JET or Fulbright ETA?

6 comments

1. As an American also – all I’d have to say – can you swing it on a JET salary ?

   I’m on the program for my second time now. Came as a fresh grad and loan payments started while I was here. JET pays well to live in Japan and have a comfortable life in Japan. Not so much for sending that money home. Esp now with the yen being so weak to the USD.

   I am here a second time now and after a year I’m going back. I live better without the loan payments ( I paid them off in my in-between years ) but now the things I want to do like own a car and my original start up replenishment, I feel just as tight.

   If it’s something your passionate about – please do it. It’s a worth while experience – but just don’t let it set you back financially.

2. So I personally have never heard of Fullbright ETA. I went to the website and just read up (a bit). I also walked away with some questions but I think that understanding more of what you want could help better answer the question. Please tell me though if I’m prying too much.

   What makes you feel unsure about the Fullbright stuff?

   Do you have a plan if you don’t get onto JET?

   Would you be willing to work for any program that does teaching abroad?

   Do you want to specifically teach in Japan?

   You mentioned language ability, is this something you want to improve on in the future?

   Not to sound like a parent, but what are your goals after graduation? They dont have to be incredibly detailed, for example when I graduated I told myself my one goal was to work outside of the US until I was 30. They also dont have to be lofty or high-minded. Make money so i can live alone is a perfectly reasonable goal (IN THIS ECONOMY?!)

   Do you have any dreams/goals you want to accomplish in the next couple of years?

   If answering these questions here is a bit too personal then maybe just think of them on your own time. Think does the Fulbright program help me accomplish those goals? If so then id at least try applying, because it never hurts to try to apply to different jobs. Its better to have a couple of choices than none at all. There are also different teaching abroad programs/companies like EPIK, Interact (or the multitudes of names you can find on this subreddit) that you could also apply for. You’re starting to think about this early which is good so answer those preliminary questions to help better guide your search.

   But hey what do I know. I’m a random person on the internet who doesn’t know you. Good luck!

3. Fulbright has many ETA positions for other countries. The reason they don’t have ETA positions in Japan is that The JET Program exists. Yes, there are other dispatch companies, but JET is run by the Japanese Government. There isn’t a purpose to having ETA jobs for Fulbright in Japan when JET exists.

   Personally, keep any doors open. If you apply to an ETA position in another country through Fulbright, that’s fine. Acceptance to either JET or Fulbright is not guaranteed. No need to isolate your options to one.

4. Have you considered Taiwan? There is a massive Fullbright presence there.

   In my experience in the region, people interested in Japanese culture tend to settle in quite nicely in Taiwan.

5. Former Fulbright ETA and former JET here.

   I would say the biggest factor is what you want to do after your time in these programs is up. If you’re interested in staying in academia or having a government job, Fulbright can give you a leg up given that it’s a State Department grant. But to be honest, the benefits of “being a Fulbright” are mostly only in academic or government circles – maybe a few business ones as well. If you’re more focused on teaching, I would say JET would give you better “experience” as a “teacher” (your mileage may vary depending on a lot, so I put everything in quotes). If none of those things appeal to you, and you just want to do an exchange, then either are good opportunities, but Fulbright will be way more competitive.

   Some logistical elements to consider. JET has a five-year limit, Fulbright only has a one-year limit (although the Korea ETA positions are renewable for a second year iicr). You’ll probably have more classroom hours with JET as opposed to being an ETA, although Fulbright Korea might be different. However I only worked about 20 hours a week as an ETA. That said, you will get paid probably at least twice as much on JET – if people think JET salaries are low, oh boy… Fulbright salaries are just barely livable. That said, Fulbright Korea places everyone in homestays I think (so you will save money that way), whereas on JET you’ll have your own apartment. Fulbright will also have cooler networking opportunities. You can expect to attend a conference or two (I got to spend a day at the NATO headquarters in Brussels once) and even an event or two at the US Embassy (the fourth of July party was a lot of fun).

   Honestly, you’re still in school, yeah? I’d go seek out the scholarship office that oversees the Fulbright grants and talk to them. For example, I originally wanted to do Fulbright Korea ETA but they had honest conversations and we ended up applying for a ETA position in Europe. They’d also be super helpful at pointing out some of the differences and helping your find your right fit. Lastly, doing what I did – Fulbright to JET is an option if you really want to do both lol. Good luck!

   P.s. South Korea also has EPIK, which is essentially a program equivalent to JET.

6. Former JET, who just spent a year teaching in South Korea: keep the pollution issue in South Korea in mind. I developed asthma after a few months there despite masks. The pollution can be pretty really bad. Some people I know who’ve been there longer experience bronchitis regularly.