Your return flight is considered your final business trip on the JET Programme.  Provided you’ve completed and met all the conditions outlined in your terms and conditions, your Contracting Organization (henceforth called CO) is obligated to pay for your flight home.  Each CO differs in their policies for your return flight, so be sure to ask them about it so you’ll know what to expect.  Please do this ASAP so there are no ‘surprises’ later on.  Some COs will give their returning JET cash to buy their plane ticket; some may buy it directly for the JET.  Some COs will expect the JET to buy the ticket first, and then reimburse them at a later date.  Please check with them to see how it will be handled in your case.

In order to be eligible for a CO-provided flight home, you must:

• Complete the full term of your JET appointment 
• Not enter into a subsequent contract with any party in Japan within one month of completion of your JET term of appointment 
• Leave Japan to return to your home country within one month of the expiration date of your term of appointment. 

If you cannot meet all three of these conditions, your CO will no longer be obligated to provide you with a return trip home. 

Generally, you will be expected to take a direct flight to your original port of departure in your home country as is outlined in the GIH.  However, if you wish to, and your CO is in agreement, other arrangements may be possible.  But, you must have your CO’s consent, and please note that this is sort of thing is the exception much more than the rule.  Sometime in June your supervisor will give you a “JET Return Travel Itinerary” form that you must fill out and submit to your CO.  Please be prepared by this time to provide at least a rough outline of your return travel plans (e.g. desired return dates, airports, etc.).  Again, please ask your CO about your flight home ASAP.  For more information, refer to your General Information Handbook (p.201 in the 2010 edition – also available online on the JET Programme website [http://www.jetprogramme.org/])    

FAQ:

Q: Can I book WAY in advance, so as to fly home together with a friend, etc.?

A:Probably. Talk to your tantousha about it. Some schools might plan on buying your ticket for you. In any case, if they do let you book in advance, JUST BE REALLY SURE YOU MEET THE ABOVE CONDITIONS.

--

Q: Can I buy a roundtrip ticket?

A: Might depend on your contracting organization, but at the Ken level, yes, you can. As long as you have a direct flight home, they are unconcerned about the rest of your flights. They will reimburse you for the cost of that direct flight home, as long as all the above conditions are met.

---

(will add more questions as they arrive)

MORE FOR KEN JETS:

You receive a form in May or early June and on that form you fill in your info about departure flights. The most important thing: DON'T CHANGE YOUR DATE OF DEPARTURE.

You should be reimbursed just before you leave Japan.

-----

BONUS: Japanese that might come in useful in discussing your ticket home: