AWWW SHARON BBZZZ

Yep definitely doable! So glad you're enjoying my channel :D

Aw! Thanks so much for the compliment :D Let me know if there's anything you'd particularly wanna see from my channel! Good luck for your JET journey!

Hi Logan! Glad you found my vids helpful and interesting. If you're planning to apply for JET, let me know if I can help in any way! And defs stay connected through KZfaq!! :)

Aw thank you for such kind words Sanath! Saving money is already important in your home country, but probably more so in a foreign one!!! Japan is so good at draining your money sometimes... lol! Thank you and you take care too!

Yea it honestly ain't much if you splurge on food + gadgets and stuff!!! I try to save lots of money cos I wanna travel HAHHA good luck!!!!

Good luck! Let me know if I can answer any questions that you & your husband may have! :)

Glad that the video helped! All the best for your JET journey!!!! Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions about JET/life in Japan in general :) Stay connected! xx

Hi Nico! Yea JET program pays pretty well! Though you'd need to be able to support yourself in the first month, which would cost ~USD$1500. Glad this video helped! And hope you can make it to JET sooner or later :)

Hi Sealea! Really glad to hear that you're enjoying my videos! Man, Chicago is such a lovely city though.... eat as much deep dish pizza as you can before you make it here! It'll be hard to find them in Japan!!! hahahhaa. Good luck for your application, and please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions about JET/life in Japan. Also let me know if you have any ideas for my future videos! Would love to cater to your needs :) Take care! xx

Sealea Bennett I’m starting college this year but I’m thinking in taking this path as a career choice. However I’m really worried about student loans. How do you plan to pay student loans while staying in Japan? I’ve been really stressed about this early in so I can make a plan and be prepared

glad to hear! let me know if you want me to answer any questions :)

Caradventures thank you so much! Is it possible to email you?

You can get in contact with me through my Facebook page! (link in description box)

Caradventures thank you! Also thanks for the quick replies lol

Glad to hear you like my videos! Definitely give JET a shot; it's a lot of fun! I wonder what your cousin looks like.... is he/she Chinese? haha!!!

Hi Hadijah! All the best for your move to the inaka! Which prefecture will you be going to? So I'm a slightly different case because I bought a car. All my other friends rent cars in my town and they pay about USD$330 each month for it. I bought my car with USD$2600, and have to pay USD$125 for insurance every month. Gas per month costs about USD$80. Also an annual car tax of USD$400. So yea... it's expensive :( Renting may not be a bad idea!

I'll be heading to Kumamoto Prefecture. Thanks for the info on renting cars! At least now I know I have options!

You have to go to the conbini (7-Eleven, Mini Stop, Family Mart, etc.) and you can pay your bills there. It's very easy. Also, even though Japan has this image of being hi-tech and all, most of their banks do not provide online banking. Shinsei Bank was the first to provide it and is the most foreigner friendly since it has an English website too. :) I really hope I'll be able to choose my bank when I'll arrive there this summer because Internet banking is so useful! You can keep an eye on your expenses and all... ^^ Most JETs I know have not access to Internet banking though.

I pay my water and electricity bill at the conbini, but I have to go to a certain gas store to pay my gas bills... it's inconvenient. Rent is deducted automatically from my bank account though. And yeah Japan's really behind on online banking.... I rarely check my account because I can't be bothered to go to the bank.......... also the counters in banks close at 3pm in my city so.... I'm never gonna make it LOL (ATMs there open til 4.30pm tho, and ATMs in conbinis have later hours than that)

All Japanese banks have online banking system which are networked all banks in Japan. But, the menu screen shows only Japanese. The screen has a small amount of Kanji such as "振込" "振替" "口座番号" "第四銀行" etc and numerical numbers for Bank Account No. and Money Quantity. So, Cara-san can use the system because she knows Kanji very well. All public utility charge such as electricity, water, gas, can be paid from your bank account by the application document to the bank. Income Tax, Local Tax, NHK fee can be also paid from your bank account by another application document to the bank. Except small family base shops and gas stands in local village, you can pay by your credit card at all most all shops in Japan including super markets and gasoline stands. I think JCB, Japanese VISA, Japanese MASTERS are better for this purpose. For instance, the super markets "NARUS" and "HARASHIN" in the Inaka Cara-san lives accept credit cards.

There was a problem when I was trying to set up my online banking account... so I've never had one!!! And I also cbbs to do the application for automatic money transfer so I pay my utilities at konbinis/gas store HAHAHAHAH Also how do you know that Narus and Harashin are the major super markets in my area??? I thought they were only in Niigata XD

I am one of residents in Niigata Prefecture.

Hm, I don't think it's the Japanese ability. Maybe it's the SoP, becuase I heard that it's quite a large part of your application o_O

I'm applying right now. Did you include everything necessary and ensured there were no errors? A lot of requirements are very specific and if you send in an unofficial transcript rather than an official one, you can get disqualified. Be sure to read all the instructions carefully. Also, it's not highly competitive. They will take people with little experience but a good Statement of Purpose. It's also a luck of the draw; if less people apply in your area, you're more likely to get accepted.

Sav-Chan I did everything I was supposed and checked 3-4 times to make sure. I just think it was the competition. There are so many that apply, they probably just pick a name out of a hat.

@Nyxiom Hiru That might be an interesting way to extend your stay though, if you either reach the 5 year cap or decide you want to remain but not with the program.

@Nyxiom Hiru yeah.. this i agree. Getting to Japan is hard. but once there, doors open. Many companies dont provide visa sponsorship. But they can help you change your starus

Yes! You can opt out of driving simply by not checking the "I can drive" option on the application form. And the tests are JLPT tests! Many ALTs take them to see where their language skills are at while they're in Japan. Good luck!

Hi Justine! Glad to hear that you found this video helpful :D I brought my iPhone (that I bought in America) with me and it works perfectly fine with a Japanese sim card so I think yours should work as well! That said, make sure to check online if the frequency of your phone works in Japan. If not, you may need to buy a new phone :/ Hope this helps!

Caradventures Thank you! I will definitely check before I buy my new phone. Your videos are awesome by the way!! Thank you. Justine 😊

Really?????? How much are the utilities in Tokyo approximately???

really!? where!?

Whether or not your house is furnished really depends on where you are/what type of housing you're getting (either provided or not provided). My house in Niigata was all furnished but now in Tokyo, I had to buy everything myself. Hence, the settle-in process will cost differently depending on your house situation... for my recent move to Tokyo, I spent at least 400,000yen to sign a contract, move my stuff from Niigata to Tokyo, and buy new furniture/necessities (bear in mind I already got a lot of furniture for free from online!). It's expensive >

Hey Chelsea, thank you for your question! There's actually a lot of Asian ALTs on the JET program. In fact, I recently wrote a Gaijinpot article about my experiences being an Asian ALT (which you can check out here: blog.gaijinpot.com/fighting-stereotypes-school-asian-alt/). I was 22 when I was accepted into the program haha, right after I graduated from college. Also, you don't need an English proficiency certificate to apply to JET because your English should be at native proficiency as an ALT. Hope this helps!

^ I also want to know what 4gb phone plan is only ~$16 USD :D

Hi there! I brought my American iPhone with me to Japan and didn't have to buy a new phone here. The plan that I'm with is actually not a "proper company" per se HAHA so like, on my phone it says docomo, but it's not really docomo. The company shares the same network with docomo but it may not have as strong signals as docomo does, and it may not have as much coverage as docomo does. (A docomo internet plan may cost well up to 8000yen/month) But yea, I live in the inaka and have had no problems so far with phone calls and internet so I'm really happy with it! If you wanna check this company out before you come, here's the link: www.iijmio.jp/hdd/spec/ (actually looks like I'm on the 3GB plan, not 4GB LOL) Good luck! Let me know if you have any more questions :)

was about to ask about your phone plan but you already answered here (=

This plan literally just came out last year!!! You guys are super lucky!

Ahh thanks for the info! I'll definitely look into it :) I'm an incoming JET and trying to save money on as much as possible lol

It won't be a big problem I think! Japanese people just tend to open up more when they drink but if that's not what you usually do then that's fine too!

I drive a 2003 Honda Aria. I bought it off one of the former JETs so it cost me ~USD$2600. It was a veryyyy goooooddd price for a white plate to be honest. And of course--in fact almost everyone buys second hand cars here!!! Most of them are good, thanks to the biannual car check system in Japan lol. Ask your predecessor about the car situation--he/she will know about the system in your city much better! Good luck!

Nope, don't think there's any bias on this (since I got in as an Asian foreigner too.. hahah). I know quite a few Asian JETs so you should be fine. I'd say that percentage is about 10% within the JET community

Kevin Abroad The First thing she mentioned was Rent, LOL. Skip to 2:22.

Oh ffs LOL. I'll have to re-watch again

HAHA Kevin, time to work on your attention span :P And interesting... I've never thought about doing a live stream. But I'm down to do it! Will try to gauge interest in the next couple videos. Thanks for the suggestion!

Hey! That video scared me omg but I did notice quite a few differences between that guy and me: 1) That guy was probably NOT a JET. JET's base salary is 280,000, not 225,000. And JET also pays for the whole year and not 9 months. Private companies tend to just pay for 9 months though. 2) We don't have to pre-pay rent or anything like that.. and I don't think there's a penalty for breaking contract. 3) Seeing the doctor does NOT cost 15000 yen. We're covered by insurance on JET so a doctor visit + medicine should cost no more than 2500yen. (Of course, that's for a typical cold, not for surgeries or anything more serious) 4) Tax is also not THAT expensive...It's 6200 yen per month for me. 5) My health insurance is also like half of what he had to pay. There are so many differences between his and my circumstances! Not saying he's exaggerating, and I wasn't lying either, but as all JETs say, ESID (Each Situation Is Different) so we can all get very different treatment depending on our placement! Some people don't even have to pay rent.. unfair, hey?!

Hey thanks for watching it! And it does make sense that the person wasn't an JET ALT and that you get certain advantages when being an JET ALT. So does it mean that ALT jobs have more benefits to it than what the person in the video had (and possibly for other ALT?). It's seems quite important to take this into account considering the differences between you and the person in the vid!! :o

Hey! I'm in Niigata :) What do you want to know about?

@@Caradventures Hi, Cara. Any cities you'd recommend?

yes!

Yea no I'm happy with the pay, and living in the countryside means I don't have many things to spend on! If you don't break contract and leave Japan within a month after your contract ends then your flight home will be covered by the JET program.

Hi! That depends on where you're coming from I think. For my situation, I had to go to the Farewell Reception to get my passport back! (I'm sure though that if that's your case as well you could arrange a different time to go to the consulate to get it) Other than that it was just dinner with other JETs and networking with the high officials. Don't think it's super bad to miss it! (that said, it WAS a good chance to meet other JETs going from your city) And the pre-departure orientation was pretty helpful! Really gave us insight on what life in Japan is going to be like/what to pay attention to. Also a good chance to meet other JETs haha and ask any questions you may have. Are you asking because you may not be able to attend these events?

Ah, I'm from the Sydney consulate and we were told to hand in visa applications and passport to the consulate in person but now that I think about it, maybe we won't get our passport back straight away lol. Thanks for answering! I just don't think I will be able to make it to the Farewell Reception but am going to the pre-departure orientation and was just wondering what I could expect ^^

Oh my you're coming from Sydney as well!!!!!!!! So stoked for you! So last year we handed in our passports at the pre-departure orientation (which should be in early July right?) and got them back at the farewell reception (late July). A few people couldn't make the latter so they just arranged individual pick-up times with the consulate. It's nbd tho the consulate was pretty considerate about it! (and if Rafael is still working for the JET department, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE say hi to him for me!!!! He helped me A LOT on my application journey >_

Yes I am! I just get confused because I know you did the interview etc. at Sydney but you live in Los Angeles? Things must be different this year then! As we can go hand them in applications in person. The pre-departure orientation is near the end of June this year. And yes Rafael still works for the department, he's so helpful! Will I see him at orientation or should I just say hi for you in an email? Again thanks for answering my questions!

HAHAH yes I lived in LA but I'm Aussie by nationality so I had to do my interview in Sydney and fly from Sydney! Oh things are earlier this year! The events are fun to go to though hehe. You can just say hi to him the next time you see him!!! He should be there for both the pre-departure orientation and farewell reception. Good luck, and let me know if you have any questions regarding JET/life in Japan in general :)

You're pretty much pressured to go! But don't have to pay if you don't :)

once every two years* not 2 times per year

There used to be an age limit as JET was targeted at younger people, but when I checked recently it looks like it has gone. So any age should be fine. I don't know how they would react if an old age pensioner tried to sign up though ?!!

Most JET participants are in their 20's, but there are a few 30-year olds in my town, and in the Tokyo orientation I definitely saw a 50+ y.o. participant so yea... don't think there is one!

Caradventures oh ok thank you.. that makes me hope xD another question I am from Germany, so english was and is not my mother tongue but i know 4 languages incl. english do I have a high chance to do JET or is it the same as a JET applicant from english countries?

+Kirigaya Kazuto . The vast majority of JETs come from English speaking countries such as USA, Canada, Australia, NZ, and UK. I don't want to rain on your parade, but the chances of getting an ALT position if you are German are probably somewhat limited. If your Japanese is advanced, then you could try and get a Coordinator for International Relations (CIR) position. For example the JET website states that last year there were only 2 german ALTs (and they were in their 4th year), but 17 CIRs (including 8 new ones). You might be best to contact the Japanese Embassy in your country and see what they recommend. But it seems that in general, if you are from a non-English speaking country your only chance is to be excellent at Japanese and apply for a CIR position.

Yea it's definitely rare to see ALTs from non-English speaking countries. That said, though, there is indeed a Swiss ALT near my town!

My house's owned by the Board of Education in my city

You can put in preferences, but most of the time you won't get where you want to go :/

Ah, the 200,000yen included accommodation, car rental, and expenses on the trip that's why!

Not a problem at all if you're placed in a big city with well-connected public transportation :)

Yep! I know both couples on JET, and only one partner on JET and the other coming to Japan as a dependent :)

Oh no! Then gotta budget even more >

Yea of course! About 70000-100000 yen per month

Not between the school and the teacher! Mine was between the Board of Education and me. On the JET Program, ALTs can only work up til 5 years

Yea it really doesn't justify a college degree to be honest... To me, JET is only a cultural experience for a couple years lol! Can't do this for my whole life gawd nooo

Your nationality and certification don't matter on the JET program--you'll be paid more as you progress to the next year, but everyone gets the same salary!

oh i c, thanks a lot for replying :), awesome channel keep up the awesome content!

salaries differ also on each city budget, I live in Saitama and one of our JET gets 300,000 monthly, the other cities around or almost near to Tokyo pay 350T to 380T, though the living expenses are pretty high

There's no rule saying that you haaave to, but going will definitely better your relationship with your coworkers! That said, you don't have to drink in those parties. I didn't because I needed to drive home most of the time!

Hey Anele! Haha who knows... maybe I'll still be in Japan then? :P

I HOOOOOPE so!!!! :D

When I traveled, I just took a lot of cash out lol.... and my American cash card worked magically in Vietnam so it helped! And you can get your money sent to your home bank at a Japanese bank. Might take a couple hours and cost some fee, but it's possible! I heard that you could also send money at the post office here.

Depends on where you are! I had to drive when I was in Niigata. No access to public transportation at all

No, but if you refuse a few invitations to inkai and such, they might left you out for the next times and not invite you anymore to that kind of events (that's what I was told by some former ALTs). Not going to activities between JETs is not the same though (you can go or not). :) By the way, you can always mention them that you can't drink if you can't. If you can, but don't want to drink as much as they do, you just have to leave some beer/soju/etc. in your glass so they don't full it every time you empty it! ;)

AJET events: NOT mandatory; I really only go to the cultural experiences one (e.g. knife making, rice planting). Good opportunities to meet other JETs. School drinking parties: ALMOST ALWAYS mandatory. I didn't go to one of them this year because during that time I really was going through my winter blues and really didn't have a lot of money LOL And going to those parties does NOT mean you have to drink. I almost never drink because I have to drive home after it so yea. No one will force you. (Plus I'm like a natural high without drinking so... XD) Those parties are really fun tho! Very good opportunities to talk to teachers that you don't normally have the chance to talk to. They are much more likely to open up then too!

Caradventures Are drinking parties awkward if you don't speak Japanese? I'm an incoming JET and my Japanese is okay.

Hey there! I don't think so! My Japanese was just okay too when I first came but at the drinking parties, even teachers who don't usually talk to you would open up and try their best to speak English to you so don't worry about that! Pretty much everyone's drunk so it won't be awkward XD

As the unofficial JET slogan says "every situation is different"... Even with the 3 placement preferences, one might end up at the opposite of what he/she asked. Like Cara said, living in the inaka (countryside) is way less expensive than living in big main cities like Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, and Tokyo (the most expensive of all). Some people will get their rent subsidized, mostly in the inaka and in the semi-urbain areas (some rare people get a free rent, free car, etc. whereas some will have to pay some low rent like Cara or in the 20,000-40,000 yen range). I know that people living in Tokyo and Osaka have to pay rent around 60,000-80,000 yen per month and they don't get subsidized rent... As for them, saving money can be harder (I mean, there's a big gap between paying ~$50/month and ~$600/month for the rent), but it's a compromise since they live in the city, nearby everything.

Sooo My BOE does reimburse for travel expenses BUT they are only for the distances you travel FROM YOUR BASE SCHOOL to your visit schools, which means that they do NOT reimburse the distance you travel FROM HOME to your base school. My base school is really close to my visit school so I almost get nothing out of this old reimbursement system, yet I live 40 minutes from base school and ain't getting any reimbursement for that distance!!! It's super stupid and unfair to be honest. I've voiced out my opinion on that issue to the BOE but you know, as things in Japan do, it'll take a long time before the system actually gets updated. And yea tbh there isn't much give and take either, because even when my rent (subsidized) is $330/month, having to drive basically costs another $400-500, which makes rent + car = ~$800. People who live in the city have to pay expensive rent, but they most likely don't have to drive!!!! So a $800 rent w/o a car is technically the same as living in the rural with a car. It ain't that unfair afterall I guess!!!

That depends on whether or not your accommodation is pet-friendly!

Unfortunately teaching outside of your contract and receiving payment does indeed violate the JET contract. If you're on a non-JET program, that should be okay!

@@Caradventures Hi Cara, what about freelance job online that's not teaching? Is it also not allowed?

Depends on many factors! I wouldn't say it's super hard.

Only when you're very lucky!

That's what my teachers say too, ah! But I think Japanese teachers get bonuses right? We don't! Either way, I definitely think Japanese teachers deserve a higher pay--the amount of work you guys do is way past what the salary is entitled to :/

Ummmm, I just looked at my pay slips for those numbers!

hai, douzo-- www.iijmio.jp/hdd/spec/

Caradventures Thank you so much!!

Hi! Biking isn't an option for me since I live 20 kilometers away from my school LOL (I mean I could, but winter would still be a problem). If you live in a less rural area, then biking is totes doable. Just 10000-20000yen to get a bike and you're set! Saves heaps.

I lived in Niigata while I was on JET :)

Hey! Yea I have to have a car since where I live is super rural; walking won't get you anywhere! And I needed to pay 20000yen because a 1-hour lesson at the closed course = ~5000yen; I took three of them so that's already 15,000yen. Then the tests and registration cost about 5000yen too so altogether was 20,000+ yen T_T

Ah. I see. You took some driving lesson before hand. I just dove right in and took the damn test without ever experiencing the feel of the steering wheel on the right side. You are a badass. So cool.

Man, i think YOU are the badass!!!! LOL Even after taking 3 lessons I was still super worried cos they're so strict with the test!!!

Right on. Love how you present your videos about JP. Keep up the good vibe. Have a great time in JP. Olympic 2020.

YASS Im hoping to volunteer for it! Hope you're enjoying Japan too :D

Wow did not know that about Penn.... that sounds tough. Rural Japan does have a lot of merits though. Plus being on the JET salary means that you can save a lot of money, provided that you don't spend much. Definitely consider it!

I bought one, then crashed it, then had to rent another one LOL

Nooooooo 280,000 per month

Just realized that's not that much hahaha oh nooooo

Don't think I used that much..?!

@@Caradventures my mistake read it wrong. i thought you spent like 100+ on electricity

Hmm I tried applying a blurring effect on the vid.. is it not working?

Caradventures it's working don't listen to the dweeb

As you move the card the blurring effect isn't quite over the card. I feel as though if someone stops it frame by frame they could see the numbers. Watch the video again and you'll see what I mean

Ah, did you mean the back of my card?

The front, you can see the first 8 digits before the blurring effect starts and the last 8 digits as you put it back down

That's the amount if I don't ever eat out though LOL It's quite cheap if you cook at home!

Im planning on working there as an architect T_T Hoping to be able to have fun whiile being in there ^_^