Work with IMARCS

IMARCS is a US nonprofit, and it works differently from many Japanese workplaces. Every task has an owner, and you're expected to act on problems without waiting to be told. Mistakes are reported right away, never hidden. There are no meetings to decide whose problem something is. Pay follows fixed, written rules, and time off is a set number of days instead of the public holiday calendar.

Every task has an owner. When something is your job, you own it from start to finish.

• If you see a problem, act on it or tell us right away. Don't wait for a meeting or for someone else to notice.
• Mistakes happen. Report them right away. Owning a mistake is always welcome; hiding one is not.
• Small details matter. In a reef system, small details become big problems, so we expect careful attention to detail every day.
• We don't hold meetings to decide whose problem something is. Every task already has an owner.

No. When something is your job, you own it. If you see a problem, act on it or tell us right away. You don't need to wait for an instruction or for someone else to notice.

Tell us right away. Mistakes happen, and owning one is always welcome. What isn't acceptable is hiding a mistake. With living animals at stake, the sooner we know, the sooner it's fixed.

Ask us right away. Questions are always welcome, and asking is far better than guessing when living animals are involved.

Careful attention to detail every day, owning your tasks from start to finish, and telling us about problems and mistakes right away.

Yes. The first 90 days are a trial and training period, and you'll learn alongside our team. You can also study the IMARCS University Tropical Marine Life Support Systems course.

Pay is made only by bank transfer, by the 15th of every month, and includes your commuting reimbursement. We don't pay in cash or by any other method.

Yes. Your pay, raises and time off are set out in your engagement letter and follow the rules on this page. Your full monthly pay is sent by bank transfer by the 15th of every month.

Tell us right away, whether it looks too low or too high, and we'll correct it.

No. It's a full-time contract position with IMARCS Foundation, a US nonprofit. IMARCS doesn't pay insurance or tax for contract staff.

No. Pay is a fixed monthly amount. We care for complex living animals, and they don't keep to schedules, so emergencies, new animal arrivals and other unforeseen situations sometimes need flexibility or extra hours.

No. The vast majority of the time, we expect you to leave exactly when your shift ends. We ask everyone to work efficiently so that overtime isn't needed. Emergencies, livestock arrivals and other unforeseen situations can occasionally require some extra work, but that isn't common and it isn't how we normally operate.

Full-time means 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. Start times and days vary by shift: some shifts start earlier, and others start and end later. For example, one shift might be 8 AM to 4 PM, Monday to Friday, and another 10 AM to 6 PM, Friday to Tuesday. The facility is staffed seven days a week.

No. Instead, you get 10 paid days off a year that cover vacation, personal days and holidays, plus 5 paid sick days. Both start after the 90-day trial and training period, reset each year on your start-date anniversary, and don't roll over.

Ask at least one week ahead. Specialists and assistants can take a single day off without coverage, but not to make a three-day weekend. More than one day in a row needs someone in the same role to cover your shifts, and without coverage it can't be taken. Managers arrange their time off with the IMARCS head of life support, who oversees the facility while they're away.

Let us know you're taking a sick day. No advance notice or doctor's note is needed.

The first 90 days are a trial and training period. Paid days off and sick days start after it. At 90 days, specialists and assistants get a raise of 10% of their starting pay, and specialists start accruing their bonus.

Every raise is 10% of your starting pay and doesn't compound. Specialists get a raise after 90 days, every year, and on earning the IMARCS certification. Assistants get one raise, after 90 days. Managers get a raise every year. Monthly pay is capped at ¥500,000 for specialists and ¥750,000 for managers. At the cap, raises stop and your bonus accrual rises 50%.

Specialists accrue ¥20,000 a month from 90 days, and managers accrue ¥30,000 a month. The bonus is paid every 12 months on the anniversary of your start date. Assistants don't accrue a bonus.

Yes. Submit an invoice for your commuting costs each month, and it's reimbursed with your pay.

You need to speak English or Japanese. If you speak both, your starting pay is 10% higher.

You must hold a visa, be a resident of Japan, or be a Japanese national. Assistants need no experience. Specialists need at least 1 year caring for tropical marine life, as a hobbyist, in a store or at an institution.

No. IMARCS doesn't sponsor visas. You must already hold a visa, be a resident of Japan, or be a Japanese national.

Assistants are eligible for promotion to Specialist after 6 months, once they hold the IMARCS University Tropical Marine Life Support Systems certification. Specialists can move up to Manager, the head of a facility.

It's the Tropical Marine Life Support Systems certification from IMARCS University, our own course on the systems that keep tropical marine life alive. The course is free to study at imarcs.org/university. Candidates who hold it are especially welcome, because it shows you already understand the systems you'll be caring for. Specialists who earn it get a raise of 10% of their starting pay, and assistants need it to be promoted to Specialist.

Yes. Staff get ¥100,000 for each person they refer who is hired and stays 90 days or more.

No, it's optional. Tell us about your experience in the form, and attach a PDF or Word CV of up to 4 MB if you have one.