Types Of Special Leave Special Leave includes all forms of leave other than your paid leave. The details will vary from contract to contract, so this list is just for reference. These types of leave may be paid or unpaid, and are usually only allowed to be taken for a specific time period. For example, […]
Aside from the specific cases provided for in your contract, unpaid leave technically does not exist, and your contracting organization is not able to grant it. Every now and then a JET will use up all of their paid leave, and then when an emergency comes up they are unable to take any more leave. […]
Paid leave, or nenkyu, is a precious commodity for most JETs, and therefore many questions/problems seem to revolve around it. Read the following points so that you can avoid some common problems. Summer Leave Many public offices/schools give their employees a few days of special/summer leave (夏休み natsu-yasumi). At some point you might even see […]
In Japan, personal appearance is often taken as a reflection of one’s attitude toward work. Dressing professionally will go a long way toward being taken seriously by your Japanese colleagues. You don’t have to erase any signs of personal style or imitate the way your Japanese coworkers dress, but try observing your work environment for […]
Congratulations, you’ve made it through the interview and finally got accepted into the program. When you receive your placement notice, you may notice that alongside the Placement Prefecture (which prefecture you’ll be working in), there is also Placement Contracting Organization. Although JET participants are members of the JET Programme, each JET is actually employed by […]
Last updated: September 2025 In times of serious stress it can be good to contact a professional counsellor or the peer support line. Sometimes isolation, physical or linguistic, can make simple problems very stressful, and sometimes very disheartening. Rather than letting problems get on top of you, have a look at these options and find […]
In autumn, your school/BOE should give you a form with the title “JET Programme Re-contracting Procedures.” This is the form that you use to indicate if you want to recontract, apply for a transfer, or apply for a type-change. If you want to apply for a transfer and you haven’t received this form, talk to […]
At the same time as the Recontracting Decision rolls around for us, our schools are also asked if they want to keep us. What will you be evaluated on? Though different schools do things differently, most likely your principal will fill out a report that looks something like this: Work Details (Attendance) 1. Tardiness: Never […]
Insurance and costs Regular yearly gynecological checkups are covered by national health insurance. Kobe city sends a voucher for a free pap smear from participating Kobe clinics to female NHS recipients at ages 25 and 35. Tests are partially covered depending on what it’s for and why, but STD tests are not. Birth control is […]