JET from US, returned in ‘10
Q. When do you suggest leaving JETs should start to seriously search for their next job?
Do initial research in November or December of the year before leaving to get a sense of what's out there, then start sending applications in the Spring, March or April. Most jobs will want an interview which could complicate the process until you're actually home, unless you can arrange to do it on Skype.
Q. What sort of things helped when looking for your next job?
In applying for grad schoolcollegeconfidential.comforums helped me make an informed choice.
Q. Any advice to the many of us who are worried about finding a decent job with the economy and job markets still stagnant?
Search on yahoo groups for the JETAA chapter in your area and see if they have any leads for someone with Japanese experience. Or consider delaying the real world a little longer with grad school.
Q. To those who went on to graduate school following JET, do you have any advice for JETs currently applying to schools?
If you're interested in International Relations (trade/finance, policy/negotiations, international development, etc.) look at Columbia SIPA, Tufts Fletcher, Georgetown Walsh MSFS, George Washington Elliot School, Johns Hopkins SAIS, UC San Diego IR/PS, American University and Harvard Kennedy School. See below too.
Q. At this point (still 8-9 months before the end of the JET contract), what sort of planning and preparation should JETs intending to leave be doing?
Register for and take the GREs asap if you haven't yet, but spend at least 4 weeks studying first. Check the syllabi of classes in programs you're interested in—if you can't find them through the school's website email a professor and they'll send them. Once you narrow down the programs you're interested in get the admissions team to put you in contact with some current students and alums to ask the questions that probe deeper than the school's ads and internet forum speculation.
Q. Is there anything you did during your last year that made it especially memorable? Or, is there anything you wish you would have done during your last year?
Karate was my best specifically Japanese memory. I wish I had hung out more with my teachers, making an effort to forego another Saturday night drinking with other JETs to go to the bar with my teachers. Also, play soccer with the students and curry their favor to get some goodbye notes, they'll be happy memories later.
Q. Anything else you want us to pass on?
Believe in your dreams.
JET from Jamaica, returned in ‘10
Q. When do you suggest leaving JETs should start to seriously search for their next job?
I DON'T think it can be too early to start looking for or at least thinking seriously about what you'd like to do. I know it might be difficult given distance to actually apply for/set-up job interviews and so on. But in all areas, I suggest quite a bit of forward thinking.
I know it may be hard, given that you're in a place so distant in many ways, but it's important. So, I'd say at least six months before. At most, 8 months..? Ideally, one year.
Q. What sort of things helped when looking for your next job?
I CURRENTLY teach part-time at a university. I got that job purely through networking. They knew I was coming back. And I ran into a friend in the airport on my way home who also teaches there, and reminded them for me. A couple of days later, I got an e-mail. I said yes instantly because I had no other prospects.
You see, I left JET wanting to teach in high school. But by the time I got home, it was already quite late to apply for teaching jobs for September. Even though I had been applying to jobs before I left Japan, I didn't have a teacher's diploma, which made it hard for me.
Q. Any advice to the many of us who are worried about finding a decent job with the economy and job markets still stagnant?
"Links," we call it in Jamaica. Networking. It sounds like some useless smiling and empty talk done by PR people only. But what it really means is maintaining good relationships and exploiting them when necessary.
Soon after I started teaching, one of the lecturers with whom I was working recommended me to somebody else at the same school who was looking for somebody to do some writing/researching. That person has since offered me a chance to teach a couple courses next semester/summer.
See, I had told that first lecturer guy that I was looking for stuff and he was to keep an ear out for me. He had also taught me when I was a student there.
Q. At this point (still 8-9 months before the end of the JET contract), what sort of planning and preparation should JETs intending to leave be doing?
I'd say the packing should start from now. Start clearing out the unnecessary stuff. I didn't really realize how much stuff I needed to get rid of until the last week or so. That was not good.
I also think setting your mind as much as possible, that you will not be living the same way you have for the past however long you've been in Japan.
With that in mind, do well with the last months in Japan. Do the things you love. The things you have to get out of the way or clear up, even if they may be a bit uncomfortable. Work on the relationships you'll never forget.
Q. Is there anything you did during your last year that made it especially memorable? Or, is there anything you wish you would have done during your last year?
Well, I think I did everything I wanted to do. I didn't have a grand list of must-dos, I just knew that I wanted to have the fullest experience possible in that second year. I had a couple of things I wanted to do. Like climb Mt Fuji. But while those were great things, sometimes they almost feel like they never happened, like they didn't really matter. But the everyday things, the drive to or after school, the dinners with the friends, some days I actually still feel like I want those to be a part of my day here.
JET from Canada, returned in ‘09
Q. When do you suggest leaving JETs should start to seriously search for their next job?
Depending on the job...But I would say in the spring.
Q. What sort of things helped when looking for your next job?
NETWORKING, without a doubt. I went back to work at the school I worked at before I left. I made sure everybody knew I was coming back looking for a job, and made sure all my paperwork was good and done way before I came back. A friend did it for me, so you need to get in touch with the good efficient friends to help you out!
The right frame of mind is also important... Keep in mind that you might be caught up in a life hurricane when you get back (seeing people, lacking sleep, going out drinking way too often, unpacking Japanese stuff and packing boxes to move into the new flat that you also have to paint, etc.) and not super efficient in your job search.
Or, you might feel lazy and unmotivated, and still not super efficient in your job search. Think ahead, and you'll be proud of yourself and of the fact that you don’t feel guilty hanging out with your friends and family!
Q. At this point (still 8-9 months before the end of the JET contract), what sort of planning and preparation should JETs intending to leave be doing?
Do your resume NOW. Things get hectic and we get insanely busy closer to the return date, and that's the kind of thing that always gets pushed to the side, and then when you get back, you feel bad about not having done it earlier.
Don't forget to get a Japanese person to take care of your Japanese pension stuff. Make sure, if you choose a teacher, that he/she won't be transferred far away in April.
Read the newspapers from home to know what's going on, so that you will be able to participate in conversations when you get back. Rent movies and TV shows that were on. Those are the things people talk about, and you can easily feel left out if you have no idea of what happened while you were gone.
Get in touch with your friends. Make sure you know what's up in their lives.
Q. Is there anything you did during your last year that made it especially memorable? Or, is there anything you wish you would have done during your last year?
I made a list of things that were important for me to do while in Japan. You don’t want to come back with regrets; it's already tough enough to get back.
Also, I took pictures everywhere around where I lived, in my schools, with my students, I shot videos, and when I miss Japan, I'm very happy I have all that to look at. Even if it makes me cry sometimes, those memories are good to have.
Q. Anything else you want us to pass on?
Make sure to have a plan and people waiting for you when you get back. This will help the transition a lot and make it much more motivating to get back home. The first weeks, people are excited that you're back. They call. Then, they go back to their lives, which can mean the life they had when you were not there... and they might not want to hear you start all your sentences with « when i was in japan... ». Keep that in mind!
JET from Canada, returned in ‘09
Q. When do you suggest leaving JETs should start to seriously search for their next job?
That's a tough one as we return home mid-summer it is hard to find a job right away. I think it is good to send out some resumes before you leave just so you have everything sorted as far as references, job duties, etc. It is much harder to remember all the stuff you did once you are back home.Figure out what you want to do but don't be an unbendable reed, flexibility and a desire to try new and different things will help.
Q. What sort of things helped when looking for your next job?
I already knew I was returning to my hometown when I was leaving. I did contact former colleagues to see about getting on the substitute teacher list and lined up some references. I found it encouraging to email my references and let them know I was coming back to Canada and they were all very positive about my teaching abilities so that was a nice boost.
Q. Any advice to the many of us who are worried about finding a decent job with the economy and job markets still stagnant?
There are lots of decent jobs around although they may not be in the line of work you were hoping for.Teaching is not such a good prospect these days (I might become a truck driver).Be prepared to get out of your comfort zone. And remember if the going gets tough it will soon pass and hopefully by then your pension refund will have arrived!Also, your family may still like having you around after being gone so long so don't be in a hurry to run off. Enjoy the love and home-cooking!
Q. At this point (still 8-9 months before the end of the JET contract), what sort of planning and preparation should JETs intending to leave be doing?
Now start sifting through all the stuff you have accumulated over your time on JET, decide what you would like to keep, get rid of, or don't know who it belongs to.As the seasons change sort through the stuff that you won't need again. I mailed a few parcels home at the beginning of June just so it felt like I was doing something.I also made a list of items in my apartment to give to my supervisor to find out what belonged to my school, BOE, landlord, etc. then I put the stuff that was mine up on the Kumamoto-jets listserv in hopes of finding new homes for it all.
Q. Is there anything you did during your last year that made it especially memorable? Or, is there anything you wish you would have done during your last year?
Thebest thing I did was make a list of things I still wanted to do in Japan that I hadn't done yet and made a plan for getting them done. It made the time much more enjoyable and there was always something new to look forward to instead of all the good-byes. I also made a list of favourite restaurants/pubs etc. that I wanted to go to one last time before I left.It was a great way to hang out with friends too! Just remember time flies by in the final 4 months.
Q. Anything else you want us to pass on?
It's good to be home.Prepare for the reverse culture shock, it can catch you when you least expect it. Make arrangements with a friend who will be in Japan when you return home so they can send you a package of your favourite Japanese delights and you can hook them up with some treats from their home country.Try to get active in the community as soon as you get back. It helps to get you reacquainted with old friends, make new friends, and try new things. It also gets you out of the house.I am still living with my parents but for the majority of the year I house/pet-sit so I am not really home that much and I get paid to live in other people's houses!Stay positive.There are positives and negatives in any situation you just have to spin it well!For example, I could tell people I am 36 years old, I live in my parent's basement, and I don't have a job. Or, I am 36 years old, I spent an amazing 5 years in Japan, now I work as a substitute teacher, tutor and house/petsitter. I am lucky because my parents still want me around and they even feed me! I also volunteer as a figure skating coach and my niece and nephew teach me how to play Guitar Hero!
JET from UK, returned in ‘10
Q. When do you suggest leaving JETs should start to seriously search for their next job?
I think it's important to have some time off to readjust to life in your home country before starting work. I think if you have enough money saved to support you when you get home it's ok, but if you don't you need to sort it before hand.