Syri
FH is my second home
- Joined
- Jan 4, 2004
- Messages
- 1,016
I'm not sure if anyone can offer any really specific advice, though I do seem to recall someone on here going off to live in Japan at some point, but I'm rubbish with names, so I can't make any specific address to them. Anyway...
I'm considering applying for the JET program to go and assist with teaching English in Japan, but there's a few things I'm still unsure of, as I've not really done much moving about within the UK, let alone heading out to another country, so I want to make sure I've really thought things through.
First, a bit of background on why I want to go. Feel free to skip this bit... I've not had the best of times in the UK, and some of it is my own doing, some bad luck, some bad circumstances. Either way, not been great here for me, and I've thought on and off about heading out for some time. When I left my soul destroying call centre job several years ago, and my attempt at starting my own business failed, I decided to go back to college and aim to move to Japan. I've been on holiday a couple of times and really enjoyed it there. There's just something about the place that I enjoy, the food, the people, the way tradition and technology of all levels are just mixed up all over the place... Several years later, I have my degree (after a few retakes) and the application date is looming.
Now, on to what I want to know.
First, is there anything I really need to be thinking about before leaving the UK? I know there's the obvious like making sure my passport is current (just renewed it) and things like that, but I want to know if anyone moved overseas and there was anything they missed, or later found a better way of managing, that might be useful to share. I'm thinking anything I might need to apply for, or if I need to let the tax office know anything, how it might affect my student loans... those kind of things.
Second, is it a good idea? Is Japan really that great a country to live in, or am I just telling myself it will be because I enjoyed a holiday there? Does that tend to give a skewed view of how life might actually be? If anyone's experienced going somewhere on holiday, then moving there, did it live up to what you thought?
Finally, just if anyone has anything to add, just feel free. Be it words of encouragement, doubt or just asking if I really thought something through. I really don't want to just jump into this without thinking it through (even if that might be fun in some ways, it's really not my style).
And lastly, sorry for the wall of text... really, sorry...
I'm considering applying for the JET program to go and assist with teaching English in Japan, but there's a few things I'm still unsure of, as I've not really done much moving about within the UK, let alone heading out to another country, so I want to make sure I've really thought things through.
First, a bit of background on why I want to go. Feel free to skip this bit... I've not had the best of times in the UK, and some of it is my own doing, some bad luck, some bad circumstances. Either way, not been great here for me, and I've thought on and off about heading out for some time. When I left my soul destroying call centre job several years ago, and my attempt at starting my own business failed, I decided to go back to college and aim to move to Japan. I've been on holiday a couple of times and really enjoyed it there. There's just something about the place that I enjoy, the food, the people, the way tradition and technology of all levels are just mixed up all over the place... Several years later, I have my degree (after a few retakes) and the application date is looming.
Now, on to what I want to know.
First, is there anything I really need to be thinking about before leaving the UK? I know there's the obvious like making sure my passport is current (just renewed it) and things like that, but I want to know if anyone moved overseas and there was anything they missed, or later found a better way of managing, that might be useful to share. I'm thinking anything I might need to apply for, or if I need to let the tax office know anything, how it might affect my student loans... those kind of things.
Second, is it a good idea? Is Japan really that great a country to live in, or am I just telling myself it will be because I enjoyed a holiday there? Does that tend to give a skewed view of how life might actually be? If anyone's experienced going somewhere on holiday, then moving there, did it live up to what you thought?
Finally, just if anyone has anything to add, just feel free. Be it words of encouragement, doubt or just asking if I really thought something through. I really don't want to just jump into this without thinking it through (even if that might be fun in some ways, it's really not my style).
And lastly, sorry for the wall of text... really, sorry...