Did you apply with a Dependent?

[dtrue]

So does anyone have advice on getting the whole family to Japan? JET says it would be better to have the family come a few weeks after the participant. Anyone in the program now do this and have any advice? My husband and I are thinking that it would be way easier to go together for many reasons, but maybe I'm overlooking something.

[andypj1]

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

Can your inbox Wrote you a pm (private message). Would love to get your thoughts on a few things.

[mikesalvatore]

So does anyone have advice on getting the whole family to Japan? JET says it would be better to have the family come a few weeks after the participant. Anyone in the program now do this and have any advice? My husband and I are thinking that it would be way easier to go together for many reasons, but maybe I'm overlooking something.

My wife, daughter and I came together. She's the JET, we're dependants.
I pushed the stroller around Tokyo during orientation and stayed at a hostel. The impression we got what that the TO organizers didn't want any families distracting the new JETs from their training, which is completely understandable. We were invited to join in at the welcome reception after the first full day of orientation, which was nice.

The other "inconvenience" that families can cause is distraction during the first few days of getting settled in at the new prefecture/home/school. Again, as long as we were able to be independent (which we were), us coming going to Japan at the same time was a non-issue.

My wife made sure to communicate with her BoE before we committed to either course of action. That part is important, and in the end while they can't force you to travel separately, it's always better to start off on their good side.

[sanriosanrio]

Did you ever feel pressure to make bento for your children like this? http://mfrost.typepad.com/cute_overload ... t-eat.html

[altplustwo]

I'm a first year JET. I came with my husband and daughter as dependents. When we came to Japan our daughter was just 20 months. The flight from Toronto to Japan was about 13 hours. ESID, in our situation it made sense to travel together. After we arrived in Japan, we went our separate ways. My husband and daughter went sightseeing and I went to orientation.

We decided to travel separately from Tokyo to to our new prefecture because I was flying. It was cheaper from my husband to take the train (remember all expenses involving your dependents are up to you to provide). We kept my contracting organization well informed and we gave them lots of reassurance that my husband and daughter could be independent and they didn't need to worry about them. We weren't demanding in our request either.

The first week your at your new home in Japan, there are a lot of decisions to be made. I think my husband enjoyed being involved in these decisions (setting up phone, internet, buying supplies for our apartment, getting a car, and more).

I'm really glad we did the way we did.

[word]

We kept my contracting organization well informed and we gave them lots of reassurance that my husband and daughter could be independent and they didn't need to worry about them. We weren't demanding in our request either.

Yeah, if you're gonna bring people with you, this is what you gotta do.

The first week your at your new home in Japan, there are a lot of decisions to be made. I think my husband enjoyed being involved in these decisions...

Yeah, guys can be kinda chauvinistic like that....

[Are Jay]

I know this is off topic, but I read this as "Did you apply with deodorant?"

[eFred]

I know this is off topic, but I read this as "Did you apply with deodorant?"

Best thing I read on the forums today

[WhereWillIGoto]

On the application, you HAD to list your dependents, so I think it would rather hard to hide them (there's also the issue of them needing a visa unless they are Japanese citizens)....

My dependent was listed on my application but it turns out that my BoE decided not to read that portion of it

They were somewhat surprised to hear that there was someone else coming, but it wasn't a big deal in the end. We didn't ask for any preferential treatment from them so they had very little reason to object.

[Otenba]

I really don't think they'd discriminate applicants with dependents unless there were more dependents than could reasonably survive on a JET salary. Just one definitely won't hurt your chances, probably not even two would.

Hello!

Your reply has got me wondering about my own options.

My partner is currently interested in entering the JET program route and it was considered that I would be his dependant (wife)... however, what made us hesitant was the fact I'm a Type 1 Diabetic.... how much would this be an issue for him in regard to medical insurance for both of us? Is it a realistic possibility? Based on what a fellow Type 1 said on another thread on this forum (gelatinemonkey was the member), I may be looking at 15,000 yen for my medication alone (I assume this amount is per month currently, still awaiting a response to confirm).

Many thanks in advance for your reply.

[bittersweet]

So does anyone have advice on getting the whole family to Japan? JET says it would be better to have the family come a few weeks after the participant. Anyone in the program now do this and have any advice? My husband and I are thinking that it would be way easier to go together for many reasons, but maybe I'm overlooking something.

I found this advice to be horrible, and here's why.
-First and foremost: TAX purposes. edited b/c of incorrect info on my part. Just make sure they don't come too long after you do so you can take the foreign income exclusion (must be in japan at least 330 days of a tax year)
-Doing everything over a second time: When I arrived I had to sign a bunch of papers, get my gaijin card, etc. The whole process had to be repeated over again a few weeks later, when it could have gotten done at the same time as me and saved the person from the BOE multiple trips to the city office.
-I live in the inaka and had no car yet: My dependent had to get rides from strangers and stuff just to get here, and got lost in the process. Would have been a lot easier if we had just come together.
-being lonely- once again, if you are in the inaka with no transportation and you're the only foreigner in town (not even my JTEs live here! they drive in), sitting around your apartment for a couple weeks by yourself really sucks. no internet or cellphone yet either, so i racked up a nice bill on my usa cellphone at $1.99 a minute (it was worth every penny).

[word]

-First and foremost: TAX purposes. If your dependent is going to be making money while living in Japan, they need to reside in Japan for an entire year to take the foreign earned income exclusion. That's 330 days IN a foreign country during a SPAN of 365 full days (12 months). So now my dependent has to stay until mid-August because he came a few weeks after me ( I arrived Aug 1). We have to be out of the apartment by August 1st. See the problem here?

First, your dependent probably should not be making enough money for this to stress you out. It's illegal for them to work more than 20 hours a week without dispensation from the government. If they get a full-time job, they need to change their visa status. Second, if they arrived within a month after you did, they'll be fine. The only way they wouldn't qualify is if, say, in the middle of your contract, they went back home and stayed long enough to disqualify them. You can both leave August 1st and still qualify.

-Doing everything over a second time: When I arrived I had to sign a bunch of papers, get my gaijin card, etc. The whole process had to be repeated over again a few weeks later, when it could have gotten done at the same time as me and saved the person from the BOE multiple trips to the city office.

Umm. Look, I don't wanna be jerky about this, but imho, you shouldn't be involving your BoE in your dependent's paperwork. That's your responsibility, not theirs. Involving your BoE with your dependent's paperwork and such is exactly the sort of behavior that results in BoEs looking for JETs without dependents in the future.

-I live in the inaka and had no car yet: My dependent had to get rides from strangers and stuff just to get here, and got lost in the process. Would have been a lot easier if we had just come together.

Why? Japan has trains and buses covering every square inch of the nation. It should never be necessary to get a ride from a stranger (I mean, assuming you don't consider the bus driver a "stranger"). I don't know how one could manage to get seriously lost here; it's easy to get mixed up in a place like Shinjuku, perhaps, but everywhere you go, there are friendly Japanese people who will go out of their way to help you if you're just really confused. To me, that's part of the adventure, anyway.

-being lonely- once again, if you are in the inaka with no transportation and you're the only foreigner in town (not even my JTEs live here! they drive in), sitting around your apartment for a couple weeks by yourself really sucks. no internet or cellphone yet either, so i racked up a nice bill on my usa cellphone at $1.99 a minute (it was worth every penny).

Nothing to say about that one; if you're the kinda parson who is gonna sit around in your apartment for weeks when you first get here, then, yeah, having a fellow foreigner might be nice. I preferred to get out, meet some new people, and explore my tiny village. For me, the first couple of weeks flew by insanely fast. Because I didn't have a car, phone, or internet initially, I quickly learned how to use the train and bus system, where to find things, and cool stuff that my tiny BFI village had to offer.

TL; DR - In my humble (and no doubt insignificant) opinion, bringing your dependent with you when you arrive is only a good idea if you are needy and helpless. Edit: Please don't take that as an insult. It's just a type of personality, and I think everyone should know themselves well enough to know their own personality traits, even if they're things that aren't generally considered "positive." I, for example, am independent to the point of stupidity; I've gotten myself in trouble a few times by assuming that I could do something on my own that I really had no business doing. I am also pretty bad at expressing myself from time to time; as a whale biologist, my brutal honesty tends to upset people. These are characteristics that I work to improve, but also accept about myself and work to accommodate.

[bittersweet]

My last bus home is 7:30pm. Made it a little hard to hang out with other jets after about 6pm, and I'm not into wandering around rice fields in the dark. I really disagree with you about it not being the BOE's responsibility for my dependent's paperwork. They are the ones who specifically request a married couple, but whatever.
edit...

[Allison_NaraPA]

While I am by no means a tax professional, check out form 2555-EZ. Bittersweet, where did you get your information? The possibility of contrasting facts is always a little alarming. *Hope this helps, although I suggest folks with tax questions always contact the pros.

http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f2555ez.pdf

There are different ways to qualify for the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion, ONE of which is the Physical Presence Test. Based on this test, those who were present in a foreign country or countries for at least 330 days during the tax year (OR for a period starting or ending in the tax year) qualify. They don`t have to be consecutive either, so vacations are AOK, as long as you hit that 330.

------------------------------------------------

As for coming with family: My husband and I arrived in Japan separately, which worked out the best for us (no children). I set our HQ up and focused on orientation, and he earned a few more weeks` paychecks and said personal farewells to his extended family. ESID, but it was a relief to him to not worry about furnishings, etc. and to be able to hit the ground running on learning Japanese and exploring the area!

Whatever you choose, I hope your transition goes smoothly!

[bittersweet]

ah, i think i understand now. thanks. i was thinking that you had to have your domicile in a foreign country for 365 days straight. this is one of those times where i'm very glad to be wrong.