food is a cut above the rest. It was such a great day. I was so happy to give my signed contract to the HR department. The HR department then hand-drew me an incredibly detailed map of how I could get back to my hotel. She even gave me money for the Shinkansen ride back.
10/10 would recommend! I’m so grateful to FAST OFFER International and the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity they gave me. In Egypt, it’s nearly unheard of for a new grad with no experience to fly abroad to their dream jobs just like that. Most people would spend years getting local experience, and then gamble with trying to get to Japan. FAST OFFER International gave me this extremely smooth way and even helped me nail down that opportunity with the Japanese classes and mentorship they provided. I hope more people hear about this, start taking Japanese classes ASAP, and take advantage of the unique opportunity that FAST OFFER International can give them.
Anticipating Further Adventures in Japan: Beyond the Job Offer
I wasn’t able to go to all the places I wanted to go to that my fellow Egyptian friends were planning to go to. There was so much to see and not enough time. After all, that time was set aside for the job interviews and preparation. But the experiences I did have, from the few beautiful places I saw to the interactions I had with the nicest, most respectful Japanese people in business situations–were enough to convince me of the possibilities. It was an unforgettable, amazing experience. But the best thing about all of it was the fact that it was only just the start. I’m going to have so much more time in the future to hit all the spots.
Just a few tips for Japanese job interviews!
- Put your all into it! Use body language, hand gestures, and your smile!
- Try to stay calm. Japanese job interviewers are really nice, so absorb that. The ones I got were even willing to explain questions that I may not have understood.
- Preparations are key. It pays off to be fully prepared. FAST OFFER will give lots of advice to help guide your preparations too.
Some tips if you ever find yourself in Egypt
- What to eat in Egypt
We have this Egyptian version of Mac and Cheese called Makarona Bechamel. Aside from creamy, cheesy goodness, it’s got some heftiness with ground meat added. It’s something I hopefully can even replicate when I go to Japan.
- Where to eat in Egypt
If you’re looking for a good place to eat in Egypt, check out Sobhi Kaber which is famous for Egyptian food.
- How to get a Japanese visa in Egypt?
Unless you’re rich with 2000 USD in your bank account, you can get a visa to go to Japan through an invitation. An agency like FAST OFFER International can give you an effective visa. That’s what helped me go on that 6-day trip with a temporary visa.
