Subtitle: How to quit JET and find/start a new job.
I remember when I first came to Japan. Like many, I thought
I’d stay two years and then go to grad school. Well, life happens. I fell in
love with living here. I wasn’t ready to leave after two years. Also, I
unexpectedly fell in love with a Japanese man.
Not the path I had in mind but I’m happy. So you may be wondering, what’s
next?
The JET Programme has a maximum of 5 years, and I am at my
limit. I had to find a new job. Of course I’d like to move back to America some
day, but for now, my option is to continue living here for the foreseeable
future, and I am ok with that except for missing my loved ones back home so
much.
You are probably wondering what job I will do next. I had to
wait to post this until the appropriate time, but I am happy to announce that I
have found a new job! Such a huge relief! Finding a new job and moving
somewhere with my boyfriend are my two big life steps this year, and one is out
of the way. Wish me luck with moving in the summer.
“So wait, isn’t your
JET contract until the summer?” The answer is yes, but I’ve decided to break my
JET contract. It’s an unfortunate circumstance, really. I would’ve loved to
finish out my contract with JET, but it would’ve been more difficult to find
work in the summer since the Japanese school year starts in April, and that’s
when the bulk of the hiring is done. If I would’ve waited until summer, my
chances of finding work in a school (which is what I want to do…I love teaching)
would’ve decreased quite a bit. Better to be safe than sorry right? Honestly, I
think JET should really reconsider their contract period because this situation
happens quite often.
I’m sure you all want to hear about my new job. I will write
a whole separate post about that in due time, but for now, I will tell you that
I will be working at an international preschool/kindergarten teaching children
from 2-6 years old. It’s pretty far away, so the commute will take some getting
used to as well as teaching young children, having more responsibility, etc.,
but I am very happy and excited for the opportunity to have my own class! Like
I said, I will write more about it once I’ve actually started.
What I want to focus on in this post is about how to quit the JET Programme and quitting a job in Japan in general because I find that this it really hard to find any information
about this topic online. If this doesn’t apply to you, you should stop reading
now because it will be boring, but I hope this proves useful the people out
there like me. I just want to say right off the bat, of course quitting is bad,
and I advise not doing it if avoidable, but sometimes it can’t be helped, so
here we go…
First of
all, let’s be clear, this post is more geared towards those taking work in
Japan after JET. Some information might
be useful for those who want to quit and go home, however. First, know that in
most situations, your BOE is the one who made your living contract with your
landlord. Quitting JET could mean forfeiting your current living situation.
This is why you need to be prepared. You don’t want to be unexpectedly kicked
out and homeless. Start arranging a new place to live or talk with your
landlord to see if they’d be willing to let you continue living in your
home/apartment after JET. In this case, you would have to make a new contract
with your landlord. This is what I’m doing. You might need to find a new guarantor.
In my case, my landlord trusts me because I’ve been living there almost five
years, I’ve never paid late, and I’m only staying for the four months I
intended to originally. So I don’t need to find a guarantor. Your rent might
potentially change too. Talk this out with your landlord, but be prepared for
them to say that they can’t discuss anything until you BOE knows about your
plans to quit. Your BOE might have some sort of agreement where the new JET who
will come after you gets to live in your apartment or house, so they might need
to discuss things with your BOE first.
So once you
have some options and ideas for living arrangements, you can start applying for
jobs. There are so many ways to search for work; going to networking events and
career fairs, following job pages on Facebook and other forums, using job
hunting oriented apps like LinkedIn, word of mouth, researching companies on
your own, and going to job hunting agencies like Hello Work. Don’t forget that
you can directly apply to schools/companies you’re interested in by sending
them your résumé. I actually applied for CNET first and got rejected. I have a
friend in CNET who let me know when they were hiring. In the end, the way that
worked for me was to use the GaijinPot website. (*Note: This is an option for
foreigners and you may be limiting yourself if you are also looking for jobs
that aren’t specifically geared towards foreigners). Anyway, GaijinPot is a
useful website for foreigners looking for work in Japan. You can type in the
type of work you are looking for: category, full/part time, and location, and a
list will pop up of all the jobs that are hiring. You can see all the info like
the salary, the hours, the location, etc. Once you find one (or a few) you
like, it’s time to start sending résumés and cover letters which you can do
right through the website. GaijinPot is great in that you can just fill out
their résumé template online and save multiple copies of it so you can tweak it
according to each position. Super convenient! You will get a confirmation email
when you apply to a job. It is even kind enough to tell you many people have
applied via GaijinPot so far. Don’t get discouraged though. Mine said there
were over 200 applicants! Keep in mind that these are people from all over the
world, and if you already are in Japan, your chances increase quite a bit.
Lucky for me, I sent my résumé and cover letter, and they messaged me back the
very next day asking for me to come in for an interview.
So next,
about the interview. I’m very lucky that the place I applied for was an
international school because this meant I could do my interview in English in
western style manner. I am in no way knowledgeable about being interviewed by a
Japanese company in Japanese. I imagine that to be a lot scarier and formal.
Just a couple useful tips about interviewing, though: 1) Dress to impress, aka
wear a suit. 2) Get to the general location well ahead of time and show up a
little early, but not too early. 10 minutes seems about right. 3) Bring a copy
of your cover letter, résumé, and any other materials that seem necessary like
a copy of your diploma, your working visa, your passport, etc. Anything to
prove that you are a legit resident. 4) I think this is one of the most
important things: BE PREPARED! Research about the job and their goals. Read
through their website thoroughly. It WILL come in handy. Think about things you
may be asked and think of answers that align with their goals. Type them up and
practice out loud. Think about your strengths and weakness, and be prepared to
talk about them. “I don’t have any weaknesses” is not an answer. Think of about
2-3 things and offer antidotes to them. In my case, I said that I don’t have
much experience teaching young children, but I love children, I’m friendly and
likeable to them, and I want to learn how to teach them. Think of some things
that make you a better candidate than the other applicants. Lastly, type up a
list of questions you have for the interviewer. It makes you seem more
prepared. They aren’t only interviewing you. You are also trying to figure out
if you want to work for them, so ask the questions that are important to you.
If it doesn’t feel right during the interview to ask some of the questions you
prepared, then go with your gut. 5) Last advice. Be friendly and personable. Be
yourself. You don’t have to be so nervous. Shake their hand, smile, make eye
contact. Show them you are someone they’d enjoy working with. Obviously it
worked out for me in the end, but one thing I regret about my interview was
when they asked me the opened ended question, “Will you please tell us more
about yourself?” Instead of my hobbies and interests, I’m pretty sure I was
just like, “Ummm…well...I’m from Chicago. I have 3 dogs, 1 cat, parents, and a
younger sister there. I moved to Japan when I was 22… I studied Japanese in
university because like most, I got into anime
when I was younger…” I wish I would’ve told them less facts and history and
more about who I am now.
If you are
applying for a teaching position, a demonstration lesson may be part of the
interview process. It was in my case. I typed up and made copies of my lesson
plan ahead of time and gave the interviewers copies which I think they
appreciated. Just a few tips about the demonstration lesson, what you actually
teach isn’t as important as how you interact with the students. Obviously you
aren’t familiar with the students and their academic level, so err on the side
of caution and plan something easy. Don’t be afraid to stray from your plan if
the situation calls for it. Show yourself as versatile and prepare mentally for
any sort of situation or incident. I didn’t end up being necessary, but since I
have no experience with teaching classes of young children, I researched a lot
about classroom management and dealing with problem children in case there was
a bad kid acting up during my lesson. Like I said, that didn’t happen, but
during the interview they did ask me about how I deal with discipline. I was
happy I thought about it a bit in advance. One last tidbit. Follow up the
interview by sending a thank you email later in the day or the following day.
Ok, so you
got the job! Congratulations! Now the sh*tstorm begins. The paperwork
sh*tstorm. The nitty-gritty formalities and all the stressful stuff that comes
with changing jobs. I used to get REALLY stressed out about this stuff, but
experience has helped me deal with it better. Take things one thing at a time.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Remember to turn your brain off at times to
keep your sanity intact. For example, I used to worry and think about all the
things I had to do before going to bed, but now I tell myself that I will deal
with it the next day and worrying about it now isn’t going to change anything.
Once I’m in bed for the night, I stop looking at emails and stop thinking about
my to-do list and focus on watching YouTube videos and playing my favorite
phone game, Cookie Run. Haha! Just remember…one thing at a time.
Here’s a
list of things you potentially will have to take care of when you quit and
switch jobs. If I described the procedure for each and every thing, I’d
basically be writing a full-blown manual, so this is just the bare bones. Feel
free to message me if you have any questions about a specific step.
For the new job:
1.
Opening
a new bank account or post office bank account (I already have a bank account,
but my new job requires a post office one.)
2.
A
health check, out of your own pocket (Luckily I had one recently for my current
job and kept the results, so they just let me use that.)
3.
Copies
of EVERYTHING: your residence card, your passport, your diploma and/or
transcripts, any sort of teaching or language licenses, your pension book,
possibly a reference letter, your complete résumé…and just bring your hanko any time you do something work
related because you never know when they are going to ask you to stamp
something.
4.
Fill
out any information forms the school requires.
5.
Getting
a commuter pass and copying it
6.
Reviewing
and signing your new contract
7.
Visits
to your new workplace to take care of forms and to meet staff/have
informational sessions
8.
Reviewing
all materials the new job sends you
9.
Preparing
in any way possible for your new job (this might include things like lesson
planning, classroom decorations, or researching teaching methods but obviously it
depends on the type of job).
10.
Changing
your visa status. (*Note: An “Instructor” visa is good for public schools, but
many private schools require a “Specialist in Humanities / International
Services” visa. Of course “Permanent Residence” or “Spouse or Child of Japanese
National” visas should work if you are eligible.) The list of necessary items
for changing your visa status is something in of itself…proof of tax payment
forms, your passport, your current residence card, proof of employment forms,
diploma copies, application form, ID photo, 4000 yen in revenue stamps to be
paid on your second visit to the immigration bureau.
Quitting your old job:
11.
Resignation
letters in English and Japanese for your current job
12.
Meetings
with your supervisor, your superintendent, and your principal/vice-principal
13.
Speeches
in front of the school, the staff, the BOE
14.
Signing
this that and the other
15.
Buying
parting gifts (a very Japanese thing to do)
16.
Cleaning
out your desk and lockers little by little
17.
Giving
back your health insurance card
18.
Getting
your last payment stub and tax information from the previous year (if you don’t
have it) and from the current year
You may be
wondering what happens to your health insurance and pension money when you leave
JET for a new job. You will be expected to turn in your health insurance card
on your last day (which must be a weekday). I tried to make it so I quit on a
Sunday, but my BOE said they couldn’t cover me through the weekend and I had to
resign on a Friday. Since my new job starts on the following Monday, I will
have no health insurance for two days. The insurance company may or may not
bill you later for these two days since as a resident of Japan, you are
required to be covered by insurance at all times.
This is
where it gets a little confusing, but your new job won’t be able to apply for
your insurance until the first day of your contract which means you won’t get a
card right away. You are still technically covered, but if you go to the
doctor’s before you get your card, you supposedly have to pay the whole price
and will be reimbursed later. I’ve talked personally with one of my doctors,
and he said that you can pay the reduced price as long as you bring your card
to the office asap once you get it. This is where the rules seem pretty vague
to me. I guess play it safe and expect to pay the full price for a visit if you
go before you get your card. I think I’m going to just avoid going if possible
until I get mine.
As for your pension, if you plan to continue work in Japan, I don't think you have to collect your pension money as long as you plan to continue paying into it at your next job. I made sure new job has social insurance, so I should be fine there. I know that if you are going to leave Japan, you must collect your pension money, though.
The last
thing I want to explain is about the quitting process. In my case, I told my
supervisor privately about my plans long before I even applied for my new job
(mostly because I needed to figure out my living situation). Once I got a new
job, I formally met with her to tell her the news that I’m officially quitting.
Thanks to be being open and honest with her about my situation far ahead of
time, they were able to prepare in advance so that they won’t be without a
native English teacher the semester I’m not there. If you are kind and
passionate when you break the news and explain your situation truthfully and
express your apologies for quitting, then they should understand. I did this
with my supervisor, my superintendent, and my principal individually. They all
understood my reasons, and although it was hard to look them in the face and
say I’m quitting (I may have shed some very real tears…this has been an
important 5 years of my life), the process went more smoothly than I expected.
I met no anger.
Just
remember that until you formally quit by turning in your resignation papers and
speaking with the superintendent, you aren’t technically supposed to tell any
of your coworkers about your plans…that goes for your JTEs and fellow ALTs in
the same town. I didn’t know that, and was up front about it when my supervisor
told me not to tell anyone. She understood that it was natural for me to
consult with my fellow ALTs but told me not to tell anyone else.
So ya, about
two weeks left until I start a new stage in life (no spring break for me…boohoo).
I’m excited, nervous, and am just hoping to do a good job. I think the
adjustment will be hard, but I’m sure I’ll get used to it just in time for me
to deal with moving haha! Anyway, stay tuned for when I tell you about my new
job!
