Anyone else with a not so great experience upon arrival?

34 comments

1. Sorry you got the short end of the stick. Crossing my fingers that I get a little more help than you did! Any advice in case any of us get that short end of the stick too??

2. Really sorry you’ve faced that alone. Are you in an area with no other ALT’s?

3. My experience was similar to yours

   Except i had a weird foreigner at my school that was cynical and jaded and hateful towards anyone in the jet programme and I wouldve preferred having them not there in all honesty. They were always going out of their way to “help” … But that’s another story!!

   I felt uncomfortable like I was more of a hindrance than a help. Had to take control of all the paperwork side of things, school never cared. I never expected the red carpet treatment or to be treated like a celebrity but was surprised at the lack of hospitality seeing as I’d moved across the world for the opportunity. By hospitality I don’t mean like making me feel welcome (that would’ve been nice) more just general courtesy like doing the bare min paperwork and admin stuff that’s kinda upto them to do. Had to pay full rent full everything as well. That hurt haha.

   In retrospect I realize my placement was a real dud. But at the time I was just so set on proving myself and making the most of the experience that i didn’t really question it haha.

4. None of the above were true for me. I actually ended up being better off for having figured all that shit out for myself. After you go through all that and make your own way, the problems that overwhelm other people are much easier to handle.

5. My predecessor was nice 😂

6. If I’ve learned anything in the long time I’ve been here it’s that the BoE are often very unreliable and don’t seem to respect the time of ALTs so much (presumably because they’ve had to deal with quite a few bad apples throughout the years, but that doesn’t excuse treatment of others). I tend to find the teachers at individual schools and other ALTs can be much more useful/supportive. Hope you can find some support! They always say that Every Situation is Different with JET (which feels like a kind of unhelpful true-ism on the surface) but some people don’t realise just how true that can be

7. I was a CIR and that was what my experience was like. The kitchen wall in my apartment was black with grease and I went through three bottles of dish detergent to clean it. The other CIR at my workplace led me to believe he’d help with a bunch of things and he pretty much said the same thing once he dropped me off at my apartment.

   Once I got help from someone at work assigned to us JETs – he took me to a home center and helped me get some stuff to my apartment. The rest was all up to me, so you’re not alone.

8. I’m sorry.

   Your.

9. Me.

   My Pred did nothing for me outside of telling me only a little bit of information. The my apartment was subsidized and had some basic stuff, but nothing important like a bed or anything. mostly pans that the previous JETs left. My Supervisor didn’t live in the same city since we are prefectural, so a coworker helped me though a lot. (I always bring her gifts first lmao) I had to come to work the same day I arrived, to do basic paperwork and “meet a couple students” (turned into giving a small jiko to everyone I met), I don’t get gifts, and it took about 9 months to be invited to anything.

   TBH, my JTE’s dont really have time for me. I wind up doing a lot by myself, and while I am glad to be pointed in the right direction, sometimes, its really hard. I hope that I can at least give my sucessor some heads up. Also, the apartment I got had been tidied by the JTE’s before I got there, but It was still very dirty. the bathtub hadn’t been taken apart, and there was BLACK MOLD everywhere under it. I had to get some oxyclean (non bleach cleaner that kills mold) and clean under it. now its fine, but damn i was worried about my health. Dishes were oily from nonuse, but humidity, and it was just rough.

   be the change you want to see, ya know?

10. My experience is a bit different from most people’s due to my placement being a small island and the town hall and BoE being on the mainland but:

    When I first arrived I had to get things sorted out on the mainland with my BoE. And then two typhoons came through back-to-back so the ferry to get to the island didn’t run for 2 weeks. That was 2 weeks I spent hopping from hotel to hotel never sure when the ferry was going to leave so needing to be ready to go every single day.

    Then I got to the island and spent literally 24 hours on the island before having to get BACK ON the ferry to go back to the mainland for training for a week and live out of my suitcase again. I was not happy and was incredibly stressed.

11. My BoE is very hands off. I rarely have contact with my supervisor unless I need something. I don’t mind.

12. This is 100% the information I got before I arrived and just like yourself I had my expectations too high in assuming all of these things would be my situation and I was sadly mistaken and got hit with reality really quickly. I don’t receive a lot of help and have done a lot of things on my own, which at this point I think is a great thing but when I first got here and I was dealing with everything at once it was not a great experience to go through, which is why when I do end up leaving at some point I will make sure the next JET coming in realizes what the reality of the situation will be for them. I wish when everything is introduced before arriving to Japan JET and Clair would be more realistic and say “hey this ma not be how things are and you may possibly be on your own with everything” because at least this would mentally prepare people more and set the bar of expectations not as high for people and to end up being disappointed if expectations aren’t met.

13. [deleted]

14. If you come in expecting the red carpet treatment and the BOE to hold your hand the whole way that’s pretty entitled I think.

    It’s certainly annoying dealing with local municipalities that aren’t well prepared to deal with foreign residents though so I feel you there. But at the same time a lot of the paperwork you have to fill out is stuff you can do yourself if you understand how it works. My BOE was very helpful at the start but I made a point of it to learn as much as I could so I could stand on my own two feet without their help. They appreciated this as it meant less work for them and after the first year or two I no longer needed their help for random paperwork bank stuff, drivers license stuff visa stuff etc. But other JETS I knew couldn’t fill out their address even five years in.

    I mean I guess the advice I’d give to new people is don’t expect a free ride? You need your BOE help at the beginning and they don’t have to provide anything beyond the bare minimum needed for you to get your job done.

15. I was an alternate. Arrived mid-September 2019.

    My pred fought tooth and nail to get me moved out of the apartment they had. It had a huge mould problem. The school forced her to throw virtually everything away in retaliation, so I arrived to basically nothing except a kettle, and a fridge that was at least as old as I am (and weighed a tonne). I’m really thankful that she did! And what the school did to her was really shitty.

    I had only been in Japan for a day at this point, and my supervisor took me to school and got me to do a jikoshoukai to the teachers, then took me and my luggage back to my apartment. She and my then-Co-ALT watched as I carried it all up the stairs by myself. That supervisor had a pretty hands-off attitude for most of the year, so I really had to figure a lot out by myself or by bugging other JETs.

    It was a pretty miserable first few days in Japan, ngl. But I was able to make some good friends in the area quite quickly! JET is largely what you make of it, imo.

16. For me, I had a super ALT as my predecessor. So, even 3 years after, I was being called their name. I was constantly told they used to do this & this, why don’t you? Like they used to bake all the time & give it to the teachers & the boe.

    As for BOE interaction, at the end of my 2nd year, I was made “senior ALT” and had to be the middle man for BOE – ALT interaction. Had to pick up the newbies. Had to contact them to get them into the group chat. Had to take them around & help translate (this was the most stressful since they had me be interpreter even though I’m only N3 at best at that time).

    Essentially, I was doing our BOE’s supervisor’s job 70% of the time. I even had to hunt down one of my kouhai regarding them not getting their 1st round of vaccinations..

    I know it’s not the same as everyone else’s, nor as bad, but that’s my experience.

    Edit: Sorry, ended up not talking about my arrival. For arrival, when I met the other ALTs (I was the only newbie that year), I had one of them who was 1 year senior grill me on why did I choose to apply for JET, what am I going to contribute to the community, why am I doing this job if it’s something I’m inexperienced with, why are you here?! and etc. He felt he had to “interview” me for the group -_-. Needless to say, I was happy when he finally left!

17. I had a so-so arrival experience, not good or bad, but somewhat similar to yours where I had to do a lot of tasks on my own that were “supposed” to be taken care of or done with our supervisors/assistance from our schools.

    The good:

    * I have four schools, three of which are great with good English Teachers
    * My predecessor was a great ALT who left me with a lot of direction
    * I had a nice apartment that was subsidized and kinda furnished
    * ALTs in my prefecture are/were really kind and helpful

    The bad:

    * My supervisor was very kind but completely unprepared, he didn’t know any of the things to do to help me get started as per outlined in our contract, so I had to be like “uh can you help me open a bank account”. I ended up just taking the responsibility and doing a lot of this stuff on my own as well.
    * The bank tried to refuse me for being a foreigner. I spent half a day there and it is one of the few times I’ve seen a Japanese person yell.
    * One of my schools was unprepared for me and after a few years is still unprepared for me lol, at first I took this as an affront but now I recognize this as a personality of the school. Questions like “how do we have ALT classes?”, “What do you mean you would like a schedule?”, and “I don’t understand how to make a lesson plan” are highlights of my time at this school. I’m shocked they even bother having an ALT at this point, tbh.

    All in all, I totally feel you for being down about doing a lot of this stuff on your own. It can suuuuck especially if you don’t have a high Japanese level (my japanese was not and still is not jyouzu). One bright side of it is that you will have more control over small things and maintain some level of privacy, as lack of personal space and privacy can be a common issue here in Japan. I truly hope the experience gets better for you!

18. You’re better off than most old JETs though. A decade ago we didn’t even have Google Translate, and Google Maps only showed kanji.

    At small offices, it’s normal for nobody to speak English. Welcome to Japan! Don’t be surprised, please.

19. The JET Program is basically a shitty union.

    They get you the agreed upon salary and that’s about it

    *ESID* is just a slimy way of saying “good luck, asshole!”

20. Haha yes so true! To be fair I think that is the case for quite a few Jets though!
    The foreigner I mentioned constantly shat talk my predecessor for “expecting the red carpet treatment”
    She was just questioning why everyone around her was getting subsidized rent and or a furnished apartment but they had to buy everything, even a fridge!
    She wasn’t even complaining, was just asking as it was written in her contract she’d get help with it.
    Was weird
    Especially cos I can see why people expect red carpet to be rolled for them after being told that’s what to expect the whole way through

21. When I arrived, they hadn’t prepared our housing yet! So me and the other new JET had to crash at the superintendent’s summer house, but they were like “oh no a man and a woman alone together the horror!! Current senpai ALT, you must chaperone with them and stay with them for the week in this tiny little cabin on the side of a mountain!!!” And shortly after that they banished us to a different mountain to run an English camp, still with no apartments, cars or phones.
    Also my luggage was late in arriving from keio (one month late to be exact) so it was all pretty stressful!
    Another JET way up north from me was sleeping on their JTE’s couch for a while?

22. Sorry to see you be annoyed enough to abandon crocs and become ‘jaded’.

    * I never met my pred due to corona, I got a nice email from them so zero complaints, just they were gone months and months before I arrived, and hadn’t been at either of my schools in over a year again due to corona.

    * My apartments is kind of furnished. I got a futon, pillow, washing machine, microwave and fridge. No ‘furniture’, furniture though. It’s an unsubsidised 1K so it’s absolutely miniscule too.

    * TBF, my supervisor is an absolute Deity. She has done so much for me and I am super thankful for her.

    * I had three days of admin and a weekend before school started, not really time to get settled. I hear some people get a week or two. I just sorted the apartment the day I got here, then bank account/admin day, visit schools day and a ‘write your self intro’ day.

    * I’m in a city so the average person has absolutely zero care that I’m here. I just get stared at a bit. Not famous. I think the people at the conbini I go to too much recognise me.

    We get good stuff and bad stuff. That’s the chaos of JET. I have an amazing supervisor, who’ll get rotated out next year I think, and a clean but absolutely tiny, freezing, wafer thin walled, 30 year old wooden apartment. I can hear the girl next door to me snore and she is *not* a loud snorer. Other ALTs I know have small apartments, but they can have people over and talk and have a loft to sleep in, their kitchens are slightly more like a separate room too. I just have a 6 mat room and a maybe 8 mat “kitchen” that’s also the entryway, washing machine, drying rack, toilet, shower and boiler etc. I don’t hate my apartment, but it’s a bit of a mixed bag.

    And like, as for having to do it all yourself, it must be really tough, honestly. But I think you’ll come to appreciate it post JET as long as you don’t go full bitter. It’s how you actually learn and become independent. I know that sounds really patronising, and I have no idea how independent you were pre-JET, but I’m sure it’s helped you in some way anyway. You said yourself it’s improved your Japanese… My supervisor is so good that ALTs here can end up being babysat. I know one in particular that asks for help with *anything* that comes through the letter box. He doesn’t even try to read it, or even google translate it first, he just asks, then gets handed off to one of the other ALTs (me) who have to sort it out for him. So I end up working out what my bills say, and his. The best bit is his Japanese is actually better than mine… I fully believe I could go 3 years here and not learn more than simple pleasantries if I wanted to. That kinda sucks, honestly. Sure, it’s on the individual, but sometimes that shove is what you need, people are lazy and if we don’t have to do something, we probably wont…

    Another ALT in my area complained non stop for the first few months they were here. According to them my BOE didn’t do enough for us, I’m sure to you that sounds ridiculous. It did to me as well… They expected absolutely everything then lost it when we only got what we got. I would pay to see what they’d have done in your placement. I think part of the problem is that people don’t actually do research into what JET is. Like, they read the marketing and don’t realise that they could end up on a remote island, getting the ferry to work, with food deliveries that get thrown off by weather and absolutely zero English around… So then when it’s not the fully kitted out JET that was suggested it makes them salty. I’m not trying to attack you, it’s not really fair of JET to do this, and it’s quite tricky to get an accurate impression. I just know that for myself, I spent hours and hours trawling this subreddit looking for stories all over the spectrum, so by the time I was waiting for my placement I was fully prepared to be given an ultra remote DIY placement.

    I would say to continue posting your experience, not to your own detriment, but to others benefit. I don’t think it’s a minority experience, really. I met a bunch of ALTs at orientation who had no idea what their situation was gonna be like, because their supervisor hadn’t helped them much. I just think people kind of get talked down and the super positive stories always rise up. I know I would have found this useful had I seen it two years ago. I don’t know if you need to phrase it more as a ‘make the bad, positive’ to stave off the downvotes is all…

    I know this is way too long a response already, just try not to let it get you down. Ignore everyone else, don’t let the reddit get you into a jaded mindset. Remember that you’re only seeing a tiny slice of random ALTs lives. They all look great together, but each could have a myriad of individual issues that they’re just leaving out. You’re one of the few people on this sub that’s actually useful and regular. You’ve helped me at least!

23. If you keep your expectations low you will not be disappointed

24. I think keeping our expectations managed is important to remember. Luckily, my BOE handled most stuff, and my predecessor answered a lot of my questions. But there were some things I just had to figure out myself. For example, getting a phone contract and internet at my apartment. Also navigating to orientation itself, which was across the prefecture (and I wasn’t allowed to just drive there). But supervisors change. The ALTs before me had help with different stuff than I did (and also had to figure out different stuff on their own too), so it’s probably best not to assume that something will be taken care of unless you’re directly told that the supervisor will help you out with it.

25. I completely agree with you.In my opinion, a lot of things that are posted online are either too positive or too negative. This gives a lot of the incoming JETs the wrong impression of what the program would be like.My situation is not super terrible (compared to your situation) and super amazing. Personally, I like it, but it is not rainbows and unicorns like a lot of people make it out to be.

    I am a 2020 JET, and I am not saying that for sympathy or pity, but having my departure postponed twice and coming during the pandemic has a challenge in itself. I have had my share of struggles since I got here and handled a lot of things by myself, but that was also kind of by choice because I didn’t want to bother the JTEs or my supervisor unless I really cannot. If I asked, I’m sure they would help. However, I do think that figuring things out and handling things by ourselves (or at least attempting to)– although frustrating and daunting at times– probably made us more adaptable/capable compared to a lot of other people.

    I am getting off topic… I wanted to make a point to say that I think you should share your experience. We should all share our personal experiences but in an honest/objective way (as much as we possibly can at least).

    To those who have had an amazing experience, that’s great, but instead of calling other people “jaded,” you should really listen to those who have struggled and weren’t not as lucky as you. Be empathetic, instead of putting others down when they are already having a hard time.

    To those who are having a terrible time, that sucks… and unfortunately, I can only say I’m sorry, but instead of being negative and only focusing on the bad, maybe it is a good idea to recognize some of the good that you have experienced. Also, if your situation is really unbearable and affecting your mental health, get out of there.

    To those who are having mediocre experience (or having a great time but struggling at the same time), you and your experiences matter too.

    All of us are doing our best and living our lives.

    Keep share our experiences, & listen and be kind to one another.

    adding: my personal motto is to be open-minded and have little to no expectation. often times, it is our mindset that set us up for disappointment/failure.

26. (Municipal ALT here!)Oh no, I’m sorry to hear that your BOE was practically 0 help! And I’m in the same boat as you, schools and kids are great, BOE not so much

    So I am the first JET in my area, so I didn’t have a predecessor to help (or hinder) anything, and my apartment was basically empty. My BOE bought me a gas stove, fridge, a bed, and a rice cooker but besides that my apartment was empty for weeks. I didn’t have an air conditioner for my first two weeks either, I thought I was going to melt.

    My current supervisor is a godsend who gets things done and goes to bat for me when I cannot personally do so, but the supervisor I had when I arrived had no idea what they were supposed to do with me. They helped me set up my utilities and bank account, and took me to Nitori once after I asked, but other than that any questions I had were met with “I don’t know,” and no attempts to figure out the answers. I got tired of waiting around for them to ultimately do nothing, so I just started handling things on my own to the best of my ability. For the year and a half with my first supervisor, I talked to them maybe 3 times outside my initial arrival. I got used to doing everything myself, so I think that the BOE forgot I existed sometimes.

    Classes didn’t start for like a month after I arrived, so I spent a ton of time doing odd tasks at city hall (including filming a heat stroke PSA?), but when classes started I was swamped with 5-6 classes a day where I was mostly T1. My schedule has gotten slightly less hectic over time, but I still am not sure how I didn’t have a mental breakdown in my first year.

    I will say though, I was a bit of a celebrity when I first got here and do often receive fruits and vegetables as gifts from my neighbors/other teachers (yay for inaka living!)

    ​

    So, some bad and some good when I first arrived, but I think lots of people find that to be the case. I some of the other comments and agree that incoming JETs do need to manage their expectations. Of course it is true that some people have these amazing experiences when they first get here, and its equally as true that some people do NOT. As much as I hate ESID, it really is true. As current and former JETs are aware, the program isn’t a cookie-cutter experience for everyone. That being said, I do enjoy reading and hearing about other peoples’ experiences (for the most part). And OP, if it matters at all, I honestly don’t think this sounded too jaded at all. Its an honest account of your experience and nothing you wrote here was mean or malicious and it doesn’t seem as though you are trying to destroy the joy of anyone around you. I don’t normally comment on posts, so thanks for giving me a space to recall my move-in experience 🙂

    *edit: changed apartment from brand new to empty

27. First off, sorry to hear this is happening to you!

    To answer your question, you are far from the only one with an unpleasant start on the JET Program. My apartment hasn’t been lived in for two years because my predecessor broke contract. She left a huge mess. I won’t explain every detail, but I found a hair ball the size of a golf ball stuck to my bathtub chain and a used bar soap in my shower when I arrived.

    At work, things have been getting a little better, but some Japanese people want to believe that foreigners can’t speak or understand Japanese no matter what. I even overheard my boss who will do my JET evaluations whisper to someone that I never understand them, which is not true. I have come to learn that I need to ignore these people for the sake of my mental health. However, I appreciate my positive Japanese coworkers because they make my experience on JET much more enjoyable. Find out who your allies are in Japan. They are there, you just need to know who they are and appreciate them. When you do, they will have your back when you need them most.

28. There’s a reason why ESID is constantly preached. Best to expect nothing and accept (most) everything. JET is just a program that sets foreigners up with jobs in different places.

    Sorry you got the short end of the stick here.

29. The best advice I can give you is this:

    For the most part, your BOE has no idea what the fuck “JET” is and does, and your schools and teachers ABSOLUTELY have no idea of what it is and does.

    You may have some idea that you are part of this illustrious and well-regarded group. You aren’t. To your schools it makes no difference whether it’s you or a dispatch ALT. To the BOE, you are more trouble because they are responsible for you, and you will invariably feel more entitled, because you essentially have been told until the day you arrive in your town that you are kind of a big deal.

    You are just the new ALT body.

    That’s not being jaded, it’s just the reality, so just be prepared for the fact that your arrival MAY not be treated like the second coming. You might be the new flavour for a week, and then it’s business as usual.

30. JET is like getting thrown into a lion cage. You don’t know if the lion will be a cute, wittle baby lion or an abused, hungry circus lion..

    At minimum bring a self-intro lesson that lasts 50 minutes and $3,000-$5,000.

    Bring your international drivers license and maybe a credit card for emergencies.

    My supervisor has been absolutely amazing, but others might not have much hand holding.

31. – Pred ghosted me after selling their things to me, with 30% being things in bad condition. My pred took advantage of me and is greedy. Do not take advantage of your predecessor.

    – Old teacher’s housing apartment is subsidized and only furnished because I bought the things from predecessor (which pred may have left anyway, had I not bought the things).

    – Supervisor tried to be helpful at first, but then freaked out when I bought a car on my own (I’m allowed to own a car as it’s not ruled out by my BoE…and I’m also an adult) and tried to make me feel guilty for doing so. I didn’t ask for any help from my supervisor from that point on as I lost any trust for that supervisor.

    – I did get time to settle in as I came in during summer vacation.

    – Definitely not a celebrity as there are many JETs here. We do have one JET ALT who a lot of Japanese people like in town. They got featured in local newspapers, magazines, and social media outlets.
    I get random food gifts maybe once every few months from Japanese friends or coworkers.

32. As a delayed JET, I unfortunately spent a long time waiting to finally even be able to go to Japan, so when I arrived at my placement it was very much a different reality to my own expectations. The way that people had hyped up the whole experience to me, it was incredibly jarring when the reality was actually somewhat bleak and depressing. Not to scare anyone who is about to arrive in Japan, but… The best thing you can do to prepare yourself is just try to have 0 expectations, because then that way, you’re way less likely to be disappointed.

    For me, I’ve made the absolute best of my situation and placement and I would say that generally I am very happy here (of course, sometimes I feel homesick and miss my family and friends, but that would be the case even if I was in my dream placement). I travel often, I enjoy my job, and I have a nice group of people surrounding me in my area. But I have had to work hard to build this life up for myself (and am still continuing to do so), it was not nearly as easy as I would have expected.

    Ultimately, like most people here on this programme have said, this experience will be what you make of it.

33. >Don’t worry, your pred will be nice and help you

    Mine was fine, but wouldn’t help me with most basics and ghosted to hang with her boyfriend after 1.5 weeks.

    >Your apartment should be subsidized and furnished

    ehhh. It is, but lots of it was not in great shape. Requisitioning the school for fixes has been tough.

    >Your BoE and Supervisor will help you through a lot of things

    My first supervisor seemed to be actively sabotaging me. The BoE is absent. Second supervisor is much better.

    >You’ll have time to get get settled in before school!

    Nope.

    >You’ll be the town celebrity and you might even get random fruits and vegetable gifts

    Nope, just a gaijin here.

34. Well, I had 8 schools that I had to learn to get to on my own. There was like one bus a day to some or a bus followed by a 25 minute walk through fields. My supervisor didn’t speak English but there were some English-speaking BOE staff.

    Anecdotes from friends: one was dropped in a completely empty apartment. He had to buy everything from scratch including his fridge. Though that’s better than the JET who spent months cleaning out the literal garbage her predecessor had left in the apartment. Basically went into a hoarder-type situation.