Did you apply with a Dependent?

[ume no hana]

On a similar note, if your BOE decides that they're dropping out of the JET programme as of the following year (as ours have just told us - less than five months into our first year!), you might find that your JET experience will only last a year, if they can't find a suitable BOE that will take an ALT with a dependent (which is our situation.....

JaZkiEtH: wow, i'm very sorry to hear that....does CLAIR offer to find you another BOE that would be willing to take an ALT with a dependent?

[AVN]

On a similar note, if your BOE decides that they're dropping out of the JET programme as of the following year (as ours have just told us - less than five months into our first year!), you might find that your JET experience will only last a year, if they can't find a suitable BOE that will take an ALT with a dependent (which is our situation.....

JaZkiEtH: wow, i'm very sorry to hear that....does CLAIR offer to find you another BOE that would be willing to take an ALT with a dependent?

That's actually andrewf's post from page 1 that he copied and pasted.

[ume no hana]

AVNicholls: thanks for pointing that out.

[andrewf]

wow, i'm very sorry to hear that....does CLAIR offer to find you another BOE that would be willing to take an ALT with a dependent?

WELL. Short answer: no.
Slightly longer answer: We eventually found out that the BOE has decided that it's "just too hard" to recommend my partner for a transfer to another BOE, one of the reasons being because she had a dependent spouse.

So, just be aware - it can be an issue that can lead to not being recontracted for a second year.

- A.

[word]

I believe it mostly has to do with possibly giving them extra working--finding a larger place to live, needing more assistance with education/health care, visas etc.

I don't think it's necessarily that many BOEs though, and I doubt it's particularly more so in cities or in rural areas. And some BOEs may be happy to have someone with dependents if it means they are older/more reliable, etc.

The only possible financial burden would be if COs are contributing to health insurance for dependants--I'm not sure what the situation is there. But I doubt it would be enough to make a big difference.

Jen_KyotoPA: thank you for the info Yeah, it's hard to paint a broad brushstroke when describing BOEs since ESID....
I just was surprised that BOEs can choose what kind of ALT they want....Nationality; Marital Status, Gender, Kids,....after a while it just seems a bit too personal

LOL Welcome to Japan. It's a magical place that exists outside of the ultra-PC bubble that folks have come to expect back in the US (and some parts of Europe).

Dependents can be a pain in the arse for BoEs. I completely sympathize with them. I've heard all sorts of horror stories about BoEs being forced to deal with buttloads of unwanted nonsense on account of an ALT's dependent.

But any success stories of this happening would be motivational and uplifting for me, I would appreciate it.

LOL

"Please tell me what I want to hear, not what I don't!"

I came over, lived for a year, then MG joined me. We lived together for about six months, got married (secretly--so romantic!), and moved into a bigger house. We managed to convert her visa from a "temporary visitor pass" to a "dependent" without leaving Japan (NOT EASY, I do NOT recommend trying this). Eventually, she got a full-time job working at a few nearby villages, had her visa changed to a working visa, and we're rockin'. I just recontracted for a fourth year, she recontracted for a second and will possibly do so for a third.

Things I did right:

Arrived before MG, rather than bringing her with me.
Discussed MG's arrival with a J-friend before going to the BoE or anyone else, so as to get a grasp on exactly how her arrival would be viewed.
Introduced MG upon her arrival to my schools, coworkers, and students.
Did not bother my BoE or supervisor with anything relating to MG. One of my JTEs was incredibly helpful, but I never actually asked him for help--he offered!
Did not look for a new house through my BoE or supervisor; when I needed it, I relied on assistance from J-friends outside the school system.
Made sure MG was insured and able to drive my car.

There are probably some more that I forgot. I did some things wrong, too, but it all worked out.

[dtrue]

My husband and I are both applying this year and have a 3 year old son. At our interviews they seemed really pro-family. The former JET on my panel even said that the community would love to have a toddler speaking English. Our interview was mostly focused on what we would do if only one of us got a position and what we would do with our son if both of us got positions. I get the feeling that being as ESID some places prefer couples and some don't. I can see it going either way.....if you bring your family with you, you are less likely to get home sick and more willing to stay longer, but also less likely to go out and party with your co-workers. They also seemed to like the fact that my husband and I said that having a family makes us more of a part of the community and less like outsiders. Hopefully it works out to our favor come April.

Is there anyone out there who is a JET supporting their family on the income? We are a little nervous about that working for us, even though we have been doing it on a teachers small salary in the States for the last 2 years.

[pnksweater]

Is there anyone out there who is a JET supporting their family on the income? We are a little nervous about that working for us, even though we have been doing it on a teachers small salary in the States for the last 2 years.

I am supporting my family on one JET income… but it’s the old income, before they put in the income tiers and made the quoted salary pre-tax.

There’s a lot of variables that come in to play, what your CO subsidizes (or doesn’t), what your set up costs are, whether you have to buy a car or pay deposits on your housing, and whether you have any debt to pay back. You won’t know any of the specifics until a month or so (if you’re lucky) before departure. With the new pay scale your nationality also plays a huge role in how much money you have in your pocket each month. Local taxes play another role. Since none of us here have lived with the new pay scale, none of us can really comment on how much money you will actually have to work with.

Feel free to PM me if you want to talk specifics.

[Allison_NaraPA]

Here are a few similar threads with additional information:

`JET With A Dependent, What Should They Do?`
http://www.jetprogramme.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=5327&hilit=dependants

`Coming With Dependents`
http://www.jetprogramme.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=4942&hilit=dependants

I wish your family success!

[bittersweet]

if you bring your family with you, you are less likely to get home sick and more willing to stay longer, but also less likely to go out and party with your co-workers.

Depending on where you are placed, you might not be doing any partying. We all live an hour from each other in random places with no train stations, so drinking is never an option. Although I suppose we could go bowling!

[magicacorn]

My husband and I live in Hiroshima Prefecture with our two boys, ages 4 and 11 months. This is my husband's first year working for JET and I stay at home with the boys and do not work. When we applied last year, I worried whether the one salary would be enough for our family of four, especially since you hear such horror stories about the cost of food, rent, etc. We are now 7 months in and have had absolutely no problems so far financially. We plan to stay the whole 5 years with JET and hopefully longer!

Please feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions about moving with kids, getting them into daycare/kindergarten, or any personal questions about finances and budgeting. Also, you could check out our blog: http://dustinandlaura.blogspot.com/ since I have done a few posts about what the application/moving process has been like for our family.

[AVN]

My husband and I live in Hiroshima Prefecture with our two boys, ages 4 and 11 months. This is my husband's first year working for JET and I stay at home with the boys and do not work. When we applied last year, I worried whether the one salary would be enough for our family of four, especially since you hear such horror stories about the cost of food, rent, etc. We are now 7 months in and have had absolutely no problems so far financially. We plan to stay the whole 5 years with JET and hopefully longer!

Please feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions about moving with kids, getting them into daycare/kindergarten, or any personal questions about finances and budgeting. Also, you could check out our blog: http://dustinandlaura.blogspot.com/ since I have done a few posts about what the application/moving process has been like for our family.

Just curious what you plan to do about schooling them past Nursery School while in Japan.

[magicacorn]

We are planning on sending our children to the local public elementary school. We enrolled our four year old in a yochien about 2 1/2 months after we arrived. We found one that has an academic centered program so that he can learn Japanese, learn to read and write kana and a few basic kanji, and become comfortable with what is generally expected of him. Hopefully, this will allow him to at least be on the same level as the other children when he enters elementary school. The only thing we might add to their elementary education is a few hours a week of home instruction on English spelling, writing, grammar, etc.

[AVN]

We are planning on sending our children to the local public elementary school. We enrolled our four year old in a yochien about 2 1/2 months after we arrived. We found one that has an academic centered program so that he can learn Japanese, learn to read and write kana and a few basic kanji, and become comfortable with what is generally expected of him. Hopefully, this will allow him to at least be on the same level as the other children when he enters elementary school. The only thing we might add to their elementary education is a few hours a week of home instruction on English spelling, writing, grammar, etc.

Really interesting. Sounds like what I did French Immersion. I hope it works out for you.

[dtrue]

Thanks everyone for the input. It's nice to know we won't be the only ones with a kid if we are accepted.

[emily]

For those applying this year with dependents, we have loads of advice we are willing to share via emails etc.
I came with my husband and three children and have been supported very well in applying for kids schooling, and all the paperwork that goes along with having dependents. Where we live there are at least 5 others families from babies to Yr 4 students.

If you have some questions, let me know!
Emily