Pros
- A very dedicated and welcoming international team.
- Little to no overtime.
- Friendly and hands-off LQA management.
Cons
1. Questionable hiring practices.
When applying for the LQA position, the website specifically mentioned a full-time contract job. I later found out that the contract I would be given was for a part-time position (One with a full-time workload and hours.) I found out that many of my co-workers were given the same type of contract but had originally applied expecting a full-time position.
When asked about the chance of getting a proper full-time position, I was told that it could be possible to move up to a full-time contract after 4 years of work at the company. This seemed suspect to me, since Japanese new hires fresh out of school are given full-time positions with little to no prior work experience.
2. Unequal pay and lack of pay raise.
From the start to the end of my position I was paid only 1,400yen/hour. As I continued to work and talk to co-workers, I found out that other people were getting paid significantly more than I was, including those who had started working after me and had less work experience. I was also told by others that every six months or so one should get a small raise. Not once was I given a raise while working here. When I asked the International department management about the discrepancy in pay, I was told that there was no such thing as a pay raise every six months (even though I had confirmed with co-workers that it was the case.) Management also told me to not discuss my pay with co-workers because, according to management, "they (co-workers) might be lying to you". I was shocked to hear them say that and found it not only insulting to myself but also insulting to my co-workers that I respect and trust.
3. Lack of upward mobility.
When taking on one of these full-time part-time contracts, I soon realized that there was no real upward movement within the company. My other coworkers and I would inquire during evaluation meetings about the possibility of getting the translation positions that we had originally applied for, only to be told that we still needed more experience and it would take time. (4 years apparently). It was very clear they wanted to keep us in these positions with very little chance of growth within the company.