Congrats to everyone who’s gotten their placements!
As an incoming prefectural JET I’m wondering if I’m going to need a car. I know municipal JETs normally have more schools they visit so it seems common for them to have cars, if they can drive. There’s not a lot of information on if Prefectural JETs need a car or not. I know it’ll all probably be clear once we find out our final placements but I’d love to hear from past prefectural JETs on this subject.
If you’re a prefectural JET were you able to get around with public transportation, did you need a car to get to school or maybe you got a car for convenience? Do most prefectural JETs get placed in the country side but with access to a train or bus station? Any stories, tips, or advice you have would be great, thanks!
5 comments
Heavily depends on your location.
You might have one school right next to your house, near many shops and public transport.
You could end up an hour from the nearest train station and with a bunch of visit schools.
You won’t know until you learn about your specific placement.
Depends on your schools. I basically need a car because my one visit school is 20km away and rural, so taking public transit would be a roughly 2 hour commute. Driving is around 45-50 minutes with normal morning traffic. To me, it’s worth it to have a car just for that.
The other ALT in my town can get by without a car because her 2 schools are more easily accessible by public transit, even though her visit school is further than mine.
Meanwhile, I have a friend who is a municipal JET and he only has 1 school within walking distance from his apartment.
Depends on your location. In Hokkaido, prefectural ALTs are required to take public transit to school. They’re banned from driving to work, even if they’re in a really rural area. Folks in more rural areas will often get a car for personal use though
Kochi Rural here,
I was told by my high school that the reason we cannot have cars is because the insurance is too high to burden the cost. If you don’t come to work or go home, then they don’t have to pay it. We also don’t have many schools to go to. (I am only at one, so there is no need for a car.) Another reason I was told is because an ALT hit a student one time.
Howeer, privately we can own cars. we have to pay all the costs associated with them. If you’re in a rural placement, then you might want to invest in a car.
It depends where you’re placed. Some BOEs (including some prefectural BOEs) don’t even let you drive a car for work purposes.