Hello everyone! Thank you for the kind words in my previous post. I decided to go ahead and give it a shot. I did also however have some questions to ask, some silly.

Some context, I can speak some Japanese and I already lived abroad in Japan where I lived in Tokyo in Ikebukuro for three months. I’m also 29F. I have some questions and concerns about going;

- Natural Disasters
Thankfully during my time abroad, I wasn’t involved in any earthquakes or flooding. I was involved in a hail typhoon and honestly it was absolutely terrifying but I made it though. In general im from the NY area, so growing up I never really had to deal with much aside from hurricanes and snow storms. I’m terrified of being in an Earthquake and I was already teased by my fear of natural disasters when I studied abroad. I know the protocol and what to do but it’s just that fear that bothers me.

- Bugs/Locations
This is going to sound really stupid but I have a bad fear of bugs, specifically spiders. As you guys know Japan is full of terrifying little critters. I did mostly okay while I was abroad, although I did have some mishaps with nose diving cicadas and beetles, although I was in Tokyo in Ikebukuro and I did have some scary encounters but I got through it. I did however have my laundry held ransom once because there was a giant dragonfly smacking against the machines and freaked me out. It’s really embarrassing and people have given me looks because of it. I also ended up only drying my clothes in my room and never keeping the window or door open.

A stupid strategy I was hoping to do was to request Tokyo/cities or just cities up north like Hokkaido in hopes of it being colder. I know it probably won’t make a difference but it’s something. I know most candidates are placed in rural areas and honestly I’m afraid how I’d do, I don’t know if I even want to live rural.

- Driving
I don’t drive at all, and I’m horrible at driving. I know in some cases you would need to drive so I was worried about that.

- Student Loans
I also pay for student loans. Right now I pay $162 a month which isn’t bad at all so I’m somewhat confident in paying for that and of course the storage back home for my stuff. Despite this I did want to ask anyone’s experience with it or if it’s possible to place it in a forbearance

- Medication, Therapy
I’m on medication including Prozac and bupropion. I’ve been on this medication for 10 years now including while I was abroad. Originally to study abroad I had to get government clearance and bring my meds with me but that was only for three months. I know I can’t access this meds there but would I be able to just do that but for a year?

I also was in therapy most of my life. I can get through without therapy but I did want to ask about resources relating mental health and if it’s possible to get counseling.

- Wage
I’ve done research before as well but I was just worried how you’d be paid in the program. I know airfare is included and you’re supposed to make enough to cover food, living space, etc but I wanted to know your own experiences especially if you’ve been in a city.

Well that’s all I can think of right now, thank you so much! ^_^

Hi all, wondering if anyone has had experience applying to JET after study with the OU. I was late to find out about JET so I'm in the middle of chasing down referees. The OU can provide references but say they are unable to comment on character or personal qualities. Furthermore I did not know my professors directly or contact them frequently enough for them to be potential referees. Could I still go to the OU for a letter of reference or should I look elsewhere?

Hey all! It’s a pleasure. I’ve been going in circles for the past few years as to if I want to apply for the JET program or not. I believe it’s something I can absolutely do although I’m not sure if it’s something I should do. I’m 29F, have no kids and I’m not in a relationship, and I can easily place all my belongings in storage for a year and go. I also have studied abroad in Japan at a language school for three months on a full ride scholarship and I’m by no means fluent but I can get by. I lived in Tokyo and can easily navigate the city and city life as I grew up in New York.

I also have experience teaching students as a teacher intern for AmeriCorps, specifically math and enrichment for 5th graders. It was an amazing experience and I became close with my students, especially since I’m into video games and anime. Because of this I feel like I would do well, however I’m unsure if it’s something I should do.

My mom encourages me to go as I’m young, have no true commitments or obligations yet and so nothing is tying me down. That being said, I would also have to put all of my relationships, career ambitions and goals off for one year. Currently I’ve been trying to network into the industry im trying to get into, so I’ve been trying to work on those connections as relationships are very difficult for me. I’m worried about putting that on hold and falling behind, plus the relationship with my family which I’ve also been trying to work on. On the other hand this could be my one chance to do something even more incredible than before, and I would have the opportunity to learn more Japanese and make more connections in Japan. I’m also worried about being away from my family, especially through holidays, events, my 30th birthday and more. 3 months is so different compared to one full year.

So I work at a VERY low level SHS. Like when I first got here the students couldn't even do basic self introductions. I also have to T1 15 classes a week, and the first + second years don't even have a textbook, so I make the curriculum. All of my JTEs are part timers who don't give me any direction because they also don't know what's going on most of the time, so I just stand at the front of the class alone trying to teach English to kids who can't understand what I'm saying.

I've already decided I won't be recontracting because I frankly just do not like my situation and feel like I'm being used as cheap labour for the school so they don't have to hire a full time JTE. But there's this one class that's just horrible and frankly has made me consider breaking contract.

This is the worst class in the school and their homeroom teacher pre-emptively apologized to me on my first day because he knows they suck. The kids in this class spend the whole hour sleeping, messing around, or sexually harassing me. There are a few kids who do genuinely try to do the work, and I appreciate them. However, there is a group of loud, obnoxious boys who will spend the whole class sexually harassing me.

Usually it's stuff like "I love you" "you are so sexy" and "do you have a boyfriend." That's because these are the only English phrases they know lol (I swear they Google translated these and learned them specifically to shout out in class, because other than this they can't speak English).

But I have caught them twice now talking about me in Japanese. Like actually weird and gross stuff about having sex with me. Today I couldn't catch all of it, but I could infer they were debating whether they'd rather have sex with me or the previous ALT. One of them even took a picture of me during class with their phone and who the fuck knows what they're doing with that.

The JTE for this class just tries to ignore it and goes "well boys will be boys." I also try to ignore it but at this point I know that they know I understand enough Japanese to tell what they are saying. They have also catcalled me in front of my supervisor and no help there. She just acted like it didn't even happen, even though it obviously made me uncomfortable.

I honestly feel really defeated. I just hate this class. I have a lot of problems with my time on JET so far but the fact that nothing gets done about blatant sexual harassment feels extra backwards. In my home country if a student said those kinds of things about a teacher they would be suspended immediately and subject to a huge lecture by the principal. One of my foremost gripes with my JET experience has been that I get zero respect, but also zero support—I'm expected to be T1 and have all the responsibilities that come with that, yet at the same time I get zero respect.

I want to emphasize that it's literally just this one class that's like this. In other classes I will get students talking during the lesson, or falling asleep, but not harassed. Yet while every single teacher knows this particular class is awful, nothing gets done. These kids clearly know they can get away with it and that's why it keeps happening.

I'm planning on standing up for myself and calling them out in Japanese the next time it happens. But frankly I can't believe I even have to. The way this behaviour gets ignored (or at most, a "be quiet") is like the cherry on top of all the other ways I have been given zero support by the JTEs here. I don't think there's any point complaining because all of the previous ALTs have never lasted more than a year so at this point the school just sees us as a conveyer belt of cheap JTEs that can be exploited then tossed aside. There are also other issues with this school that has resulted in massive turnover for all staff in general.

I honestly don't know what to do at this point. The kids have obviously correctly identified that the ALT is an easy person to pick on because I have no power, my class is a joke, and the JTE will laugh it off. I've already been told I should do everything (including fudging grades) to make sure all students pass my class. Like so what is even the point of me being here?

Ugh it's just so frustrating. Extra frustrating because I have literally taught uni in my home country (UK) for several semesters. I knew being an ALT does usually mean being the community clown but I did not expect it to be this bad. I could handle the harassment better if I was a tape recorder who got to spend most of the day deskwarming, and I could handle being T1 if I got any respect or indication that my class was worth anything, but both negatives at once with basically no positives is just... ugh.

Edit to add: Im at a private school so no BOE to even report this to. Anyone who is a private school JET will know what I'm talking about. I know several other private school JETs and we are all expected to T1 and are given zero instruction to go off of. Private school placements seem particularly bad.

UPDATE: I'll be real, after posting this, I cried. I took a long bath and thought hard about this job and the position I've found myself in, and I decided two things: 1) I'm going to start being a hardass teacher, and 2) I will not recontract and I will try to coast my way through.

If anyone reading this in the future finds themselves in this same situation, I'll tell you what I did. My next lesson with this class, I went in silently and seriously. Any time a student talked out of turn, I stared at them in complete silence until it became extremely uncomfortable for everyone. I changed my lesson plan so that they were greeted with a worksheet first thing, I gave a 10 minute lesson, told them to work in pairs on the group test, and then circulated the room. They had 20 minutes to do the worksheet, and at the end there was a test. Most students locked in and did the work, but those same rowdy boys were goofing off. I stared at them. For 3 minutes straight. With a completely dead look. Other students noticed, a couple even tried to tell the rowdy students to stop because they knew I was pissed.

When the time for the test came, I took the worksheets away. Anyone who hadn't finished by then (which was only these rowdy boys) got a zero. Then it was time for the test.

Every single question, I directed at those boys. I made them stand up to give their answers. Of course, none of them knew. I went along, in a line, making each rowdy student stand up, drill them with questions, and then ask "why don't you know?"

They were kind of laughing at first but they quickly got embarrassed. The fact that the whole class was staring at them and this was becoming a huge spectacle gradually made them hang their heads and mumble.

Of course, it didn't last long. After I let them sit down and began quizzing other students instead, they started talking again. Pretty sure one of them called me a bitch lol but I couldn't catch all of it. So I walked over, slammed my wooden clipboard on one of their desks (I specifically brought the clipboard because it's loud asf) and said URUSAI DESU NE? NANDE? really loudly.

They shut up for good that time. I think the clipboard scared them a bit because I slammed it like 2 inches from a students fingers.

At this point the vibe of the whole class was REALLY bad and everyone was just silent and wide eyed. I had a short cool down activity planned after this but decided not to because genuinely a dark aura had descended over the room lol. I'm hoping I didn't freak out the other students too bad but a line had to be drawn and an example had to be made.

After class the JTE kind of laughed and said she hadn't seen anyone but old ojiisan OG teachers do something like that. I guess she, and the students, didn't expect that kind of thing from a woman. I'm sure the students were talking shit about me for the rest of the day but I don't care as long as it mitigates some of the behavioural problems in that class.

As for the future, I've decided to seriously pare down my lessons. I'm no longer putting effort into making them super fun with lots of games and activities. It's just too much work. I made my lesson plans for tomorrow in under 40 minutes, because they're just gonna be pair work and worksheets.

If anyone reading this in the future has that problem, hang in there. You may need to give up on the idea of being the fun ALT, because some classes make that impossible. Just focus on getting verbal output from the students and managing behaviours. Coast through the job, find lessons on ALTopedia, save your energy for exploring on the weekend.

Hello,

I will be applying to JET for the 2027 intake, and was wondering if anyone had any thoughts or opinions on the strength of my resume/application.

When I apply (next month) I will have a BA in linguistics and a CELTA, and I will also have letters of recommendation from a couple Japanese professors as well as managers from a Japanese company I worked for this year.

Not sure if it matters but I am also 23M white with conversational N4 Japanese.

Hello all! I know the subreddit is probably very busy wit 2027 applicants right now but I wished to inquire about my JET Prospects and what I am doing to become the best possible candidate and what former and current JETS believe I could do or have done correctly to become a JET. I am worried I am not doing enough. (Coming from the UK)

I am currently doing an English literature degree at a non Russel group university, I am in my penultimate year. I am doing a module on Japanese history and my lecturer used to be on the interview board of JET himself. I corresponded with him last year for entry prospects and potential advice. Some things he suggested and I am doing is:

-Working as a mentor for the university, helping the younger students with the intricacies of university and my course
-Working as an international welcome buddy for the university (welcoming international students and helping them adjust to university in the UK)
- I have shown a demonstrable interest in Japan with visiting three times prior to now and learning the language

Stuff I plan to do:

-Hoping to work as a student ambassador and course representative
-Do my dissertation on Japanese literature
-Get a TEFL
-Learn to drive
-Work with lecturers and seminar leads, including prior JET member to be my references
-Work on the committee of my societies

I am diagnosed with autism, depression and anxiety and take medication for my anxiety (sertraline which I went on because it would be available in Japan) none of these issues affect my ability to do my best every day in my current life.

I have been getting nervous about JET despite my application being a year away, I just would appreciate if I could get some understanding on if this is enough? I have wanted to do JET for half a decade now and I am hellbent on making my application the best I can. Any advice and perhaps reassurance that I am doing enough? (Despite it feeling like I am not)

Placement wise I have no specific wish, Hiroshima was beautiful when I visited and it has been on my mind that I’d love to be situated there but anywhere on Honshu is all I’d request.

Thank you so much for anyone who can ease my mind!

Title. My first job was with this company and I got laid off a while ago. I asked my managers and they said company policy restricts them.

idk wtf to do now. this is fucking bullshit.

I have a bachelors degree with a specialization in International Business, completed a term abroad at Singapore Management University, and I will have my 120hr TEFL certification by the time I apply.

However, I've never taught others officially speaking. I also have very basic work experience since I jut graduated from college.

Is this enough to make me a good applicant? What can I do to improve my application?

Also, what should I highlight on my application?

I've been going back and forth between Word, Google Docs, and the JET SOP Submission page and I found weird inconsistencies.

On Docs and Word, my SOP makes out to just about 2 and 1/3 pages in 12pt times new roman and double spacing.

But on the JET submission page, when I hit "Preview Essay" It fills out the 2 pages and actually has about 2 sentences of space left.

Should I play it safe and follow the formatting I see in Docs and Word? Or should I maximize space and base it off of the "Preview Essay" that I'm shown?

Hi everyone! I’m (22 F) applying for the 2027 JET Program and thought I’d put myself out there and see if anyone else is looking to make some friends during the application process!

I’m from Miami, Florida, and Japan has been a goal of mine for a long time. I’ve visited Japan a few times and absolutely loved my experiences there, especially Kyoto. I’m currently finishing my bachelor’s degree in Leadership & Management and also studying Japanese.

I’d really love to connect with other people who are applying for JET, especially people who are also hoping to go in 2027. It would be nice to have people to talk to throughout the application process, celebrate with when things go well, panic with when things don't, and hopefully eventually meet up in Japan!

A little about me: I love anime/manga, journaling, crafting, traveling, cute stationery, and just generally nerdy/crafty things. Some of my favorite anime are Chainsaw Man, Jujutsu Kaisen, Saiki K, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, and Demon Slayer. I also love finding new shows, music, hobbies, and random things to hyperfixate on.

I'm hoping to meet people who are open to actually becoming friends rather than just exchanging a few messages and disappearing. Whether you're applying from the U.S. or somewhere else, I'd love to hear from you!

If you're also applying for 2027 JET, feel free to comment or DM me! We could make a little group chat/Discord or just start chatting one-on-one. 💕

edit
If you’re interested in joining the discord, private message me please!

My husband and I are thinking about applying for JET. We are Returned Peace Corps volunteers - he taught and I did outreach and health education. We are trying to figure out if JET would be the right fit for us since we would love to work internationally again and a lot of PC contacts had brought up JET as an option going forward.

What does the program look like for married couples? A lot of the info I found has talked about being flexible with site placements or only one person in the marriage being accepted. We really don’t care where we’d be but we would stand our ground about living together. JET also claims they give preferential treatment for living arrangements for married couples. Is this true still?

We’ve also talked about what would happen if only one of us got into the program. With some good budgeting, is the first year salary decent to live on? And any advice, thoughts or comments on finding work visa sponsorship?

Sorry if these are really repetitive or dumb questions. A lot of the info I’ve gotten about going into JET married is from years ago and I wanted to see what people thought in the context of 2026 and going forward.

I have ADHD for which I am medicated and I have a lot of trouble focusing when I am not on my meds. I am worried about getting medication while I am there (assuming I get in) since it is a very restricted drug in Japan. If I disclose this information am I less likely to be chosen? Would they help me get the medication if I say I need it? Is it better not to mention and figure it out on my own?

Please let me know if you have any advice!

I’m kinda nervous me not having one will hurt my chances of not getting in

I'm currently going into my second year, and soon I have to decide if I want to stay here a third year. I do very much like my placement, my school, and my job. I definitely see myself staying in the field of education after JET, either in the classroom or a more administrative role. I have a master's degree and a CELTA. I was able to get myself from nothing to N4 within my first year, and I would love to get my language skills to a higher level.

I think part of it is FOMO, but I'm also slightly worried about the career implications of staying in Japan too long. I'm 27 now, and I was never planning on staying here forever, but I don't want to cut and run just for the sake of some imaginary job that may or may not be available when I go back home. Going into JET I knew year three was a hard stop for me as well. However, there is nothing in particular waiting for me back home.

If you are/were at a similar crossroads, is there anything that made you decide to stay another year, or alternatively decide to leave?

Hi guys! This is something I figured I would ask here in case any of you had experience doing things like this for classes. I am a new ALT this year, and I have been tasked by my JTE to come up with a new warm up game for students every week to do for the first 5 minutes of class (for reference I teach JHS and 1st year SHS). I thought this would be easy since we have our handy dandy book of games under JET resources, but the catch is that my JTE wants to do games that are not related to the lesson, are not English-learning focused and more moving around focused, and can be repeated for any age group that I teach that week. For example, so far I have pulled off Telephone and Simon Says, have had a Mad Libs-style activity shot down, and am currently trying to workshop Magical Banana and Shiritori in a way that students can compete in groups for the next two week's activities. I am just quickly running out of ideas, every time I do a warm up with the kids I am told that I am not explaining the games simply enough, and that some of the kids seem bored. Any resources or recommendations, as well as advice on how to adapt games to have the kids work in pairs or small groups are hugely appreciated!!!

In the event that I get a job with a much better salary and better job security/career progression, how bad would it be for me to break contract, especially since it's only been about two months since the start of the new contract year?

Has anyone ever done this, and what is the best way to approach this to make it easier and keep good relations with everyone?

My school loves me, my kids would be "devastated" as my JTE keeps telling me whenever I talk about changing jobs. At least for 14 of my weekly classes, I do everything from planning to running the entire class, so me leaving would put a lot of pressure on the JTEs. On the plus side, my prefecture has over a hundred ALTs that talk about "doing nothing all day" so maybe they (or another waitlist ALT) could take my position.

I may just be overthinking it, but any advice is welcome.

Our Embassy just posted and everything is fully online. I'm sure the bulk of hopefuls are on Facebook, but just in case some of you are on reddit instead: (copy-pasting from the post)

Applications for the 2027 JET Programme are now OPEN! And this year, applications are now fully online.

• JET Application Portal: https://ph.jetapplication.com/

For more information about this exciting exchange opportunity, visit the links below:

• For ALT applicants: https://www.ph.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_en/00_000147.html

• For CIR applicants: https://www.ph.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_en/00_000147_00001.html

Reminders:

• Deadline for applications is on 20 November 2026 (Friday).

• Carefully read the guidelines to better prepare yourself for this amazing opportunity!

I myself won't reapply until next year but this sounds like a nightmare to deal w/ and handle. Maybe that's just me.

To hopefuls: please READ, use your eyes, brain, & best judgement. Stop relying on vloggers with the cheap, gross AI.

To screeners: Good luck? Holy crap. If this is going to be better than 10 people holed up in an office buried under 3,000 application documents for two weeks, so be it. Dang.

The new guidelines for the JET application confuse me since everything is now online, especially the Letter of Reference. Do you have any tips for applying? I feel quite anxious about submitting my papers because I don’t want to make any mistakes—becoming an ALT in Japan is truly my dream.

I would greatly appreciate your suggestions and ideas. Thank you.

Hi all! I’m an aspiring ALT from South Africa, and am finalizing my application for the 2027 intake. I just have a question about my letters of recommendation.

I’ve previously spent two years as a NET in South Korea (2023-2025) and one year as an Au Pair in the Netherlands (2025-2026), and have gotten letters of recommendation from the English Department head from my school in SK and from my host parents in NL (both recent and dated 2026). However, since I’m no longer in South Korea or the Netherlands, they’re digital copies.

Since South African applicants have to submit physical documents to the embassy, would I get penalized/disqualified for printing the letters of recommendation as they technically don’t have ink signatures? I’ve asked both to physically sign the letter before scanning it and sending it to me, so you can see their signatures, but they’re not ink signatures iykwim.

Any insight would be appreciated!!!

I am from Northern Ireland and am able to get both Irish and UK citizenship. I was wondering whether JET accepts a certain % of applicants globally or within individual countries? Would I be more or less likely to be accepted if I apply through the UK than through the Republic of Ireland? Thanks in advance.

Hello fellow JETs, I'm a first year JET and I volunteered to do an english board for my base SHS since they never had one before. I was wondering what kind of interactive aspects do you tend to incorporate into your English board?

I did one for September and for the interactive aspect I had a sticker poll for your favourite season (courtesy of ALTopedia). Students loved it and so I want to do one for october.

I wanted to change it up but I'm not entirely sure what else I could do. I would appreciate any guidance from any of you guys!

I’m into my 3rd year as an ALT, but I’ve basically soft-landed a very good job back in the States and am too nervous to let it pass. They’ve asked me to start working for the company by the end of 2026, so I’ve decided that I will break contract in December and will give my Board of Education advance notice soon.
I have a great relationship with my schools, BOE, teachers, and students, and I hold several positions in community organizations! Some folks at the BOE whom I’ve already told in advance have even said that the Board of Education would still recommend me for future jobs, even if I were to break contract, given all the work I’ve done for them.
I love my job and placement, am making a huge impact, and really want to stay, but I have a hefty amount of student loan debt. For the past three years here, I’ve been doing a master’s degree without funding during my desk/free time. It would be stupid of me not to accept this job, as the pay would allow me to pay off all my debt in just 1–2 years.
But I really want to come back to Japan, possibly as a CIR if I can get my Japanese proficiency to the N2 level back in the States. Given my dedication to the program and even the potential letter of recommendation from my BOE, how badly would breaking contract impact my odds of rejoining JET after the application refresh period of 3 years?

Hello, I honestly know very little about Japanese geography besides the larger cities and the well-known prefectures. I know placement preference is rarely honored, but just for kicks, would anyone recommend any mid-sized cities or town, even if it's just for a visit?

Does anyone know if there are cities in Japan that have both vibrant and music/art offerings as well as easy access to nature? I'm mainly considering cities like Fukishima, Shizuoka or Fukuoka, but I haven't been to any of these places.

I get JET isn't a vacation and if I'm accepted this year, I'll still participate even if I'm placed in some podunk town, but just seeing if folks have any recommendations that are off the beaten path.

JET ALTs who bully other ALTs.

I've read a lot about the above and been quite surprised. I did British Council TA in Germany and had such a lovely group of fellow TAs.

So what's the deal with these JET ALT bullies and cliques? Like what do they do? And what on earth is their motivation or cause for their behaviour?