Doing JET to overcome specific fears and other reasons?

7 comments

1. Interesting question for sure. I can relate to your post in that I began the JET Programme with some bad social anxiety, and hoped that teaching on JET would force me out of my comfort zone. And in that, it did. For those just out of college (and many without much real job experience) moving onto JET is a big stepping stone that jumpstarts real independence abroad. But, how does the concept of working in what is essentially a triggering environment feel for you? Would you only be sticking it out because your counselor asked you to, or is this something you think could bring you happiness in the long term? In the end, this is a paying full time job. Last, if and when you apply, I would not mention in your SOP about your purpose being to overcome your fear of Japanese schools, Im afraid. This is really a complex question. Hope I could help at all.

2. If it’s an irrational fear, I do wonder if you’d be able to handle it. If it’s schools in particular, you’re literally sitting and working in a school for 40+ hours a week, every week. You’re surrounded by the same sights and sounds as before. If you get triggered again, how will you handle it? Do you have a plan for coping with the added stressors? If you have a break down, what will you do? Additionally, you won’t have access to any of your usual supports, like your friends or family back home. Mental health care isn’t exactly world class in Japan, either.

   I would only try this if you actually have a legitimate plan for dealing with your fears and addressing the emotions you’re going to face while here. You might end up in a good placement with a lot of support or you might be in the middle of nowhere.

   My other concern is your exact reasoning for wanting to do JET. Your application (and interview should you make it to that stage) will require you to address why you want to be on the JET Programme. “Getting over my fear of schools in Japan” won’t look great and if you make it to your interview, your interviewers will probably grill you on it. It’s fine to come on JET with mental health problems, but they will want to know how you plan to manage them while in Japan. The last thing they want is to spend tons of money and time on bringing someone over and then have them bail at the first stressor.

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4. Most of my friends who came who said they were OK mentally and who were in their late 20s all had their own massive mental health crisis here. It is really hard even if you are used to working in schools in your own country, even if you have a good support network and aren’t dealing with lots of things.

   I don’t think you should come to Japan to overcoming existing things. It is different to come to Japan to gain independence, self reliance, or broaden your mind but coming to Japan when you are scared of school noises and are already on shaky ground doesn’t sound like a great idea. You should be coming because you want to.

5. Your counselor’s advice sounds horrible. You know the environment would be high stress, you’d be living alone and have no friends or family around to help you deal with the stress, and even with a fair amount of Japanese you still wouldn’t be understanding a lot of what’s happening. To top it all off, mental health supporting this country is probably not what you would prefer it to be, considering the high stress situations that you would be subjecting yourself to.

   Maybe you should consider working somewhere other than a school or educational institution.

   It will be difficult for you to save money right now, considering how weak the yen is, unless you manage to get a job in a high paying field. Certainly education is not going to pay you a lot.

6. I think a vacation to Japan would perhaps be more appropriate. Children can be little shits sometimes. I’ve had friends who teach HS whose kids give have definitely been rude and asked them inappropriate questions to try and get a rise out of them. I don’t think you’d do well in that sort of situation from the sound of it.

   I think a better option would be to take a vacation to Japan. If that goes well you can look into doing a homestay or getting a working holiday visa, depending on your nationality. I don’t think jumping straight into JET is a good idea though

7. For me, I did JET in part to get over my anxiety and fears with public speaking. It was my own kind of exposure therapy.
   I wasn’t expecting to get placed in Tokyo, but it is one of the “best” places to get used to crowds and noise, lol.

   I wouldn’t have called myself mentally secure when I first came to Japan (or the year prior, but to be fair I was part of the Cursed 2020 cohort), and I have had ups and downs in my time here, but I am the happiest I’ve been in my life since I was a kid.

   I had never been to therapy before Japan (still haven’t, outside of an email to the JET Mental Health line), and I have had moments in the past where I was on the brink of a crisis, but moving to Japan really helped me grow and learn to adapt to different situations.

   It’s not right for /everyone/ (and you should do some research on that as well, with cases such as Kelly Savage’s), but I personally am happy I took the plunge and came here.

   I knew I wasn’t going to get better in my past situation, and Japan allowed me the growth I needed. 🙂