Thank you for your question! The JET Program requires all participants to have a bachelor's degree before participating on the program. Many who apply to us do so in their senior year of college with the expectation of graduating and recieving their Bachelor's Degree prior to leaving for JET. While there may be opportunities to teach English in Japan through private companies, participation in the...
The 'exchange' portion of the title indicates the cultural exchange (two-way transfer of knowledge, customs, etc. between participant and community) taking place rather than the traditional 1:1 exchange that we have come to know in the study abroad profession.
Thank you for the question! There have been restrictions in the past, but at the current time the JET Program has no age restrictions for potential applicants. Many of our applicants are recent college graduates, but the program also has participants in their thirties and fourties as well.
Thank you for your question! Americans living abroad are still able to apply to the JET Program. Application information is available at www.JETprogramusa.org, and materials must be received in the JET Program Office in Washington, DC by the deadline so be careful to leave enough time for the materials to be delivered. However, if selected for an interview ALL U.S. JET applicants must interview in...
Hello, and thank you for your question! You can certainly do the program with a degree in journalism. To apply for the Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) position you only need to have a bachelor's degree, it doesn't matter what the degree is in. Although many participants do have degrees in English or Japan-related studies, there are also many participants with degrees in journalism, engineering...
Thank you for your question Wanda! Married couples may apply as separate individuals. Although there is no guarantee that married couples will be placed in the same area of Japan or live in the same apartment, we do try to give priority to keeping couples together. (Be sure that you both request the same placement on the application!) Be aware though that it is possible your placements may be...
The language barrier has never been too much of a problem while teaching. Japanese Teachers of English are generally well-studied and fluent in English, and by working together and communicating openly in class there are few misunderstandings. However, depending on the type of school (high school English teachers have more training than elementary school general teachers, for example), there may...
Thank you for your question! The JET Program requires all participants to have a bachelor's degree before participating on the program. Many who apply to us do so in their senior year of college with the expectation of graduating and recieving their Bachelor's Degree prior to leaving for JET. While there may be opportunities to teach English in Japan through private companies, participation in the...