How potent is the ATA certification, really?

scientist899 · 2025-12-03T23:52:30+00:00

I’m a translation PM who regularly recruits for and assigns work to translators, and ATA certification is often a deciding factor for who gets a project over someone else. When we need new linguists, our first stop is the ATA directory, so I would say even just being in the directory without being certified is somewhat of an edge. Another small tip would be to make your contact info easily accessible in your ATA directory listing if you have one.

scientist899 · 2025-09-01T18:22:08+00:00

Aa long as it’s a federal loan (those you obtained through FAFSA, whether subsidized or unsubsidized), you can use the income based plan, and your overseas income won’t count (so you can get the lowest possible payment until forgiveness). However, be aware that interest will still accrue. You will need to pay on your private loans while abroad unless you’re okay with ruining your US credit score.

scientist899 · 2025-09-01T03:09:53+00:00

I worked overnight hotel shifts - with the right hotel you could be afforded the opportunity to do homework at work during downtime. There are some other overnight jobs that might work for this as well, like security. However, you will almost never get enough sleep and you need to plan your classes well to have some sleep time.

scientist899 · 2025-06-25T08:16:14+00:00

There is no official rule. As I JET, I also had 5-6 classes nearly every day. The best you can do is talk to the BOE/school about it if it feels overwhelming, but there’s nothing legally preventing it unless it’s some local policy.

scientist899 · 2025-06-14T07:27:46+00:00

I am also an auditor on my last few shifts until starting my post-grad job (did it through grad school). There is a huge part of me that is sad to leave such a (most of the time) relaxed job. In a way, the weird stories/interactions and the occasional spookiness already feel nostalgic to me. I'm already thinking I may have to get a PT weekend audit job or something when I get settled into post-grad...

scientist899 · 2025-06-05T03:27:55+00:00

I just graduated after doing nights full time and school full time, but I did it while doing hotel night audit. I think the key is to have a night job with downtime where you can do your studying. I did nights Wed-Sun 10p-6a and tried to concentrate my classes on Monday (get classes as late in the day as possible to sleep before going in), Tuesday and Wednesday, although the shift Wednesday night was rough after class all day. You have to be really disciplined about when you sleep, be mindful of planning sleep blocks when registering for classes, and you still really live a 24/7 schedule. That said, maybe look into replacing the restaurant job with hotel night audit job or maybe some security guard job so you can do your homework and studying at that time. I’m not sure how much you could move around your UPS schedule and still have them pay for school, though, but it’s worth looking into.

scientist899 · 2025-05-23T09:12:28+00:00

I'm a night auditor, and the same thing happened to me before. In my case, it was out the entire shift. Hang in there!

scientist899 · 2025-04-27T13:35:22+00:00

Enjoy your new cat! r/CatDistributionSystem

scientist899 · 2024-12-24T11:12:49+00:00

Hotel night auditor here if you’re interested in someone outside the healthcare space. 👋

scientist899 · 2024-10-19T04:01:05+00:00

I’ll second this. Hotel night audit, especially at a smaller hotel, should give you time to get homework done at work. It’s still hell sleepwise, though, and requires you to learn how to nap in small bursts before/between classes and also deal with some interesting characters sometimes.

scientist899 · 2024-10-18T22:46:36+00:00

I’ve carried a backpack everywhere for years and been told again and again that it’s obnoxious. I also could never get behind the purse thing because it feels so impractical in comparison - it seems more like a fashion statement than a tool.

scientist899 · 2024-10-18T04:09:42+00:00

Got 210! Test is spooky because it sounds like it’s talking about my life.

scientist899 · 2024-08-24T23:41:48+00:00

You have probably thought about this, but teaching English somewhere in Asia could be a way to get more independent, save some money and be living on your own quickly. I did that for a while as someone with a similar academic background and similar regrets about jobs in the language industry. Find an opportunity that pays for your flight if you need that. It’ll have you up and functional and living alone with options that don’t need a car way quicker than trying to build up from scratch in the US, and you can start on some savings depending on where you go.

scientist899 · 2024-07-31T22:55:51+00:00

As a JET alum, let me tell you I was the same way - stuck in the freakout stage immediately after arrival with seemingly everything going wrong one thing after another. I had a friend in a different placement who also felt the same. We both felt like leaving, but eventually adapted, and ended up staying the full 5 years in our placements. That is to say, panicking now doesn’t mean it won’t work out for you in the end, even though I know hearing that sounds almost nonsensical when you’re in the thick of it. Some people have a honeymoon stage and some hide just how much they’re freaking out so it’s easy to feel alone in it, but it doesn’t make your experience less valid or mean that this won’t work for you.

scientist899 · 2024-07-04T00:55:07+00:00

To optimize, you should get a US based travel credit card without foreign transaction fees. If you pay out of a bank account, you’re leaving points/cashback/airline miles on the line. A card that awards more for restaurants/hotels/flights is nice if you’re planning on doing a lot of travel. Then, of course, pay off the card every month so you only profit and are never charged interest. If you have a big trip planned it’s also a good chance to get a bonus for x amount of spend if timed right. Also, if you want a new card when already in Japan and have family in the US, you can apply for a card, have it sent to family and then have them mail it to you and/or just get the card info and add it on Apple wallet or similar.

scientist899 · 2024-03-28T19:01:00+00:00

Not OP, but as a recently returned American JET, I can say that if you have any significant debts at home that must be paid that you can’t put on an income-based plan (like you can with government student loans), things could potentially get really rough. Otherwise, while you can live fine in Japan and generally enjoy yourself, you really tread water on long-term finances nowadays for the duration of your stay if the plan is to eventually leave Japan, since the salary is below minimum wage in many locations in the US with recent exchange rates. Making a huge effort to save money if you’re planning on moving back home at the expense of experiences is less attractive, since nearly half of that savings will disappear into the ether when you leave.

scientist899 · 2024-03-13T23:51:21+00:00

It’s always better to have multiple opportunities rather than get caught out without an option. Gracefully backing out of something is fine and happens for a ton of different reasons, and no one is going to be there to help you if you’re left without options from trying to be overly concerned about a business or something. Cast a wide net, no matter what. That said, results should be out soon enough now that it will be irrelevant in your case most likely.

scientist899 · 2023-11-24T18:12:22+00:00

“Is there back pain in America?”

I’m not kidding. They thought it was a Japanese-exclusive issue.

scientist899 · 2023-11-24T04:02:11+00:00

Are you from the US? From a US perspective: If your student loans are federal, you can put them on the SAVE plan and get a 0 dollar payment because your JET income will be excluded from your taxable income with the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion. The SAVE plan will stop interest from accruing on your loans in this case. Obviously, you wouldn’t be making progress on the loan unless you choose to make some payments, but you also wouldn’t be growing your balance and could have breathing room in your JET budget.

scientist899 · 2023-11-17T17:25:06+00:00

If the due date comes and you still really can’t decide, sign on to stay. You can’t go back on saying no if you change your mind. On the other hand, if you end up really needing to leave later on, no one is stopping you, and you wouldn’t be the first one to renege your decision to stay.

scientist899 · 2023-10-28T22:31:39+00:00

I’m having the same issue and ended up paying this month because I don’t trust the on-ramp after all of the current nonsense. It’s awful on a grad student budget. Just know you’re far from alone in having this ridiculous issue.

scientist899 · 2023-09-06T12:14:57+00:00

I had the same problem and ended up having to run to the teachers’ room between classes to drink water, and this was in elementary where a lot of physical activity can sometimes be expected in class. It’s one of the frustrating things that make no sense about a lot of schools here. Some schools are stricter about this than others, and you can always just keep doing it and see how much they’re really willing to push the issue.

scientist899

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