My wife and I are both trying to move to Japan next years for positions as an ALT and are in the midst of applying to the JET program and various dispatch companies. My wife is a much better JET candidate than myself based on college GPA, extracurriculars, stellar letters of recommendation, etcetera. I am most likely not even going to attempt JET and just try my luck with a dispatch company. We feel very lost as a married couple attempting to make this life move, as most people we know or see doing this are doing so alone as a single person. Is there anything we should know to help this process, potentially even coming from someone who has done so successfully in a situation like ours. Our main concern is over housing. Our hope is that she will make JET but we know the statistical likelihood is low, and I am hoping for Interac or Altea. What we worry about are situations such as the following:
1. If I get hired at Interac, and she gets hired at JET, what happens with housing? Since both assist with supplying housing, what happens if we both are given housing by each and then do not need one of the housing arrangements anymore?
2. How should we go about making sure that we work in areas that are close enough to one another that we can feasibly live together?
3. If I receive a placement from Interac or similar dispatch prior to her receiving a placement from JET that is in a completely different part of the country, how difficult is it to do something like a location transfer to a different job assignment at the same dispatch company? How bad does it look to other companies to break a contract in order to move and take a different job right away?
4. On the Interac website, the FAQ says that all housing accommodations are intended for single occupancy and that it is impossible for them to change this. Would we not be allowed to bring the other spouse in such accommodations? Is it impossible to have a second person living there?
I am sure there are many other things to consider that I have failed to address here, and would love and welcome all feedback as to what we should know and do. These are the things that come up frequently for us as questions that it seems difficult to find answers to without experience or knowledge from others.
3 comments
The toughest part will definitely you both being assigned in the same place.
There’s a very real possibility of your Wife getting assigned by JET to some village in the absolute middle of nowhere nested between two mountains while the only jobs you will be able to find are in the big cities like Tokyo and Osaka.
>If I get hired at Interac, and she gets hired at JET, what happens with housing?
The chances of you getting assigned to the same *prefecture*, much less the same city if you’re with different dispatch companies is basically nonexistent, so this is really a moot point. JET and Interac don’t overlap.
So it’s not a case of “company housing we don’t need” because *you will be living in different places*. If you’re very lucky you will end up close enough that you can visit on the weekends.
>How should we gseeo about making sure that we work in areas that are close enough to one another that we can feasibly live together?
You don’t. The company decides where they need you. You *might* get to express a preference, but that will be along the lines of a prefecture or a region, not a city.
The ***only*** way to get yourself assigned to the same city is to work for the same company. In that case they will *try* to put you in the same place.
The catch with that plan is that you’ll need to find your own housing. “Company housing” for a company like Interac is a Leopalace, which doesn’t allow multiple-occupancy, so you’re on your own. The company *will not* help you find your own housing.
>If I receive a placement from Interac or similar dispatch prior to her receiving a placement from JET that is in a completely different part of the country, how difficult is it to do something like a location transfer to a different job assignment
Impossible, at least if you’re talking about “right after we arrive in Japan”. If you tough it out and do your first year, you *might* be able to transfer. But see my 1st response. JET and Interac don’t overlap.
>How bad does it look to other companies to break a contract in order to move and take a different job right away?
It looks bad, and it won’t help.
First reason: See, again, “JET and Interac don’t overlap.” The same is true of all the dispatch companies. JET primarily covers the small, rural towns that can’t afford a dispatch contract. And the dispatch companies get exclusive contracts with cities.
Second reason: By the time you both have your placements every dispatch company will have closed their hiring for the year. There won’t be any open positions for you to apply for.
>On the Interac website, the FAQ says that all housing accommodations are intended for single occupancy and that it is impossible for them to change this.
I covered this one already. Company housing is Leopalace. Leopalace is single occupancy. Interac (and all the other dispatch companies) *will not* assist you in finding alternate housing.
You’re setting this plan up to be *way* too complicated. If you both want to be ALTs, and you want to live together, ***you need to apply to the same company***. That is literally the only way to make it happen.
As an alternative suggestion: assuming your wife gets accepted to JET, come over on a dependent visa. Lots of JETS are married and if she’s accepted then they’ll be sure to find accommodation for the both of you, if you pay extra or not is up to each area. You’ll be allowed to work up to 28 hours a week, finding an eikaiwa or something similar should be easy, although you could do lots of things for better pay, like blue collar work. Once in the country if you find a full time employer willing to sponsor your visa you can change your status.