Studio Ghibli… In terms of perfect jobs, working at the iconic dream factory is right up there with ‘professional dog petter’ and ‘paid to eat daily multipacks of crisps for some reason’. All three of those roles have always appeared unlikely, until now!
If you’ve long entertained fantasies of uprooting your life and relocating to Japan to work with the anime greats, then now’s your chance. As reported by It’s Nice That, the animation icons are opening their doors, Willy Wonka style, to new staff. In particular they’re after digital painters to join their team.
Okay, before you start packing your suitcase and dreaming of Sakura blossoms, here’s the details: You have to be at least 20 (YES), apply and be living in Japan by 31 May (yes?), able to speak Japanese (ok no) and in possession of some seriously extensive 2D animation skills (damn). The official start date isn’t until 1 October, and you can expect a year and a half minimum contract, as well as a monthly salary upwards of 250,000 yen.
If that sounds like you (lucky), then get applying as we can only imagine that opportunity to work alongside the fabled Hayao Miyazaki at the company’s headquarters in Tokyo starting will be a popular one. Check out the job ad here (it’s in Japanese, of course, thank you Google Translate).
And if like us this all seems a bit unrealistic, maybe just book your tickets to Japan for 2022, when the Studio Ghibli theme park is planned to open.