Renewing after 1st year

[maran22]

I am currently not a JET but very eager in becoming one. After you finish your first year of the program, how do you go about renewing for a 2nd year? is it automatic?

Also a question off topic, with the salary you guys are receiving do you guys find it possible to save money to help pay off student loans and save money in general?


Thanks for the answers

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

You should probably put this in the Aspiring section, but...
Basically your supervisor/whoever asks you if you want to recontract around December (IIRC), and you confirm or deny it then. There's the usual paperwork stuff to fill out, and not everywhere will ask you to recontract (the JET Programme is shrinking over time what with budget cuts etc), but from what I hear most JETs do get offered a chance to recontract. It's pretty rare for a Contracting Organization to not ask a JET to recontract unless they're cutting the Programme altogether in that area.

As for the salary, it depends on where you are and what your lifestyle's like. Major cities are usually more expensive (I'm in Osaka and it's pretty costly), rural areas are cheaper but less convenient. If you're not going out all the time or buying heaps of stuff you can save money, if you're supporting a partner then it's harder.

[KIKKI.K]

Our CO has already asked if we want to re-contract... but it's different with all, some just like to have extra advanced warning... you'll have until february to decide, and unless you are a terrible teacher or are always late or sick for no reason or etc, they tend to pretty much just ask you if you want to re-contract...

As for paying off student loans, i pay $800 towards mine every month... so you can put a decent amount by i'd say....

[Siyris]

I agree that you should probably put this into Aspiring JETs and not Current JETs, but:

As far as recontracting goes, I'm not sure yet, but I believe that there's paperwork you will need to fill out and that every CO does it slightly differently. Usually it's done between December and February is what we were told at orientation this year.

As for the salery, I'm finding it's more than enough to pay towards student loans, live rather comfortably (if not lavishly, but then again, I never spent money before now), and still have a lot of extra money to save. I'm fairly rural though, so I don't go out a lot, and my BOE covers my rent, which is not the case most of the time. But even if you are in a city or more expensive placement, you will most likely be able to save money as well as pay your student loans... even if it means living on a bit of a budget for a while.

[AichiPA_Kevin]

The responses here are on-target: re-contracting papers are typically due in February, though your CO may bring it up earlier so you can be thinking about it. (There may also be situations where they want you to decide sooner than that--but cross that bridge when you come to it.) By definition, re-contracting occurs with the consent of both parties; i.e., you and your CO both have to agree that you'll stay for another year. Often this ends up being pretty pro forma, but don't take it for granted--JETs are not entitled to re-contract.

With the salary, again, it's as others here have said. The salary should be adequate to cover your living expenses, with enough left over that you can save and/or pay off debts, and probably even have a bit left over to party. But depending how frugal you are by nature, you may find you have to budget carefully to make sure you have money for all those things.