My wife and I are both trying to move to Japan next years for positions as an ALT and are in the midst of applying to the JET program and various dispatch companies. My wife is a much better JET candidate than myself based on college GPA, extracurriculars, stellar letters of recommendation, etcetera. I am most likely not even going to attempt JET and just try my luck with a dispatch company. We feel very lost as a married couple attempting to make this life move, as most people we know or see doing this are doing so alone as a single person. Is there anything we should know to help this process, potentially even coming from someone who has done so successfully in a situation like ours. Our main concern is over housing. Our hope is that she will make JET but we know the statistical likelihood is low, and I am hoping for Interac or Altea. What we worry about are situations such as the following:
1. If I get hired at Interac, and she gets hired at JET, what happens with housing? Since both assist with supplying housing, what happens if we both are given housing by each and then do not need one of the housing arrangements anymore?
2. How should we go about making sure that we work in areas that are close enough to one another that we can feasibly live together?
3. If I receive a placement from Interac or similar dispatch prior to her receiving a placement from JET that is in a completely different part of the country, how difficult is it to do something like a location transfer to a different job assignment at the same dispatch company? How bad does it look to other companies to break a contract in order to move and take a different job right away?
4. On the Interac website, the FAQ says that all housing accommodations are intended for single occupancy and that it is impossible for them to change this. Would we not be allowed to bring the other spouse in such accommodations? Is it impossible to have a second person living there?
I am sure there are many other things to consider that I have failed to address here, and would love and welcome all feedback as to what we should know and do. These are the things that come up frequently for us as questions that it seems difficult to find answers to without experience or knowledge from others.
6 comments
Ask in r/jetprogramme and search Facebook for the JET with families group.
There are lots of married JET couples that have done the program, and my prefecture had a few when I did one year as a JET ALT.
Honestly if your worried about getting placed in the same location as your wife I would wait for either you or her to get the job first. Then once you have moved her the other start searching for a job.
As for apartments your always free to search for your own there is no contractual obligation to take the apartments offered by the company.
If you really don’t think you’re a viable JET candidate, then in your situation, I would have your wife apply for JET first and see how that goes. If she gets selected, you can start applying for jobs after she’s placed.
Interac sounds like it’s not open to couples, at least re: housing… do they even sponsor visas for dependents? Not all ALT/dispatch companies do so.
Honestly, to manage the logistics of it all, you may just want to get a dependent visa for starters & then look for jobs in person once you’re in Japan. Depending on how remote her placement is, though, there may or may not be job opportunities for you as well.
I also recommend the JET families Facebook group! I have some personal/related experience but not exactly the same situation, as I’m teaching in a Japanese university with my husband and kids here as dependents.
>I am most likely not even going to attempt JET
Apply to JET. The worst they can do is reject you, and the best that can happen is you both get paid better than 200k on private dispatch.
JET is much more of a cultural exchange programme than a teaching one, especially at the interview stage. What they want to know is if you’ll be good around the kids and if you’ll be a good representative of your culture. Academics don’t necessarily indicate those things.
Re: your questions, I was with Interac and had friends on JET.
1. From what I know housing for JET is mandatory. If you’re on JET, you need to live in their provided housing (my friend said she wasn’t allowed to move out of her JET allocated flat). Housing with Interac is optional. You should take it for when you first get there and don’t need to hunt for accommodation as well as move internationally, but after settling in you can decide to move out any time (finances permitting).
2. Either you both apply for JET/ the same companies and tell them at the interview stage that you also have a spouse applying, or one of you needs to be placed first. Here’s where one of you going on Interac and one on JET might actually help, because JET has a specific start date (August) whereas Interac hires all year round (technically) with a lot of people starting in March, as the school year begins in April. When one of you is placed, the other can then request to be geographically close to the other.
3. JETs cannot change location, and when you’re assigned your school(s), your choices are either to stay at the school(s) or quit JET (but maybe circumstances like moving closer to your spouse would be an exemption, you’d have to ask). With private dispatch, you can move usually after your first year contract is up. You ask for a transfer to a general geographical area and they can usually hook you up with something, although it’s not guaranteed. Changing jobs to be closer to your spouse is fine, because you have a valid reason to leave for another role.
4. I think it’s both legal and practical. Legally, you need a guarantor to live somewhere as a foreigner in Japan. I assume that Interac will only be *your* guarantor, not your spouse’s. Practically, the single room they find you will probably be too cramped for 2 people.
JET has more red tape but it pays better and has better benefits. Best case scenario: if you apply to JET together and both get accepted, then they can place you close together. Worst case scenario: one of you goes with dispatch for a year, do long distance within the same country, and then ask your dispatch to move you closer to your spouse after your year is up.
Best bet it wait until one of you secures a job first. Find the location and then the other can target schools in that area. If you are in a big city like Tokyo or Osaka it will be much easier
One thing you should consider is how difficult it is for non-Japanese to get housing in Japan, particularly when you don’t speak Japanese or have a Japanese person to act as your guarantor. There is a lot of discrimination in the housing market, and on top of that, it’s very expensive to move into a new place. You generally have to pay 3-4 month’s rent, and sometimes more.
There are shared accommodation complexes run by companies that target foreigners. The rent is cheaper and they don’t charge much to move in, but these are usually not very pleasant places to live.
This is why companies often provide housing: they know it’s hard to get an apartment, so they take advantage of that situation by making you pay THEM for it, while in the process overcharging for their own profit. Just so you know.
If, however, you have a good bit of money saved, there are plenty of options. One of these is UR housing, which is run by the government and doesn’t require a guarantor or high move-in fees. They are not allowed to discriminate, so as long as you have a Japanese speaking person help you with the paperwork, it’s not a problem if you can’t speak Japanese.
In addition, there are guarantor companies you can pay to act as your guarantor. But this option raises costs.
Generally speaking, you either need good Japanese skills or plenty of money if you want get your own apartment.