National AJET’s “Life After JET”: Teaching English in Japan – Lucas Clarkson
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Lucas poses as Honest Abe.
National AJET shares former JET participants’ experiences – and a little advice – with current JETs in their new monthly interview, Life After JET. Contact lifeafterjet [at] ajet.net to be featured in future posts.
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Lucas Clarkson spent five years on JET as an ALT at high schools and elementary schools and now teaches at a private school in Yokohama. He is currently a social studies instructor at the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP) at Chuo University Yokohama Yamate Girl’s School. Lucas told us a little more about his transition from JET to another teaching position in Japan for this month’s “Life After JET.”
National AJET: Why did you decide to continue teaching in Japan after JET? Was that always your plan?
Lucas Clarkson: I figured that I had so much invested in this country in terms of time spent, friendships made, and language (presumably) acquired, that to leave after JET would be a mistake. I always knew that I wanted to teach in some capacity, and I was lucky enough to find the position I did, when I did.
National AJET: Are there any resources you could recommend to someone looking for a teaching job in Japan?
Lucas: As far as resources go, there are the usual suspects: GaijinPot, Ohayo Sensei and Jobs in Japan. These are all helpful if you know exactly what you’re looking for. If you’re looking for International School positions there are a number of online headhunter-type sites where you pay a nominal fee to post your resume and other information online for prospective schools to see.
National AJET: Can you tell me a little bit about the logistics of staying on after JET – moving, getting a new visa, etc? Where there any difficulties that you didn’t expect?
Lucas: No major difficulties at all really, as long as you have a legitimate employer willing to sponsor you. If you decide to take the independent route however, you’re going to run into a host of difficulties. Just be sure to have (a) Japanese friend(s) on hand to help you with visa paperwork and the like.
Click here for the rest of the interview.
Boren Awards for International Language Study
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Stephanie Boegeman (ALT, Akita-ken, 2006-09) gets her kicks from finding fun crazy ways to see the world and getting paid to do it. She is constantly in search of job, internship, and travel ideas to add to her site Playing With Hire, in the hopes that more JET alumni and like-minded souls join her in her quest to find creative, inspiring, and unique ways to make ends meet.
Still honing your Japanese skills and looking for someone to subsidize your studies? American students who fit this description may want to look into the Boren award. There’s even a guaranteed government job waiting for you when you graduate. *Deadlines are in February*. More information on applicant criteria and other applicable languages is here.
Inequality: Why the Tuition Bubble and Student Debt Matter
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Matt Leichter (matt [dot] leichter [at] gmail [dot] com) (Saitama-ken 2003-05) is a renegade attorney who plays by his own rules. He operates a think tank of one, The Law School Tuition Bubble, where he archives, chronicles, and analyzes the rising cost and declining value of legal education in the United States. He also maintains the “Bankruptcy Legal Topics,” and, “Bankruptcy Billables,” sections for Steven Horowitz’s Bankruptcy Bill. For further reading regarding JETs and the law, he recommends JETs with J.D.s.
In Japan, young people who’ve been having a tough time finding work are criticized as “parasite singles” or “herbivores,” regardless of whether there actually are living wage jobs for them. The same thing is happening in the U.S., but to make things worse, $850 billion dollars in student debt is hidden from calculations of income inequality, meaning young people are unemployed and not making families, AND America is also less egalitarian a society than people might think.
New LinkedIn group for JET Alum HR Professionals (and those interested)
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I’ve set up a new LinkedIn group for JET Alum HR Professionals:
http://www.linkedin.com/groups?mostPopular=&gid=3709611
The purpose is to enable those JET alums and Friends of JET in the field to connect. And also to provide a resource for JETs and JET alums interested in the field.
Paul Benson (Fukui-ken, 2006-08) is a New York-based freelance translator who has handled assignments ranging from securities laws to cook books. A Translator’s Life follows some of Paul’s experiences as he makes his way in the J->E translation world.
On Monday afternoon I had the pleasure of attending a small informal interview–all in Japanese–hosted by Shūkan NY Seikatsu (週刊ＮＹ生活), a free, weekly Japanese newspaper available in New York. They wanted to get a few JETs together to talk about our experiences for a special New Year’s issue to be published in a few weeks.
A little background: I was in Japan (Fukui-ken) for two years and returned in 2008 to immediately enter graduate school for Japanese at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. While many returnees feel the need to constantly talk about their incredible experiences, I could not have felt more differently. In my first year I was surrounded by students interested in applying for JET (they didn’t want to talk about anything else) and in my second year I was so busy researching and writing I didn’t really think about my time on JET. In some ways this had the disservice of leading me to devalue my time in Japan, to shelve it and move on.
There were six JET alums in total at the interview: Steven Horowitz, Kia Cheleen, Jon Hills (who provided the venue at his company, Hills Learning), Tamar Entis, Stacy Smith and myself. Shūkan NY Seikatsu‘s Publisher & CEO Ryoichi Miura and and reporter Kaoru Komi asked us what we learned from Japan, what we loved about our areas, what we thought was cool about Japan, and what are reactions were to some of the criticisms Japanese teachers have of JETs (all of which you can read about in their upcoming free publication).
I found myself pleasantly surprised at how unique and special each JET’s experience was. I also recalled what I was told countless times before I went: “ESID” (Every Situation Is Different), and it’s still true. Time passing hasn’t made my JET experience any less unique. The only difference is that now I like it that way.
I hope many of you get the chance to check out the article in Shūkan NY Seikatsu when it comes out December 28. (I’ll be sure to post a summary translation of it on the JetWit site for those who need it.)
Thoughts on Human Capital Contracts
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Matt Leichter (matt [dot] leichter [at] gmail [dot] com) (Saitama-ken 2003-05) is a renegade attorney who plays by his own rules. He operates a think tank of one, The Law School Tuition Bubble, where he archives, chronicles, and analyzes the rising cost and declining value of legal education in the United States. He also maintains the “Bankruptcy Legal Topics,” and, “Bankruptcy Billables,” sections for Steven Horowitz’s Bankruptcy Bill. For further reading regarding JETs and the law, he recommends JETs with J.D.s.
So you’re tired of hearing about student debt. Well, so am I. You may’ve heard of investing in student equity. Wait, you haven’t? They’re called “Human Capital Contracts”—an investor (or the government) pays for your education in exchange for 10% of your income for ten years. No one else has ever tried something like this. I sat down and thought out what I think of them.
Stephanie Boegeman (ALT, Akita-ken, 2006-09) gets her kicks from finding fun crazy ways to see the world and getting paid to do it. She is constantly in search of job, internship, and travel ideas to add to her site Playing With Hire, in the hopes that more JET alumni and like-minded souls join her in her quest to find creative, inspiring, and unique ways to make ends meet.
Calling all teachers at the elementary through high school level: Here is a great opportunity to travel abroad in the name of professional development. The Distinguished Fulbright Awards in Teaching program is accepting applications through *Dec. 15th*. More details on the program can be found here.
New JET Alum China-Chinese Connection group on LinkedIn
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With the economic rise of China, there are an increasing number of JET alums who live in China, do work related to China, have an interest in China or speak or want to learn Chinese. On top of this, there are already a number of JET alums who have a connection to Chinese culture.
As a way to connect JET alums and friends of JET who share this connection, there’s now a new LinkedIn group you can join called:
“JET Alum China/Chinese Connection.”
http://www.linkedin.com/groups?mostPopular=&gid=3691966
This admittedly awkwardly-named group is an attempt to encompass all of the above and create a way to help each other out in various ways. For example…
- You’re planning a trip to China or want to work in China and want to find other JET alums there to talk to in advance.
- You live in China and want to link up with other JET alums, or better yet, start a JETAA chapter there
- You want to learn Chinese and learn about creative study approaches for people who aren’t intimidated by the whole “kanji” thing
- You’re just curious about the intersection of JET alums and China
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Matt Leichter (matt [dot] leichter [at] gmail [dot] com) (Saitama-ken 2003-05) is a renegade attorney who plays by his own rules. He operates a think tank of one, The Law School Tuition Bubble, where he archives, chronicles, and analyzes the rising cost and declining value of legal education in the United States. He also maintains the “Bankruptcy Legal Topics,” and, “Bankruptcy Billables,” sections for Steven Horowitz’s Bankruptcy Bill. For further reading regarding JETs and the law, he recommends JETs with J.D.s.
Take a break, and listen to some Rock & Roll, primate!
JET Alumni Translators and Interpreters Group on LinkedIn
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I just set up a long overdue JET Alumni Translators & Interpreters Group on LinkedIn:
http://www.linkedin.com/groups?mostPopular=&gid=3676490
A great way to connect with other JET alum translators and interpreters and share and collaborate on work opportunities as well.
(FYI, I’ve maxed out the number of groups I can create on LinkedIn. So if you have another idea for a JET alum affinity group, go ahead and set it up and I’ll publicize it. Because I can’t create any more of these.)
Looking for a job in Tokyo (or Japan)? JETAA Tokyo can help
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If you’re looking for work in Tokyo (or even in Japan in general), a good place to start is the JETAA Tokyo website where you can sign up for their monthly digest, including job listings and career support activities.
Here’s the link: www.jetaa-tokyo.org
Have a job listing you want to get out to the JETAA Tokyo community, or a career-related inquiry? Email career@jetaa-tokyo.org.
JET Alumni Travel and Tourism group on LinkedIn
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Do you work in the travel industry? Run a tour business? Write about travel? Own a business that caters to tourists in Japan or your home country?
Now you can join the “JET Alumni Travel & Tourism“ group on LinkedIn to connect with other JET alumni in the field. Additionally, this group will be a place where opportunities for business can be shared and disseminated.
Here’s the link to join: http://www.linkedin.com/groups?mostPopular=&gid=3675074
JETAA DC Career & Graduate School Forum – Monday Nov 8 & Wed Nov 10
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The Career & Graduate School Forum sponsored by JETAADC, the Embassy of Japan and CLAIR New York, will take place on Monday, November 8 and Wednesday, November 10 at the National Academy of Public Administration in Washington, DC (Chinatown). Whether you are a JET Alumni, Friend of a JET, or work at an organization that has hired JETs in the past – all are welcome to attend and participate in the Career Forum.
Please visit the Event Homepage for more information and to RSVP! ( http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=mpyot6dab&oeidk=a07e31ooteo0117d03a)
- Monday, November 8th, 2010
Resume-Writing Workshop with Beth Colley
This two-hour workshop will cover how to build out your resume, with specific focus on the JET Program for both Careers and Graduate School.
- Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Panel Discussion: “Careers and Graduate School after JET”
Networking Reception to follow from 7PM to 9PM.
Food, wine, beer, and other refreshments will be served. We are actively seeking out companies or organizations that hire JET Alumni to participate. If you or someone at your company is interested in attending, please contact Leigh Ann at outreach.dc@jetalumni.org. If you are not a JET Alumni but receiving this message, please sign up as a Non-Member (FOJ) and receive a $5.00 discount off the standard registration fee!
- Registration
JETAADC* Member: $10 (for both events), $5 for one event
JETAADC Non-Member (FOJs): $15 (for both events), $10 for one event
*All JETAA Members may register at JETAADC Member price listed above.
The below article is taken from the JETAA UK‘s excellent website. The author is Vanessa Villalobos who serves as JETAA UK’s Communications Officer and who is also the founder and publisher of JapaneseLondon.com, a lively and helpful website dedicated to all things Japanese within London.
When I returned to the UK after 3 years on the JET Programme I was, at first, concerned that JET had effectively ruined my career prospects. In Japan, it seemed, I had developed a rather different kind of approach to work than my non-travelling peers. Years later, I now see how brilliantly my experience in Japan prepared me to start out on my own…
In fact, I now firmly believe that the unique characteristics of the JET programme provide entrepreneurial types with a solid, practical advantage by honing their unique skills. Just to clarify, by ‘entrepreneurs’ I mean any freelancers, sole-traders, business owners, designers, artists, journalists, writers, bloggers, online workers, general creative types, consultants, and career 2.0 designers. JET sets you up to blast off! And here are my top 5 reasons why:
1) JETs are Risk-Takers
The JET Programme attracts people who don’t mind jetting off (do excuse the puns) on a year’s non-negotiable contract with very little idea what they are getting into, having had very little choice in where they were placed. It’s a plunge into the unknown; developing our innate trust that everything will somehow just be OK. Whether we are suddenly starring in a festival that starts in 5 minutes, or singing our unrehearsed rendition of the national anthem on stage in front of 500 people, JETs learn to rise to any occasion with a certain outlandish confidence. Crucial for business success is this same appetite for adventure: the ability to launch into something new and remain flexible as to how it develops.
2) The JET Programme Imparts a Sense of Responsibility
JETs are people who make things happen. From the word go, most JETs understand that their experience in Japan will be created by their own efforts. JETs have a special opportunity to [CLICK HERE to read the rest of the article on the JETAA UK site.]
Income Based Repayment Helps Law Students, Not the Tuition Bubble
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Matt Leichter (matt [dot] leichter [at] gmail [dot] com) (Saitama-ken 2003-05) is a renegade attorney who plays by his own rules. He operates a think tank of one, The Law School Tuition Bubble, where he archives, chronicles, and analyzes the rising cost and declining value of legal education in the United States. He also maintains the “Bankruptcy Legal Topics,” and, “Bankruptcy Billables,” sections for Steven Horowitz’s Bankruptcy Bill. For further reading regarding JETs and the law, he recommends JETs with J.D.s.
Newer law students (and graduate and other professional students) can take hope: between fully financing their legal education with Direct Loans & Grad PLUS loans and electing the Income Based Repayment option, legal education isn’t a crippling investment. Find out why it’s not a great solution, and why it certainly won’t reduce law school costs.
