Jet Program

I came into JET with a lot of teaching experience. I had worked in schools in the US before coming to Japan, taught English to Japanese college students and majored in English with a focus on Writing. Now, it is a once in a lifetime experience but JET is hiring you to be a cultural ambassador NOT a teacher. You ARE an assistant and there is nothing wrong with that. JET has pluses but most people on here are just romanticizing travel rather than being honest. JET is not hard, anyone could do it.

I am loving my time in Japan through the JET Program. The pay is good, the workload is manageable and there is ample time to explore both Japan and other Asian countries. You get twenty paid leave days every year (double than that offered by other programs). Once accepted into the program, you really have no say as to where you'll be placed. More favored urban areas come with sometimes exorbitant rent, while rural placements (though secluded, sometimes remotely) are less expensive.

I went on JET with no experience in Japanese and limited experience teaching. I came out having invaluable skills. I learned Japanese, gained public speaking skills, and learned how to put myself out of my comfort zone. My local area was Sumida, Tokyo and while I was in a large city I met many amazing people who became friends while I was there. I was able to learn and share so much with my students and the teachers. I also had the opportunity to travel in and outside of Japan. The program was frustrating at first because everyone kept saying the JET experience is different for everyone and I wanted to know, but after being on the program I see exactly what they meant. You're in different places and communities and schools. Even with the unsureness of it, I highly suggest this program. The benefits and pay raise you get each year are also wonderful.

JET Programme was the single greatest adventure of my life! I taught in three high schools in Hiroshima for three years. My placement was perfect for me! Not only was the support network great, but my colleagues became a part of my extended family.

I was lucky to live in the suburbs, have my base school in a rural community (the "inaka") and have two visit schools in the big city. This afforded me a chance to experience the different lifestyles Japan has to offer. My base school was small, but I came to know each of my students (plus their families) and integrated into the local community. Their triumphs became my triumphs; their tears, mine. There is nothing better than joining your school and community in cheering your students all the way through their summer baseball tournament and joining them at the Koushien.

The compensation was great, but the memories were better. I HIGHLY recommend the JET Program for anyone looking for a "home away from home" in Japan.

The JET Program is hard to describe or review because the experience that each participant has is uniquely theirs. You can't generalize the program as a whole because you could end up in any prefecture, and in any living situation. Obviously your experience is gonna be vastly different if you're in a small apartment in a lager city than if you were in a giant house all on your own with nothing but rice fields around you for miles and miles.

I was about halfway between those extremes (which is where most people end up, honestly). I was in a well sized government subsidized apartment, in a decent sized city. I was lucky in that I was a half hour train ride from a major city, and 15 minutes from the biggest city in my prefecture. I was also in a prefecture with a large number of JET Program participants, and I was close enough to most of them, and the JET community in my prefecture was vibrant enough that I had a large and close-knit group of friends. In addition to that, thanks to being close to some big cities I found it easy to pursue the hobbies that I was interested in.

My time on JET was excellent for the reasons I already mentioned, but I suppose the point I want to make lies in the title of my review. People's experiences in Japan, and certainly on JET, are what you make of them. JET is challenging, for sure, and living abroad is not for everyone, but if you want to live and teach in Japan, it's a challenge that's well worth the effort. While your opportunities will be limited depending on your living situation, there are so many things to do and ways to spend your time, that JET feels like a big Japanese sandbox, where you can create your own Japanese experience.