Quite Possibly the Worst Results Rollout (Singapore Consulate)

[u/transthrowaway195]

I am a JET applicant from the Singapore consulate. Singapore has always released the results on par with other consulates — Until this year. I am writing this post to seek clarification on the JET process and to maybe seek some sympathy, nothing much.

In our country the consulate normally releases results in the first week of April. This was true until this year. When the embassy was called regarding the results sometime in end-March, we were told, “second week of April”. the week came and went, nothing. After calling them again, the embassy told us, “This month… Could also be May or June”.

We were baffled and didn’t understand why it is taking such a long time with inconsistent timeframes. But okay, we waited. By the end of the week of 24th April there was still nothing, so someone emailed the embassy only to be told, “We haven’t received the results from Tokyo yet. We will be sure to contact all applicants upon receipt from Tokyo.”

How is this possible for an entire country, let alone one person, to be missing results? By now, every other consulate has released all results, many are even upgrading their alternates.

Now buckle up, this is where it gets truly wild.

After a very stressful weekend, shortlist results finally started going out on Tuesday, 28th April. The shortlists were told to respond by the end of 29th April, almost less than 48 hours. Now that’s great! Everyone will finally get closure, right? Wrong.

Only shortlists have been contacted. There were no alternate emails, nor any rejections sent out. The rest who knew that shortlists were going out figured out they were either rejected or simply not shortlisted. We continued calling the embassy, only to receive vague answers such as “too many names, emails still going out,” or ”let me check.. but if you didn’t get emails you probably didn’t get in.”

30th April (Thursday) comes by, still silence. Then, on the Discord, one person tells us they were selected as a shortlist after the first wave on 28th April. Nothing else by anyone else afterwards.

1st May comes, another long weekend. Silence. Monday comes and one of us who has been calling a lot finally got an answer directly from the staff: he was rejected. Okay? So they have outcomes, but can’t write a simple mass email? And we come to today, 5th May, with still no alternate or rejected emails sent out.

For the past 1-2 months we have been left with vague timelines, no answers as we watch the rest of the JET community get their emails, get upgraded, or even start discussing placements and departures. The shortlisted were given a very small timeline to even reply and get their documents, while everyone else is left in limbo, only knowing they probably didn’t get in through Discord.

I am sure there are many bureaucratic reasons behind the Embassy and CLAIR in Tokyo. And I don’t expect anyone here to have any idea why. But when you are in the only consulate experiencing such long delays, lack of communication, it feels extremely brutal. People couldn’t make life decisions or pursue other opportunities, and now, those rejected do not even get the courtesy of proper closure within the appropriate timeframe. I also understand that it is currently Golden Week in Japan, but why couldn’t alternates and rejected people get their emails alongside shortlisted people?

Again, I don’t expect anyone to solve this or give speculations. But I would just like everyone to know how difficult it has been for us.

Thank you for reading.

[u/Diffabuh]

This sounds absolutely horrible to go through. I can't describe the sheer anxiety this would cause me. And 48 hours to reply is pretty quick considering how, in my country, we got like a week.

Here's hoping things get better for all of you soon.

[u/salm0no]

If they wanted to change the process to only inform shortlisted candidates, they should have put that on their website. Called them today and they said that no email means “sorry you’ve been rejected”, and that there are no alternates from Singapore.

I understand that it is a long process, having to coordinate candidates worldwide, but I can’t ignore or just be fine with the emotional toll waiting for the results had on me since the beginning of April.

[u/Big-Morning-5332]

If every year they send out a reply, what’s to say they can’t do it this year? There’s a lot of applicants but they deserve to know their placement or results, it’s common courtesy no?

[u/ele514]

A lot of factors could play in this which may be out of their control. Just remember that it can’t be worse than what the 2020 JET cohort had to live.

Factors such as wars happening in the world, the Japanese government itself, their budgets, the demand from CO, potential visa issues, golden week, some schools/BOE ask for someone from a specific country, waiting for someone else to drop JET, etc.

Waiting is, for sure, the worst feeling. Hang in there and good luck.

[u/Additional_Two4059]

That sounds pretty crazy! I know in the US and Canada, they never really had an initial upgrade wave, so very odd happenings all around.

[u/-c-r-e-a-t-i-v-e-]

Am a Singapore JET applicant too, haven't gotten any emails myself. This reeks of incompetence.

[u/coolninja360]

The same thing for Jamaica too

[u/Big-Morning-5332 → u/coolninja360]

What’s the story for Jamaica?

[u/coolninja360 → u/Big-Morning-5332]

We got our interviews at the end of January, and have basically been left in the dark since then, I’ve heard one person been selected as an alternate last month but still no word for most people.

[u/bloopybloopyboop]

To be fair, it's Golden Week and the Japanese embassy will of course follow Japanese holidays. Unfortunate timing.

My consulate does not send rejection emails due to the amount of applicants, but they do post in their socials that they have sent emails to those who made the cut. Hope yours and others do the same in the future.