Looking to relocate to Japan as an ALT – How feasible is my plan?

3 comments

1. This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.

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   **Looking to relocate to Japan as an ALT – How feasible is my plan?**

   Hi curious reader!

   I’m planning to move to Japan in 2024. Currently a US resident who’s looking for a change in my environment and something of an adventure while I’m still young-ish and not tied down. I’ve gravitated towards Japan because it seems to have a lot of interesting and attractive cultural differences from the US, plenty of new places to experience, and all of the creature comforts I’m used to here. Life here for me in the States is alright currently, but I would like to see more of the world before I settle down.

   #Tentative Plan:

   I will be applying to the JET Programme in October when their next slew of applications opens up. I’ve read that most ALTs get placed in the countryside; however, I would prefer to live in or nearby some metropolitan area to better be able to manage any health concerns that might come up (see below)… that, and I just generally prefer the city to the countryside. My Japanese ability is presently non-existent (currently learning Hiragana by studying a night or two a week), so I reckon the ALT route will be my best bet to get into the country. Not only does it give me an immersive lifestyle to beef up my Japanese proficiency, but it’s also a temporary position. In case I don’t adjust well to life over there, I’d be able to leave after 1 year and could look back on the experience as an adventure.

   However, assuming I enjoy living in Japan, I would stay as an ALT for a couple of years and take the JLPT tests to be able to demonstrate language ability to prospective employers. Career-wise, I would like to work for an NGO in Japan, or even the Japanese government. Working in an international relations capacity would be the dream for me; however, I can get by with doing academic research as I’ve done here in the States.

   Knowing that I first need to be able to communicate well enough, however, my immediate sights are set on ALT work.

   #Qualifications:

   I’ve been with my current company for 6 years, doing public health research that involves assisting with studies, writing/publishing manuscripts, basic statistical analysis, maintaining solid relationships with community partners, and is about to involve the development of an online and social media presence for our company as well.

   I’ve got a master’s degree in political science, an undergrad degree, and a TEFL certification from just before the pandemic hit. In addition to the little bit of teaching experience I got with the TEFL cert, I also lead workshops and have given lectures to college students through my work. Not the same as teaching grade-schoolers about weather, I know, but it’s something.

   As mentioned above, I don’t speak a lick of Japanese currently but I have begun studying up. After learning Hiragana, I plan to dive into a couple Genki books. I expect I’ll have some rudimentary grasp of the language by next summer.

   #Personal Aspects:

   I’ve not traveled much in my life, but have gone out of the country a handful of times on vacations or work trips. Never been to Japan either! I spent my time in undergrad out of my hometown, so I’m able to make it without my usual support system in place, at least to some extent. Obviously, moving to the other side of the globe where you barely speak the language is its own set of challenges, but the proof of concept is there.

   Aside from this, I’ve also got to consider my health as a potentially limiting factor. I previously had a bout of Long Covid that lasted 18 months but resolved about a year ago. I’ve also got a panic disorder/anxiety, but it’s currently well managed with an SSRI and doesn’t bother me in my daily life. These are concerns that may come to affect my life in the future, but do not do so presently.

   I will be in my late 20s when I arrive in Japan. Would of course be looking for a bit of romance while I’m there, but I’ve read that the dating scene starts getting dicey around that age.

   I’ve got a good savings right now, certainly enough to provide a cushion with the pay cut that would come with an ALT salary and would allow me to get out and about while I’m there.

   …

   Given all this, how feasible is my plan? Does it seem solid and well-thought-out, or are there glaring factors that I haven’t even considered? Does my rationale for moving seem healthy, and would it be possible for me to adjust to life in Japan?

   I welcome any and all feedback or critiques and will happily answer more questions if needed. Appreciate you taking some of your time to help me out!

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2. >I would prefer to live in or nearby some metropolitan area to better be able to manage any health concerns that might come up

   If that’s the case JET is not a good choice. JETs (especially new hires) are pretty much exclusively placed in the deep countryside. If urban placement is important you’ll have better luck with one of the other dispatch companies like Interac or Altia.

   >Not only does it give me an immersive lifestyle to beef up my Japanese proficiency

   You shouldn’t count on ALTing giving you a significant boost to your Japanese ability. When you spend all day speaking English (and in many cases *contractually obligated* to ***not*** speak Japanese) it doesn’t leave a lot of room for language practice.

   >Career-wise, I would like to work for an NGO in Japan, or even the Japanese government

   Government positions are almost exclusively limited to citizens, so that’s not gonna be an option.

   >I’ve also got a panic disorder/anxiety

   You need to do some research on the state of mental health treatment in Japan. Spoiler alert: It’s not great.

   >but it’s currently well managed with an SSRI

   You also need to research whether your current medication is allowed and/or prescribed in Japan.

   >and doesn’t bother me in my daily life

   You also shouldn’t count on that. Moving abroad is a stressful experience. Doubly so since you apparently haven’t spent a significant amount of time abroad before. Triply so because you don’t speak the language.

   Having things under control at home, where you have an extensive support network and medical practitioners who speak the language doesn’t mean you’ll keep things under control here. It doesn’t mean you *won’t*, either. But you can’t just assume that things will be fine.

   >Given all this, how feasible is my plan?

   The “being an ALT for a couple years” part is fine.

   The rest of it… Ehhhh. You need to do some more research on jobs in your field in Japan before you dive into the “I’ll move up” part of the plan.

3. JET is a possibility, but as mentioned you can’t choose your placement. There is a way to request preferential placement for medical reasons (I did so due to a severe food allergy when I applied to JET & needing to be within an area with quick hospital access), but tread cautiously with this because if they think you’re *too* medically risky they could easily just pass you up altogether. If rural is a dealbreaker, don’t apply to JET because it’s really 100% their call where you end up.

   Hiragana and katakana should be quick— if it’s taking you a while, try another study method. I found a really helpful blog post on Tofugu & used it to learn katakana with just a few hours of focused study. Try to get some conversation practice with an online tutor— it’s hard to get by without any Japanese at all, especially in more rural areas.

   I have depression/anxiety and I’m on an SSRI, and the process of preparing to move caused a severe anxiety flare that lasted the duration of my final month and a half in the US. I wouldn’t have been able to pull it together enough to move if not for support from my family. Thankfully it was mainly triggered by the stress and anticipation of moving and preparing to move, so once we got here successfully it resolved very quickly, but that certainly was not guaranteed. Make sure your meds are available in Japan, and that you will have access to an English speaking psychiatrist for prescriptions (again, this is a strike against rural living because while this isn’t hard to manage in Tokyo, it could vary wildly in other locations).

   As mentioned, you may have a lot of time to study and practice Japanese and you may not. My job for instance is rather demanding, and I’m a mom of two, so I have limited free time… and my work environment is in English. I’ve made a decent chunk of progress through osmosis, but I don’t have much time to study & I would certainly be further along if I could do so. I still can pretty much not read, and I can’t really talk to people outside of scripted/predictable interactions.

   As far as getting a job outside of ALTing, I wouldn’t say it’s impossible, but keep your expectations reasonable. It’s tough. Your best bet would be through strong networking and personal connections… and once again, this would be a lot more feasible in a city than in a rural area. Also will depend on your language skills. I would say the possibility of moving to another kind of job (based on what you’ve shared here) isn’t 0%, but it’s slim. Unfortunately your line of work doesn’t sound like it would easily transfer to the sorts of jobs available to foreigners with limited language ability.

   Given all the factors pointing you towards wanting/needing a city placement, I would say go ahead and apply for JET but don’t rely on that entirely. Look into other ALT options as well in which you’ll be able to apply for a specific location.