Is JET worth it?
 

Hello I am graduating from college next year and I am thinking about going to Japan to teach English. However, I really don't like the idea of not being able to choose where I live. I do not want to be in the country side, I am very much a city person.

I heard that there are alternatives to JET. For example, my friends showed me this website called gaijinpot where you can make a resume online and send it to various schools. If I applied for a job this way I can at least choose the area I want to live in.

Now the downside to this is I hear that JET is nice because they provide housing for you. I hear that if you find a job on your own that you have to go through this process yourself and from what I heard is pretty painful.

So can anyone throw me some suggestions?

Where is it in Japan you want to live?

In my experience, you aren't going to find a better deal than JET, but everyone's experience is different.

I think a place like Saitama would be perfect for me because it is close to Tokyo. Basically, I want to live on the outside of a major city.

Why would you say it is a better deal?

Also, have you met any people who didn't do JET and were happy with their decision?

If you don't have a specific place you want to go, but just a type of place, go with JET. Put "large metropolitan area" as your first choice. Saitama is not that close to Tokyo, and is one of the most boring cities in Japan I have ever been in. I chose Tokyo, Nagoya and Sapporo, and "large metropolitan area" as my first choice and got exactly what you are looking for, a smaller city between Kobe and Osaka I never would have chosen on my own, but now, 10 years later, go and visit every year. JET chose for me better than I ever could have chosen.

And the hours aren't bad, the responsibilities are low (you are a government employee) and the pay is damn good.

Just go where they send you. Why would you want to live in one of the metro areas anyway? So you can spend all your money and party with other foreigners?

For me, living in the country turned out to be a blessing in disguise. The cost of living is incredibly low, I can rent a 4 bedroom house here for less than a one room apartment in Tokyo. I have a driveway where I can park my car for free. Food costs half as much, and is much fresher. The nights are still and quiet, without the annoying sounds of trains, buses, cars, trucks, and scooters without mufflers.

There is much good to be said about living outside the country. And Tokyo is only an hour away if I feel the need to see the city.

First off don't assume I want to move to a city to party with foreigners. Even if I did, why is that an issue? Is it so bad that I might want to have a good time with my own people once in a while?

The reason I want a city is because I train in mixed martial arts and I'd like to join a inspirit gym or something which is only in major cities for the most part. If I live in the country side I am very concerned that I may not have that opportunity.

But from the sound of it, both of you would recommend JET over any other alternative.

And if you could answer this question I would also appreciate it. How hard is it to get accepted into the program. Do most people who apply get accepted or do you know of people not getting in?

This is my first post since starting JET about one month ago. They placed me in Iwate prefecture, where things are totally different compared to when I lived in Nagoya. I know about three foreigners here (in the city I live in), and I assume that the total number of foreigners doesn't delve very far into the double digits. Despite all that, I've been enjoying things here. The people are extraordinarily friendly, and I've been able to reach out and interact with the locals much more easily than I have been in the past. Would I like to live here for the rest of my life? Most definitely not -- but for right now, working here is like a year-long holiday (although I can't say I'm looking forward to the infamous Tohoku winters).

As for being accepted, it's not hard to be accepted to an ALT position. All you need is a bachelor's degree and a good attitude. I was hired as a CIR, however, and that requires Japanese fluency equivalent to about JLPT level 2. After going through the application process and talking with other applicants, there certainly are people who don't get accepted, even if they hold the right qualifications.

Go with the advice, and go with JET. I'm doing the same, and trying to go next year as well.

As far as I know, it's very competitive. After all, you're competing with people from around the nation, and only a handful of people go (if I had to guess, I'd think anywhere around 100 people). Of course, if you meet nearly all of the requirements to get into the program, your chances of getting accepted is much higher than if you meet only a few of the requirements.

About 25-30% of all JET applicants make it to Japan, so it's pretty competitive. But there are over 5000 JETs every year (about half who are renewing, so 2500 new applicants taken from around the world each year)

Also, you can find martial arts dojos all over the place in Japan, in large and small cities. And if you just want a gym membership, you can find those in any decent sized city.

I definitely think JET is the best deal, especially if you want to live somewhere that isn't in a major city, or even if you do for that matter. It's also the only way (that I know of) to teach in a Japanese public school without having citizenship there. The only places you'd be able to work outside of JET are private schools, and eikaiwa schools.

Applications get released any day now, so if you're going to apply, I'd recommend getting it done a.s.a.p.