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lou lou
Joined: 31 Oct 2004
Posts: 37
Location: England
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 Posted: Wed May 04, 2005 3:29 pm Post subject: MONTHLY COSTS FOR JET ALT. |
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Hi Everyone,
I haven't visited for a while...been busy with essays and exams. I am aplpying for the JET programme in September for 2006 entry. Can anyone tell me an average monthly cost (probably in a semi-rural area as these seem most common) including all bills. I know this depends on where you live but I have quite a bit of debt and intend on sending as much home as possible.
Thank you.  |
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Doglover
Joined: 14 Dec 2004
Posts: 305
Location: Kansai
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| Posted: Wed May 04, 2005 11:38 pm Post subject: Re: MONTHLY COSTS FOR JET ALT. |
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| lou lou wrote: |
Hi Everyone,
I haven't visited for a while...been busy with essays and exams. I am aplpying for the JET programme in September for 2006 entry. Can anyone tell me an average monthly cost (probably in a semi-rural area as these seem most common) including all bills. I know this depends on where you live but I have quite a bit of debt and intend on sending as much home as possible.
Thank you. |
Glenski will be able to give you a more accurate rundown, and a lot will depend on the rent you pay (anything from nothing to 70,000 yen a month), your entertainment costs, food, utilities. Health insurance and pension (compulsory) is taken out of your pay before you get it and national pension will be refunded to you when you return home (about 2.4 months salary if you stay on JET the full three years). A single person on a JET salary if they are not extravagant should be able to save at least 100,000 yen or about $US1000 a month after expenses. I did read a post where someone saved about $40,000 over two years. This meant they sent back at least half their paycheck of 300,000 yen a month.
Work out what you can comfortably afford, take it out or send it back before you spend it.
Remember Japan is only a small country, there shouldnt be a great difference in basic utility costs, rent will probably be paid for. Big difference is in entertainment expenses and what you can spend your money on, luxuries, travel etc. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Thu May 05, 2005 12:47 am Post subject: |
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Doglover has given some very good advice and info. Here's a bit more.
Grocery costs will depend on whether you are vegetarian or carnivore, and whether you can cook, and whether you stick to your home cooking habits or not. Figure on 30,000 yen/month as an average.
Utilities are seasonal, of course, and they will depend on your lifestyle (using air conditioning, for example). Plan on 15,000-20,000 yen/month. Some bills are sent every other month.
Insurance in the first year on the national health insurance plan is about 2500 yen/month but will go up tenfold in the next month. I'm not sure if this applies to JET staff or not.
Phone service is around 5000 yen/month. Depends on the zillion options you get, including Internet service. Local and long distance calls cost money here.
Other than that, expenses are pretty much luxuries. Haircuts can be anything from 1000 yen to 40,000 yen, depending on the shop you visit and the hair management you want. Transportation to and from work should be paid by JET, but I'm not 100% sure of this. If you need a car, you will have to pay for gas (about 114 yen/liter for self-serve at the moment) and probably for parking. Not sure how many JETs have to pay for the insurance or shaken (annual safety inspection). Cable TV will run 3500-5000 yen/month. Going out drinking/clubbing is pricey until you find the all-you-can-eat/drink places and times. If you drink conservatively, figure spending at least 50,000 yen/month. |
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Doglover
Joined: 14 Dec 2004
Posts: 305
Location: Kansai
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| Posted: Thu May 05, 2005 12:58 am Post subject: |
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| Glenski wrote: |
D
Insurance in the first year on the national health insurance plan is about 2500 yen/month but will go up tenfold in the next month. I'm not sure if this applies to JET staff or not.
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Thats ten-fold in the next year, not month. My guess is JET is the same as everywhere else as NHI is government run, and linked to ones salary.
With NHI you pay 30% of the bill when you go to the doctor and the government picks up the tab. Its quite a big hit out of your monthly salary (but considering you are being paid quite a bit more than the Japanese teacher you work with (who gets yearly bonuses though) and NOVA teachers, consider it a cost of doing business a necessary evil if you like. Living and working in Japan for JETs is a privilege, not a right.
Insurance is expensive here but you will be glad that you have it if you have an accident as it covers most situations and paying at the hospital is pretty painless rather than paying 100% and waiting for a refund from your insurance company. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Thu May 05, 2005 2:39 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| Thats ten-fold in the next year, not month. |
Oh, yeah, that's what I meant. Your second year payments are 10 times the first year's payments. |
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lou lou
Joined: 31 Oct 2004
Posts: 37
Location: England
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| Posted: Thu May 05, 2005 8:21 am Post subject: |
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Thank you both very much, your information has been a great help. I just need to convince them that I'm the person for the job now!
Cheers. |
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goman72
Joined: 11 Aug 2004
Posts: 61
Location: Gosford, NSW, Australia.
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| Posted: Thu May 05, 2005 4:27 pm Post subject: |
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Whoa whoa whoa!!
Wait a minute, let me get this right, this Y 2500 p/mth contribution will rise to Y 25,000 p/mth ??
This comes into effect next year for everyone ?? (even 1st year workers) or for those people in Japan working in their second year of employment ??
I tend to interpret things in a variety of ways so please explain carefully, thanks !!
CG |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Thu May 05, 2005 8:56 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
Wait a minute, let me get this right, this Y 2500 p/mth contribution will rise to Y 25,000 p/mth ??
This comes into effect next year for everyone ?? (even 1st year workers) or for those people in Japan working in their second year of employment ?? |
It's not some magical thing that happens just next year. Here's the deal.
If you work in Japan for a year, the government has no record of what you made the previous year, right? So, if you join national health insurance when you start here, you'll have to pay 2500 yen/month. In your second year, they have a record from your first year of earnings (assuming it was FT work through a legitimate employer who pays taxes). So, in your second year, you will have to pay roughly 10 times that amount, or 25,000 yen/month. (Fortunately, it's only for 10 months, but it still gives you 12 months of coverage.)
The kicker is not the raised payments. Yes, that alone stinks, but the kicker is that even if you didn't have national health insurance the first year (perhaps you had your own private plan from abroad, then decided to switch to NHI in your second year), you will still have to pay about 25,000 yen/month in your second year.
Moreover, if you had a private insurance plan your first year, when you decide to join NHI in the next year, you will have to make all the payments for NHI for that first year as well. I think they can do this even if you have not joined NHI for 2 years, which can make for quite a hefty load of back payments. |
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