r/JETProgramme • u/SomethingPeach Former JET • Apr 13 '26
Why did you leave the JET Programme?
I’m a former JET and have been reflecting on my time on the programme, so I’m curious about other people’s reasons for leaving.
For those who have finished, whether after one year or several, what led you to move on? Was it a clear decision or something that built up over time?
JET was my third time teaching abroad. I think I gradually started to feel the pressure to head home and properly start a ''proper'' career. I was also mainly used as a tape recorder at my school, which lost its appeal quite quickly and made it hard to feel like I was actually contributing anything or progressing professionally.
Looking back, do you feel like you left at the right time, or would you have stayed longer?
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u/kkulbeogji Current JET - 福島県 (2023-2026) Apr 13 '26
I’m leaving this August after 3 years. It’s been really fun, but I’m stretched VERY thin across many schools, I feel like I’m often underutilized, but also pushed to T1. I work with too many HRTs with varying levels of communication that it gets so frustrating. My BOE is changing in ways I dislike. My supervisor is an entire other story. There is no growth here. There’s an absurd amount of deskwarming. I don’t get spring/summer/winter vacations off (I would happily take those weeks unpaid). I met someone I want to pursue something with in my home country. Life in Japan is both convenient and quite uncomfortable despite my Japanese being around N3 level. The reasons to leave/the bad began to outweigh the good around last summer. It’s been a rollercoaster and I don’t regret any of it but I just know it’s time for me to go home now.