I finally had some success in my job hunting a few weeks ago. I had been looking for work as a translator, but then this job as secretariat of the Ireland Japan Chamber of Commerce came up. I went into the interview completely relaxed because I didn't think I had much hope of getting the job -given a complete lack of business experience- and therefore had nothing to lose. But the vibes were good during the interview and, sure enough, I was offered the job the next day.
The job itself consists of managing the day to day affairs of the chamber and organising events, etc. It's all very varied and, although it's early days, I imagine it will be more enjoyable than translating full-time. I'm working alone which is daunting in some ways, but liberating too. It's only a part-time role though, so I'll still need to find other work on the side, and so won't be abandoning translation by any means.
One of the coolest things about the job is the connections I'll be able to make. I've already met the Irish ambassador to Japan a couple of times, as well as plenty of influential Irish and Japanese business people. We had an event with Minister Eamon Ryan a couple of nights ago, but alas I didn't get a chance to speak to the man himself. I did briefly meet the guy who was responsible for the PG Tips chimpanzee ad campaign though!
Another nice thing about the job is that I'm based in Ireland House, along with the IDA, Enterprise Ireland, as well as the embassy, which means that I'll be meeting with other Irish people all the time, and not forgetting from whence I hail!
