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12-09-2009, 12:46 PM
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01-03-2010, 07:32 AM
Hi all...
This is my first post here. I read this entire thread (it took me almost 3 hours  ) and basically it hammered home the fact that I need a degree. It removed my denial, for which I guess I should thank you guys and gals. I'm 29 at the moment, 30 in 2 weeks time. Like most people my first exposure to anything Japanese was animé and games, followed by movies about samurai and history, gradually expanding wider to include both ancient and modern culture until I now find myself completely in love with the country. To test this in real life instead of just imagining and fantasising about how much I "love" something I've never experienced, I went there on holiday in October 2008 for 3 weeks. It was amazing! I went to Tokyo, Yokohama, Kyoto, Nikko, Osaka and Himeji, and had the best time of my life. I'm still dubious as to whether my experience was so enjoyable simply because it was a holiday, but, after the initial shock (I'd never been overseas), I do believe I felt a lot more at home there than I expected I would, and this really motivated me to research what my options were for living there, at least for a while. A year later, I can still say that my interest hasn't waned a bit, which is a good sign (in my mind) that I owe it to myself to try and make it happen.To say the least, I was heavily disappointed to find out that a degree is pretty much non-negotiable. I wasted the last year grappling with giving up the dream and being more realistic, only to find myself not able to let it go. Living in South Africa, it is enough to have finished high school and have done a college course to get a job, especially if you can demonstrate your skills by means of a portfolio. In my case, I chose to specialise after school in a 2 year Multimedia and Design course instead of going to university, a decision which I now regret. Of course, I could never know that if I ever wanted to go overseas, a degree would've been a better option. All I knew is that I wanted to do something creative, and I chose the course that best suited that goal. Since then I've worked for just over 9 years in the web design field, and when I go for job interviews, employers are only interested in one thing: my portfolio. Is any of that experience and study time worth anything to the Japanese? As an aside to those people choosing not to do a degree who want to go overseas... take it from someone who knows. It's easier to "bow down" to society and just do the damn degree, rather than fighting for what you want and being bitter for years to come. Anyway, I digress. I'd have to do a degree part time, so I'm estimating a time-frame of 5 years to do a 3 year full time degree... is this realistic? I'll be doing something through UNISA (UNISA - online) which states on its "About us" page: "We offer internationally accredited qualifications..." - so I'm assuming this will be good enough for the Japanese. There seems to be a good relationship between SA and Japan in terms of trade and cultural exchange, and they advertise JET on the local embassy's website (http://www.za.emb-japan.go.jp/en/Jap...an_basic.html). So I'm pretty sure they'd know about UNISA, which, even though it's a distance learning facility, is a major university in SA. Plus, one still has to go into physical premises to write the exams. I've also enrolled to study Japanese (Japanese/English translation, classes, lessons, tutor - Home) which will begin in a couple of weeks. In preparation I've already learned Hiragana and am starting on Katakana this week. I still need to decide what degree to study... if anyone has any advice here it would be appreciated. I'm wondering if it should be something that would increase my chances of getting a teaching job, or if it should rather be something that fits in with my current skill set. Or, perhaps it should just be something I'm interested in, like Chinese (as far as I can tell, they don't offer any Japanese related degrees unfortunately  ). On top of this, I will probably do some kind of TEFL course.The general plan is to save my money, pay off my flat in the next 2-3 years (so that even if I fail in Japan, I still have a house to return to), learn Japanese in the same time, as well as attempt a degree... while working full time. Does this sound doable? I have no idea about the amount of work and time a degree requires. At age, say, 36 will I still be an attractive candidate for JET and English teaching? I do want to end up living there, but of course, working there and having a holiday there are 2 totally different things. I would also love to marry there. But maybe that dream will die once I experience it. But at least then I will know for sure, and the last thing I want is to wonder for the rest of my life whether I should've tried to do it or not. I'd be interested to know what you all have to say. Thanks!
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01-03-2010, 07:53 AM
I thought the JET cut-off was 35.
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01-03-2010, 08:47 AM
From the JET application doc:
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01-03-2010, 09:01 AM
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01-03-2010, 03:28 PM
If you were entering a field in Japan related to your work then I'm sure the portfolio would be of benefit but for any other employer they wouldn't know how to interperet it (if that's not their usual way of assesing candidates).
There are many mature JETs so I find it doubtful your age would be a large hindrance - they would be more concerned that you were able to leave behind your life at such an established stage in your career. From the perspective of the actual job you would likely have a lot more life experience to bring to it and to share with your students than someone straight out of college (21-22 years old). As for what degree to do, I think it would be more important to do a degree which you can use - what happens if you have invested all that time and money and don't get into JET? I know your feeling about thinking you would regret not having gone for it, I was undecisive for a long time about whether I should go on and do a PhD in my current subject after I finish my degree or whether to just go for what I really want to do (JET) even though it may effect my chances of getting into a PhD. I decided its such a unique opportunity I can't turn it down, so I am going to apply for 2011 entry (fingers crossed!).
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01-04-2010, 06:23 AM
Hi, thanks for your reply! I wouldn't be entering my field (at least not at first) in Japan since the language would probably be a barrier. Maybe later once I master Japanese at an acceptable level, I could use my portfolio. I definitely would like to freelance in my spare time (with companies back home) and keep my skills alive. As for leaving my life behind, I'm single and have no dependents or big commitments here, so it wouldn't be too much of a problem. I plan to pay off my property here and rent it out for some income when I'm away, although it won't be much compared to the living costs in Japan.
Speaking of spare time, can anyone comment on how the quality of life is when teaching English through JET? Can you live a "normal" type of life, or are you working 24/7 like a typical Japanese? I have a couple of Japanese friends there and that's all they ever do. Good point about not getting into JET... is there a limit to how many times you can apply? Does it count against you in the next round if you've failed to get in before? I will probably go for a degree in my field, or at least do something that is interesting, even if it doesn't help my career, rather than doing a teaching related degree. As for your dilemma, can you not do a PhD at any time? If you fail getting into JET, you could fall back on the PhD plan. Hope you get in, it's such a cool opportunity. In general, I think people always take the safe option and settle for a mundane life rather than at least trying and failing to do what you really want. Thanks for the advice.
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01-04-2010, 06:51 AM
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