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TBuker
Joined: 18 Jan 2010
Posts: 2
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 Posted: Fri Mar 19, 2010 9:14 pm Post subject: Questions about non-JET spouse |
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I have a couple of questions for those of you whom were already married to a non-JET spouse during your tenure as a JET. How difficult was it for you to communicate before your non-JET spouse arrived in Japan? How difficult is it to meet your spouse at the airport? What are some of the best ways to communicate with the non-JET spouse before they arrive in Japan, and how long should the non-JET spouse wait before flying to Japan? Any help would be greatly appreciated.  |
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G Cthulhu
Joined: 07 Feb 2003
Posts: 1373
Location: Way, way off course.
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| Posted: Fri Mar 19, 2010 11:49 pm Post subject: Re: Questions about non-JET spouse |
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| TBuker wrote: |
| I have a couple of questions for those of you whom were already married to a non-JET spouse during your tenure as a JET. How difficult was it for you to communicate before your non-JET spouse arrived in Japan? How difficult is it to meet your spouse at the airport? What are some of the best ways to communicate with the non-JET spouse before they arrive in Japan, and how long should the non-JET spouse wait before flying to Japan? Any help would be greatly appreciated. |
The JET is going to be pretty busy for the first 2-4 weeks - it will vary from place to place on what the schedule will end up being. I'd suggest waiting until the initial busy part if over. Meeting at the airport depends where the JET is coming from and where the spouse is flying into. Just like any other country...
I fail to understand the rest of it: are you actually asking if Japan has telephone and internet?!  |
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Apsara
Joined: 20 Sep 2005
Posts: 2142
Location: Tokyo, Japan
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| Posted: Sat Mar 20, 2010 12:11 am Post subject: Re: Questions about non-JET spouse |
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| TBuker wrote: |
| What are some of the best ways to communicate with the non-JET spouse before they arrive in Japan:) |
Email and Skype....?? |
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Lyrajean
Joined: 19 Jul 2006
Posts: 109
Location: going to Okinawa
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| Posted: Sat Mar 20, 2010 2:23 am Post subject: |
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| I second the email and skype. but keep in mind if they are setting you up in an apartment it may take 2-4 weeks before you can get your internet hooked up. so email from your workplace (if they allow) or an internet cafe are going to be your best bets at first. |
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Apsara
Joined: 20 Sep 2005
Posts: 2142
Location: Tokyo, Japan
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| Posted: Sat Mar 20, 2010 3:08 am Post subject: |
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| Being JET, I would be surprised if the internet wasn't already hooked up, since it's very likely that the departing previous JET would have had it. |
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LITTLE PEACHES
Joined: 25 Jun 2009
Posts: 94
Location: ORANGE COUNTY, CA & TAMA, TOKYO, JAPAN
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| Posted: Sun Mar 21, 2010 9:19 am Post subject: |
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I'm not a JET, but a practically Full Time Ekaiwa. I waited a couple months before I had people come out here. I wanted to be settled in and comfortable with my surrounding and actually know about my area. Although my spouse has came out, I came out here for the experience. And through trust it has worked great. I have not met them at the airport as it is expensive to get there and very time consuming. See how JET makes you get to your setting. Then have your spouse do the same thing. It's probably the easiest way to do it. I have all my guests take the bus to my station. It's easy and they are super helpful.
Communication was easy. We have skyped, ichat, email, and I have a phone set up here so we email there too. It's not as hard as it may have been for people 10 years ago. Technology makes it seem like they are here. |
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GambateBingBangBOOM
Joined: 04 Nov 2003
Posts: 2021
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Tue Mar 23, 2010 4:09 am Post subject: |
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| Apsara wrote: |
| Being JET, I would be surprised if the internet wasn't already hooked up, since it's very likely that the departing previous JET would have had it. |
Depends where you are. When I arrived on JET, high speed wasn:t an option- dial up was the ONLY option. So the internet was both expensive, due to the cost per minute, and it was in my name so when I moved it was cancelled.
The motto of JET is Every Situation Is Different. If you are arriving on JET and your spouse is coming after, it may be difficult, because your supervisors may not want to give you time off from sitting at the Board of Education doing absolutely nothing at all for the first month. If you are far from the airport, and you may be far from even a train station, then it may be difficult to get to the airport. If you don't speak Japanese (and possibly read at least hiragana) then depending on where you are, you may not even be able to read the name of the stations as they go by on the train (though this is becoming increasingly rare- almost all stations have the names printed in roman characters).
So you are basically depending on your employer (which is not 'JET') to help you out. Most people are nice, but if they decide not to help you, then there's really nothing you can do about it. For some JETs, the Board of Education does so much for them at first that montghs into their stay in Japan, they still haven't learned how to use the local train line. For others in other Board of Education, 'Not my job' is their supervisors attitude, and even the things that come downt he pipe that specifically tell the JET to get help from the supervisor are refused. It's the luck of the draw. I'd like to be able to say that there are far more that are closer tot he former than the latter, but the reliaty is that there's a reason why dispatch companies continue to be able to work with Board of Education even though the Ministry has actually told Boards of Education not to use them. |
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