Despite the economy, state of the world, etc, it's never been easier to pursue your dream job, even if it means creating your own unique job title and career. Being an entrepreneur however can be a challenge. I talk to our guest, Raelene Morey about this, the importance of standing up for yourself and how every situation is different when figuring out... life. Because of the lack of mentors in this industry, Raelene is willing to have a brief chat with people seeking advice - so be nice and...

In this episode I return to the discussion of teaching as a career, this time with a trainee teacher, and another who is a tutor at university. We talk about the differences between pupils in Japan and in Australia, the satisfaction of teaching and why all those class games are more useful than you might think. In the Australian state of New South Wales at least, all trainee teachers are required to pass a literacy and numeracy test before they are allowed to run classes, called LANTITE...

We've talked a lot about turning hobbies into a career, and my guest Julius Pang (ALT 2004-2007 Kitakyushu) not only became a professional photographer, he combined it with his love of Japan and started a photography tour business (Incredible Photo Tours). We talk about the work, photographing Mt Fuji (i.e. much harder than you'd expect) and wrangling old people. - Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julius-pang-165baba/ - Portfolio and Tours: http://juliuspang.com/ - Instagram:...

Do you have the write stuff (I had this pun, I needed to use it)? A passion for writing, reporting on social issues and events (and yoga) led our next guest, Shannon Lough, around the world and into a career as a journalist. One time she interviewed an ex-astronaut (true story). - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannonlough/ - Portfolio: http://portfolio.shannonlough.com/ - Website: http://shannonlough.com/ - Black Press: http://www.blackpress.ca/ Music credits: The Daily News by...

Being an artist is not just a job, but a way of life. Many of us may have once dreamed about a creative career - drawing, painting or writing, but usually feel that the reality of paying bills and eating regularly outweigh the fantasy. But for Mr David Piper, there was simply no choice to really make once JET was over. - To see David's work: http://sundayink.com/ - Follow him on the Book of Faces: https://www.facebook.com/sundayink Music credits: Draw Me a Sheep (Act 1), Cartesian Reunion...

Content Advisory Warning: In this episode, we talk about the work and experience relating to forensic investigation. If you're uncomfortable with talk about autopsies, etc, you might want to skip from the 20-min mark. Mention forensic investigation, and you'd be thinking of shows like CSI, Bones and Dexter. Our guest actually credits the X-Files for getting him into the field of forensic investigation, which is way cooler. We discuss the career path of the forensic investigator, in all sorts...

The vast majority of JETs work as ALTs, or Assistant Language Teachers. Therefore it's no surprise that some would continue that into an actual career in education. However, being a teacher can open up some opportunities and challenges in surprising ways, as our guest, Anna-Marie Prohaska, proves. Anna-Marie Prohaska is on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-marie-prohaska-141453bb/ Class Afloat: http://www.classafloat.com/

We speak to Andrea Jacques, who was involved with the After JET conferences in the 90s as a careers and life coach. She is also the founder and head of Kyosei Consulting, and has published a book, Wabi Sabi Wisdom (available on Amazon). We talk about her book and its themes on not only finding job satisfaction, but also finding meaning and purpose in life - gathered from her life living in Japan. Ms Jacques continues to be involved with the JET community, delivering the keynote speech at the...

In 2016, CLAIR began the first ever work experience placements at participating companies in Kansai and Kanto area, for a period of a week, open to CIRs from 3rd year and up. We speak to two JETs who participated in the internship, Joshua Leong and Paige Norris (thanks you two!). ​ Note that we can't divulge certain details like location and company name, as well as too much about the selection process for the internship, as requested by CLAIR. Want to find out more? If you're a 3rd year...

We continue with our discussion on content marketing - this time co-host David Reiling talks about his experience and his circuitous but highly eventful track to content marketing.

Content and digital marketing - some of the hottest jobs right now are in this area of online writing and promotions. We talk to Misty Ahmadi who works in content marketing at IBM, about her job and what she did to get into it. Along the way, we share some JET stories because that will happen when you gets JETs together in a conversation. Thanks very much to Misty Ahmadi! For more details, see: http://www.jetaainternational.org/word-it-right-content-marketing-1

Roll of the Dice: The OPC - 2 In this second part, we get into the more fun, geeky aspects of our discussion - about how Magic: The Gathering gets made (content-wise), and what's fuelling the boom of the analog games industry (hint: nostalgia and small kids becoming big kids with disposable incomes). We also talk about what are some good games to try, which you so totally should get into! Thanks to Brendan Weiskotten! Bonus - more game recommendations:...

Analog games! We've all played them - board games and card games, famous examples being Settlers of Catan and Magic: The Gathering. A good board game can be addictive - last year, at Oz Comic Con, my friends and I were so invested in this game called Carcassonne that we decided to skip one William Shatner's appearance and spent the rest of our time at the gaming table. The analog games industry is booming, despite the widespread use of digital equivalents everywhere. We speak to Brendan...

We talk about what it's like to work as a game master for a Tokyo mobile gaming company. See ma, playing games instead of studying CAN get you a job. Guest: Leslie Kyan (Game Master) and introducing David Reiling as co-host. For more details see: http://www.jetaainternational.org/serious-play-the-game-master​

Part 2 of our discussion about the IT industry and working in Japan. In this 2nd part, we talk about online job searching, the intricacies of preparing a Japanese-style resume, and also the interview experience. Thanks to John Littlefair-Molin; Evan Storer; Andy Shartzer and Tierra Tank. For footnotes and references: http://www.jetaainternational.org/an-it-job-in-japan-2

Job hunting in Japan? Looking for IT roles? So you want to work in Japan, but what's it like? We discuss whether language proficiency is important (watch out for keigo!), IT career options, on the job training, working conditions in Japan. We also discussed different contracting options, and the importance of checking your work contract, and about recruitment agents. Thanks to John Littlefair-Molin; Evan Storer; Andy Shartzer and Tierra Tank. Additional details at:...