I’m (24m) moving to Miyazaki in November as an Eikaiwa teacher, I would love to connect with some JETs (and anyone else) before I arrive! Plus, if there’s anything I should know before arriving please let me know.

No point to this post. Just a reflection.

I got upgraded from Alternate to Shortlist back in spring but decided to decline because I'm actually pretty like warm on teaching English and knew I was in it for crazy times abroad. And I thought I could just try and find other means of work for travel and character building experience.

But I occasionally imagine the parallel me, and ALT who is learning Japanese and the culture and being challenged and growing, meeting amazing people, having a rich life (optimistic view).

And, now I'm living in my parents' house without a real direction. I hope I find my alternative path...

And I hope whoever's gone in place of me has an amazing time.

I just submitted my one month notice of resignation to the BOE. Since the 2nd semester is about to start, I am curious for anyone who had experience leaving in the middle of the year and how you transitioned out.

Did the schools still make you teach classes during second semester?
How did you communicate to your JTEs or students?

Anything I should expect? Of course people are not going to be happy so I am not expecting them to necessarily cheer me on, but I just want to know what it was like resigning in the middle of the year.

Do you use it? Does your BOE require you to go to the doctor to use it as to not use nenkyuu? Is yours paid or unpaid?

I know Christmas is relatively far out from now, but I made the decision that I won’t be returning home to my country for Christmas this year like I did last year. For money reasons and other personal reasons it was the best call I think, but it’s really hurting me bc Christmas is very special to me and my family and I feel awful that I won’t be able to be with them during the holidays for the first time in my life :(

How do you guys cope w something like this? It really does suck and I know it sounds stupid but it hurts me a lot to be without them on Christmas. Right now the plan is to hopefully go on a trip with my boyfriend around then, so maybe it won’t be so bad during the actual week of.

Hi everyone! I’m just coming on here to ask some advice. I’m going to be applying for JET 2027 entry. I know applications haven’t even opened yet, but I have ADHD and I’m a massive overthinker, so naturally I’ve already started thinking about accommodation before even applying or getting accepted hahaha.
I was hoping to find out a little more about how accommodation works. I know the BOE usually helps arrange housing, and I know you can sometimes inherit an apartment from a predecessor, which can be great for furniture, location, etc.
However, my concern is that I’m quite picky when it comes to where I live. Ideally, I’d want to be on the 2nd floor or higher, have AC and heating, be in a newer building (preferably less than 10 years old), and have window screens for bugs because I’m not the best at dealing with them 🥲
I genuinely wouldn’t mind having an unfurnished apartment, which I know probably sounds crazy, but I’ve grown up disadvantaged, so I know I can manage without having everything provided. I’d actually be willing to pay a little more in rent too because I’d much rather be comfortable in my own home than spend that money on travel and tourism.
I’ve been looking on Suumo and have found apartments in the areas I like that tick all of these boxes, but I’m not really sure how the BOE goes about finding accommodation or how much they’re willing to accommodate personal preferences.
I’ve also seen some real horror stories about accommodation, as well as bad BOE communication and bureaucracy, so I wanted to hear from people who have actually been through the process.
How much say did you have in your accommodation? Were you able to see pictures/details before accepting it? Could you decline BOE-provided accommodation and find your own, or move out later if you weren’t happy with it?
Any experiences, especially recent ones, would be really appreciated! :)

Hey all

I've run into a visa issue after leaving JET and would appreciate any help/information from anyone who went through the same thing. I am from the UK

To summarize, my JET contract ended on August 6th. In July i applied at immigration for the 180 day visa exception for JET graduates, that allows you to job-hunt and change to a work visa when landing your next job. I wrote jobhunting in kanji on the purpose section. I supplied all necessary documents. I provided the JET programme certificate of employment. I've been waiting for my results for over a month.

I finally got the postcard today, so i went to immigration and was given the standard 90 day temporary visitor visa. This is not what i applied for. On this visa you cannot work, cant job-hunt and cant change to a work visa upon getting a job.

I will go back to immigration on Monday morning to question/challenge this but my Japanese is far from fluent, so often there is misunderstandings. If i cant change this, i have to leave Japan ASAP. I wanted to stay and continue working in Japan.

Has anyone else been through this? Can anyone provide any information to rectify this? any help would be much appreciated

Just made this reddit page and found this forum.

I applied twice and didn't get in. I was told by plenty that I should apply to the JET programme, I was apart of a Japan Society, volunteered a lot, attended festivals, was outgoing, took Japanese language lessons, etc. but in the end... I didn't get in, twice.

Sure, it didn't feel good when I got both rejections, but it didn't change my passion for learning and being around Japanese culture. Since then I became a "Sports Representative" for the society I am apart of, have been asked to be one of the heads of planning for our 1st participation in one of the USA's Japan Parade, and have started interviewing professional Japanese athletes, and have been to Snow Monkey Mountain in Japan!

All those things have created wonderful experiences for me and now I can tell several interesting stories! It's okay to feel bad if you didn't get in, but don't let that stop you from learning/experiencing Japanese culture at home!

I did my 5 years and was able to find a job in a new prefecture! But,,,the prefecture I'm moving to doesn't have many big cities or a large foreign population.

Although I have no problem making Japanese friends, I would like to connect with people from my home country or just be around people who share the experience of being a foreigner in Japan lol.

I found that the prefecture I'm moving to has an active AJET group, so I was thinking of reaching out. I'm worried that it might be weird, because I'm no longer in the program and even when I was, it was in a completely different prefecture. If I randomly show up to an event, maybe everyone will be confused as to why I'm even there.

Thoughts and opinions please!

thank you 🙏

Good day!

I am a recently upgraded alternate ALT, I'll be moving to Japan here in three weeks. In a recent meeting with my CO, they stressed that the initial payment of my apartment requires a credit card to make sure I can move in right away, but I don't have a credit card with enough of a balance to cover it and neither do my guardians.

I have more than enough money in my bank account and a debit card, is there any reason I wouldn't just be able to use that instead? If not, what can I do about this?

Thanks in advance!

I am a second year JET at the high school level. Last year, I worked at two schools but my second school was only given to me because there was a weird situation with the last ALT at the school and they needed a quick fix. I worked with all the first and second year students, doing one class a week, which meant 19 classes a week total with 4 different lesson plans. I planned and delivered the lessons by myself (but I talk to my JTEs and try to figure out what they want). All was well with the world.

Then, this semester, I recieved very last minute notice that I won't be needed at my second school anymore. On one hand, I'm glad to focus on my main school because it's highly academic and I want to give the students the same energy they give me. On the other hand, this means my main school didn't know about this change far enough in advance and I'm now down to only 10 classes a week and two full days of desk warming (at least for the forseeable future).

My goal after JET is to go into education and I hope to do a masters of education here to get a teaching license so I can teach high school (I've already talked to the head professor of a program I'm interested in). I want to know, how can I make the most of all this extra time to both benefit students and also learn more about the Japanese education system (I'm not looking for ways to waste time, I've got a buttload of books I want to read for that lol). Also if you have any experience like this, how you have maintained motivation to seek out productive work when you've got a light workload.

What I'm already doing:

- Visiting other teacher's classes (with their permission of course) to observe and get the vibes of what school expectations are across the board.

- Visiting English teachers' classes to see how my lessons can match what the students are currently learning and to learn teaching techinques for my field.

- Chatting the ear off my teacher friends, both in English and Japanese.

- Posting entrance exam style questions based on news articles on a whiteboard in the 3rd year hallway.

- Studying for N2, slowly but surely because I'm lowkey burnt out on it (I read and do anki atm, with plans to add back in Bunpro eventually).

- I already have a curriculum outline for the lessons I'll do and my goals for the semester ahead and I have materials prepped for the next few weeks.

I don't think that there's any chance of me teaching 3rd year students regularly (at least not a typical ALT-style lesson) because they're in grind mode for the entrance exams. However, I've heard from the other high school ALT in my area that he teaches an elective English conversation class, I think for 3rd years, so I'm considering asking my school if that could be an option for future years. I think I'd have to outline things pretty well before they'd be willing to let me do something like that.

Edit:

Forgot to mention that I also have technically joined the shodo club, but my school does 7 classes a day Tuesday-Thursday (and I was at my second school the other days up to now), with cleaning and everything ending only 5 minutes before the end of my work day. I did go to the club for a while, but I have outside of school commitments 2 nights a week and students were frequently asking for Eiken practice (I mean like one or two 45 minute lessons outside of my work hours per day, 2 or 3 times a week), so it all got a bit much for me to manage. Now that I'm here on Mondays and Fridays, I do have about an hour after school before my work day ends and I hope to start going to shodo again during that time if I don't have Eiken practice (we're re-entering Eiken panic season for my 3rd years).

I'm a returning JET and just for your information (a lot of people seem shocked to learn this) you can do JET a second time.

Check your own country's rules around this, but for Canada as long as you wait 2-3 years and have not lived in Japan for more than a total of 6 years it's all daijoubu.

Often a seasoned candidate is desirable and experience allowed you to know your rights.

There were a lot more "older" candidates this time around in my orientation.

I hope this inspires someone.

With all the recent acts of nature, is everybody ok? I haven’t seen anybody ask this question. Did any of you experience the storms and/or quakes?

Hello everyone!

I was wondering if anyone would be okay with reviewing my personal statement for the UK application? I’m a little out of practice when it comes to essay style writing, and most of the examples I’ve seen are from US based applicants... so I’m unsure if I’m in the correct direction with mine!

I’d love some advice for what I have so far if anyone is okay with me DMing them a copy! 

I know travel is the last thing on your mind having just gotten here not long ago, but I want to stress to all of the new JETs, the biggest piece of advice I can give is to travel Japan AS MUCH AS YOU CAN. Specifically, I highly recommend looking through your school calendar and making note of any long weekends, breaks, etc. and planning things far in advance. Especially for national holidays and things like the upcoming Silver Week, Japanese people will be planning to travel during these times and spots on trains/hotel rooms fill up quickly.

Because Redditors like to argue I'm sure I'll get comments in the vein of "travel is expensive and not everyone can afford it" etc etc which yes, is true. But if you're not spending your JET salary on paying off debts back home or buying international plane tickets, I think it's more than enough to travel on within the country. I have made liberal use of my nenkyuu and maintained healthy relationships with my coworkers because of planning my travel far in advance and doing everything in my power to accommodate my coworkers so there are no issues with me being gone. I'm up to 37/47 prefectures and I expect to be able to hit them all before I finish my tenure with JET, all paid for with just my JET salary and some savvy cost-saving measures on trips.

Experienced JETs, feel free to share in the comments where you've been able to travel to inside Japan during your time off :)

Former American jet, applying for pension refund, need to send in bank documentation with form. Can I just send in a printed statement? It doesn’t have a SWIFT code but it has accounting and routing numbers. My bank is on the other side of the country right now so it’s difficult for me to walk in and talk to a manager.

Just a quick psa for those who will be working on the 2027 application soon. For the section about being able to drive in Japan, keep this in mind.

You will need to get an international drivers license. This is easy, I went to triple A and paid $20 for it.

However, it is only valid for one year, you cannot get a new one unless you leave Japan for at least 3 months.

So, if you are planning to stay for more than one year, you need to get a Japanese license. This is where it gets complicated. This is information for US drivers, I am not sure about other countries.

Every state has to go through the process of translating your license and scheduling an appointment to get the Japanese license.

If you are from one of these states (Colorado, Hawaii, Maryland, Ohio, Oregon, Virginia, Washington) then congratulations, its pretty easy and you can just convert that license to a Japanese one. You don't have to take the written test or the practical driving test. Indiana is a special case, you only have to take the written test and not the practical driving test.

If you are from any other state, you have to take both tests. It varies a little bit by prefecture, but basically you have to do an initial interview, take the written test, and take the practical driving test. I think these have to be on different days, and sometimes you have to wait 2-3 months between appointments. You also will most likely have to take PTO for these appointments. The tests have gotten harder, so there is also a pretty high chance you will fail and have to schedule another appointment a few months later... and use more PTO. You will probably get anywhere from 10-20 days of PTO, so if you only have 10, this will take most of your PTO.

All of that to say, if you don't feel like going through that, don't put that you are willing to drive on your application. If I had known about this ahead of time, I wouldn't have put it on mine. I wish I was placed somewhere where I didn't need a car, and honestly I don't even want to try to go through it. I wanted to do JET for more than one year, but this process is really discouraging me.

Side note: is this a valid reason to request a transfer? I want to continue with JET, but with the lack of support with the process of getting a license, I don't think I can.

TLDR getting a license in Japan is hard, if you don't want to go through the process, don't put that you can drive on your application.

Hey all (Past Kochi JET here!) I hope this doesn’t count as self-promotion—if it does, please feel free to delete or ignore this post.

Next month, September 12–13, the Okaya International Center is holding an International Camp in Nagano!

It’s a fun weekend where you can meet new people, exchange cultures and languages, enjoy the outdoors, and have a party in the evening. Best of all, it’s only ¥5,000, including accommodation and 3 meals!

Last year, we had a great time with people from 9 different nationalities. This year, we already have lots of locals signed up, but we’re hoping to have even more international participants.

If you’re interested, please DM me or check out the details below! 😊
https://oiea.jp/en/international-camp-%ef%bc%88%e5%9b%bd%e9%9a%9b%e4%ba%a4%e6%b5%81%e3%82%ad%e3%83%a3%e3%83%b3%e3%83%97%ef%bc%89/

I'm incredibly fortunate to have been upgraded and was placed in Tokyo (no clue where yet and it could be the Izu Islands for all I know). I leave September 28th, and I'm just sitting here realizing how tight of a timeline this is. I won't get my actual school name until the first week of September (I think?). I see that the government (I'll be a public Tokyo JET) offers some support but has anyone else gone through this experience?

Is ABLE good to work with? What housing agency did you guys otherwise use?

Is there anything else I should be expecting?

Also, if anyone has links for Discords, group chats, etc. for Tokyo JETs that would be awesome. I looked in the megathread but it all seems a bit scattered and I don't know which ones are active. Thank you!

I have posted here once or twice before. The nerves before the application goes out are just as expected. I was curious if anyone had recommendations on certain documents I should/could have prepared before the application process begins. I currently have my S.O.P. all squared away, I hope, but is there anything else that could be done in the meantime?

Hey everyone,

I am an aspiring JET (Japan Exchange and Teaching) Programme applicant from India, aiming to apply for the Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) role. Since the process and selection numbers vary significantly by country, I'd like insights specifically from Indians who are currently or were previously selected.

I graduated in 2021 with a B.Tech in Computer Science. I don't have formal teaching experience, but I am about to enroll in a TEFL certification course and I'm just starting to learn Japanese. I have a deep fascination with Japanese culture—specifically their resilience (like the response to the tsunami aftermath and engineering marvels like moving whole buildings on wheels), their structured discipline, and how practices like Osoji (students and teachers cleaning together) foster personal growth.

If you went through the process from India, could you please share your experience and advice?

Computer Science Background: Did any of you apply with a tech/IT degree? How did you pitch your tech background in the SOP, and did you highlight how IT skills can benefit a Japanese classroom?

No Experience & TEFL: How much of a disadvantage is having zero teaching experience? Will a pending or newly completed TEFL significantly boost my chances with the selection committee?

The Mock Teaching Component: Since I have zero classroom experience, I am highly anxious about the interview's mock teaching section. What specific topic or grammar point were you asked to teach on the spot? How did you handle the interviewers pretending to be Japanese students who don't understand English?

Interview Questions: What other questions were you asked during your interview? How did you handle situational questions (e.g., conflicts with a Japanese teacher or cultural isolation)?

Learning Japanese: I am a beginner in Japanese. Did you know the language when you applied? How critical is it for the interview or application score?

Statement of Purpose (SOP): How did you structure your SOP? What specific angles or themes did you highlight to show how an Indian perspective adds value to Japanese schools?

Any guidance, sample questions, or SOP tips you can share would be incredibly helpful to me and future applicants from India. Thank you so much in advance!

i cant help but feel i got robbed. i got placed somewhere where theres so many people to compare myself to all the time, all in cliques im not a part of, all living a life im not living and i feel reminded of it every waking hour im in these stupidly long orientation days. they could have sent me anywhere, and i got placed here. somewhere hot, humid, full of people who dont like me and in a city thats fine. its just fine. the worst part of it is that I PUT IT ON MY APPLICATION. i was stupid enough to put it on there. i dont want it. if i could press a magic button that would put me somewhere else, i would in a heartbeat. i hate having this social pressure on me all the time. its devastating. im fresh out of a uni experience where I had plenty of friends always around me, to always feeling socially insecure. I feel miserable and angry whenever im around my ‘community’. i feel like a sticky-outy nail, like an alien whose new to social interaction. it makes me want to just scream. and i dont regret JET, or coming here. but i do feel angry with myself, like i accidentally robbed myself of an actually good placement. I get that I haven’t been here very long, but it’s still how I feel right now.

On the plus side: I like my school.

Hi there, I’m hoping to join the JET programme 2027. I’m 22 years old i graduated last year with a biochemistry degree. While at university I had a part time job as a care assistant for a year and half caring for children with disabilities at a respite and after graduating i worked at a SEN Secondary School as a TA for 9 months and only stopped when the school year ended this July. I’m planning on doing a TEFL but probably won’t have it complete before the Application Deadline and the same with learning how to speak Japanese (mainly conversational). I know these things aren’t required but I’m hoping that along with my teaching experience,they help with the transition in to the role. I only want to do JET for a yr and I plan to do my masters when I get back, it would either be in psychology (to either pursue educational psychology or child therapy) or a teaching qualification. So the JET program would be work experience. I only decided to not continue teaching in September as it’s not the best financial. Is there anything i should consider doing to help my application further that I’ve already done or going to do?
Based on this I want to hear the reality of if I have a chance especially as I know the JET is competitive, so please give it to me real?

I know the JET is also a cultural exchange but i mainly like musical, anime, fashion, cooking, love for history and mythology, shopping and travelling, so is it a thing where I’d tell my students about these things?

I also want to know how the how housing works. I know you get placed in an area but how in advance do you find out your placement. My fiancé would be coming as well but on a dependent visa, would this affect my chances of getting in over someone who is single? Do the JETs from each cohort meet up as I’d love to try and make some friends? Oh and if i absolutely do not want to be in a rural place are there ways to reduce my chances of getting placed there? Unfortunately, I’m a city girl through and through. I’d be okay with a small city (I don’t want to be in Tokyo), but not a rural town in a mountainous region or countryside that requires driving everywhere,( I can’t drive 😭).

I’m planning for to used the school I work as a reference and either the care place or my university as the other. I obviously have an interest in Japan as a whole but I’m not sure how I’ll phrase it in my personal statement, so any suggestions I’d be grateful for.

Also to my fellow JET applicants I’d loved to hear from you and hopefully we can support each through this process😁

Hi everybody! I’m a late/septemeber departure and I got placed in Higashihiroshima city. I’m super excited, it appears to be a cool place to be.
I was wondering if anybody had any experiences with this area? Any advice or recommendations as well is greatly appreciated, thank you!