JET Programme with Family - Questions

I was thinking about applying for the JET Programme in a few years. Have my Husband take his long service leave, and take our daughter over with us. The information on the site regarding families is somewhat limited, and I would rather hear first-hand experiences.

So, for those who have done the JET Programme, or something similar, with their families;

How was it?
What was the monthly salary like?
How easy was it to find suitable accommodation, was it a major cost?
Did you have to organise schooling/care for you child(ren)?
Was the salary enough for your family to comfortably live off?

Thanks in advance for any replies.

I haven't heard of families on JET, but I do know of some married couples who have done it. The salary likely won't be enough for a family even in a low cost of living area, but it's possible your husband could also find work once there (either part time as a dependent or full time through a separate work visa if he qualifies).

Housing is usually arranged through individual boards of education and is generally subsidized and reasonable (not in all cases though. Every JET placement is different).

Even if your husband finds work, it is unlikely you'll be in a place with access to international schools, since JET placements are generally rural. Depending on your daughter's age you'll want to think carefully about whether you want to send her into the Japanese school system without being able to speak Japanese. If she's very young I would imagine daycare would be fine once she adapts, but if she's older she will be very behind and most schools won't have English speakers to help her.

I'm not JET but my bf is so hopefully I can help you a little.
Salary, he gets paid ��270000 a month after tax. But it's third year for him and he said it was less than that at first.

How was it?

It is pretty rare, but when I was a JET there was one family of 4 (one teenager and one elementary school age kid) that came in at the same time as me. Seems they got along fine, and enjoyed several years in the program. I think a big help was their attitudes, as they were a very easy going family that all seemed excited about the move.

Note that having a family won't disqualify you from the program, but may make it harder to be hired.

What was the monthly salary like?

Starts at about 3.36 million yen and increases about 10% each year for the 1-4 years. The fifth year has no salary increase.

How easy was it to find suitable accommodation, was it a major cost?

Most of the JET accommodations are designed for single-occupancy, so you'll likely have to find a new place with all the associated set up costs. Finding a place shouldn't be difficult, and the school will help you. But the upfront start-up costs will be high, and expect something like 4-6 months rent.

Did you have to organise schooling/care for you child(ren)?

You will have to organize everything on your own, including dependent visas.

Was the salary enough for your family to comfortably live off?

It is a livable salary, but nothing extravagant. Your husband may want to work part time to supplement it.

an old schoolmate of mine did the JET programme with her husband and young daughter. her daughter was around 3, so she only went to daycare and preschool, and it was fine once she adjusted. but the family had an older daughter at 15, who stayed behind with family in america to keep going to high school there because there was no way to get her in an international school where they were placed, and she knew no japanese. keep in mind that international schools generally cost about 1-2 million yen per year, give or take with location and prestige. the age of your child may factor in heavily to your decision as a result.

however, my friend indicated that the programme itself was very happy to have a family, and it did not seem to be a set-back to getting accepted. at one point i recall her saying that the programme actually WANTED families. it might not be the mark against you that it used to be? (if it ever was)

Thank you everyone for your replies. Each of them have been very helpful.

At this stage we are keeping our options open, I have friends who work for the BOE in Osaka and they have offered to help us out. I just wanted to look around, we have a long while before we have to decide.

I'm on JET and know two families who came here on the JET Programme, I saw a few more at the Tokyo orientation. It seems that the JET Programme is happy to accept families with small children (the ideal age seems to be infant - 4 years old), especially in rural areas where the family can play a role in numerous areas of community life. You're likely to be given a supervisor who can help you find schools or childcare for your daughter, and they will definitely find accommodation for you, so you won't be totally alone in that regard. The salary on JET isn't much to support a family, especially if there's more than one kid, however the families I know live and work in rural Japan where the cost of living is dramatically cheaper. So if you're frugal it's certainly doable, but don't expect to save much money. I think the spouse also has the right to work part time or casual jobs to supplement the income a little bit. Again, if you live in rural Japan, your spouse may be able to find a casual job teaching at a kindergarden or ES a few times each month.

I think the spouse also has the right to work part time or casual jobs to supplement the income a little bit

Please choose your word correctly. For spouse on dependent status, know that you do not have the right/privilege to work part time. You may if you apply for permission and only if the Immigration approved it.