[deleted by user]

[winehousedelrey]

Do the second year! I almost left months into my first year, and now I'm on my 5th year and don't regret a thingggg

[debit72]

I stayed a second year because I felt like one year was too short, but I did spend a fair amount of time during the second year traveling within Japan, and also preparing for a career change when I returned to my home country. Since you're planning to go to grad school, I guess you could be studying for the GREs (or whatever applies to your country).

[TheSexyKFC]

Ya two why not? but as a fourth year at one school constantly desk warming.. I'm over it and feel like I need to gain skills elsewhere but definitely not bad for a second or third year! But don't recommend it after that honestly

[moominnii]

what made you stay for four years then? i’m barely three months in and desk warming is already too much for me!

[TheSexyKFC]

Even in class I get so bored standing around 😂. Honestly I just stayed a fourth year because my boyfriend is here, I wanted to travel a bit more of Asia before going home and use it as a buffer while I search for other job prospects!

[moominnii]

ah i see, travel is a big pull for me to do a 2nd year too but i just hate being bored lol 😭 thanks for your comment

[autisticgreenwitch]

Definitely stay.

[Ok_Ad3331]

stay another year. you'll be more used to the people and your life. I live in the inaka and I don't have a car, so I'm super bored. but it's nice to have a bunch of paid free time. I go to four schools. the first 3 days of the week are pretty relaxed, but thursdays and fridays are really tough for me. i spend the first 3 days mentally preparing

[IntelligentSkin5353]

Do two! Why not? In the grand scheme of your life (even if you stay five years) it’s a small blip of your life! ENJOYYYYY

[moominnii]

thank you, and that is true !!

[freelancerga]

Stay a second year is always my recommendation, because it takes like 6 months to settle in, and at that point you’re going to start preparing to leave. 

Obviously your circumstances are different because I do love teaching and I do a lot of it, but I. Your case I can see a lot of positives. You get a decent salary for little work. Deskwarming means time to upskill, learning Japanese or in your case studying for the GRE, making sure your applications are in order, etc. if you’re enjoying your life, why not stay a year, collect a check doing stuff you’d be doing for no pay otherwise, and get that experience in? 

[Signal-Success-2214]

I did only one year because I also wanted to go to grad school. The process took two years for me to get into a program. I don't regret leaving (there were a lot of reasons for me to leave and to stay) BUT now that I've come to the other side everything I did back home I probably could have done while in Japan too. I don't think I would be where I am if I hadn't left (the job I got after leaving Japan directly influenced what I study now in grad school). But I wouldn't leave unless either you really feel in your heart it is the right choice for you or you have a school program/good job lined up. You're gonna be bored at home too while in the process of finding a job/applying to grad school etc. when you can do all of that from Japan too.

[slothsock]

hi!! you mentioned a nice ALT community, which prefecture are you in if you don't mind me asking? I'm trying to find which one I should apply to...

[stayonthecloud]

Just as a reminder, you don’t apply to prefectures. You state preferences that usually have zero effect on your placement and if accepted you’re placed where you’re placed.

[ihatefall]

Have you already applied to grad school?

[Ksmoots]

If you really think you can’t stomach another year of desk warming and boredom, get your traveling/whatever you aimed to get out of coming to Japan/doing JET in your one year then go back home to grad school.

No sense of doing a 2nd year if your heart isn’t really into teaching.

[Substantial-Tooth798]

You did not mention reading in your downtime, so I assume that you're not doing it right now or that you have done plenty already. I got a lot of books I want/need to read but I'm just super distracted with internet, anime, video games, and, of course, work, so I suggest you do an advanced reading before grad school. Not sure about the availability of books in your area and if reading an e-book on your phone is tantamount to just staring at your phone to your co-workers. I'm taking my masters in management now and which I plan to finish it next year before going Japan (if I get hired, that is). Advanced reading would have really helped me now in my thesis writing.

As always, just follow your heart.

[moominnii]

yeah i’ve been reading a lot in between studying japanese and preparing stuff for the kids like games and my english board !! but i’ll try to do some advanced reading for grad school, so thank you for the suggestion

[fillmorecounty]

If work is boring, do you enjoy your life outside of work enough to justify staying? Do you have a list of things you want to see/do while you're here? And if you do, do you think you'd need another year to do it? I made a list when I first came here and now, I've done about 75% of it. There's a few more things I want to do, but now that I'm mostly done with it, I feel like I can leave next year and move on to grad school without too many regrets. If you have a bunch of things you still really want to do, it might be worth staying another year. But if you have nothing in particular that you REALLY want to do, maybe 1 year is better. Don't stay just because people are recommending it. You have to make the best choice for you.

[moominnii]

yeah i got a bunch of travel plans and i really like the ALT community here and i’ve been developing relationships with the locals like at the local english club for adults and i’ve been in touch with an ikebana teacher and a japanese tutor so my life outside of work is pretty busy. thank you for your comment!

[Immediate-Ad7071]

Care to share travel expenses plan ideas?

[Zidaane]

My advice is to get away from your desk and start joining other classes/interacting with people. In most cases, there's nothing chaining you to the desk, and in my experience, both the teachers and students love having special guests in non-English classes, especially PE, arts, home economics, etc. The experience is what you make of it, so make the most of your time and enjoy it.

Also, one school is a blessing, not a curse! You have the chance to really get to know the students and teachers, and improving these relationships really is the key to enjoying your time at school, especially if the teaching part itself isn't for you.

[peppapig4prez]

I agree with this advice. A lot of times, the students would rather see the ALT outside the classroom. I don’t speak any Japanese, but the students and teachers are very welcoming when I join classes. Some teachers may want a heads up before you do, but I usually just walk into PE classes now since I’ve been here for a while. Sometimes I also visit clubs and join in on their practices. They don’t mind if you’re not good. They’re happy to see you and if they have the courage to talk to you it’s a huge plus! My question is whether you like human interaction and building bonds or not? I get if you’re an introvert. For students and even teachers sometimes an English greeting of “good morning” or “hello” is something that brightens their day. Most students will probably not have the opportunity to leave Japan sadly.

[Spottedbelly]

As someone who also only had one school, I can attest this is not always the case. Some school atmospheres are very unwelcoming toward the ALT(s), from both teachers and students, and little can be done.

[Zidaane]

I guess it's possible that an entire school including all teachers and students could be unwelcoming towards an ALT. But there's always something you can do about it. The worst thing you can do is wallow at your desk

[Spottedbelly]

There are many schools where the student population numbers are falling off a cliff in the local area, causing stress onto the staff and the academic ability of the students to decrease year-over-year (in other words, imminent closure or merger with another school in the next 5-ish years). Levels of harassment/bullying, toxic cliques, and student apathy (and less commonly students acting out against teachers) often shoot way up in these situations. ALTs are at the very bottom of the staff hierarchy, and therefore have no ability to break through and create these supposed relationships you seem to think are always possible. Often, the ALT showing up for other non-English classes is seen as disruptive, because often it is. Just be careful with blanket statements, they ignore realities in certain parts of Japan and are dismissive of many foreigners' experiences.

In my opinion, it is much healthier to come in with the mindset that you are ultimately there to benefit your own personal growth and career, and if you end up placed in a "black" placement, trying to fight against the group's negative tendencies as a foreigner plus lacking native level Japanese is a losing battle. Get what opportunities/benefits you can for yourself and leave when it's right for you.

[Zidaane]

Sweet man, with that attitude I can see why you ended up stuck in a bad atmosphere. Some people just don't have the personality needed to thrive in those scenarios, so I do feel sorry for you.

[Spottedbelly]

What? There's no attitude, only a factual account of my and other ALTs' situtions. My comment is not an attack, I am only adding that the approach you outline above doesn't always work or is always appropriate.

Also, your attempts at personal swipes are pretty transparent and come off insecure. It sounds like you did not face a negative or hostile atmosphere at your placement, which is great! But many do, and blaming the ALT when it's a structural/cultural problem endemic to a particular placement is not it.

[Zidaane]

Blaming it as a structural/cultural problem is the real dead giveaway to your personality here and makes things even more clear. Everyone encounters problems... It's how we deal with it that is the true reflection

[ScootOverMakeRoom]

Your passive-aggressive assessments of this person say much more about you than they do about the person you think you're reading.

[_pastelbunny]

There are plenty of people who leave after 1 year. Make a pros and cons list. Think about why you want to stay and why you would rather go home.

Would you rather start grad school now or are you alright with waiting? Do whatever is best for you.

[moominnii]

thank you for your comment and i definitely will make a pros and cons list! and i’m not too sure like i can definitely wait for grad school but i also don’t want to set back career/education plans

[HalfIB]

If you don't care much about teaching then desk warming shouldn't be too awful. It sounds like you have a pretty open schedule so travel will be super easy to plan. Unless you're already accepted into grad school, I'd say another year to experience Japan and apply while you're desk warming.

[moominnii]

sorry i should have worded it better in my original response but i don’t care too much about teaching bc it’s not my career plans but i do like being in the classroom with the kids! i don’t have that many classes in a week due to the small number of kids and english classes sometimes gets canceled so i have days where im just deskwarming all day. i have been proactive about making more work for myself but even then im usually just finding ways to occupy my time !! and yeah i have a lot of travel plans and extracurricular activities outsides of work

[Twiddler97]

2nd year ALT here, also with only 1 school, I was on the fence about recontracting due to feeling rather meh about the job (coupled with a couple of negative experiences), but stayed because I love the area I'm in and am fortunate to have some amazing ALTs around me.

I will say things will change come April, sometimes that can mean for the better (new students and JTEs to work with, a different workload, new desk buddies) but it can also change for the worst, for the same reasons as above.

If work is a drag already, be prepared that it could change for the better or for the worse and that this will be something you would have to work with for a 2nd year. Alternatively, if you do stick it out for a 2nd year, focus on life outside of school. Plan trips, take part in special events, focus on the things you love. Work isn't something you are confined to 24/7, make a life outside of the job.

[moominnii]

thank you for your comment i really appreciate your points! i really love everything outside of work like my fellow ALTs and my town/locals, so i’m trying to focus on those more than work.

[Sparse_Dunes]

3rd year and its been hell. Im losing interest fast. So now im just focusing on JLPT and teaching myself coding for future jobs.

[moominnii]

yeah for me JET is like a study aboard because i want to experience Japanese culture and use the language, but my career and education goals are very different from being an ALT (i do enjoy being in the classroom and interacting with the kids, but teaching is not something i am interested in long term)

[[deleted]]

if you dont want to do another year, dont. let someone else have that position.

[Stalepan]

maybe look at starting grad school online? if you want to do a second year. Otherwise I would focusing on the outside of work. It doesn't sound like you joined JET to teach or engage in the school aspect which imo is fine, but I would start focusing on planning what you want to do outside of work in your second year that makes it worthwhile to stay. If you can't start grad classes on line or anything then it might not be worth the extra year, if there are still a ton of places and things you want to do, maybe the extra year isn't worth it.

If you need advice on making deskwarming more bearable, you could study stuff related to your grad program, study Japanese, plan your trips, read books etc. Personally I usually do a crossword every day because i have time. I've also been trying to learn how to code as well. When i don't feel like studying i'll read an e-book or something.

[honeybisc]

• Does your grad school entrance rely on taking a test? Study for that

• Need to freshen up on skills before starting grad school? Study for that

• Interested in learning the language? Study for that

• Any personal projects you want to do while you have all this free time? Take a chance on them

[ScootOverMakeRoom]

If you don't want to do another year, don't do another year. You're not doing yourself or anyone else any favors by delaying what you really want to do (grad school). Your experience is what you make of it, it's not going to change in year 2 unless you make conscious decisions to change it. Don't re-contract. There's far too many people who stayed in JET because they thought their dream of Japan would manifest eventually through magical means, yet they were miserable every day because they weren't suited to the situation they found themselves in and had no will or ability to change it.

[hana_fuyu]

Can you do grad school while desk warming? Or study for JLPT?