Job Discussion Forums

[frazerorr]

Thinking of applying for JET 2004 and was hoping for the scoop on the various different cities and prefectures. I've seen some of their websites but was hoping for something more honest and a bit more experienced than the thoughts of this year's intake.

Anyone experienced a really good school?
Anyone had really reasonable rent?
Where has the best weather?
And most importantly, where is the absolute worst place, the one that everyone moans about?

Thanks in advance.

[easyasabc]

[cangel]

All these questions are subjective but I'll try to briefly give you my opinion. First, I was a JET in Fukuoka-shi for 3 years and loved the place. The further north you are the less humidity you deal with but you get more snow. The south is hotter and more humid, usually. In the larger cities JETs tend to spend more money than those living in towns and villages but there are always exceptions to the rule.

The good thing about housing with JET is that it is subsidized. Most JETs around me paid less than 9000 yen per month with an additional 10,000 yen going to electricity, gas, water etc. Of course if you run your AC or heat, the amount will go up.

The schools are all divided by type, from vocational/technical to average to academic. Typically the lower the level, the worse the students. The academic schools are subdivided into lower, middle and upper. In my experience, the higher level the school is the less creative they are in their English classes due to a very strict linear timeline and syllabus. This is just MY experience though.

You have to ask yourself what you like with regards to weather and location. If you like beaches, go south, skiing, go north. It has also been my experience that people living in smaller cities, towns, villages, have a better grasp of the language. Many choices, choose wisely.

[Glenski]

[PAULH]

[PAULH]

[quote="PAULH"][quote="frazerorr"]May not apply to you but she is from Ireland and they are trying to make her teach with an American accent etc to match the American voices on the CDs, quote]

[cheryl]

Glenski,

[quote]Quote:
The good thing about housing with JET is that it is subsidized. Most JETs around me paid less than 9000 yen per month

I am not a JET, but I thought the amount they paid varied from location to location. Moreover, regarding subsidized rent, the following is snipped from the JET programme web site, so I wonder really how often and by how much rent is subsidized?

quote]

In my prefecture (Saga) all the Ken ALT's have subsidized rents. I'm not sure as to how much our rent is being subsidized but i'm only paying 687 yen a month including a parking spot. The other Ken ALT's in Saga City are definely paying more. Unfortunately i don't know how much more...

Also, there are ALT's who are in Nagasaki and Chiba (and other prefectures that are too numerous to mention) whose rents are subsidized so i'd say that subsidizing is not uncommon.

Frazerror: if you have any questions about the JET Programme, go to bigdaikon.com. Most people in the programe would be happy to answer your questions. As other posters have said before, please try to be more specific.

[bshabu]

I was in the in Takasaki, Gunma. We didn't have subsidized rent. We all paid different rent. Mine was 45,000 yen. That was about the average in the area. Some JETs I knew in the counrty had a house and didn't pay a dime(or yen).

[frazerorr]

Thanks to all for your help. On sites like this I keep running into 'Every Situation is Different', so I'm tying to select places with a good track record on my application.

Thanks again, it's very difficult to find positive postings on sites like this.