Want a dream job? Studio Ghibli is hiring

A difficult question: What did you want to be when you grew up?

It’s a difficult question because it usually forces the responder to traverse the gap between the idealised sense of selfhood that’s generated in childhood and the rather more mundane reality that is life as an adult. The chances are that the you that you envisaged becoming is a you that never left primary school. When you wake up in the morning, you’re probably not hopping on a shuttle bus to Nasa for another day of zooming to Mars and back.

Anyway, for those of you who whiled away those long, lazy summer holidays of youth daydreaming about upping sticks to Japan and helping Studio Ghibli bring their films to life, you may be in luck.

The animation wizards are currently looking for digital painters to join the team. Exciting, right? Provided you’re over 20, can relocate to Japan by the end of May, speak the language, and can demonstrate extensive experience in 2D animation software, you can apply for the role of a lifetime right now.

The lucky scribbler offered the role will find themselves working directly with Hayao Miyazaki at the company’s HQ, and will likely be given bragging rights for at least six months or so.

P.S. If you’re wondering what we wanted to be when we grew up – apart from staff members at It’s Nice That, of course – the answer is simple: either a lorry driver or the owner of a corner shop. Oh, the limitless imagination of youth!