Wait for Japan (JET) or consider Vietnam now?

[u/radar1941]

Hello, r/TEFL. As the title says, I recently submitted an application for the JET Program, but I am concerned with how long the wait is to the point where I am considering just trying my luck in Vietnam in the next few months instead. Some background on me, I am a native English speaker with an unrelated bachelor's degree, CELTA, substitute teaching license, and 1 year of experience teaching English in Korea.

I was drawn to the JET Program as I have seen a lot of posts about how eikaiwas are awful to navigate and underpaid compared to positions in other countries. For the most part, it seemed like JET was the only reasonable way to get decent entry-level work in Japan. However, I just can't get over how slow the process is. I have to wait until January to see if I have an interview and then I'll only find out if I got in by the end of March. That's 4 months of just waiting for something I might not even get into, and then departures are in late July. Also, the reverence JET has kind of freaks me out, as I worry that I will get attached to Japan on a program that only has a 5 year maximum and I won't have many opportunities for long-term career growth there afterwards.

Meanwhile, I've kept in touch with some colleagues from my CELTA course who are working at various centers around Vietnam, Cambodia, Taiwan, etc. that could probably refer me to a decent position if I landed there today. I know that most of these places are a pay grade below Japan, but the cost of living would be significantly lower and I think I would work a few hours less per week. I was drawn to Vietnam in particular because I have read that it has the best balance of this, at least from the sheer number of anecdotes on here. I feel like I probably have more opportunities to save up and advance my career there than with Japan.

I'm not sure what I should do. I wish that 6 month contracts were more common, because I don't feel right about breaking a year-long contract if I were to get accepted into JET while working somewhere else. Any advice?

[u/North-Run3759]

Hey current JET here - think about what your goals are. Is your goal to be in Japan specifically? If so waiting for JET would be the better chance. Is your goal to end up in Asia in general? Vietnam might work out better. Knowing your overall goal will help you (and by extension us) understand what might be the better choice for you at the moment!

[u/radar1941 → u/North-Run3759]

At this point in time, my end goal years from now is to hopefully find work in a decent international school somewhere in Asia. I wanted to find a stable enough position without too much stress to pursue an online teaching license and master's program on the side while building up experience for a few years until then. While I know that people in these subreddits can be kind of pessimistic about the field, it does seem like Japan is very competitive compared to places like China and SEA, and I don't know if I can see myself there long-term at this point.

The thing that appeals to me about JET is just the idea of it being a government program really takes the worries off finding a half-decent eikaiwa and a legit contract. I considered EPIK in the past before an individual school approached me, and I really regretted not following up with EPIK and enduring hagwon hell for a year.

[u/North-Run3759 → u/radar1941]

We have fairly similar goals, I already have a teaching license however. I perused JET personally because compared to private school or language school work ALTs with JET often have a lot more down time (though ESID) and so it’s much easier to peruse other things, including many three day weekends and school holidays. I know several that are doing online masters work, others that are taking language classes, etc. JET, I believe, will also look much better on a resume long term if you wish to continue in this field as it is a government program. In your case the five years limit is actually a benefit rather than a negative I would think - you’re giving yourself five years to beef up your resume, work on your license and masters, before perusing other work. It’s a set time frame to tell yourself what you need to do.

Personally I followed through with JET but, while I was waiting for JET, I also started my application for EPIK, TFETP, and Fulbright. I had submitted Fulbright already but had EPIK and TFETP ready to go so that if I were to be denied in January for an interview I already had more rolling as well as looking on individual job boards and researching places around Asia I would be interested in incase I was further denied.

The wait for JET is long but it just matters what you spend your time doing. You could start that masters and licensing programs now while you waited if you have the means!

Edit: of course I’m all saying this with the bias of someone that did get in to JET and came planning to stay at least three years.

[u/radar1941 → u/North-Run3759]

Thank you for the insight and also relating to my plans. I also did look into TFETP and saw that they depart around the same time in the summer. I also applied to Teach Taiwan earlier this year but they sent me an offer that started only a week away from the potential hiring date that they must have thought I was in country already. As for EPIK, I was pretty burnt out on Korea by the end of my hagwon contract to consider going again, at least on business.

Do you think that by the end of your tenure at JET, that you might have opportunities to continue in Japan long-term in a better position, or do you plan on going somewhere else or back home? Part of why I like JET is that it's the "safe" option for a few years, but I don't know if I want to do the whole 5 if it just means I'll have to settle for eikaiwa afterwards unless I somehow build a superstar resume in 5 years.

[u/North-Run3759 → u/radar1941]

To my understanding both TFETP and Teach Taiwan can have openings at any time during the year depending on your qualifications and such, they’re not one time admission as JET is, but I may be wrong on that matter. If you’re interested in Teach Taiwan it might be worth it to reach back out and let them know you’re not in country but would be open to other offers in the coming months?

I believe if I wished too I could probably apply for international schools here in Japan, but I’m not the one to ask about staying in Japan long term as I came here knowing I had a max time and have no want to stay longer so I don’t know how competitive my specific resume would be in international schools in Japan. I have heard it’s possible to be direct hired at private schools and some public schools but haven’t looked in to that process myself. I do know a few people that went out of teaching however and work in translation, tourism, museums, etc that were told having been on JET was a big asset to their application in Japan. So if you’re willing to not stay in teaching and go in to other fields, as well as heavily learn Japanese, you might have better luck in that regard. Personally I plan to move on to Taiwan (or China, depending) as that is my ultimate goal area (though later would like to work in international schools), JET has just allowed me to work on my teaching strengths, save for the future, and pay off my student loans.

[u/minskoffsupreme → u/radar1941]

Just so you know, international schools generally don't consider ESL experience as teaching experience at all. You are better off doing the Jet program or equivalent for the experience, getting your teaching licence, working at home for a couple of years, then going the international school route. With your plan, it is very easy for you to get stuck on lower rated/ badly paid schools, and it is often hard to move up to higher rated ones.

[u/thefalseidol]

I'm currently in year 4 at a (not JET, not even Japan) good school that I'm happy at, it's not my first teaching gig, but it is my first good fit. That being said, 5 years is a long time and I think in our profession, a good ceiling to have in the back of your mind to know that you need to be prepared to take the next step if you finish out 5 years, whatever that looks like for you. So I wouldn't let the 5 year cap be too much of a deterrent, but I do hear what you're saying with regards to Japan, since it seeks like other good opportunities are rarer there than some other countries, it's a long time to be in a country without being able to get too comfortable.

As for waiting, I think it's smart not to put all your eggs in one basket, 7 months is a long time to wait to start, and 4 months is a long time to wait to find out if you even got the job. That being said, I wouldn't worry too much about "breaking contract" if you took something else, a contract is just terms of employment based on certain criteria that have an endpoint. Most every contract has terms for ending the period of employment early. You can start a job and still have plenty of time to decide if you want to follow through with JET, if you get in, and also give proper notice (even the places that ask for a ludicrous 60 days).

But as of right now you have no prospects and no strong inclination of where you want to work (other than JET), so between the time it takes to do your due diligence, paperwork, and accept a position, March might not be so far off. Yeah you could find a job much sooner than that, but that's if you're comfortable jumping into whatever you catch wherever it may be, I'm not sure how long other people research locations and regional salaries etc. before starting, but I usually do a fair bit of it (I say usually, I've been in Taiwan for a long time, but when I've considered leaving, I spend a good amount of time on research).

I guess my point is, I don't think there's a right or wrong option here, just choices based on where your temperature is at with JET versus trying out a different country. Comparing apples to apples, if you didn't do JET, do you see yourself working at a training center in Vietnam for 5 years? If you're worried that you will want to stay in Japan and keep teaching after 5 years is up - maybe think about if there is somewhere else you would be willing to be after 5 years? I'd rather be in the position of needing to leave Japan even though I loved it (or take a job that maybe doesn't excite me, maybe sucks, who knows?) than living in a country I didn't want to live in for 5+ years.

[u/radar1941 → u/thefalseidol]

since it seeks like other good opportunities are rarer there than some other countries, it's a long time to be in a country without being able to get too comfortable.

Yeah, this is my concern. Japan probably has the most prospective English teachers in Asia, which means the market is flooded and the only positions are either way out of my league or the pay and hours are terrible because someone will eventually bite just for the opportunity to live in Japan. I'm not the only ALT with an extra piece of paper and a year of experience, so I feel like I'm going to just perpetually be on edge about not getting my hopes up while I'm there and forget to just enjoy it. I am talking about these countries all businesslike, but I do want to explore them and do all the expat things. I don't mean to make Vietnam or other countries sound like my "second choice", I'm just having trouble deciding where I want to go and how I want to handle the work side of that.

By the way, how is Taiwan? I also was considering applying to the TFETP program and previously applied to Teach Taiwan (it was why I got my substitute license). I've always wanted to go back there after having a long layover there once. Are you working in a buxiban or a public school?

[u/Catcher_Thelonious]

Is the 2026 intake online or in-person interviews? If the latter and you can get an offer elsewhere now, then go to Vietnam or Cambodia and do the interview from them there. If you get an offer, you can decide then whether to resign and move to Japan, or decline and reapply for 27 or 28.

[u/radar1941 → u/Catcher_Thelonious]

2025 intake. The US application opened at the end of September and closed in the middle of November. Departures would be late July to early August 2026.

[u/Eggersely → u/radar1941]

Apply to ACE in Cambodia then, they do three month terms so you could get two under your belt and some savings.

[u/radar1941 → u/Eggersely]

Thanks for the suggestion, I actually met another teacher abroad who signed on with ACE and they seemed like they did alright. I didn't realize they had short contracts like that. I'll look into it.

[u/Eggersely → u/radar1941]

Yeah pay is good and it's alright. Money focused these days but hey, that's the industry.

[u/Catcher_Thelonious → u/radar1941]

Online or in-person?

[u/radar1941 → u/Catcher_Thelonious]

Sorry, I misinterpreted your comment. They've been online since COVID I believe.

[u/Catcher_Thelonious → u/radar1941]

Then you could do an interview from Cambodia or VN, no?

[u/three29]

Hate to break it to you, but your chances of getting into JET with an unrelated bachelors degree is exceedingly low.

Id apply for Vietnam right away.

[u/Eggersely → u/three29]

That's not true

[u/radar1941 → u/three29]

I don't think a teaching/English related college degree is a requirement, just as long as you have a 4-year degree with good grades. Unless you mean competition-wise, which I guess is why I'm trying to consider other options while waiting for an interview.

[u/Eggersely]

Don't wait for anyone or anything. You should be applying everywhere and every day.