How was having a part-time job at IKEA Japan?
In hindsight, it was a truly insightful experience. Since I worked for an IKEA store in Sweden before joining IKEA Japan, it was easy to spot the overlaps and both the strengths and weaknesses of the respective country. I spent a little bit more than a year at IKEA Kobe and got many new friends saw how it was like working with Japanese people. My Japanese level skyrocketed during my time there since I was forced to speak Japanese to both co-workers and customers.
It was more time-consuming than I expected to have a part-time job at the same time as being an MBA student. My particular contract required me to work two or three times a week, which was too much to handle. It’s a miracle I managed to keep a high GPA despite the time I spent at IKEA. The long commute to Kobe from Kyoto also didn’t help. Don’t hesitate to contact me about having a part-time job in Japan!
