Transcript Pre-Departure: What’s Involved?

2014 Summer Conference for Returning JETs
Leaving the JET Programme
An explanation of the steps involved and how to make a smooth transition
Questions
 Please save your questions until the
end.
 Make notes of questions you want
to ask for later.
1. Timeline for Predeparture
To Be Covered…
2. Immigration
3. Health Insurance
4. Banking
5. Utilities & Phone
6. Successors and
Leaving Workplace
7. Pension
8. Reverse Culture Shock
Recommendations for when to start
You have less than two months left...
How do you organize your time?
JULY
JUNE
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Begin Pension & Tax
Home Phone
Landlord
Budget
Vehicle & Insurance
Shipping
Visa
Book a flight

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

Cable & Internet
Utilities
Bank / Postal account
Tenshutsu todoke
PRIOR TO
DEPARTURE
 Mobile Phone
 Residence Card
• Completes their term of appointment.
• Does not get new job in Japan
• Leaves Japan within one month
• Economy class
• One way
• To airport near home city/town
A)
B)
C)
D)
JET pays, CO reimburses the cost later.
JET requests flight through a specific travel agency, CO pays
JET gives CO preferred departure dates, CO pays
JET gives preferred dates, CO checks cost, gives JET money,
JET buys
1. Timeline for Predeparture
To Be Covered…
2. Immigration
3. Health Insurance
4. Banking
Length of Stay
5. Utilities & Phone
Visa Type Change
6. Successors and
Leaving Workplace
7. Pension
8. Reverse Culture Shock
Resident Card
Etc...
Period of Stay
 1st and 2nd year JETs are still fine
(if you have a 3-year visa)
 3rd year and up: check your
expiration date!
 3rd year and up may need to apply
for temporary visitor status
 Do NOT overstay.
Staying a little longer
 Instructor status can be changed to temporary
visitor status
(JR Rail Pass OK for tourists!)
 Can stay in Japan 90 days after work ends on same
visa without filing, if still valid for 90 days or more
 If visa expires at any point before the 90 days after
contract ends, you must file for temporary visitor
status to begin the day after visa expires.
Immigration
Getting a Temporary Visitor Visa
Take with you:
Passport
Personal Stamp
Residence Card
Explanation for changing the Status of Residence
(zairyu shikaku henko riyusho)
 ¥4000
(収入印紙 shunyuinshi stamp)
 Documentation showing last day of work
 Other (Copy of airline ticket / proof of sufficient
funds)




Staying in Japan to work
“visa” still valid + new job as an instructor = no need to
change status
(may need extension)
“visa” still valid + looking for a new job = you have 3
months
“visa” still valid + got a completely different job = change
status
working outside of the bounds of the original “visa” =
ILLEGAL!
What to do at the airport
• (Cancel mobile phone?)
• Turn in your alien registration card to
the Immigration Official.
(Failure to do so makes your pension
process very, very difficult)
• Keep your passport.
1. Timeline for Predeparture
To Be Covered…
WAIT, I’m
still in
Japan!
2. Immigration
3. Health Insurance
4. Banking
5. Utilities & Phone
6. Successors and
Leaving Workplace
7. Pension
8. Reverse Culture Shock
…but i have
no health
card!
Am I
insured?
Health Insurance
Thank about whether or not you need any
additional coverage.
National Health Insurance coverage: ends on the last
day of your contract.
JET Accident Insurance: ends the day that you arrive in
your home country or until August 31st, whichever
happens first.
The JET Accident Insurance policy only deals with
health matters; theft and lost items are not covered.
Health Insurance (staying in Japan)
• Can use JET Accident Insurance for 1 month after contract
• Must pay full cost up front
• It may take a while to get a refund
Continuing Work in Japan
Not enrolling in National Health is considered ILLEGAL.
JETs staying in Japan: apply through your new employer
**May cost more as our COs paid ½ during JET.
1. Timeline for Predeparture
To Be Covered…
2. Immigration
3. Health Insurance
4. Banking
5. Utilities & Phone
6. Successors and
Leaving Workplace
7. Pension
8. Reverse Culture Shock
¥
R
RM
$
€
¢
रू
£
Bank Stuff
Make necessary arrangements for your bank account to avoid problems.
Note that you do not have to close your bank account.
Closing Out Your Account
Go to the branch where you
opened your account
Bring:
Resident Card
Passbook
Personal Stamp
You can say:
“kouza wo kaiyaku shitai no desu
ga”
「口座を解約したいのですが。」
Reasons To Not Close Your
Account
 You plan on being back in
Japan in the future.
 You want to hold onto
your Japanese credit card.
 You have remaining
automatic bill payments.
To Be Covered…
1. Timeline for Predeparture
2. Immigration
3. Health Insurance
4. Banking
5. Utilities & Phone
6. Successors and
Leaving Workplace
7. Pension
8. Reverse Culture Shock
Canceling Utilities and Phone
Your supervisor can help you out if needed…
Electricity, Water, & Gas
Keep bank account open,
final automatic payment.
or
Call up to a month in
advance, arrange date, pay on
the spot. (exact meter)
Have cash handy.
Cable & Internet
Varies. Check with provider.
Mobile Phone
Last minute at the airport or
nearby shop
May incur fees.
Have cash handy
NTT Land Line
Can be cancelled for a
specific date but payment is
resolved later at a local NTT
office, or by proxy.
(Ask supervisor)
Leaving Your Apartment
 Standard practice in Japan is to give at least 1
month notice to your landlord before you
leave.
 It is polite to personally say goodbye…if you
know who your landlord is…
 Make sure you ask about cleaning, deposits,
your last day, etc.
 REMEMBER to clean your apartment. Leave
a good impression, don’t burn bridges.
1. Timeline for Predeparture
To Be Covered…
2. Immigration
3. Health Insurance
!
4. Banking
5. Utilities & Phone
6. Successors and
Leaving Workplace
7. Pension
8. Reverse Culture Shock
?!
?!
!
?!
Successors
• Are excited and [theoretically] can’t wait to get to Japan.
• Do not attempt to contact successor until your BOE gives you
the go ahead.
• Provide necessary and helpful information. Answer their
questions.
• Give mostly facts, less opinions.
• Your successor is not an avenue to vent, but give information you
see as necessary.
• Set your bounds and their expectations.
Guidelines for Selling
(to your successor or other people)
 Deal in Japanese currency.
 Be realistic about prices (how much would
someone IN JAPAN pay?)
 Make a list with photos.
 Be respectful/honest
 There’s always HARD OFF or other stores
that may buy your used stuff
To Be Covered…
1. Timeline for Predeparture
2. Immigration
3. Health Insurance
4. Banking
5. Utilities & Phone
6. Successors and
Leaving Workplace
7. Pension
8. Reverse Culture Shock
Mwahaha! Take
that, Japan
Pension
Services!
How much money do I get back?
Every month, we pay in to the employees’ pension insurance
program.
These are the refund figures which correspond to the period of
time you have worked as a JET. These figures are derived from
a \280,000 or ¥300,000 monthly salary in accordance with
each year worked on The JET Programme.
1st Year JETs
2nd Year JETs
3rd Year JETs
4th Year JETs
5th Year JETs
\280,000
\580,000
\900,000
\900,000
\900,000
How Refund Amount is Calculated
Same thing in simple English:
Basically, you get back roughly one
month’s salary for every year you
worked in Japan, up to 3 years.
Warning: You must file within 2 years
after leaving Japan!
Steps to claim lump-sum withdrawal
(to be done in Japan)
1. Get blue pension book from your BOE.
[nenkin techou]
2. Choose a tax rep.
• Anyone in Japan is OK.
• Get form: "Declaration Naming a Person to
Administer the Taxpayer's Tax Affairs" (納税管理人
の届出書 [nōzei kanrinin no todokesho ]) from local
tax office (either a Social Insurance Office or the tax
section of your local government office).
• Fill it in with tax rep and bring it back to tax office.
(Can be done from overseas but easier while in
Japan.)
Steps to claim lump-sum withdrawal
(to be done in Japan)
3. Apply for a "notification of moving-out (転出届
[tenshutsu todoke])"
• Do it just before you leave Japan (2 weeks)
• Submit to municipal office where registered in
"Resident Registration“.
• Can be done from abroad but is easier in Japan.
4. Turn in your Residence Card at the airport
(if you still have an Alien Registration Card it might be
invalidated with a punch and you may take it home).
Things to send from abroad
(to be done from home country)
• Fill out lump-sum withdrawal form. (*note: only need to fill in
the basic pension number from blue book. Other numbers blank.)
• Pension Book (The book will be returned to you at a later date.)
• A photocopy of your passport (page(s) showing your name,
date of birth, nationality, signature, work visa, and the date of
departure from Japan)
• A document (copy of your bank statement, bank passbook, etc.)
verifying your bank name, branch office name, branch address,
bank account number, and the full name of the account holder
(must be your own). Used in place of bank stamp. Send both if
possible.
Some notes
 Notice of lump-sum withdrawal payment (and cash
deposit) should arrive in 3-6 months.
 You also get your blue pension book back.
 You may get a letter back instead, asking if you want
your money back even after properly filing. Please
reply saying “yes” and wait a bit longer.
 Process time varies. Don’t rely on this money coming
soon.
Congrats! You got 80% of your money!
(What about the other 20%!?!)
1. Mail the original notice of lump-sum withdrawal
payment to your tax rep (keep a copy) with your
pension book and have him/her fill out and submit a
tax return payment confirmation (確定申告書
kakutei shinkoku-sho) for you. (Tax rep gets it from
tax office.)
2. Have your tax rep deposit the tax return into their
own account (must be a Japanese account.)
3. Have tax rep send the money to you however is best
for the both of you.
Summary of
Steps
1. Timeline for Predeparture
To Be Covered…
2. Immigration
3. Health Insurance
4. Banking
5. Utilities & Phone
6. Successors and
Leaving Workplace
7. Pension
8. Reverse Culture Shock

What is it?
“Culture shock is the expected
confrontation with the unfamiliar; reentry shock is the unexpected
confrontation with the familiar.”
–R. Michael Paige, “Maximizing Study Abroad”

Will it get me?
 2010 JET Survey says 65.7% of JETs
experienced reverse culture
shock/re-entry shock

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No one wants to listen
You can't explain
Relationships have changed
People misunderstand
Feeling alienated/seeing with “critical”
eyes
Reverse "homesickness"
Inability to apply new knowledge and
skills
Loss/compartmentalization of experience

Realize most of these issues are temporary

Be patient, give yourself time

Compare to how you dealt with initial culture
shock in Japan

Try to simply enjoy life!

Let a little bit out at a time

Don’t stop learning new things

Rely on support networks / friends / family
www.jetalumni.org
52 regional chapters, 17 countries, 25,000 members

Free to join

Variety of events every month

Local Japan related resource information
(Arts&Crafts, Culture, Attractions, Food, etc)

Great way to meet other former JETs
お疲れ様でした！
Best of luck with whatever the future brings!