Return Travel and Airfare

Upon completion of your contract, you are entitled to the most direct, cheapest one-way flight back to the country you departed from when you started your JET adventure. Your Contracting Organization (CO) will work with you to arrange this and it is up to your CO to bear the costs associated with your return travel home. However, depending on where you work, the method your CO uses to arrange this flight may differ.

However, regardless of where you work, you MUST submit an itinerary to your CO before any kind of travel plans can be arranged.Your CO will only reimburse you for a flight which they have officially approved, i.e. hankoed. Please also include a proposed train route (you don’t need to necessarily include specific schedules and times); although most of you flew into Toyama from Tokyo, on the return trip, your CO will not provide you with this flight and will instead reimburse you for the train fare from your home in Toyama to Narita Airport.

ARRANGEMENTS BASED ON CONTRACTION ORGANIZATION

Prefectural SHS ALTs, once you submit your itinerary, your school will work with a travel agent, find the cheapest flight for you, and once you approve this flight, they will purchase it for you. I believe that your train fare will be reimbursed to you in cash, then you have to purchase your own ticket, but you should check with your school, as this might be different for each person/school.

Private SHS ALTs Ask your supervisor and office contact. It varies from school to school. You may be required to submit an itinerary and purchase your own ticket (to be reimbursed later), or your school will do it for you. Sometimes your school will require that you go through a certain travel agent, no matter what. Please check about your school’s procedures well in advance to ensure that things go smoothly.

ES/JHS ALTs After your itinerary is approved, you may be asked to purchase the ticket, and your CO will reimburse you. However, it varies based on CO/BOE. Please ask your office contact for details.

Please, double-check any itinerary and travel arrangement before you finalize anything! Check the dates and make sure they are the correct dates you asked for, and also check the times which your flight leaves out of Tokyo. If your school has arranged your flight and it leaves too early for you to catch a train on the same day, try to talk to your school and get them to arrange a later flight. If something like this happens, your school will not reimburse you for any lodging you might need the night before.

Your COs will send you a flight agenda template; you MUST submit it by mid-June, but we suggest you submit it as early as possible.DON’T BE LATE!

Prefectural SHS ALTs If you are planning on leaving Toyama before your final departure, please keep in mind that this could complicate matters in terms of paying for your flight.

RESTRICTIONS/ REQUIREMENTS

1. You MUST arrange a flight home within 30 days of the end of your contract. No exceptions!

2. Since your school/CO will be arranging the cheapest, most direct flight (or will ask that you purchase this kind of ticket in advance), you will likely be given/required to buy a non-refundable ticket.

3. You must fly to the same airport you departed from when you left for Japan.

4. You will not be reimbursed for a flight going to any countries other than the one from which you departed, even if the flight is cheaper.

5. If you are married, or you want to depart with a specific person, please keep in mind that you probably will not be able to sit together on the flight back. Each flight is arranged based on school, so it’s not likely your school will want to go through the extra hoop of trying to coordinate your arrangements with those of another JET. Obviously this doesn’t apply if you’re arranging your own flight and are reimbursed later.