Hey! Currently trying to decide what to do once I finish my degree, and I’m torn between whether I should do JET for a year or two then come back to do a masters degree, or go straight to a masters then do JET.
My worry about the first idea is – what happens if I end up loving being an ALT? I don’t want to be out of education for more than a couple of years before doing a masters degree, so I don’t want to shoot myself in the foot by cutting a potential 3-5 year term short to do that if I enjoy it.
Could I do it for a couple of years, go do a masters in my home country for a year, then come back? Or is it a case of once I’m out, I’m out?
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You can do JET a second time, but you have to wait 3 years and re-do the entire application process. Also, you’ll be given a completely new placement.
Someone beat me to mentioning the 3 year wait, but I had 2 other points as well.
1) Grad school (imo) is way easier when you’re still in the “swing” of being a student, especially if you plan to go full time. I have peers in my current program who haven’t been in school (even in as little as 3 years) who struggle a lot more than the ones that have recently graduated, particularly with things like assignment/time management, best practices for writing papers, test prep (i.e. skills you don’t normally use in day to day life). Just a current M.S. student’s perspective
2) In watching former JET’s talk about the application and the program on YouTube and stuff, it sounds like CLAIR is looking cultural ambassadors just as much (if not more-so) than teachers. The program is, above all else, a cultural exchange, and they want people who they think will go back to their home country and spread the “good word” of Japan and Japanese culture – not foreigners looking to permanently relocate. All that to say, if they see that you left the program and then are trying to return shortly thereafter, they may be less likely to hire you back. Of course, this is all speculation based on what I’ve heard, so take it with a grain of salt.
You’re not able to take a gap from the job. However, you can reapply and do JET a second time. Once you decide to not recontract, you’re done and a replacement is lined up.
Many people have been able to do a masters program online, during their time on JET. But this is very dependant on your workload and other factors for your time. It’s usually best to start in your second year, once you can assess your commitments.
Going to disagree a bit with some others here – I found it hard to go directly from undergrad to grad school without a break, and while I finished my masters I definitely would have gotten more out of it had I been more refreshed going in.
Just be a human tape recorder and do minimal that is the best. I really never cared if they learned English or not. It is more important to have fun and enjoy the downtime. Remember the pay is very low when converting to US dollars
Others have given some great feedback, so I thought I’d just add my two cents.
It depends on what your career goals are – JET isn’t meant to be a career as they give you a 5-year participation limit. Teaching could absolutely turn into your passion and JET would be a great opportunity to get that experience in the classroom. So if you do JET for a few years and then go into an Education Master’s program, I think that experience would help you in your grad studies!
If you’re like me and studied something completely different (I studied Business Admin.), I had to think of what my plan outside of JET will look like.
I went straight from my BBA to my MBA without a break, and honestly, it’s very exhausting and I’ve grown a little resentful of the program despite loving what I’m learning. But I didn’t have the option to go into JET after my undergrad because of Covid (the boarder situation didn’t appeal to me).
If I *did* have the opportunity to go on JET *before* my MBA, I wonder what it would have been like; If I had more life experience outside of university studies, I might have had something unique to bring to the program.
So I think it really depends on what your 5- or 10-year career plan looks like!
Could you do the masters through an open university or remotely while doing jet? It could be intense but given you have time during desk warming, it could be an option.
I did a masters straight after my undergraduate degree, this was in 2017-2018. I took a 3 year break and did another postgraduate diploma in 2021 and did not find the gap to be difficult but that’s my own experience.
What’s the rush with getting the masters done? You realize people of all ages get masters degrees…try for jet, live life, then do your masters or…do it remotely while on jet. And last, no you can’t just leave your assignment on JET and just come back. You are asked (if asked) to renew your contract every year so if you say yes but leave then that terminates it and you go home and would have to apply again but the chance you go again after breaking contract is low. In any case you’d have to reapply.