Leaving JET

1
Leaving JET
Saying goodbye to everything and everybody was
really important and made me feel like part of my
life was really over. Closure.
2
Leaving JET
I had to guard against Japan talk. People dont
want to hear about Japan, they are not interested
in more than a few short stories.
3
Leaving JET
I didnt really experience any re-entry shock,
but then I was REALLY ready to get home.
4
Leaving JET
Dont give up on your schools, do your best to
still get involved. Some of my best memories come
from the last few months.
5
Leaving JET
Your home country is NOT as great as you
remember it to be.
6
Leaving JET
I experienced a lot of re-entry shock. Most
striking was meeting friends once again and
realizing the extent to which our lives had
diverged.
7
Leaving JET
The goodbyes were pretty exhausting and went
on longer than I thought possible. I was glad I
started those early.
8
Leaving JET
I found the country that I had so longed to
come back and be a part of, was not suited to me
anymore. It was a bit disturbing.
9
Leaving JET
Dont expect career options to suddenly open up
to you because you speak a little Japanese. Most
places want certification.
10
Leaving JET
I guess I wish I had stayed for another year.
Life in Japan is much easier, and after a month
back at home, I was tired of it already.
11
Leaving JET
I miss the carefree camaraderie of my school.
I never felt a part of things there, but I still
miss it.
12
Leaving JET
THE MONEY! Good God, I miss that.
13
Leaving JET
The job market gives you a slap in the face.
Oh, the job rejection letters.
14
Leaving JET
JET lends too much weight to transferable
skills. The reality is different! People are not
going to over praise you as they tend to in
Japan. Be realistic.
15
Leaving JET
Dont get caught by the stringent weight limits.
My friend was made to empty her wallet and give
all the money she had to get her plentiful bags
home .
16
Leaving JET
Get help writing your farewell speech. It is
the last thing people hear you say. Leave a good
impression.
17
Leaving JET
WELCOME

• Saga Mid-Year Conference 2006
• Neil Taylor Lee Ann Haslem

18
Everything you need to know about heading home
Agenda

• Making Contact with your successor
• FINANCIAL MATTERS
• Selling and disposing of your stuff
• Sending money home
• Claiming your pension refund
• MOVING OUT
• Getting your mail forwarded and utilities
  cancelled
• Booking your flight home
• Shipping your belongings
• Saying Goodbye to your school
• Calendar countdown to departure

19
Making Contact
Your Successor

• Please refer to your JET Handbook for tips on
  what information
• you should include.
• Home and work telephone numbers
• Description of your apartment and facilities in
  your area.
• How far away other JETs are. What forms of public
  transport there are near where you live.
• Rent and information on who owns the apartment
• Information about your base school and duties.
• Dress code and suggested items to bring.

20
FINANCIAL MATTERS

• Selling your stuff
• Sending money home
• Claiming your pension refund

21
Selling Your Stuff

• Checklist
• How old is the item?
• How useful or essential is it to others?
• What condition is it in?

• Please be honest!
• Dont sell items which you havent bought.
• Remember you are selling used items.
• Ask other ALTs if you are being fair
• Send digital photos if possible
• Try to deal in yen

22
Disposing of your car
Selling Your Stuff

• You are liable for vehicle tax
• until you properly dispose of
• your vehicle.
• SALE (Procedures must be completed within 15
  days.)
• Certificate of Transfer of Ownership
• If number plates are reissued a portion of the
  vehicle tax will be refunded.
• SCRAP (Haisha) A private company can take care
  of this and the paperwork, or you can do it
  yourself.
• Please be honest about car problems if selling to
  a successor.
• Fukuoka Now

23
Sending Money Home
Through the Post Office

• You cannot send money this way to
• New Zealand
• Ireland
• South Africa
• Jamaica
• Ordinary transfer
• Telegraphic Transfer

Kokusai yuubin
24
Sending Money Home
Other Methods

• Go Lloyds Overseas Remittance
• www.lloydstsb.co.jp
• Remit money directly to your bank account for a
  2000yen fee.
• Additional charges might be made by your own bank
  and there is also the money transfer fee from
  your Japanese account to that of Lloyds in Tokyo.
• Free Registration
• Same day telegraphic transfer before 3pm

25
How much will you get?
Pension Refund
This is a rough guide only based on 2004 figures.
26
Pension Refund
Getting your hands on the money

• Pick up a claim form from Social Security Office

Claim form for the Lump Sum withdrawal Payment
for National Pension and Employees Pension
Insurance
27
Getting your hands on the money
Pension Refund

• You must file your claim within 2 years of
  leaving Japan.
• You cannot receive any money until you have left
  Japan
• All refunds are subject to a Japanese income tax
  of 20 which will be deducted before payment
• You can later claim back separately later.
• Payment will take 3-4 months.

28
Getting your hands on the money
Pension Refund

• To claim you must send the application from
  outside Japan within two years and include the
  following
• Your pension book
• Photocopies of your passport, including the stamp
  indicating the date of your departure.
• Make sure that you hand in your gaijin card as
  you leave Japan, or you will be unable to make a
  claim
• Details of your bank account in your home country
  to which the payment will be made.

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Getting your hands on the money
Pension Refund

• To claim back the 20 tax you must designate
  someone to work on your behalf. They must be
  resident in Japan.
• Before leaving Japan get a nozeikanrinin no
  todokedesho
• (Declaration Naming a Person to administer the
  Taxpayers
• Tax Affairs) form and submit it to your local
  tax office.
• Once you have received the Lump Sum Withdrawal
  payment, make a copy and send the original to
  your tax rep.
• Designate a bank account where the refund will be
  paid (your representatives account.) They will
  then send you the money.

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32
MOVING OUT

• Sending your stuff home
• Arranging for your post to be forwarded

33
Countdown to Departure
Early MAY

• Start researching flight prices and establish how
  your contracting organisation will reimburse you
  for this.
• Approach whoever you would like to write a
  reference letter for you, so that they have
  plenty of time to write it and you can offer them
  plenty of guidance.
• Start thinking about advertising large items that
  you want to sell, such as cars.

Getting rid of cars and stuff is always more
difficult than you think.
34
Your return flight home

• Conditions to qualify for a One-Way Economy Class
  Return Airfare home.
• You complete your JET contract period
• Within one month of completing your JET contract
  you do not enter into a subsequent contract with
  your contracting organisation or third party in
  Japan.
• 3. That you leave Japan to return home within one
  month of the end of your contract

35
Your return flight home

• Contracting Organisations have the choice of
  providing you with either a plane ticket or the
  cash equivalent.
• Normally JETs are responsible for booking their
  own flights.
• It is necessary to provide proof of the cost so
  that it can be reimbursed. For Ken ALTs this
  normally happens 2 days before departure.
• CLAIR guidelines state that you must take the
  most direct route home (with the least number of
  transfers). Therefore you cannot normally break
  it up with extended stopovers on your way home.

36
Putting your JET experience to work
Reference Letters

• Your future employer will almost certainly want
  to know about your duties and performance in
  Japan
• Ask the right person!
• Try and get a letter written by someone who knows
  you well and how diligently you work.
• Explain the focus of the letter and provide
  guidance on it format
• Explain what you want and offer assistance
• Duties
• Extra Curricular activities
• Participation in conferences as speaker/moderator
• Relationship with co-workers and students

37
Countdown to Departure
Late MAY

• Your successor will be informed of placement.
  Start writing a short welcome letter to send
  them.
• Start sorting through your apartment, slowly
  adding extra rubbish bags.
• Start researching shipping company rates if you
  have items to send home.

Dont get caught by the stringent weight limits.
My friend was made to empty her wallet and give
all the money she had to get her plentiful bags
home .
38
Shipping Companies
Getting your stuff home

• For international shipping, some companies often
  like 2-3 months notice
• Freight is usually calculated by volume, not
  weight.

Offer a 5 discount for JETs. See jetsetjapan.com
for more info!
Sum of dimensions less than 150cm, weight less
than 30kg to N. America 25,000yen
39
Japan Post
Getting your stuff home

• Prices determined by weight, so send light but
  bulky items by parcel
• Book Bags
• Economical way to send printed matter home.
• Box up to 5kgs of books costs up to 2,700yen.
• Add 450 yen extra for every additional kg
• Bind books with string or pack them in an
  unsealed box.
• Only available from Central Post Offices.
• Takes up to 9 weeks for delivery.

40
Countdown to Departure
Early JUNE

• If you have a private landlord, inform them of
  your departure date they need at least one
  months notice.
• Start writing thank you letters for your Kocho
  Sensei, BoE, teachers and whoever else has helped
  you.
• Start thinking about your leavers speech for your
  students.

Get help writing your farewell speech. It is the
last thing people hear you say. Leave a good
impression.
41
Countdown to Departure
Mid JUNE

• If you are applying for an extension visa, start
  processing the paperwork now.
• Write a list of things that you need help with
  from your supervisor/co-ordinator. They will be
  busy too, preparing for your successor, so
• dont leave it until the last minute.
• If you have paid tax in Japan, you
• might need to obtain a record for
• your domestic tax office.

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43
Staying Legal
Visas

• If your visa is not set to expire when you finish
  JET then you can stay in Japan for up to 90 days
  for the purpose of sightseeing. You are not
  allowed to work during this time.
• If you stay more than a month your
  contracting
• organisation will not have to pay your return
  airfare!
• After 90 days you become an illegal alien even
  though it appears that you still have time on
  your visa.

Fukuoka Immigration Bureau 092 626 5100
(Mon-Fri 9am-4pm)
44
Changing Status
Visas

• Apply for an extension while your period of stay
  is still active.
• If you are staying for a new job/ to study, you
  will need
• Documents from your new employer/ certificate
  from the university where you will be enrolled
• Application for change of Status of Residence
  (available from the immigration office)
• Inkan
• Valid Passport
• Certificate of Alien Registration
• You may also need a 4000yen payment stamp from
  the post office depending on what type of visa
  you are applying for.

Fukuoka Immigration Bureau 092 626 5100
(Mon-Fri 9am-4pm)
45
Countdown to Departure
Early JULY

• Inform utility companies of your shut-off dates
  and arrange to make payments .
• Designate a pension refund/bill representative to
  work on your behalf.
• Organize mail forwarding
• Make a list of useful
• info for your successor

Im really glad that I picked a responsible and
reliable tax representative, but even she got
confused with the paperwork!
46
Getting your post forwarded

• Mail can be forwarded to any other address in
  Japan for up to a year.
• International Mail to an overseas address will be
  forwarded but mail from Japan will be returned to
  the sender.

Tenkyo Todoke
47
LEAVINGJAPAN

• Reflecting on your time in Japan
• Reverse Culture Shock

48
Reverse Culture Shock
Returning Home
You can feel quite lost.
Make sure to have a plan or focus for your life
when you get home to carry you through the
rough.

• Try to find time to reflect on your time in Japan
• Prepare yourself for going home try to
  anticipate how your friends have changed.
• Try to formulate long term goals of what you want
  to do when you return.

I had to guard against Japan talk. People dont
want to hear about Japan, they are not interested
in more than a few short stories.
49
Reverse Culture Shock
Returning Home
People are not going to over praise you as they
tend to in Japan.

• Realise that others do not want to hear about
  your experiences in Japan.
• Recognise that you have changed. Do not try to go
  back to being the old you.
• Realise that you do not have accurate
  recollections of your home country.

Your home country is NOT as great as you
remember it to be.
Realize that you will no longer get the special
treatment good and bad that you receive in
Japan!.