These are the real reasons I applied for JET. I strategically left most of these reasons out of my JET Interview…
There were many reasons I decided to apply for JET and move to Japan, I would expect there to be many reasons for anyone. However, as a single mom I had many things to consider. I have thought about possibly moving to Japan ever since C was born.
The reasons I choose to apply and the timing of why I did it this year are I wanted C to experience living abroad. He is half Japanese and even though his father isn’t involved much in his life, I want C to know the other half of his culture, language and heritage. Maybe because his father isn’t involved, I wanted it more for C because it’s something I can’t give him. I know he may not appreciate it at the moment, and even if he never learns Japanese fluently or he forgets it a year after we move back…the experiences we have here will make it all worth it. I think even if it just helps him to understand to be tolerant of another culture, or sympathetic to a child who may be experiencing culture shock in America it will be a positive thing.
Also, C is quite a smart kid. Even though I’m his mother, and therefore bias, all of his teachers in the USA (and now in Japan as well) have told me so as well. Before we moved to Japan, C could do almost all kindergarten worksheets easily and he was working on first grade work. He is reading well for his age and he just picks up things quickly. In America, I tried to enroll him in a local charter school, but he was put on the waiting list. We lived in a very diverse neighborhood, which was an amazing opportunity to learn about other cultures. But, at the risk of sounding elitist, at our local elementary many of the children are ESL learners. My fear was that C would get bored in Kindergarten because a lot of time would be devoted to helping the ESL learners and he would start to resent school. This may not have ended up being the case, but regardless, it was a concern of mine and along with the other reasons; moving to Japan was a good option for us.
Timing – I felt that it was the perfect age for C to live abroad. At 5, kids pick up language so quickly, and because the school schedule in Japan starts in April, C would have 7 months in a play-based daycare to learn Japanese before attending elementary school and having the pressures of ‘real’ school in a foreign language. International schools were not an option for us; based on cost, location and it’s not the experience I wanted for C anyway.
As for my personal reasons – I wanted the chance to prove to myself I could survive as a single parent without a support network around; basically my thought was if I can make it in Japan where I don’t speak Japanese, I can make it in any city in the USA. I wanted the opportunity to pay off some debts in America, and to save money for our return. I was also stuck in a job - thankful to have a job, don’t get me wrong - but a job with no way of being promoted, or getting a raise. So I applied for JET. Luckily I did, because in February, the company I was working for laid off a bunch of people, including me. So then I was unemployed for several months (hence the debt), lost my daycare benefits, and insurance and was working freelance to make ends meet until I was able to come to Japan. I know they say don’t apply for JET for the money – but honestly, besides my reasons for C, money was a big motivating factor for me. I make more in Japan as a (technically) part time teacher than I did in America as a full time salaried worker. My living expenses in Japan are half of what they were in America.
Daycare is insanely cheap in Japan!! In America per month I was paying $325 a month with a daycare subsidy, $740 at full price, and in Japan…it’s about $270 a month…and that’s at the high end. Elementary after-school care in America was going to cost about $175 a week and more in the summer; but in Japan I will be paying around $70 a month!
Plus the added benefits of the Japanese government’s monthly child credit; and my BOE subsidizing almost 1/2 of my rent…the only thing that costs more in Japan is electricity in the winter and summer (3 or 4 months out of the year).
I don’t have a car in Japan. I don’t really need one, so I’m saving the expenses of having a car. Although at times, it really would be nice to have a car – like in typhoon season. I may consider getting one next year, but I don’t know if I want to deal with the hassle of trying to get a Japanese drivers license.
Aside from money – it was a way for me to get out of Texas and save some money to move to Seattle. I knew I didn’t want to live in Texas my whole life, but I was never able to afford to move away. This is my chance to find the city where I really belong and go there when we move back.
Honestly – I was tired of never having enough money. Tired of worrying about money all the time, and tired of trying to come up with extra cash if my car broke or something else went wrong. I was also tired of the working hours; getting home at 6:30, eating dinner and going to bed – I wanted more time to spend with C, and in Japan we get that. We get up earlier, but we get home by 5:30 or 6:00 most days. It’s really nice to have that extra time to just spend as family time.
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