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Internship at Food Diversity Inc.
Greetings. This is the representative of Food Diversity Inc. We thank you for your interest in working as an intern with us. Many of the students who wish to intern in our company apply for the following reasons:
- Having a passion and knowledge related to diverse dietary cultures, such as Halal (for Muslim), vegetarianism, and veganism through overseas experience
- Have interacted with people with dietary restrictions, including allergies, and wish to contribute to making Japan a better place for them
In these cases, many of you are expected to have already identified the challenges regarding Japan’s food and culture.
3 Things We Wish to Tell You
The Mindset You Need to Have
We continue to remind our student interns that we are not a volunteer organization. We encourage students not to perceive their responsibilities on a volunteer basis. With voluntary work, there is often a tendency to put aside what they are responsible for to focus on others perceived to have higher priorities. In this company, we regard our initiatives in the food industry as our primary mission. Thus, we are working hard every day to accomplish our goals with this ethos in mind.
From Friends and Family
We acknowledge that our business, which mostly partners with those interested in Muslim communities, is still uncommon and rare in Japan. Thus, we recognize that it could be challenging for your friends and family to understand. Unfortunately, there are still a lot of suspicions when it comes to ‘religion’ in Japan. However, as we consider Japan’s ambition to rise as a leader in the global platform, we believe it is inevitable for Japan to accept, dive into, and accommodate the cultural and religious diversity that continues to grow in the country. Your first step as an intern is to explain this to your friends and family to gain their understanding and support.
Our Basic Stance
We aim to expand the Halal and Vegetarian business in Japan collectively, meaning we do not separate one of our missions from the other. Our ultimate goal is “to bring people around the world to eat together at one table”. If you wish to intern in companies working independently on Halal and Vegetarian initiatives, we are regretful to say we are not the right place for you.
Required Qualification
- Have Japanese Intermediate Level (able to communicate in Japanese)
- Have English High Level (able to do business conversation in English)
- Graduate from/Belong to a university in Japan or have work experience in Japan
Internship Recruitment Steps
Step 1: Fill out the registration form
Step 2: Do the assigned reading
Step 3: Please submit your impression from the reading and the goals you wish to achieve in this internship in the following format:
- 1-page essay
- A4 format
- Sent directly to: info@food-diversity.co.jp
Step 4: After you pass the primary screening, you will receive a request for an online interview
Step 5: After you pass the interview, we will discuss and negotiate your job description
Main responsibilities include:
- Guidance counselor for new business
- Digital marketing work
- Writing and translation work
- Administrative work
- Planning new business (for those thinking about starting a business under Food Diversity)
Past Interns
I was able to live my dream working in my third year of university in Japan. Through this experience, I was able to gain practical skills that many other internship opportunities were unable to offer.
I was able to learn how to talk to clients, sell our service, cowork with my seniors, as well as experience business negotiations with managers from various industries.
Our past interns are from top global universities in Japan, including and not limited to Keio University, Waseda University, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Hitotsubashi University, Hosei University, Gakushuin University, Meiji University, Toyo University, Tsukuba University, Osaka University, and others.