Internship Experience – Mirei Satoh

1. My job description

I conducted my internship at Q International School under the Student Services department for 3 weeks.

My responsibilities were writing weekly blogs, preparing events, researching activity ideas, taking photos for social media, and researching study abroad agencies in Japan.

Also, every week, there is a new student orientation and graduation. I was helping the new students and current students with various tasks. I also helped visitors at the reception desk sometimes.

2. What I learned through work

The weekly blogs were written in various languages such as English, German, and Spanish, and Korean. I was in charge of Japanese blogs. My supervisor will decide the topic for this week and it is usually about American culture, English tips, or San Diego, California.

Q International School offers a variety of student activities, including soccer, hiking, and farmers’ market visits. You can make international friends from Q International School and learn about the local culture too! I suggested an activity for April. I was very pleased that I can propose an idea by thinking outside the box and make adaptions.

I also took many photos for school Instagram posts. So I began to think about how to take the best shot. I’m glad that I gained a new perspective on how this company will use photography for marketing and what kind of photos they are looking for. I also took photos of the students’ graduation ceremony. I did not have much experience before as a group photographer but it was fun!

At the reception desk, I felt greeting with a loud voice is very important. I realized this thing that when a person came in, it was my attitude that made the first impression of the company.

One day, I went to a Microsoft store and attended a LinkedIn workshop. Linkedin is an international network tool that connects with many companies, and I learned a lot in the training because it taught me how to create my profile and how to use it. Now I have my LinkedIn account and I will use it for job hunting!

3. Challenges

My tasks were not so difficult, but it was difficult to understand the job content in English. I didn’t want to have any discrepancy between what I understood and what I was instructed so I checked my work carefully.

Also, it was very difficult to understand the requests of visitors and students. I realized that the people around me were speaking slowly and easily. I think that my English listening skills improved the most!

4. What I thought was important

The most important thing about working is that you have to be active. I realized that it was important to remind myself: “Don’t be shy.”-I think this is the word I heard the most. Especially when I work with other people, I need to remember that all the time.

I felt that humbleness, regarded as a Japanese virtue, was not necessary in the United States. What you want to convey cannot be conveyed unless you tell the other person clearly. Also, it is very helpful to communicate if you use more facial expressions and gestures.

5. From now on

Through this internship experience, I learned that I should speak more positively. I learned that it is very important to communicate my ideas to the other person clearly. Also, after experiencing the marketing department I became interested in marketing.

Developing your ideas with thinking outside the box is an experience you can hardly do in Japan. When I return to Japan, I will be more aware and active with everything. And I want to do what I want to do!!

At Q International School, my supervisor accepted my proposal and allow me to take ownership so I was able to work easily. All the staff were kind and make me feel comfortable.

Above all, I was very inspired by the students from different countries. I could learn about many different cultures and the students were always fun and cheerful. I think the experience of working at a language school in the U.S. has taught me a lot of things. and I had to speak English all the time. I had a very good time at Q International School!