JET with a dependent - what should they do?

[NicoLomb]

Hello everyone! I am a 2011 shortlisted applicant with a couple of questions regarding doing the programme with a dependent. I should also note that I know that every situation is different, or "ESID" as I've seen it lovingly referred to on these forums. I'm not looking for a specific answer to my question so much as I am just interested in what others in similar situations have done.

I intend on going to Japan with a dependent for the JET programme and both her and I are wondering what she can occupy herself with while we are living there for a year. We are both recent graduates from university with a fair amount of loans to pay off so ideally we would both be working during our time in Japan, but we accept the possibility that this is probably not an option. In a situation I'm sure others have been in, the problem exists in that her Japanese language ability is non-existent. While not working for a year sounds great, she would really like to involve herself in something while in Japan. How realistic is it to think that she would be able to find any sort of position - paid or otherwise - without speaking the language? I have heard that in larger cities it is possible to get a position with only speaking English and a token amount of Japanese, but is there any truth to these reports? Is tutoring in English in the location I am assigned a viable option? Outside of paid employment, has anyone had any success in their dependents finding volunteer opportunities while in Japan? And speaking more generally, what kinds of experiences have others in similar positions had?

Thanks in advance for any answers/insight you provide!

[DjinnWired]

I'm a moderately rural ALT and my husband found work at a pre-school that relies entirely on dependent spouses for employees. We also do volunteer work with orphans and disadvantaged children. Congratulations on getting shortlisted!

[word]

I brought my girl here about a year after I arrived (after she graduated).

I am in the ultra-inaka.

It took almost a year, but we found a fantastic job for her; she's now working as an ALT for a couple of nearby villages (also quite small). She speaks virtually no Japanese whatsoever. We first found out about the position through one of my JTEs.

[aciara14]

Hello everyone! I am a 2011 shortlisted applicant with a couple of questions regarding doing the programme with a dependent. I should also note that I know that every situation is different, or "ESID" as I've seen it lovingly referred to on these forums. I'm not looking for a specific answer to my question so much as I am just interested in what others in similar situations have done.

I intend on going to Japan with a dependent for the JET programme and both her and I are wondering what she can occupy herself with while we are living there for a year. We are both recent graduates from university with a fair amount of loans to pay off so ideally we would both be working during our time in Japan, but we accept the possibility that this is probably not an option. In a situation I'm sure others have been in, the problem exists in that her Japanese language ability is non-existent. While not working for a year sounds great, she would really like to involve herself in something while in Japan. How realistic is it to think that she would be able to find any sort of position - paid or otherwise - without speaking the language? I have heard that in larger cities it is possible to get a position with only speaking English and a token amount of Japanese, but is there any truth to these reports? Is tutoring in English in the location I am assigned a viable option? Outside of paid employment, has anyone had any success in their dependents finding volunteer opportunities while in Japan? And speaking more generally, what kinds of experiences have others in similar positions had?

Thanks in advance for any answers/insight you provide!

Currently I'm a dependent (former JET), as my husband is still a JET. I found part-time work teaching English, and now I do freelance work at home (mostly online, including writing). It's not too difficult to find part-time work (in English), depending on your location, though certain times of the year typically offer more jobs than others. There are plenty of sites online you can find postings for teaching jobs, many part-time.

As for volunteering, that is a bit trickier. My husband and I have done different types of volunteering, but in most cases we've had to arrange things in Japanese. However, there are some English-type schools or daycares that would willingly take on volunteers (if you have any like that in your area). Sometimes you can also arrange something with your local elementary school, though some level of Japanese would probably still be necessary unless someone at the school is fine with English. Or, depending on your prefecture, you have may have JETs in your area that are currently volunteering somewhere. For example, Smile Kids Japan is a nationwide org that started in Fukui, and there are now ALTs around Japan volunteering at local orphanages because of it. It helps to have someone set things up that speaks Japanese, but if there is a group of ALTs, your wife could potentially join them. Or start something and recruit someone who does speak Japanese to help out.

Other than that, taking up a hobby, joining a local gym, taking some online classes, etc., are all good ways to stay occupied and enjoy life here. And some of those things will actually likely help to learn Japanese in any case, and aren't always difficult to get by with little English.

Anyway, let me know if you have any specific questions - it would be a bit easier to know what's available depending on your location, and also talking to other JETs in your area to see what they do or have done.

Best,

Ashley

[Jen]

I'm a current married JET and my husband speaks no Japanese and has an amazing job! He's a programmer/software developer so we had little hope of him being able to find work outside of a large city. We live in a relatively small city in Fukushima and he found an amazing software company that does lots of international work so all their employees speak English. They run more like a Western company than a Japanese one (i.e. no suits and ties required) and he makes really good money. Obviously this is just our individual, very uncommon situation, but you shouldn't worry too much about it right now. Be excited for the unknown! There are lots of rare and unique opportunities over here, wherever you get placed. I'm sure your wife (?) will find her own little niche if she's persistent enough

[Dudefella]

When you find out who you CO is, find out if they employ both private and JET ALTs. Some do, (like mine) and If they do, talk to your supervisor about it. It is much easier for the dispatch company to replace someone with somebody who already lives in that area/city as they don't have to worry about babying them through steps such as finding housing etc. Also, ask for the details of other COs nearby and see whether they hire private ALTs.

If you're near skiing etc. there is some potential for seasonal work there with little/no Japanese.

There are always exceptions, but generally if you get placed in the inaka with no Japanese it's going to be pretty hard to find work other than ALT, private lessons, or some other sort of English instruction. As for Volunteer work, you might be able to get some kind of volunteer English teaching going, but otherwise I imagine someone with no Japanese would just be a burden.

If she's eligible for it (I don't know where you're from or how old) maybe have her get a WHV before she comes to make it easier for some employers to employ her.

[andrewf]

When you find out who you CO is, find out if they employ both private and JET ALTs. Some do, (like mine) and If they do, talk to your supervisor about it. It is much easier for the dispatch company to replace someone with somebody who already lives in that area/city as they don't have to worry about babying them through steps such as finding housing etc. Also, ask for the details of other COs nearby and see whether they hire private ALTs.

Great to know.

One other thing I was wondering - how inclusive is the workplace community of spouses? If there are official work-related evening events on, will spouses generally be invited along, and included in the community? Or will it be a case of workers-only, whilst their partners stay at home?

- A.

[word]

One other thing I was wondering - how inclusive is the workplace community of spouses? If there are official work-related evening events on, will spouses generally be invited along, and included in the community? Or will it be a case of workers-only, whilst their partners stay at home?

- A.

It is uncommon for spouses to be included it workplace events. Enkai are considered to be bonding experiences for staff only--other teachers will not bring their spouse. You might be different, on accounta the fact that you're the resident gaijin. MG was invited to a staff trip once, shortly after her arrival here, but this was a rare event. She often comes to community events and school sports meets. Enkai, though? Only once or twice.

[clp2010]

Yeah...it's really rare for Japanese spouses to come to events...But depending on the school it might be okay for you to come with your spouse. I work at 3 Junior High schools and two of them love when my husband shows up. He went to enkai, the sports day, and graduation ceremony with me at those two schools. My third school, however....isn't terribly friendly to me...let alone my husband. When he comes to pick me up they don't acknowledge his existence. They would never allow me to bring him to an event. But since I have 3 schools I can kind of pick and choose which schools events I go to since they're usually on the same day. So I just go to the events where I know he'll be welcome. My one junior high school goes out of their way to include my husband. For example, during the sports day they actually had him participating in activities.
It really depends on the school. I only get invited to enkai at one of my schools (the one that welcomes my husband) so I'm not sure if every school would allow him to come or not....But understand that it's really strange to a lot of the Japanese staff for you to WANT your spouse to come. Home and work life are very separate in Japan. So my suggestion would be to ask if they can come but pay attention to the signs when they answer. They might say yes...but really not want them to come with you. Enkai are also really expensive. Year end enkai are almost 100 dollars a person...so if both of your come it's quite an expense if you're not both working.....

[Namisuke]

Definitely see if your spouse can do guest visits for special occasions. My boyfriend played Santa at my high schools and it was pretty funny. There were no jobs available where we live, and he applied for EVERYTHING. Now his job is to clean, cook, shop, run errands, etc. He does tend to get cabin fever from time to time, so try to take small trips or outings when you can. Your spouse might also be able to watch some school events, like School Festival and Sports Day.

A hobby definitely helps. If you get placed closer to the coast, your spouse can do A LOT of volunteering. There are many other volunteer activities, like visiting an orphanage, teaching English, teaching some kind of skill, like dance, art, etc., or something else that your community has.

[mm.andrews]

Speaking of Dependants... does anyone know where I can find a copy of the form 被扶養者届 or kenko hoken hi-fuyosha ido todoke as I think it's referred to as in the JET handbook? It's meant for adding my dependant under my Health insurance...

[Hawkeye]

mm... what about other languages? I mean, getting jobs that don't require Japanese or English? Sounds like a long shot, but there might be something available somehow. My boyfriend is French, and he's planning to come to Japan as well. The thing is that his English is... let's say between Basic-Intermediate. He's been checking out teaching French as a foreign language, and we found some institutions that do it, but I was wondering if maybe someone knew more about how probable it is to find a job teaching a romance language in Japan.

[andrewf]

I'm curious about what happens with tax with a dependent spouse? Does the tax office consider the combined income of both partners in a dependent relationship?

If the dependent works, will there be the risk of moving into a higher tax bracket and being taxed more? Similarly, does the presence of a dependent mean that the contracted JET will be taxed less than if there wasn't a dependant, considering that their average individual income will effectively be lower?

- A.

[DjinnWired]

It makes no difference to domestic taxes. You also don't pay anything extra for their health insurance.
Don't take this comment too much to heart, it's only my anecdotal observation, but I know a lot of JETs with dependants who were given pretty rural placements. My sample may not be representative, but I can see a certain logic to thinking that a couple will cope better emotionally in an isolated placement than a single kid right out of school. Unfortunately I also know several couples who assumed the non-JET would find work and ended up not re-contracting because the non-JET was bored/resentful. Again, just a personal observation and I'm not saying that work will necessarily be hard to come by but I think it is really important that dependants have a back up and plan and coping strategy if they aren't able to find work (volunteering, learning Japanese, online study, body-building... I really don't get how anyone can be bored in Japan but it happens).

[andrewf]

It's a fair point, and certainly not one that's been overlooked by any means!

I guess we'll see what happens, and then make the best of the situation.

- A.