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Glory High Grace Ltd.
Two-person work with Japanese staff and flexible work styles allow non-Japanese personnel to work with peace of mind!
Corporate information
Business Category: Education/media promotion
Location: Takasaki City
Number of Employees: 26, out of which 5 are non-Japanese personnel
Status of Residence: 4 with “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services” status; 1 with “Long Term Resident” status
Nationalities: United States, Brazil, the Philippines, Zimbabwe
Occupational Categories: Planning, education, translation/interpretation
URL:https://spectrum-gunma.com/spectrum/
Tell us about the nature of the duties involved and your experience in taking in non-Japanese personnel.
We provide promotional assistance with efforts by local governments and other entities to entice tourists from foreign countries and cultivate overseas channels for Japanese products. Some of the ways in which we do so are the production of multilingual websites and PR videos, interpretation, and translation.
We are also engaged in the operation of English classrooms, starting with our “Eigo De Gakudo” after-school English program for elementary school kids.
We have been taking in non-Japanese personnel since 2016, and have experience in recruiting individuals of varying nationalities that include Malaysia, Indonesia and the United Kingdom. Currently, we have five non-Japanese personnel members working for us.
Tell us about the occupational categories in which your non-Japanese personnel are active and the state of their activities.
For promotional assistance, our non-Japanese personnel play active roles in a wide range of duties that include planning proposals for PR videos and consulting for the communication of information to overseas parties in addition to interpretation and translation duties.
Additionally, in our English classrooms, we have non-Japanese staff who are active as English language instructors, and others who oversee areas such as the preparation of classroom curriculum. Other personnel members play a managerial role as head instructors who coordinate other staff members.
Scene from “Eigo De Gakudo” after-school English program
Tell us about the state of education and assistance that you offer to your non-Japanese personnel.
As many of our customers are Japanese, we have our non-Japanese personnel perform work by having them pair up with members of our Japanese staff. Through this framework, which allows our non-Japanese personnel to freely consult with their Japanese counterparts at any time, they demonstrate their abilities to the fullest.
Our non-Japanese personnel can also take training paid by us that they need in efforts to build up their skills, such as preparations for taking the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test.
We also focus on assisting those personnel with aspects of their lifestyle, such as by helping them with looking for a place to live, conducting government procedures or attending a hospital, granting them special leave to temporarily return to their home countries, and holding events for internal exchange such as barbeques and home parties.
Scene from two-person work with Japanese staff
Tell us what kind of skills you look for in your non-Japanese personnel.
Because we communicate with Japanese customers quite a lot, Japanese language proficiency for carrying out duties is a must. Also, largely because we are a startup company, our non-Japanese personnel will experience a variety of duties, and will have to go about their work while recognizing differences between Japan and their own countries. As such, we look for a degree of flexibility that enables them to navigate those areas.
VOICE
Comments by Non-Japanese Staff【June Jungreis（From the United States）】
I oversee a wide range of duties such as the production of PR videos for Japanese products, the translation of websites and SNS, and consulting for accommodations and other facilities that seek to entice non-Japanese guests.
Because I tackle my duties as two-person endeavors with Japanese staff members, I can carry out those duties while consulting on various things as well as share my feeling of accomplishment with those members, which deepens our bonds of trust. Another appealing aspect of my work arrangement is that I can do my job remotely or through staggard shifts, making for a flexible work style.
Takasaki City, where I reside, is easy to live in thanks to its convenience of access and shopping and other facilities located nearby. I spend my weekends in the city cycling, trekking or enjoying other outdoor activities.
In the future, I hope to further brush up on the work skills that I have experienced up to this point as well as my business Japanese ability.
Both producing videos and communicating in Japanese were first-time challenges for me. However, upon attempting those challenges, I succeeded, which is why I say to those of you who are looking into working in Japan: Be aggressive in challenging yourself to do a variety of things without being conventional in your approach.
Comments by Non-Japanese Staff【Nina Sebastian（From the Philippines）】
I am mainly charged with the operation of “Eigo De Gakudo.” However, I also occasionally visit kindergartens and nursing care facilities to conduct onsite English lessons.
I am also in charge of various other duties such as serving as a reporter in promotional videos produced by the Gunma Prefectural Government Office* and as a personality on Radio Takasaki, a local radio station. While things can get considerably hard at times, I have a real sense of my own growth.
Because of the small size of our company, there is little distance between other employees and myself, which makes it easy for us to communicate. Our environment is also an easy one to work in due to the flexible approach taken to workplace rules to suit each employee.
Also, the company purely assesses our skill without taking our nationality into account, which ties into our motivation.
Gunma Prefecture is home to an easy-to-live environment that strikes a nice balance between the city and countryside. It is also home to a large number of non-Japanese residents, which makes it possible to enjoy interacting with people of varying nationalities. On weekends, I often enjoy café-hopping with my friends as well as heading out to mountains to pursue my hobby of photography.
In the future, I hope to engage in the kind of duties that serve to reinforce the connection between Japan and the Philippines.
(*)Gunma Prefecture's official YouTube Channel"tsulunos"＜外部リンク＞
Comments by Representative【CEO Aikyo Megumi】
In learning Japanese and working in Japanese society, foreigners will no doubt encounter many things that they find difficult and unfamiliar. With that in mind, we endeavor to establish an environment that our non-Japanese employees find it easy to play an active role in.
We hope to collectively engage in work that serves as a bridge connecting everyone’s home country and Japan.
