V. On The Job¶
This section of the book has been designed to give a very general overview of your day-to-day working conditions. It is very important to remember, however, that the conditions will vary radically from school to school. If you spend your first few months here comparing your position to someone else’s, you may end up being very disappointed. Keep in mind that initial impressions are often incorrect. It will take a great deal of time to understand the particular nuances of your position. Also remember that there is a great deal of give and take that comes with this job. In general, junior high school JETs do not get as much vacation time as the high school JETs. They do, however, often get furnished apartments. It is impossible for you to say that your job is more difficult than someone else’s or vice versa. Without stepping into another’s body and experiencing things as he/she experiences them you can never truly know.
Knowledge is power. You should take some time and read about the culture you’ve just gotten yourself into—it won’t erase your culture shock, but the more you understand what goes on around you the less anxiety you will suffer. Hidden Differences: Doing business with the Japanese, is an excellent book by the anthropologist Edward T. Hall. It is written especially for business, but surprisingly much is applicable to JETs’ work situations, and it’s written in a compact, easy-to-read style. Another good book is Learning To Bow, by Bruce S. Feiler, a JET alum. Japan’s High Schools is somewhat dated, but is still highly recommended background reading, with much commentary on what goes on at school and why it happens that way. Although it is dated as well, Ruth Benedict’s classic The Chrysanthemum and the Sword provides a good general background on Japanese culture. These books and many others can be found in the major English bookstores.
Junior High School JETs¶
As a jr. high JET you will be working for your community’s school board (kyouikuiinkai). These are the people who decide many of your working conditions: e.g. vacation time, length of workday, etc. Your kacho (office head) or tanto-sha (“Shepherd-sensei”) is directly responsible for you, but depending on his English ability and overall interest in you, you may work with or through someone else. It is the school board that probably obtained your home for you as well as any major appliances not purchased by you from your predecessor. Of course, some JETs are set up well and others aren’t. A great deal depends on the financial well-being of your community. You will probably spend a lot of time in the school board. In fact, many JETs spend their first month in Nara sitting in the school board all day. Why? Because your contract says so. In time you may learn how to get out of this situation, but in the meantime make the most of it by studying Japanese, etc.
As a member of your school board you are a member of your community by proxy. You may be asked to attend various community events on a purely altruistic level (in other words, on a Saturday with no monetary reimbursement). However, these are great opportunities for you to become part of your community. Rural JETs especially have somewhat of a celebrity status. Everyone will be very pleased to see you there. Remember, though, that fame is a double-edged sword. All eyes are on you. Failure to attend an event, especially when you said you would attend, can be held against you or at least cause embarrassment to those who were counting on your coming. Do not say you will attend something if you have no intention of going. An apology before the event is much better than one after.
High School JETs¶
Unlike the junior high JETs, you work directly for kencho (the prefectural government) and your school, not a school board. In your case it is the head teacher who makes the important decisions for you. Unlike the jr. high JETs, your apartment (if you have one) was not set up for you by your school, but by your predecessor (if you had one). You may have purchased his or her old appliances, etc., or you will have to buy all of these things yourself, in which case you will someday sell these things to the next JET. Honestly, the money will come in handier when you’re back in your home country than when you first get to Japan (even if it does seem like a momentous pain-in-the-butt). The good news is that you will probably get a lot of vacation time. Check this out with your school.
Vacation¶
Your contract is purposefully vague on this point with the true fine print being supplied by your school board or school. For example, I am only allowed out of work on my contractually-specified twenty nenkyu (official vacation) days. However, I can take these days whenever I want. If I do not take nenkyu , I must sit in my school board all day. This is really not so bad–air con in August, time to study Japanese, and great opportunities to find out about your community. Give this time! Eventually you can figure out how to use it to your advantage. Don’t be afraid to remind your kacho or head teacher that the E in JET stands for Exchange, not Endless time sitting on my butt doing nothing. For example, visit area temples or local artisans. As a foreigner you will probably show more interest in these things than most young people here do. In addition to nenkyu there are official vacation days that almost all Japanese receive. Most, with the exception of May’s Golden Week, are concentrated in the fall. One last note on vacation: remember that most Japanese do not use all of their allotted vacation time and often work Sundays too. However don’t let someone guilt-trip you into not using all of yours. After all, you are not Japanese and are working in a high-stress environment. You deserve every day you receive.
At Your School¶
After your initial month in Japan, the fall term begins at your school or schools. Some JETs have only one school while others visit many. Usually the term begins at the beginning of September. You may have to give an introductory speech, so be prepared even if no one tells you. Remember that this is actually the beginning of the second term, not the first. Graduation ceremonies were held in March at the end of the winter term.
The teacher’s room is where all the teachers have their respective desks. At one end of the room will probably be the desks of the kocho-sensei (principal) and the kyoto-sensei (vice-principal). The vice-principal is in charge of the teachers and is often very powerful–make friends with this guy. The teacher’s room itself will probably be divided into groups of desks based on grade-levels. All those teachers involved with the first-year students sit in one group, etc. You may or may not be assigned to one of these groups.
Your students will probably show a great interest in you at first. Try to show some back. Getting to know your students can be a very rewarding experience; take advantage of the opportunities that school trips, clubs, and special activities will afford you. Don’t get too discouraged if your students show more interest in you outside of class than in class. If you had to go to school, then a club, then a cram school, and finally home to study, you probably wouldn’t be too interested either.
Odds and Ends¶
Come September, your school will probably have a Cultural Day (bunkasai). While this will vary radically from school to school, it is basically a club-oriented day where each club has some type of performance or activity. Participation is the name of the game so try to get involved. Later in October is Sports Day (undoukaii). Parents come and watch as their children compete in various group-oriented activities. Both of these activities mean a lot to your kids.
Don’t be surprised when you get back from spring vacation and you don’t recognized half the teachers in your staff-room. Spring is the time when personnel transfers take place. For example, I got a new kacho in my school board and five teachers in my school. On the upside, this is time for partying in the new people.
So why can’t you figure out what’s going on in your office? No, it’s not a conspiracy against you. There are a series of schedules that you may or may not be able to read according to your Japanese ability. First of all, there is a monthly schedule, which was discussed at length in your teachers’ meeting (in Japanese, of course). It might be sitting in front of you on your desk. Second, look around the teachers’ room and see if your can find a blackboard with this month’s schedule on it. Finally, and most importantly, every morning before class the day’s schedule is discussed at length among the teachers. Keep your ears open or ask an English-speaking teacher what was just discussed.
Lastly, come June, you will have to extend your visa if you are renewing or if your school year extends past your initial visa expiration.
Renewing / Not Renewing¶
Don’t be surprised if, as early as December, you are asked about whether or not you wish to renew. Monbusho and the Foreign Ministry need a rough estimate of how many new JETs they need to select, so they ask each prefecture for a headcount of those who are thinking of staying on the program. Of course, this request comes at the exact WRONG time for most JETs. Many of you will be in the midst of culture shock, so the idea of another year of ‘’Harro!’’, ‘’Eeeeh!”, and ‘’Gaijin da!’’ will be as appealing as needles under your fingernails. But do your best to think it through, even though the timing may be a bit poor.
The good news is that YOU CAN ALWAYS CHANGE YOUR MIND. You’ll be asked about renewing in December (‘’Application for Renewal’’) and again in February (‘’Decision on Renewal’’). The general rule is if you are not sure in December, say yes; you can always change your mind before the February decision, but it’s a lot harder to reverse engines once you’ve indicated you’re planning to head home.
Moreover, try to logically analyze both the advantages and disadvantages of staying. Do you want to study Japanese more? Do you want to know more about Japanese culture? Do you like the teaching aspect of the experience? Do you want to do more traveling around Japan/South East Asia? Try to think through what you will get out of another year in Japan.
A couple of cautions: first, don’t delude yourself into thinking that you will drastically change your habits. For example, if you wanted to study Japanese, but haven’t gotten started yet, then it’s not likely that you’ll become fluent staying one more year. Second, while the money is good, it’s not THAT good. If you think you’re going to be miserable, then by all means go home. After all, even if you put off that job search, you’ll still have to face it next year…
Above all, BE SELFISH! You may feel that if you leave, you’ll be letting down various teachers and students to whom you’ve become attached. Don’t worry – they’ll understand if you choose to go. You should base your decision solely on what YOU feel is best for you. If you think that you’ll still get something out of the program, then go for it. If not, then you can always look forward to ‘’home’’ cooking. Best of luck to your decision-making.
Extending your visa¶
If you are renewing, your supervisor should talk to you in June or very early July about getting your visa extended for another year. Due to our JET connection to the government through Monbusho, this is relatively painless, involving short trip or two to the Immigration office.
Your office should provide you with the necessary forms (including a copy of your contract) and arrange for your transit fee to Immigration. You must pay the ¥4000 fee yourself (but your supervisor may arrange to get it for you). This fee is paid in the form of a revenue stamp (shu-nyu inshi), which can be found at post offices, liquor stores, or at your local tobacco shop (Yes, it’s true … a tobacco shop—only in Japan!). The Nara Immigration Office does not sell the stamp—you must get it elsewhere!
Necessary documents for Visa Extension:¶
your passport
alien registration card (gaijin torokusho)
certificate of employment and/or copy of your contract
statement of earnings
a ¥4000 revenue stamp (shu-nyu inshi)
Nara Branch Office¶
Directions
From Kintetsu Nara station: take the bus going to “Fujiwaradai, Yamamura-cho”, or Loop-line No.2 (“2-keito”). The office 3min from Takabatake-jutaku bus stop.
From JR Nara station: take the Loop-line No.1 (“1-keito”), from the bus stop in front of Mr.Donuts across the street. The Office is a 5min walk from the Takabatakecho stop (the map says Takabatake”).
From Takabatake-jutaku bus stop, you will see a small liquor store; this is a good place to get your revenue stamp.
Return Visas¶
While you’re at Immigration, you might consider applying for a return visa (see International Travel section). You can apply for both of them at Nara Immigration, so why not save yourself a trip?
Osaka Immigration¶
Officially, we have been told that Nara residents must go to the Nara office for visa extensions and return visas, but there have been reports that it is still possible to show up at the Osaka office and get it done. Be warned that while it may work, you may end up having to go to Nara anyway. Directions to Osaka Immigration (for visa extensions) and the Immigration Information Center (for return visas) are provided for your reference.
