Starting off with some background, I’m 23 and currently doing JET. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about what I want my career to look like in the future and I’ve decided to go to law school back in the states.
I want to take the LSAT (law school entrance exam) really seriously, because I think I could get in to a top school if I really committed.
My girlfriend (who I intend to marry at some point) lives in about 3 hours away in Tokyo and I really want to go live with her. We agreed to move back to the states together when i go to law school.
My conundrum lies in what to do in this interim period. My current visa is valid for another 2 years, so is it possible for me to just quit JET and move to Tokyo and live on savings while being unemployed? Is immigration gonna come knocking on my door? If not, do you have any suggestions about any sort of jobs that would afford me the free time to study seriously for the LSAT? (Like an Eikaiwa or something, idk?)
Any and all advice is appreciated, thanks so much 🙂
6 comments
I know ESID and all, but I feel like a JET ALT is exactly the job that allows you lots of free time to study. Will you be deskwarming during this summer holiday?
JETs are on instructor visas and IIRC doesn’t apply to eikaiwas. If you want to work at an eikaiwa, you would have to get hired first and apply for a visa status change.
If you quit a job, immigration can revoke your immigration status at their discretion, although until they explicitly do so, your status is valid. For working visas, usually upon quitting you have to show evidence that you are job searching or whatnot. I am not sure how instructor visas would handle this.
Keep in mind law school may take a lot of your time that it might take a toll on your relationship. All while your girlfriend I assume Japanese will be dealing with cultural shock . After law school you’ll be studying even more for the bar exam. Consider discussing that with your girlfriend if you haven’t.
To be honest you don’t really need a huge amount of time to study for the LSAT.
I took it in Tokyo almost 20 years ago. My preparation was to just get one of those intro textbooks and a booklet of old exams. Once you understand all the patterns (by reading the textbook) its just a matter of getting your brain used to solving them quickly, so I would just take one of the old exams keeping myself strictly to the actual time limit a couple times a week in the 2 or 3 months leading up to the actual exam. I did this while working full time and had no problem with it.
If you quit your current job you need to inform immigration within 14 days after your final day. For the instructor visa (the one you’re likely on as a JET ALT) you can follow this link: https://www.isa.go.jp/en/applications/procedures/nyuukokukanri10_00014.html
You will then also need to enroll in and pay national health insurance and national pension, until you land a new Shakai Hoken providing job.
Also the instructor visa is among one of the worse work visas because it only allows the holder to work at compulsory education schools only. So you won’t be able to even do Eikaiwa on it either (unless you get immigrations permission see here: https://www.isa.go.jp/en/applications/guide/nyuukokukanri07_00045.html )
If you find a new full-time job which is not ALTing (and immigration deem you qualified for the work visa for that job) you can apply to change your status of residency from Instructor to the work visa required for that job. See here: https://www.isa.go.jp/en/applications/procedures/16-2.html
To see if immigration deem you qualified for the job you can get a certificate of authorized employment. See here: https://www.isa.go.jp/en/applications/guide/syuurou.html
Technically speaking as per the law, after 3 months of no longer engaging in your status of residency (which for instructor visa holders is 1) being an ALT, or 2) actively looking for work in Japan) then after 3 months immigration *can* start the process to revoke your visa.
>>do you have any suggestions about any sort of jobs that would afford me the free time to study seriously for the LSAT?
JET:)
But seriously, the LSAT is nothing to quit your job over and spend two years studying for.
It’s entirely self-contained with no substantive knowledge required, other than understanding the format of the questions, which can be accomplished by getting a guidebook or two (“LSAT 180” was good in that regard).
If you want to quit to go live with your gf, that’s one thing; don’t go nuts over the LSAt though.
(Source: took the LSAT in Tokyo while on JET and went to law school after)