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Top Document: soc.culture.japan FAQ [Monthly Posting] [2/3] Previous Document: (6.1) Finding a job (for non-Japanese) Next Document: (6.1.2) Other English teaching jobs See reader questions & answers on this topic! - Help others by sharing your knowledge Last update: 2/97 From: jer@well.com (Jerry Blanton) What is the JET Program? JET stands for the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program, a program sponsored by the Japanese Ministries of Education, Home Affairs and Foreign Affairs. The program began in 1987 and was designed to bring young, native English speakers to Japan to assist English teachers in public junior high, high schools and college/universities as well as to help bring 'internationalization' (the 1980's buzzword) to Japan. These goals has now been expanded to include German and French speakers as well. Currently (1995), participating countries are: Australia, China (CIRs Only), Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, Republic of Korea (CIRs Only), Russian Federation (CIRs only) UK and the US. This year there are nearly 5,000 participants (hereafter referred to as 'JETs') spread across the entirety of Japan. There are two types of JET positions: 1) ALT (Assistant Language Teacher). The ALT goes to junior/high/colleges and 'team-teaches' with a native Japanese teacher. Until 1989 there were only English instructors on the program but then it was expanded to include German and French teachers as well (big cities only). ALTs work in a wide range of situations and some ALTs teach in only one school while others never visit the same school twice. 2) CIR (Coordinator for International Relations) The CIR position helps to fulfill the lofty internationalization goal. CIRs work in prefectural offices or in large cities (or sometimes not so big) doing anything from tourism to helping the city deal with the influx of foreign workers. The CIR position is much less defined than the ALT. The vast majority of JETs fall into the ALT category while only a few hundred are CIRs. Where Do I Sign Up? All hiring for the JET program is done in the home countries of respondents. Generally, the initial applications have to be received by mid-December and then notification of interviews is made in late January or early Februrary with the interviews being held in Feb. Most interviews are conducted at the Japanese embassy or consulates in each country. (Below is a list of Japanese embassies in each of the participating countries) What if I Don't Speak Japanese? To be an ALT you DO NOT need to speak Japanese, nor do you need any special knowledge about Japan. You do need to have an interest in Japan and a willingness to help the Japanese improve their English skills. Because CIRs tend to work more with larger government offices, they need more Japanese skills from the outset, although this is NOT always the case. In all cases, you must have at least a bachelors degree by the time that you are to departfor Japan (end of July). The JET year is from August 1 to July 31. At the initial application stage you can request a rural or urban posting as well as a High School or Junior High School posting but there are no guarantees you will get what you ask for (probably the vast majority of people are randomly assigned). How Much Do I Get Paid? (And Is it Enough?) JETs are pretty well paid considering that the majority of participants are fresh out of college and have no experience. As of this writing, the JET salary is 3,600,000 yen which is about US$40,000 (@ the current 'endaka' rates of approx 85 yen to 1 US$) This is TAX FREE so your monthly salary is 300,000 yen wihich is more than enough to live on, and then some. Big city JETs often complain that they make less due to higher cost of living, but they are no where near poverty level. Besides, the JET program isn't about making money, it's about a great opportunity to live in Japan, learn Japanese, and work. If you are interested in finding out more about applying for the JET Program, contact your closest Japanese Embas sy or consulate. Following is a list of Japanese embassies for the participating countries: Australia Embassy of Japan "JET Desk" 112 Empire Circuit, Yarralumla, Canberra ACT 2600 Tel (06) 273-2679 Fax (06) 273-1848 Canada Embassy of Japan "JET Desk" 255 Sussex Dr. Ottawa ONT K1N 9E6 Tel (613) 241-8541 Fax (613) 241-2232 China Embassy of Japan "JET Desk" 7 Ri Tan Rd. Jiam Guo Men Wai, Beijing Peoples Republic of China Tel (01) 532-2361 Fax (01) 532-4625 France Ambassade du Japon "La Division de JET" 7 Avenue Hoche, 75008 Paris Tel: (01) 4888-6200 Fax: (01) 4227-5081 Germany Japanische Botschaft "JET Desk" Abteilung Oeffentlichkeitsarbeit und Kultur Godesberger Allee 102-104, 53175 Bonn Tel 0228-81910 Fax: 0228-379399 <http://www.embjapan.de> und <http://www.embjapan.de/Bawb.htm> Republic of Ireland Embassy of Japan "JET Desk" Nutley Bldg., Merrion Centre, Nutley Lane Dublin 4 Tel: (01) 269-4244 Fax: (01) 283-8726 Republic of Korea Embassy of Japan "JET Desk" 18-11 Choonghak-don, Chongro-ku, Seoul Tel: (02) 733-5626, Fax: (02) 734-4528 New Zealand Embassy of Japan "JET Desk" GRE House, 113 Custom House Quay, Wellington 1 Tel: (04) 472-7807 Fax: (04) 472-3416 Russian Federation Japan Information Service, Embassy of Japan Dobryninskaya Ulitsa, Dom 7 Domeshshenie 12, Moscow Rusia Tel (095) 238-9868 UK Embassy of Japan "JET Desk" 101-104 Piccadilly, London W1V 9FN Tel: (071) 465-6500 Fax: (071) 491-9347 US Embassy of Japan, Office of JET Program 2520 Massachussetts Ave., N.W. Washington D.C. 20028 Tel: (202) 939-6772 Fax: (202) 328-2187 You can also contact CLAIR (Council of Local Authorities for International Relations) @ Tel: +81-3-3265-1491 or Fax: +81-3-3265-1368 (Japan) for more information. I am happy to answer general questions about the JET program vis a vis my own experience as both an ALT and a CIR. However, please bear in mind that I was a JET four years ago and my experiences come from when the program was much much smaller. Furthermore, I cannot help you with application procedures for your own country or supply you with any more information than the above as far as telephone numbers, addresses, etc. is concerned. Also, *please do NOT e-mail* me with requests about teaching opportunities in Japan! I have never taught English outside the JET program and have no idea whatsoever about opportunities, contacts, ways to get information, etc. about teaching in Japan. [The toll-free information line for JET in the US is 1-800-INFO-JET. --ed.] The following WWW pages contain information about JET: http://www.shef.ac.uk/~eas/info/jet/ http://www.apic.or.jp/JapanInfo/ http://www2.gol.com/users/robu/ http://wacky.ccit.arizona.edu/%7Esusd/jet.html User Contributions:Top Document: soc.culture.japan FAQ [Monthly Posting] [2/3] Previous Document: (6.1) Finding a job (for non-Japanese) Next Document: (6.1.2) Other English teaching jobs Part1 - Part2 - Part3 - Single Page [ Usenet FAQs | Web FAQs | Documents | RFC Index ] Send corrections/additions to the FAQ Maintainer: shimpei@gol.com (Shimpei Yamashita)
Last Update March 27 2014 @ 02:11 PM
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