Hey, I'm a Brazilian fluent in English, have been for some years now, JET and some other companies are outside the picture since they only accept native speakers, but others like Aeon don't have that restriction. I like Brazil, it's a nice place despite high inequality and crime rates in certain regions, but since I was a kid I've always knew this wasn't where I wanted to spend most of my life, in fact I've been learning Japanese since I was 13 because I knew Japan was the place, despite the many problems it has, of course.
I've heard horror stories and fairy tales coming from people who taught English in Japan, it always makes me wonder if it's really the best way to get in, I'm a writer (cinema and gaming, currently only working on a game project with a team) so it's not like I excel in anything else that could grant me a work visa (Brazilians usually do factory work to get a work visa, could be an option but teaching English seems slightly less miserable). I could work with translation too but I don't know if there's many opportunities out there.
I like teaching, but low pays (although for Americans 270k is low, in a place like brazil half of the population would literally kill for a monthly salary like that) and some stories about bad experiences keep me questioning if I should get into Japan with a company like Aeon, for example. I still have 4 years until I get my English teaching degree (at least the equivalent of it in Brazil), so I have time to think and decide, but I genuinely have a fear of not really planning everything right and end up having to work at something like a black company, for example…
by VesTalUau