Student Stories
IS Student Sophie McCann Discovers Japan through Global Education
By Sophie McCann
In the spring and summer of 2025, I had the amazing opportunity to travel and work in Japan through a placement with SFU International Co-op and the Canada-Japan Co-op Program. The Simons Foundation International Travel Grant offered by the School for International Studies was integral to funding my travels and life within Japan, allowing me to afford my flight, housing, and contribute to monthly expenses such as food and internet bills.
For eight months, I worked and lived on Awaji Island, a rural island off the coast of mainland Japan known for its nature and farming. I worked with Pasona Inc., an HR and staffing solutions agency, which moved its headquarters and many of its offices from Tokyo, the capital, to Awaji during the COVID-19 pandemic in an effort to revitalize the area.
In recent decades, Japan has seen a large percentage of its youth leaving their hometowns for larger cities like Tokyo and Osaka to further their education or to find job opportunities. During my internship, I was able to observe the ways in which Pasona was creating employment and life solutions on the island to attract both local and international employees to Awaji.
One of Pasona’s projects was the creation of the Awaji Island International School (AIIS), where I did most of my work. The school provides free preschool, kindergarten, and after-school care for children of employees in the neighboring offices, many of whom are single mothers. Not only is the education accessible, but it is also internationally oriented, with instruction provided in both English and Japanese. This international framework allowed me to also work alongside a diverse group of educators hailing from the United States, South Africa, Pakistan, and beyond.
My time at AIIS was one of my first experiences working in education, especially in a bilingual environment. Being able to share my culture and language with the children—and learning about theirs in return — was an extremely rewarding experience. The children at AIIS are not simply learning English but growing up to become global citizens through exposure to a variety of cultures.
I also learned a lot about myself through this work experience. I was apprehensive at first about working in education and had many doubts about whether I could create connections with my students. Yet, the fact that it was so hard to say goodbye on my last day of work proves to me that I did make an impact on them, as they did on me.
Living and teaching in Japan was an amazing opportunity for me to build my confidence, meet inspiring and welcoming people from across the globe, and lay a foundation for me to pursue work abroad in the future.
