“Don’t just look for the job you had—look for the problems you can solve. That’s where your opportunity lies.”
When David moved from the UK to Japan with his wife, he thought his background as an engineer would make it easy to land a job. He had ten years of experience, a master’s degree, and a CV full of successful projects.
But Japan had other plans.
“I sent out over a hundred applications. Some companies didn’t recognize my qualifications, others required near-native Japanese. For the first time in my life, I felt like my career had hit a wall,” David recalls.
Months went by, and with every rejection, his confidence shrank. He questioned whether the move had been a mistake.
👉 Turning point
One day, while helping a Japanese friend prepare a presentation for an international conference, David noticed something: his friend’s technical knowledge was excellent—but he struggled to explain it clearly in English.
David stepped in, polishing the slides and coaching him on delivery. The presentation was a hit. Soon, word spread. Colleagues started asking David for help with their own projects.
That’s when the idea clicked: instead of forcing his way into a traditional engineering role, why not carve out a niche that combined his technical expertise and his native English?
👉 Building something new
David launched a small consultancy offering technical communication training for Japanese engineers. At first, it was just a side hustle—coaching a few clients at cafés or over Zoom.
Within a year, he had contracts with several companies preparing teams for international collaborations. His services expanded into workshops on cross-cultural communication, project documentation, and presentation skills.
💡What started as a career setback had transformed into a business that not only sustained him but gave him a sense of purpose.
The Takeaway
David’s story is a reminder that expatriation isn’t always a straight path—it’s often about reinventing yourself.
“Moving abroad stripped away my comfort zone,” he says. “But it also forced me to see opportunities I never would have noticed back home.”
For other expats facing career frustrations, his advice is clear:
“Don’t just look for the job you had—look for the problems you can solve. That’s where your opportunity lies.”