Rachel spent 3 1/2 years in Tokyo working for one of the big five conversation schools, before returning to the U.S. and working for the same company as a recruiter up and down the West Coast of the U.S.
"I'm proud of myself for leaving Japan, because I think it gets to a certain point where it's a heck of a lot easier to stay than it is to go," she said.
McKinnon advised returnees to "go home with a plan."