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Imagine yourself working overseas and enjoying a salary that only many could dream of earning. Would you be willing to give that all up just to see what the world’s like out there?
This was the exact scenario that 27-year-old Matthew Tan faced during his time in Japan, where he gave up his job as an engineer over there and embarked on a journey in New Zealand — one that will forever be engraved in his heart and mind.
From growth to stagnation
In an exclusive interview with WeirdKaya, Matthew shared that he was studying Mechanical Engineering at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) from 2016 to 2020 when he first came across the prospect of working in Japan.
“During my studies, UTM had a collaboration programme with a Japanese company and that allowed me to undergo my internship over there.
“After graduating from UTM, I headed over to Japan and worked as an engineer at a German-based company in the city of Saitama for two years,” he said.
Throughout his time there, Matthew grew to learn and love the working culture in Japan, where he was impressed by the locals’ dedication and attitude towards their job.
While he flourished, Matthew was also harbouring hopes of a promotion, which spurred him to push himself and constantly hone his skills. Sadly, the promotion never came.
Aside from working really hard at the job, I even requested to be transferred to another department — all just for a shot at getting promoted. In Japan however, it takes around five to 10 years for that to happen, and I didn’t want to waste any more time waiting.”
Goodbye Japan, hello New Zealand
It was during this ‘wilderness’ period in Matthew’s professional life that he heard about the working holiday programme in New Zealand from a friend who had just returned from one.
Being the adventurous person he was, Matthew simply couldn’t pass up on the opportunity to experience it for himself and ultimately made the fateful decision to resign from his job in Japan and head over to New Zealand.
But as expected, his mother wasn’t as thrilled as he was.
“When I told her about my decision, her first reaction was to suggest that I head over to Singapore instead as it was closer to my home in Johor. But I was thinking to myself, ‘I’m still young. Why not take this chance to see the world for myself?’
“Although my mother was shocked, she eventually relented and gave me her blessing for me to embark on a working holiday in New Zealand,” he recounted.
With that, Matthew boarded a plane to New Zealand in February 2024 right after Chinese New Year to spend the next nine months at a country equally as far away from home.
Of kiwis & ski resorts
Upon touching down in New Zealand, Matthew’s first stop was the capital city of Auckland, where he spent several months exploring and adapting to an entirely new environment before heading for Te Ika-a-Māui, also known as North Island, to start his job at a kiwi packhouse.
During his time at the kiwi packhouse, Matthew was tasked with replacing the machines’ label stickers which were used to categorise kiwis based on their size, where he is paid $26.25 New Zealand Dollars (NZD) (approx. RM65.90) every hour throughout a 10-hour shift.
Out of everyone working at the kiwi packhouse, I’m the second person to be given this task thanks to my engineering experience in both Malaysia and Japan, which allowed me to stand out from the rest.
“As such, my job was relatively easy-going as I only need to replace the labels whenever it runs out and if there’s nothing amiss, I’ll just be walking around the packhouse and checking on the machines. Honestly, it was one of the best jobs I’ve had so far,” he remarked with a laugh.
Three and a half months later, Matthew took on another job at a ski resort, this time as a kitchen hand where he found himself spending most of his time at the kitchen chopping up various ingredients and preparing meals for guests.
“I had no prior experience in the food and beverage (F&B) industry when I was assigned to be a kitchen hand. But what I’ll say is that my working experience in Japan taught me to be disciplined nonetheless.
“This is because many people often have this mindset: ‘Oh, I’m just on a working holiday so why should I put any effort into this?’ But I was deeply influenced by the working culture in Japan so I made it a point to do my job well.”
After spending a brief one and a half months at the ski resort, Matthew made his way to another ski resort; this time being on South Island (Te Waipounamu), where it’s known for its breathtaking mountains, lakes and glaciers.
Unlike his time at North Island, Matthew was tasked with selling alcohol to guests which came with a caveat: he would have to take a test before he could formally carry out the job.
“In New Zealand, the authorities are quite strict when it comes to selling alcohol to guests and both me and the ski resort are liable to a fine if we’re caught selling alcohol to intoxicated individuals by police officers disguised as guests.
“Thus, I was required to study for an online test, which I spent half a day studying and thankfully, I passed the test,” he said.
Another notable difference between Matthew’s experience at North and South Island was that he had more opportunities to mingle and interact with people of various nationalities at the latter by selling alcohol to guests, with British folks being the majority.
Seeing & exploring the world for himself
Aside from dutifully carrying out his day-to-day tasks at South Island, Matthew also seized the opportunity to learn something new in the form of being a ski instructor.
“Since I was working at the ski resort, I had a ski pass and I decided to make the most of it by enrolling in the International Ski Instructor Test, which would allow me to become a ski instructor in either Japan or New Zealand. Unfortunately, I didn’t manage to obtain the certification necessary for me to officially become an instructor.
“Nevertheless, it was still a positive experience to me and I actually have plans to hone my snowboarding skills and head over to Japan to put it to the test before my work visa expires in 2027,” he said.
Despite the minor setback in the skiing aspect, Matthew still managed to experience natural wonders that many can only dream of such as witnessing the majestic Aurora Borealis and the Milky Way with his own eyes.
And for him, it wasn’t just about seeing the night sky come to life, but also an affirmation that he had made the right decision in leaving his job in Japan.
It was difficult for me to walk away from the job as I had worked very hard to secure it. Furthermore, I was forced to stay in Malaysia for a year after getting the job due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“On top of that, that job provided me with a steady and well-paid income and many wondered why I chose to quit my engineering job and start all over in New Zealand. All of these caused me to question myself over my decision.
“But now that I’ve embarked on a new journey in New Zealand, I can confidently say that the decision was worth it at the end of the day,” he said.
‘Try everything’
For Matthew, his word of advice for those considering to go down a similar path is this – do it while you’re young.
“Back when I was in university, I had a lecturer who once told me that I must take the bold step in trying everything so that when I grow older, I can say, ‘Hey, I did this/that at such and such an age.’
“His words really impacted me and gave me a fresh perspective on life. Perhaps this is also why I decided to explore the world by working in Japan and New Zealand,” he recounted.
Matthew also encouraged those who are still young (both physically and at heart) to try their hand at everything as it’s the best time to do so.
“If you’re one who absolutely loves nature, New Zealand’s the best place to take a gap year and explore its surroundings,” he added.
Exclusive Story by WeirdKaya – If you wish to reproduce this story, please ensure that you obtain consent from the interviewee to maintain factual accuracy and avoid the potential spread of misleading information.
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