JET Programme: What is it??
I realized, after starting this journal, that I haven't actually explained what the JET Programme is. People have asked me what I'll be doing in Japan and what I'll be moving there for. Alas, my move to Japan, which will last for at least one year, will not be for holiday purposes. I've actually got a job in Japan with the JET Programme.
So I thought I'd write a brief entry about JET, what it is, and why I wanted to do it for those who don't know what I'll be doing, who are still confused or who are curious about it.
JET Programme... What is it?? JET stands for Japan Exchange and Teaching. It's a programme run worldwide by the Japanese Government which offers two different types of jobs - CIR and ALT.
CIR stands for Coordinator for International Relations. CIRs must have a high level of Japanese. ALT stands for Assistant Language Teacher. ALTs do NOT need any teaching experience or any knowledge of the Japanese language.
JET's contracts last for only one year (normally July to July) and the application process is only open between September and November every year. The main criteria for being eligible for JET is that you hold a Bachlor's Degree in ANY field of study. There are more requirements but they're not as difficult to fill.
Benefits JET will pay for your flights to and from Japan (as long as you don't break your contract of course), give you a work placement, find you an apartment to stay in for your year and train you.
As part of JET, you can have a range of networks and contacts in Japan to help you cope with the new life and job. Depending on your Board of Education (BoE), apartments may be subsidised or even paid for in full.
So what's the catch? Placements - You can't choose where you're going, so in reality they could place you somewhere you don't want to be. You can make a suggestion of where you'd like to go but when you find out your placement later on, it's quite rare to be given a placement where you had requested.
Apartments - You may be reliable for the full payment of your rent. Or you could be lucky and have the BoE give you a subsidy.. or you may be the luckiest of all and not have to pay anything at all. It all depends.
General - JETs are NOT allowed to accept any other paid jobs outside of their contract, but with an 8 to 5 job that's understandable. And of course... the biggest catch is that everyone has different experiences... so someone may LOVE their time in JET, but you may hate it. I've read it a number of times - "The experience is what you make of it". So it won't be a guaranteed fantastic experience... but I think it'll definitely be something to experience.
More info? Well, I can't say much yet as I haven't even moved to Japan yet... but I can say what I know. This would also apply to ALTs because that is my job and I don't know what it's like for CIRs. At the moment, everything is positive. I've gotten in contact with my predecessor (same school, same apartment), future JETs and my future co-worker. Everything just makes me more excited! Just keep in mind that some ALTs will have minimal jobs in the classroom such as just repeating things in English, while others will be in charge of planning lessons (the latter is my case). Workload will also differ.
Another thing that I'm dealing with at the moment is finances... This is really important. Though it's not required to have money, it's best to enter JET with at least between £1,000 to £2,000 for initial expenses (like first payment for your apartment). So keep that in mind.
As for the actual experience and process of JET, check out my entries (tagged appropriately) for more information. ^^
Links JET is available to a number of countries, but not all... so do some research first. Here are some good links for JET though.
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mistedreveries) wrote,
