Paid and Unpaid Internships
Asahi Nihongo offers a wide range of internship options, both paid and unpaid. Unpaid internships are mainly in the non-profit (NPO), media and healthcare fields. The current paid internship opportunities are in the education, tourism and trade fields. For a full listing of the internship fields offered, please follow the link on the left.

Paid internships are geared toward those who intend to stay in Japan for at least three months, and will require either a working holiday visa or regular working visa (see below for more details). The first two months of a paid internship will be considered a trial and training period and will therefore be unpaid. This is done to ensure that the internship placement is satisfactory to both you and the employer.

This time will also be used by the employing company/organization to set up the intern’s health insurance and satisfy any additional visa requirements.

Asahi Nihongo cannot guarantee permanent employment in the internship company, but we will assist you in anyway possible should you choose to pursue a career in Japan.

Japanese Skill Levels and Courses
Although internship participants are not required to take Japanese courses at Asahi Nihongo beforehand, it is highly recommended. The more Japanese one knows, the more valuable the internship experience will be. Internships can be arranged for individuals with any level of Japanese language knowledge, but it will be more challenging for those with a beginning level of Japanese. Internships for beginners include those at NPOs, schools, tourism companies, and hotels.

It is possible to take classes while doing the internship, but due to the demands of work and school it is difficult for most students to balance work and school, and is generally not recommended. We also want our students to have enough time to enjoy life in Japan.

Language Level
Paid internships are available to those students with an intermediate to advanced Japanese language level (take the level check test). We recommend that beginners in Japanese consider participating in one of the unpaid internships or taking a Japanese language course.

Visas
All interns will need to acquire either a working holiday visa or a regular working visa. We recommend getting a regular working visa and Asahi Nihongo can help you through the entire application process for a fee of 160,000 Yen.

Working Hours
Interns are directly employed by their internship company. Most internships consist of a 40 hour week and 1-2 days off. A working day starts at 9:00 am and ends at 18.00 pm (including one hour unpaid lunch break). Depending on the company, there may be changes in the working time.

Payment
Depending on the intern's Japanese language skills, professional knowledge and work experience, wages will average between 700 Yen and 1000 Yen per hour. 700 Yen is the minimum wage in Fukuoka. The payable income tax (20%) is automatically deducted from your salary by the employer and paid to the Japanese finance authority.