IamA I’m Rochelle Kopp, a business culture consultant specializing in Japan. Ask me anything about working with Japan, and how Japanese companies tick. AMA!

Oh wow!! I really hope you're still answering questions.

It has been my dream for a long time to live and work in Japan, specifically in internal audit. Unfortunately, nobody else in my family has ever moved to a different country, so I have no one to learn from and no idea how to start. For the record, I am living in the US, currently in my final year of college.

My issue is-- do I want to work for a Japanese company, or an American company? I have heard so many bad things about work-life balance at Japanese companies, but is it the same way for American companies that have locations in Japan? I love being there, but I don't want to be miserable working extremely long hours (beyond those inherent in the audit field).

Second part: How should I approach improving my Japanese for this purpose? I currently have N3 certification, but of course I plan to pass N1 in the future. Will Japanese companies (or foreign companies in Japan) consider me for Japanese work if my Japanese is not yet fluent?

I would appreciate any other tips you have on the subject. Thank you very much!

/r/IAmA Thread