For those with super memories, I wrote a post on a very similar topic last year, and some people found it really helpful and some people just laughed at me. And then my blog got hacked in December and no proof existed that I ever wrote the article. So! Here I am, 8 months returned from Japan, 4 jobs obtained, and 15 pounds gained and lost. Now it’s April, and the Interac people and college students are returning to their home countries as we speak, with the returning JET participants counting the days until August. Here’s some stuff to think about as you prepare to go home.

Your Savings

I hope you saved up…

When I finished the JET Program in July 2009, I had about 8,000 dollars American in my Japanese bank account. It was gone by December. Not stolen, not taken by greedy uncles, not even given away to charity. Spent entirely on returning costs. The things I spent it on weren’t that unusual, and you might not even think to count up the costs until you realize that $8,000 is gone. So, let’s take a quick look at how I spent that money.

Traveling Japan

From July 27 until August 20, I traveled Japan with my fiancee on the cheap. Osaka, Hiroshima, Kyoto, blah blah blah. Hostels, food, train tickets, ferry tickets, event tickets, souvenirs, all that stuff. No need to explain, traveling costs money. Gave $100 to my friend for letting me stay in his apartment for 10 days. Total cost: about $1,000.

Canceling Phone

When I went to Docomo to cancel my phone, I had a Japanese friend with me to handle all of the discussions. His mouth dropped when he saw the bill. July bill+pro-rated August bill (with inflated data charges)+cancellation fee=$400. Total running cost: $1,400.

Buying a Car

The sad fact about living in Midwest America is that you have to drive a lot. Upon returning, I needed a car and I needed it now. The car I had before I went to Japan was leased and returned, and my family doesn’t exactly have cars sitting around waiting to be driven. So I purchased a 2001 Saturn for $3200 cash. Plus basic inspection charge by a Saturn dealer ($100) and then a follow-up by my mechanic ($150) and an oil change ($30). Don’t forget insurance ($60/month). Let’s call all that $3600. Total running cost: $5,000.

Cribs

Gotta live somewhere, right? In my case, my fiancee had just bought a house, so I already had my living arrangements set up. I gave her $1,000 to cover some set up costs and then my share of the payment is $500 a month. The same could easily be said for an apartment–down payments are often one month’s rent. Total running cost: $6,500, +utilities, +rent per month.

Health Care

If you’re an American, get yourself checked out by a doctor and a dentist before coming back. Prices are ridiculous here.

Living Costs

Eating, drinking, the whole shebang. Adds up to that $8,000 pretty quickly, doesn’t it?

(un)Employment

The world-wide economy is in a rough state, and particularly in America, the job situation is difficult. You need to think outside of the box to land jobs, and try your hardest to find jobs that fit your specific need. I’ve had 4 jobs since I’ve come back, 3 of them part time or freelancing (working for a science exhibition, as a text book writer, and as a consultant to a technology company). I’ve made enough money to stay afloat, but it hasn’t been easy.

Resumes

Work, work, work on your resume. Remember this: your resume should explain your strengths and abilities in as brief a manner as possible. 1 page. Don’t include your job at McDonald’s when you were 17 (unless you’re applying to Burger King…). Don’t include a hobbies section.

You should have a number of resumes that cater toward a specific field. You should have a basic, MS-Word resume ready-to-go at all times. You can e-mail this to potential employers, and print it out to hand to anybody on the street. If you work in any sort of creative field, you need to have a personally designed resume. Research how web designers or graphic artists make their resumes to get an idea. If you’re an academic, you’ll need a curriculum vitae. Your CV can be really basic and look really bland, but you should have it ready on a moment’s notice for your academic job leads.

Applying for Jobs Online

A growing number of jobs are requesting applications online. The basic corporate jobs have lengthy applications and might call you back more than a month after your application. The small companies jobs often ask for a resume in an e-mail. For what it’s worth, this is how I would respond to a test grading job:

Dear Employer’s Name / To Whom it May Concern.

My name is This and That, and this communication is in response to the (job position) listed on (where you found the job). With 5 years of educational experience in public schools, I understand the importance of accurate and timely grading. As a self-starter, I can be trusted to handle a large volume of work in a short time with minimal supervision.

Skills:

  • 5 years grading with XYZ Corporation
  • 4 years professional communication with ABC Corporation
  • Expertise with Microsoft Office, red pens, white out.

Education:

  • Grad School, Undergraduate. Mention GPA and degrees conferred and major awards.

Relevant Work Experience:

  • Put 2-3 relevant jobs in here.

I look forward to hearing from you. If you need to contact me, please e-mail me at XYZ address or call me at MNOP number. If I do not hear from you within the next business week, I will contact you again through the appropriate means.

With regards,

Me

Contacts

Unless you are applying for another English teaching job in another country, almost none of the contacts you make in Japan will be useful in getting you a job in your home country. That’s because they can’t be easily contacted by phone, so their identities cannot be verified. Nonetheless, have a list of contacts ready in your portfolio with names, companies, and phone numbers, and if you have it, an e-mail address and mailing address.

Graduate School

A lot of people plan to apply to graduate school upon returning to their home country, and here’s the basics about how to apply to grad school (at least in America). Generally, graduate applications are due in December. Here are some things you can think about now.

GRE

There are two schools of thoughts on the GRE: some schools think it’s an important qualifier, while others don’t even consider it. So, try and do well on it, but don’t get hung up on it. You can take it in Japan, but you can also schedule it in America and report the scores quickly to institutions. At the time of your test, you don’t need to know all the institutions you want to which you want to report scores–you can always have the GRE test people send the scores at a later date for a cost of $12 for each report.

Recommendations

This is arguably the most important part of your application. You should contact the people you want to write a recommendation for you sometime in August/September.

Statements, Samples, Application Packet

You have to worry about all of this, too, but I’m just giving you stuff to think about while you’re closing up shop in Japan.

Enjoy Your Return Home

Hopefully I’ve given you some concrete examples of what you face upon return home (particularly to America). The American economy died while I was in Japan, and I had to relearn everything I knew about job applications and resumes and revise my expectations of how people viewed the JET Program.

Let me say it this way: The JET Program was only somewhat useful in getting me a job in America. It did help me get into a Ph.D. program. Perhaps you’ll have a different experience!