FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)
This page is page dedicated for frequently asked questions about Iwate and the JET programme!
Basic Questions
What is the JET Programme?
The JET (Japanese Exchange Teaching) Programme is an exchange program which allows people from around the world to work in Japan as either Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs) or Coordinators for International Relations (CIRs). Please check with your local embassy if they are participants of the program, and refer to their respective JET websites for more details about the program and application!
What is a PA? What does a PA do?
A Prefectural Advisor, or PA for short, is a person chosen by the host prefecture to take on extra responsibilities in order to ensure that the JET programme runs smoothly in each prefecture.
Our main responsibilities revolve around mediation and consultations. If any issues arise between JET participants and their contracting organisations, we are often called in to help mediate the situation. We are also one of the possible points of contact for JET participants if there are any questions. However, as our responsibility is also to promote mutual and cultural understanding between Japan and the JET participant's home country, we always suggest that a JET participant discusses anything with their supervisors before coming to us, unless they feel uncomfortable doing so.
We are also in charge of informing JET participants about any events, training seminars or information necessary to comfortably live in Japan. One of the ways we will be doing this will be through this website.
What is the difference between an ALT PA and a CIR PA?
An ALT PA is a person who is chosen amongst the ALTs in a prefecture to work at the BOE. They assist the Japanese PA, who also works at the BOE, in organising the Prefectural ALTs and running conferences for all ALTs.
A CIR PA is a CIR who works at the Prefectural Office and works with the other Japanese PA, who is in charge of managing the contracting organisations from an administrative standpoint. While the ALT PA is in charge of Prefectural ALTs, the CIR PA is in charge of CIRs, Municipal ALTs and Privately Contracted ALTs. The CIR PA also assists the Japanese PA with organising incoming JETs.
In Iwate, there are a total of 5 PAs: 2 CIR PAs, 1 ALT PA and 2 Japanese PAs.
If you have any inquiries, feel free to send them to any of the PAs regardless. We operate in a PA bubble and are happy to help you forward your inquiry to the appropriate person.
I'm an incoming JET but no one has reached out to me yet. Why?
First of all, congratulations on getting your placement. We've been through the same process and completely understand how nerve-wracking it all is.
Each Contracting Organization is given a date in which they are allowed to reach out to the JETs. This differs depending on when you receive your placements as Contracting Organizations aren't allowed to reach out to you until you've returned your reply forms, or any equivalent proof that says you've accepted your placement. From that date onwards, Contracting Organizations are allowed to reach out to you.
When they reach out to you is up to the convenience of the supervisor in charge of you. They might reach out to you themselves; they might ask your predecessor to reach out to you. Here in Iwate, most Contracting Organizations reach out to their new JETs relatively soon after reply forms are returned but there have been cases of JETs not receiving any details or contact until several days before they depart.
What we can say is that, no your placement will not run away from you and they have not forgotten that you are coming, so focus your time and energy on your current life and slowly prepare for the big move to your new home away from home.
Job Specific Questions
Where can I find a copy of my contract?
Your Contracting Organization is supposed to make sure you are provided with it at the start of each contracting period. If you have lost it or think you never received it, first try to reach out to your supervisor; if they also don't know, you can reach out to the PAs who can help you look into it.
How early do I get to leave for a business trip?
For ALTs, always ask your supervisor (in most cases, the Vice-principal of your base school, who will likely direct you to your school office manager). In general: your commute time should count as working hours - from your base school to the destination. You are not expected to take the expressways on business trips, so calculate the amount of time it would take to drive or take public transit safely, including some traffic. The return commute unfortunately does not count as work hours, although of course the mileage is still reimbursed.
For CIRs, usually this is discussed with you while the schedule is being created for your business trip. You are free to ask to leave early for any trip, but do be aware that they might not agree or ask you to take paid leave as you are not technically working the hours you arrive early. For business trips, you are reimbursed the cost of the commute unless told otherwise.
Can I stay at a hotel the night before a business trip if it's far away?
Ask your supervisor; but the standard is yes, you will be able to, as long as you cannot get to the business trip location by the start time if you were to leave your base school/workplace at the regular starting work time.
Do I always get substitute holiday for working on weekends, holidays, or
other off-hours?
Yes, you always should. For that reason, even club activities are not technically required. Most ALTs decide to volunteer anyways for club activities, but ultimately it's up to you if you were to decide to insist on either those being paid hours or not doing it. The same goes for debate events, English camps and so on. You are under no obligation to volunteer for these things, and have every right to stand your ground on not doing them unless you get substitute holiday for them.
For CIRs, you may be asked occasionally to work weekends for events. When this happens, you will be offered 代休/振替, where you can take a day off during the week to compensate. Each CO has their own system and rules surrounding this so best to learn the rules from your CO as soon as possible.
What will happen if I break contract and go home early?
What will certainly happen is you will lose your complimentary return ticket home.
Depending on the circumstances that you break contract, your CO may not assist you with your move back home, including with any outstanding financial and legal issues, as they are not obliged to. Most likely, they would be preoccupied in trying to organise your successor and formalize the end of your contract. Breaking contract may also affect the relationship between your country and your school negatively.
If your situation does require you to break contract, please feel free to reach out to the PAs to assist you in the process.
Lifestyle Questions
Is there a JET community in Iwate?
Long story short, not right now. Our predecessors ran AJET a long time ago and then, it fizzled out... but we are definitely working on restarting a JET community for past, present and future JETs in the Iwate community! Starting with this website, we are working on creating a Discord community for all Iwate JETs as a point of contact for event organisation. We will update this here when it is ready, so please join if you would like to participate in our community!
How do people deal with the snow and ice?
Wear layers. Many JETs come from warm climates with no snow. But a lot of them have been able to thrive by not being shy to put a few bucks down to make sure they have enough heaters, allowing extra time for commute, and wearing more layers (including long underwear, top and bottom). While grippy shoes are helpful, walking carefully is probably an even more important learned skill. Picking up snowboarding or skiing can be a way to think of positives, as well.
Why does everything close early?
It's mostly true that things close earlier in Iwate, especially compared to Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto. That being said, it's more about knowing where to look. The same kinds of places that are open late in the aforementioned mega-cities generally do exist in Iwate, if you figure out where to look. That being said, buying a Netflix or other streaming account, studying online, gaming, inviting others over for board games, or so on is often found to be a better way to spend evenings by some.
Why are shinkansen tickets so expensive?
Well... it is a rather premium service after all... if you think about it...
However, you can make it cheaper by buying your shinkansen ticket well in advance. If you buy your ticket within 20 days prior to your trip, you may be eligible for special discounts that range from 5% to 50% off. Usually they are around 20% off from 20 days, but even a few days beforehand, you can get a 5% discount off your shinkansen ticket. If you frequently go to Sendai or Tokyo, these discounts will come in handy.
Here is the website for more details. If you don't understand Japanese, do ask your supervisors to help you create an account and nagivate the website. Once you get the hang of it, you should be able to use it without knowing too much Japanese. One of the advantages of this website is that you can also link your ticket to your Suica, meaning you won't need to worry about holding a paper ticket on your shinkansen ride.
You can also look into the English version of Ekinet to get a JR East Pass. These tickets offer 5 days of travel on the JR Lines (including shinkansen) from Hakodate to the Tokyo area for a reasonable price.
Can I get a credit card in Japan?
The short answer is: yes.
The long answer is, it will take some time before you will be approved for one. Most credit card companies require a foreigner to have lived in Japan for a minimum of 6 months before you can be approved for a card. Even then, there is no guarantee you will be approved for a card as there are a plethora of reasons why credit card companies will not give you a credit card. If you do choose to apply for a card, Rakuten and Amazon are good starting places to look into as they are relatively foreigner friendly.
If you cannot wait 6 months, you can also apply for a debit card with your local bank. Take into mind, however, that getting a debit card might include an annual membership fee unless you spend over a certain amount with the card.
There are other cashless options here in Japan such as LINE Pay or PayPay (QR code payment) and 後払い (atobarai, after payment) services such as convenience store payments. Either way, you should be able to pay for things online with any of the above services or a debit card, so don't fret if you are unable to get a credit card.
As a side note, do take into mind that Japan is still a relatively cash reliant society so it is a good idea to always have cash on hand at all times!
Legal Questions
How and when do I renew my visa?
Please search "Iwate prefecture visa renewal" and refer to the Prefecture's helpful guide here.
Do I have to take paid leave to renew my visa?
Unfortunately, yes. There have been cases of exceptions however, so please do speak to your supervisor about this when you begin the process.
Japanese Related Questions
How do people cope with the lack of English in signs, restaurant staff and so on?
It's admittedly hard with no Japanese. The Google Translate app can scan photos and you can select lines to translate. However, the best course of action might be to learn a few lines of restaurant-Japanese from a friend or an online resource, and to ask for the staff's recommendation ("kyo no osusume wa?")
The Japanese course provided through the JET Program isn't working for me. What other recommendations have worked for people?
The PAs do recommend pressing through and trying to stick with the course provided - CLAIR has thought a lot about what course to select, and historically sticking with it has provided a lot of benefit to those who have done so. That being said, Wanikani is often recommended as a better source for vocabulary. And in addition to various quality textbooks out there, there are a number of people willing to work for free or cheap with you in learning Japanese - if you want to work with someone like that, or to take an in-person class, reaching out to the Iwate International Associatio would be recommended.