JetProgramme
Programs and Reviews
The JET Programme (Japan Exchange and Teaching) is aimed at promoting grass-roots international exchange between Japan and other nations. The JET program has been in existence for over 25 years and is one of the most respected programs of its kind in the world. Each year, both the number of participants and number of participating countries, have increased. In 2011, the JET Programme brought over 4,330 participants from 39 countries to teach English and work in Japan.
Programs Abroad
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Reviews
90%Overall
Rating
90%Overall
Rating
I was in Niigata-ken, Japan for 3 years from 1995-1998. I went with my husband. We had an amazing experience. The Board of Education staff were very welcoming and helpful. We made many friends in the small city where I lived. I worked in 2 Junior High Schools, as well as 8 elementary schools and several kindergartens. The culture is fascinating, although obviously culture shock happened (as it does to everyone). I renewed my contract twice because our experience was so positive. I would recommend the JET Program highly!
Critical Feedback:
Obviously, it has been many years since I lived in Japan and completed the JET Program. It's hard to think critically now, as my memories are overwhelmingly positive!
80%Overall
Rating
I am currently on my 3rd year of the JET Programme, again. I was also a JET from 2002-2005.
The JET Programme is great because they help you get ready for Japan life before you leave, keep you informed of things happening in the country, and give you an excellent support system - both professionally and personally.
One common misconception is that you work for the JET Programme, however, it is more of a placement. You work for a separate contracting organization in Japan, and that can change your experience. Some people get free housing, a car, etc. whilst others are given nothing. It is just luck of the draw. However, the pay is quite good, and although Japan is considered an expensive country, it is easy to live a good life, and still pay off bills, travel or save money.
I would highly recommend it to anyone who has a flexible, easy going nature. Not just recent grads, but for anyone up for a challenge
Critical Feedback:
I would change the application to say that you need some Japanese to apply (OR to have to sign up for a class upon acceptance).
Anyone coming should at least be committed to learning the basic alphabet and conversation before coming (you have a long time from application to arrival, you can learn Hiragana and Katakana by then!
90%Overall
Rating
I did JET 2005-2007 in the southern part of the main island. I had a great time as an elementary school teacher with only 4 junior high days per month, but it was a lot of work. If you go into JET without any teaching skills or experience in K-12 classrooms, you will be getting a crash course, and if you have minimal or no Japanese, you will probably have a rough time in your personal life, even if you can get by OK at school.
If you DO have teaching experience, it's both a curse and a blessing. On one hand, you will be able to make lesson plans, have a good sense for the pedagogy appropriate to the age level, etc. On the other, you will be working within a system that may not want your expertise, or with a teacher who lacks all enthusiasm or ability. These can drain you if you aren't prepared to find entertainment and satisfaction in the students, outside curricular activities, or your personal life. You also may want to come with a nice little nest egg of at least US$1,500 to get yourself started, as you may not be paid for several weeks and may need to buy stuff for your apartment and pay for food until then.
I recommend JET to people who have some ability with Japanese and willingness to keep learning the language, who are adventurous and enjoy traveling and could live in rural or suburban areas, and who are generally cheerful/friendly with strangers and OK with touchy-feely kids. I do not recommend JET for people who have medical issues that may be tough to treat in Japan (several friends had to quit early due to this), people who aren't prepared to step back and take a neutral look at bad situations/cultural clashes, or people for whom being a virtual "camp counselor" sounds horrifying. If you are bringing a spouse along, it may be hard for them to find a job, so please take it into consideration.
That said, I had a blast, taught over 3,500 kids in 2 years, and had classes ranging from 4 kids to 120 kids at one time, and I loved inventing new games to get them excited and hanging out with them on the playground or after school. I also loved traveling around the country (I had 20 days' vacation + national holidays) and taking part in local events and festivals with my students.
Critical Feedback:
I would have bought some books on creating lesson plans or teaching foreign language to get myself prepared before going - I found this book INCREDIBLY useful for getting ideas and understanding how to work with kids of all levels/abilities, but learned about it too late: http://www.amazon.com/Differentiated-Instruction-Foreign-Language-Teachers/dp/1596670207 !
90%Overall
Rating
The JET Program is the most competitive program for teaching abroad for several reasons. Though the application process feels a bit grueling (partly because it's so competitive), getting accepted immediately puts you in contact with a vast and experienced support group. This is easily the most valuable part of the program, and was my main motivation for applying two times to get in.
Compared to other programs, we're pretty spoiled. The flight to Tokyo is covered, as is our later transport to our final destination. There is a 3-day orientation in Tokyo, which has a mix of useful and not-so-useful seminars to deal with as you cope with your jet lag. There is training at other points of the year, as well. The support system is easy to reach, at national and local levels. Because the program has been around for a few decades, most (not all!) new placements are moving into well-prepared housing and going to schools and boards of education that are used to ALTs.
However, the program preaches "every situation is different," and while that makes me want to pull my hair out at times, it's very true. I'm based at one decently academic senior high school in a pretty rural area, and have one less academic visit school I go to once a week. I create all of my lesson plans, worksheets, and more or less lead my classes. I spoke no Japanese before coming here, and my coworkers are very helpful and patient with me - and my English teachers are very much fluent.
However, I have friends that teach at 5 to 10 schools of varying level, make no materials of their own, are expected to communicate in Japanese (though they have studied it before) with non-fluent English teachers, and are more or less glorified tape recorders. Some Japanese teachers simply do not like working with ALTs, but that's just like any job anywhere. I personally love my placement, my schools, and my coworkers.
Living in Japan is amazing. It's a clean, safe country, with deep cultural roots that are amazing to see first-hand. The wage JET offers is more than enough to survive the expenses you may face, while still having pocket money left over to travel the country. JETs are not expected to simply show up, teach, and go home. They want you to interact with the culture itself, be it with after-school clubs, personal trips, or taking a private class in tea ceremony. And even as someone who is only just beginning to learn the language, I find that it's easy to live here. People are sympathetic and patient in general, even when the language barrier is horribly inconvenient. Being immersed in a language is a new experience for me, and it's paying off with the speed at which I'm learning. If you don't speak Japanese, don't let that stop you from applying! Just be adaptable and open to everything, and you'll be fine.
All in all, I am loving my current experience on JET and hope to stay for a few more years.
Critical Feedback:
Though they rightly assess the fact that "Every situation is different," I think it would help people if they were allowed direct contact with their specific placement further in advance. Even just making it mandatory for leaving JETs to write a simple guide for their successor would lead to less surprises.
One phrase you will hear countless times; and very quickly learn to hate, whilst applying for and working on the JET programme, is ESID (Every Situation Is Different). I didn't truly appreciate the appropriateness of this phrase until I started my work as an ALT here in Japan. This variety in what your JET experience might include makes a general review somewhat difficult, although I will do my best to give a balanced account of my experience so far! However, I hope that from this review you'll get an idea of why that phrase constantly rings true!
I work in Niigata prefecture in what I would call a small city on the coast, with a population of around 200,000. I am employed by the local BoE (Board of Education) to work at two local Junior High Schools as well as two Elementary Schools. This is a fairly standard set up for the ALTs working in my area, although some have as few as two schools and others as many as eight, so it really is ESID (told you). At my Junior High Schools I typically have three lessons in one day and will be expected to run the majority of those lessons, but at my Elementary Schools I will have a much busier day, sometimes a full six lessons, although on the flip side I am given complete lesson plans and materials and effectively just follow the script. This is something that is so dependent on your situation, as I live next to ALTs that have the exact opposite teaching experiences!
Housing situation is also varied in my area, but most ALTs live in accommodation owned by the BoE. This tends to be fairly far out from the city centre, and the houses are also on the old side, but we pay a lot less than others and get more space than those in the centre, so overall I'm happy with it. I got fairly lucky in that my longest commute is a mere fifteen minutes, but others have to content with upwards of an hour, which can easily become two once the winter sets in.
I came to Japan with almost no Japanese language ability and although I have definitely improved, I have been surprised by how easy it has been for me to get by with the little that I do know. A lot of this is down to the fact that the majority of my JTEs (Japanese Teachers of English) have sufficient English that we can communicate without much trouble (WARNING - this is by no means always the case!) and that I am fortunate enough to live in a city with a very large number of other ALTs relatively close by. In total there are nineteen ALTs employed by the local BoE, and a further four (I believe) employed by the prefectural office (they work in the Senior High Schools) and even a handful of other private ALTs. Because we all have cars, that means nobody is further than forty five minutes from anyone else or the centre of town, and as a result, I spend the majority of my free time socialising with the other local ALTs. This has been a fantastic source of support for me during my time in Japan, and is something that I am incredibly grateful for. However, it has definitely given me a very different experience on the JET programme to what many might have that live more rurally or further away from other ALTs. I am sure that for me, had I not had this support I would not be staying a second year, but for others, this constant contact with other English speakers may well be a turn off, as plenty of people come to Japan wanting to meet Japanese people and get immersed in that culture, something which I am yet to truly achieve.
Overall, I am really enjoying my time on the JET programme and it is something that is full of possibilities to try new things, see some amazing places and of course meet some brilliant people. Although it is definitely a risky application to make, because you really won't know until last minute what exactly it is that you've signed up for, I would still very much recommend this to people who are interested. You get paid well, have a relatively easy job (shush, don't tell anyone) and get to enjoy some fantastic new experiences that you won't soon forget.
Critical Feedback:
Although it is almost impossible to achieve, the programme, and peoples' confidence in it, would improve drastically if there was more security in knowing exactly what job you are applying for. Too many times have I heard of hugely contrasting experiences from ALTs placed only a matter of miles apart. This to me seems entirely unfair when everyone starts by applying to exactly the same programme and until the last minute has no idea what they have signed up for. Thankfully, I think most people get a mostly positive end result, but a lot could still be done to even the whole process out for all ALTs across Japan.