Job Discussion Forums

cha muir · Joined: 28 Apr 2003 Posts: 64 Location: Plateau, Montreal

I was wondering if anybody knew if it was more difficult to get into the JET program with a family. Also if the airfare for wife and dependents would be paid for. How about health insurance?

Also, is there such a thing as overqualification? Several years experience teaching in Universities?

Thanks in advance

Celeste · Posted: Tue May 06, 2003 7:59 am Post subject:

I don't think that it would necessarily be a strike against you to have your family with you, but there is certainly a chance of being overqualified. I am on the JET programme now, and when I did my interview, the interviewers were somewhat concerned about whether or not I, as an experienced EFL/ESL teacher would feel fulfilled enough to stay 3 years as an assistant language teacher. Fortunately for me I was able to convince them and I landed the job. I am lucky in that I got posted with the education centre in my city and I am a teacher trainer as well as an elementary school ALT. The elementary school ALT thing is fun, but I get to flex my "teaching muscles" a bit with my teacher seminars where I get to decide on the material and how to present it. Many ALTs don't get such opportunities.

JET will not pay your family's relocating expenses. Your airticket and 3 nights' hotel in Tokyo will be paid for, but you will have to pay for those of any family members accompanying you. When I was at the orientation in Tokyo last year, I did see a few families there. You wouldn't be the first.

Lucy Snow · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 218 Location: US

What I would be concerned with is can you support a family on a JET salary? Is your wife qualified to work in Japan--or would yours be the only income?

G Cthulhu · Posted: Tue May 06, 2003 11:34 pm Post subject:

Having a family won't count against you although you could probably expect to be quizzed on it reasonably extensivly during the interview stage (if you made it that far). If anything having a family may well be an advantage - JET seems to be moving towards contracting more couples and families because they're usually more stable propects than single people straight out of university.

The concern about supporting a family on a single JET wage is valid though. It wouldn't be easy, generally. Your partner and children would be on dependant visas unless your partner has the qualifications to work here, in which case you may be able to find an employer and job for them and arrange a work visa.

National AJET (the association for JETs) run a support/info group for JETs or prospective JETs with families. They can answer a lot of your questions and give you a better idea of the situations families face while on JET. You can contact the group through the AJET Special Interest Group Liason officer, email address at www.ajet.net

cha muir · Joined: 28 Apr 2003 Posts: 64 Location: Plateau, Montreal

well thanks for answering my questions. let me answer yours and then ask a follow up.

yes my wife is qualified to work in japan, (BA, 1year experience in Korea).
how difficult would it be for her to get part-time work and a work visa?

PAULH · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 4672 Location: Western Japan

Cha

probably better for her to apply for a working visa rather than a dependents visa (spouse of a foreign national). On that visa, spouses are only supposed to work no more than 20 hours a week. She could probably do that and pick up privates by teaching at home. It depends on how much she wants to work, I guess.

Bearing mind if you are on the JET program and your wife declares a PT income of over 1 million yen a year or 80,000 yen a month you will be hit for taxes on secondary income, so most wives work to just below the limit.

with a degree she should have no problems finding some part time work IMO.

BTW you have kids? You will have to think about daycare as well.

Celeste · Posted: Wed May 07, 2003 12:41 pm Post subject:

Are your kids school aged? Will they need daycare? If you need daycare, the public ones are apparently quite good according to friends of mine who have a 2 year old son. Also, they fees are based on your previous year's earnings in Japan. Therefore, if it is your first year in Japan, it is quite cheap. Your wife is probably a likely JET candidate. Also, I know a lot of element ary schools are trying to hire female ALTs right now (seems to be a shortage of foreign women who want to work with little kids in F ukuoka city) and she would probably be able to pick up some part time work that way.

cha muir · Joined: 28 Apr 2003 Posts: 64 Location: Plateau, Montreal

Thanks everyone for your responses.

Again to answer your questions. We have one four year old and one due in september. We are planning on homeschooling so we are not too worried about schools.

Right now I am working in vietnam and will be finishing my contract in june 2004.

funny you should mention f u c kuoka, Celeste. When I was working in Korea, on cheju island, i did a visa run there and found it a most appealing city and considered it as a future destination. judging by some of the postings on this board, other people enjoy it quite a bit too. I'm glad you mentioned my wife working as an ALT as I was hoping on working a few more years, going into semi-retirement so as to teach the kids at home.
Are those schools that are looking to hire female ALTS working within the JET program or independently?

cha

MissusFish · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 16

I'm pretty sure you'll need to be in your "home" country when you apply for JET.

My family went to Japan on JET a few years ago-my husband was the JET & my daughter(1 1/2 yrs) & I were on dependent visas. JET will not pay the airfare for dependents-in fact, my daughter & I stayed at home for the first few weeks so my husband could go through the orientation, get an apt, etc. The aptartment my husband's school had arranged for us was 1 room. It took my husband over a week to find a big enough apartment with an owner who would rent to foreigners.

The school was very good about doing all the paperwork for our visas, helping with the bank accounts, insurance, etc(I can't remember if they paid a portion of health insurance for my daughter & I or not-I remember that the price was reasonable). You will also get a small stipend per month for just having kids-I don't know why but a mom I met in my town took me into the local hospital & helped me fill out an application & then the cash got deposited in our account each month. You should check with other parents when you get there.

We did alright on just the one salary for about a year. We lived in the countryside & didn't travel much so that kept our costs down. The second year we were there I taught part time & we could travel more & save. I worked in the evenings so my husband & I could just trade off the kid & we didn't need to hire a babysitter. We did put her in a school after she turned 2-I guess it was like daycare, but they had lessons-music, a little reading(like recognizing the kanji for the street they live on) and English. It was so expensive & then we found out they smacked the kids around a little, so we took her out. I would say homeschooling is the way to go.

Japan is really a great place to live with little kids-particularly in the counrtyside-because of all the bugs & festivals & playgrounds. Good luck!

japanjohn · Joined: 16 May 2003 Posts: 7

Jet is the worst thing that ever happened to me. You will have no responsibilities, no meaning ang generally be wasting your time. Please avoid it.

Mosley · Joined: 17 Jan 2003 Posts: 158

japanjohn: you must come from one super-priviliged background or have a tradition of extreme ingratitude to put down JET in that way. Have you been spoiled? Or what's your problem? JET was the greatest thing to ever happen to me( I come from a non-university educated, working-class background, mind you).

Celeste · Posted: Mon May 19, 2003 12:37 am Post subject:

JET is certainly not for eveyone. I am having a fabulous time with it, but I have found ways to make it meaningful. In the slow times (Winter break, Spring break) when I have had to be in the office anyways, I have created little projects for myself, spent my lunch hours going for walks through the neighborhood(started doing that because of a fear that I would gain weight during my office weeks, but I have actually gotten into pretty decent shape and lost several kilos), found things to do outside of my working hours that hold great meaning for me (I am in an amateur theatre group now- mostly gaijin, but some japanese), and I am taking a Japanese conversation class one night a week.

For JET ALTs wha are feeling isolated, it is vital to learn Japanese. I know when people are feeling depressed and lonely, the last thing they want to do is study language, but it is an absolute must. If you can get past the shyness and embarrassment of trying to comminucate in another language, you will be able to make friends with people outside of the English teachers in your school. One of my favourite people is a music teacher at one of my schools, I also really get on with a couple of the principals of my schools. My Japanese is dodgy, their English is the same, but we share similar interests. The music teacher and I are both opera lovers, and we hit it off right away. The two principals (who I later found out had been really close friends for 20 years -I thought there was something similar about those two) are really interested in travel and gourmet cuisine- two of my major pass-times.

Some people work well with a lot of structure. Others work well if left to their own devices. The interesting thing about JET is that every board of education uses the ALTs in a different way. I am left to my own devices in the office quite a bit, but that works for me. With a few of my co-workers, it drives them mad. For me, however, if I had the rigid structure of an institution like NOVA or some boards of education that I have heard about, I would be really full of anxiety. I think the important thing is flexibility. If you can adapt quickly to new situations, and be able to find things to take pleasue and meaning from, you will be okay. If you have a set idea of what you experience should be, then you may find yourself disappointed or even bitter if it takes another path.

cha muir- Right now, JET does not have enough ALT positions available to provide ALTs to all of the elementary schools, so elementary schools are having to hire privately. I have helped a few schools find ALTs, and some schools are going through a recruiter called OWLS-not sure if I have spelled that right, I think it is an acronym for something, but I don't know what. Some schools are trying to get parents who have good English skills to volunteer as guest teachers, but I have no idea how that is working out for them.

BenJ · Joined: 11 May 2003 Posts: 209 Location: Nagoya

Celeste - you mentioned a shortage of female teachers for children in Fukuoka. Do you have any particular school names handy?