My name is K and I am from South Korea. After graduating from a Japanese University, I worked for a Japanese medical device manufacturer for 5 years dealing with international sales, and I have started working in a new field, Regulatory Affairs, at intellim, since this year.
It’s been already 10 years since I started living in Japan, but I still receive a lot of support from my coworkers and feel stimulated every day.
At my previous job, I felt the importance of inspections and the necessity of regulations for the medical devices, and I truly feel satisfied with my new job by learning the knowledge in this field.
2. Were there any problems when you started to live in Japan?
When hiring for an RA position in this industry, it is assumed that an eligible candidate is supposed to hold pharmaceutical knowledge or working experience. Since neither of them applied to me, I felt excited but anxious toward my new job as I had a great concern about not being able to produce immediate results. As I had no experience dealing with domestic business in Japan in my career, I felt that I had to study hard about pharmaceuticals, regulatory terms and details of regulations in Japanese.
However, I feel my business skills are improving little by little with the guidance and consideration from my boss and senior co-workers.
I now have a great desire to contribute to the company through my results as soon as possible.
３．Differences of Health Care System between Korea and Japan
The medical insurance systems in Japan and South Korea both use the same social insurance system and I don’t feel a big difference on the system between the two countries in my daily life. One of the features of South Korea’s National Health Insurance is that it is not necessary to bring a health insurance card because medical institutions in South Korea can access information for all citizens.
The insurance system emphasized on the elderly is one of the common points of both countries, and I think it comes from the population structure. There is a difference in the timing though. In Japan, aging has progressed faster than in South Korea, and a health policy for elderly people over the age of 70 has been implemented. South Korea is also aging recently, and medical policy is expanding for elderly people.
4．Support System at intellim
Of course, our flexible attendance system is one of the things we can be proud of. Most Japanese companies fix their working hours, but intellim does not apply that system. Each employee can adjust their working hours according to their preferences. Through this type of flex system, we can increase productivity and efficiency and adjust work life balance accordingly.
Young workers in particular are now required to improve their skills and grow as a member of society, but it is difficult for many of them to secure time for self-development. intellim provides an environment where employees can study to acquire languages and qualifications, while performing their duties efficiently at the same time.
５．My goals, dreams
Although I have been living in Japan for 10 years, I still find myself not knowing much about Japan. Until now in particular, I think I haven’t had tried much to learn about Japanese society and culture. I want to grow as not only a working person, but also an individual who has experienced studying in a Japanese school and working in workplaces in Japan, while continuing to gain various experiences and studies. In the future, I would like to become a person who can interact with South Korean people based on my accumulated knowledge and experiences.
６．Message to people who want to work in Japan
I think working in another country can be a great experience in your life. My ability as a member of society has improved while having experiences in Japan which I have no chance to come across in my country. And I realize that my perspective has broadened while working with people from other countries.
At intellim there are many friendly and talented Japanese employees, and the satisfaction of employees from other countries is high.
With intellim, you can gain various experiences that you can’t have in your own country while enhancing your expertise.
