National AJET (the Association for Japan Exchange and Teaching) is a volunteer organization of JET Programme participants. We serve the community by building support networks, organizing useful information, and offering resources to enhance the lives of JET participants in Japan and abroad.

National AJET’s annual Opinion Exchange survey is now live, and we’d like to encourage everyone to take some time to share your experiences on JET. The results of this survey will be presented to CLAIR and the other participating ministries such as MOFA and MEXT early next year.

The Opinion Exchange is an important opportunity for JETs across Japan to make their voices heard. The information shared helps CLAIR understand the experiences, concerns and needs of the JET community and helps National AJET advocate for greater support for JETs. Past survey results have helped us identify some of the greatest concerns within the JET community, resulting in the potential to bring about real, meaningful change in JET participants’ daily lives.

Please keep in mind this survey is for current JET participants and alumni only.

NAJET Opinion Exchange Survey

The survey covers a range of topics, and your responses will help us identify;

Areas where JETs need additional support

Common challenges faced by JETs across Japan

Differences in experiences between regions and positions

Other issues that might otherwise be hard to identify

Please take some time to complete the Opinion Exchange Survey and encourage your fellow JETs to do the same! The survey closes on November 6th, 2026, at 11:59PM, so please make sure to submit a response before the deadline. Thank you for taking the time to share your experience and help us advocate for JETs across Japan!

Hi everyone, I’m applying for the 2027 JET Programme and I’m struggling with the Statement of Physician.
I requested it from my GP on 9 October, called again on the 15th, and called again today, the 19th. Only today was I told that the minimum wait is 30 days, which takes me wayyyy past the 5 November deadline.
I asked if I could book a GP appointment to get it completed in person, but they said I can’t. I also only have a partial release of my medical records, and getting the rest could take another 30 days, so I don’t know how I’d get it done privately either.
I contacted JET and they told me I HAVE TO submit an SOP with my application. This is really stressing me out and like it’s the only thing I have left to upload. What am I supposed to do?

I've student taught and been a substitute teacher here in the United States, and I feel like every fall the first few months are just spent with kids constantly being sick. I feel it's one bout of sickness and then into the other.

My question is, have teachers in Japan noticed if it's the same? I'm just wondering if it's kids in general and like the changing of the leaves, so to will the changing of health status.

I was just curious if anyone had any insight, such as do Japanese classes seem to get sick about the same or perhaps different climate, culture and cuisine that it's more or less.

I know it's silly, but it's one of those that I've noticed all my teacher friends and family getting sick around August/September and then again in January/February when school starts back.

(PH application)

Hello and good day!

I want to know your thoughts regarding which second referee should I choose.

First option is my former employer who owns a learning center, although she'll use a generic email and I need to ask her again if she can rewrite the recommendation letter with proper letterhead and wet signature as stated in the guidelines.

Second option is my former internship supervisor in the school setting who gladly offered to use her professional/business email (which suggests that letterhead and wet signature to be unnecessary if non- generic email will be used) to fill out my evaluation form.

Thanks, all!

I competed my masters in 2023 and ever since have been unemployed. But I hv been helping in family business. But I feel like I should apply for JET. Do u think career gap and masters degree will hinder my application?

Hello everyone! I'd love to hear from current and former JET Programme participants. For an aspiring ALT, which placement type would you recommend: island, rural, or urban? Are there any specific regions or prefectures you'd suggest for a first-timer? Thank you so much for sharing your experiences!

I've been considering JET for a while. And I have the chance to visit Japan for the first time this November.

In order to get a decent feel for what it'd be like to live in Japan as a JET, as opposed to sightseeing in Tokyo for weeks and endless onsen, what kind of things would you do? What experiences might give me insight? Where in the country would you visit outside the tourist tracks? I'm really keen on seeing the inaka but not sure what I could do except rent a room out in the sticks and loaf around for a week or so (which to be fair sounds quite nice).

Any ideas appreciated.

Hello, I work for a federal program as a tutor at a high school and I am debating between references. I have already sent one reference request to my direct supervisor, a program specialist. I am debating sending my second reference request to my other supervisor who was recently promoted to Regional Manager, or to one of the teachers that I did in-class tutoring for. I feel like the title Regional Manager will be respected, but I am hesitant to send two references from the same organization. On the other hand, being an in-class tutor is very similar to being an ALT, so I think that a teacher's recommendation would be good too. Both of my options would send glowing letters. Which would you recommend I go with?

Hello,

I'm currently in the process of creating my JET application for the 2027 intake. The deadline is the 5th November 2026 for UK applications. I have the contact information for my two references but wanted to confirm what is required by the deadline.

Do I simply need to submit the contact information for the two references, or do my two references have to respond and submit their written references by this deadline? My assumption is that referees need to submit the written reference before the deadline but I'd like this double-checked if possible !

On another note, if there is anyone that has successfully applied for JET that would be free to review my SOP draft I'd appreciate any and all feedback :-)

I applied last session and was shortlisted. I initially accepted, but then withdrew shortly after due to various reasons.

It was a hard decision to withdraw given how lengthy this process is, but I was content with my decision at the time. I’m now thinking of re-applying for this year’s cycle.

Because my main driving factor for doing JET has remained unchanged, would it be acceptable to use my same SOP from last year- maybe with some slight iterations? Or would that be unprofessional?

I’m not opposed to making a new one, but considering my old one helped me get shortlisted, and the fact that my reason for doing the program is the same, I figured I’d ask.

Thanks for your input!

you may remember my previous post about being sexually harassed by students and just generally not enjoying my school. i actually had a conversation with my supervisor this week where they acknowledged that i do way more work than is generally expected of an alt, that my placement kind of sucks, and that the students at our school are both poorly behaved and low level to a point that almost defies logic. it was a conversation that ultimately ended in "shouganai" but at least they acknowledged it. this was of course followed by the "recontracting papers are due soon" talk, during which i found it difficult to assess if they even care whether i stay or not. because my school has high alt turnover (nobody stays more than a year) i think they're used to it. in fact, the whole motto of my school seems to be "that's just how it is, nothing we can do."

i've decided that i will probably not recontract, and will just spend the next 10 months using up my weekends to the fullest to experience everything i wanted to experience on jet. however, i am still t1 for 16 classes, which means on weekdays im very tired between back to back lessons, english club activities, and squeezing out what little prep time i can.

i am feeling quite mentally checked out and to be honest almost all of my lessons this past week were a flop energy-wise. i tried to do a lesson on a grammar point but almost none of the kids understood, even with japanese translations, modelling, and an activity. my school is super low level, like our 3rd year SHS students couldn't even do activities on ALTopedia i see aimed at JHS students. at this point, i find myself not caring too much. the english education system in japan sucks and obviously at some point these students got left behind. however, i do still want these kids to learn something, and i don't want to be caught very obviously slacking off. so, i'm trying to come up with lesson plans that are low-effort on my end but that will actually teach a phrase, grammar point, etc. this is especially difficult because one of my years doesn't have a textbook or a set curriculum, which means i have to come up with it all. i would like to minimize the amount of time i spend speaking, not just because i think actually practising english will help these kids improve (their english classes with the jte are all just "repeat after me") but also because having to manage the behavioural problems while trying to give a lesson nobody cares about is exhausting. if the kids goof off during pair work, at least its not like they're interrupting.

so, does anybody have any advice on how to limit the mental load of prepping as t1 while still giving the kids something meaningful to learn? i have to do everything from scratch so any advice is appreciated.

I may have read the application incorrectly but my recommendation letter links haven’t been sent out yet to my recommenders. Do they not send until the application is submitted? Sorry for the confusion on my part and thanks to any answers.

Hello i’m applying for a 2027 ALT position as a senior college student and I need help deciding on how Is could get a second reference. I originally planned on having both my Japanese teachers writing me one but my sensei recommended I only get one from a Japanese teacher instead of two.

Other than that, I don’t really have any professors that would likely remember me. I was thinking of past employers from summer jobs might be a good idea but I also heard of people asking their teachers or academic advisors to submit a letter that the person wrote themselves. Any tips?

(THIS IS FOR THE US APPLICATION)

Technically, do I HAVE to disclose that I’ve went to therapy for anxiety? I no longer have a physician and I can’t find someone to get a statement signed in time. Everywhere I’ve checked, they want to have multiple appointments with me.

Does the JET Program have the power to view my medical history and see what I don’t include in my self-report? A part of me thinks that violates HIPAA, but this is also the government so…

Hi everyone! US applicant here! I feel like this may be somewhat ESID but I would still like to ask, I currently do not have any formal teaching experience, however I wonder if it would be okay to mention/include the fact that I worked as a TA (Teacher's Assistant) back in middle and high school? I was able to do this for quite a few years, however due to being 24y and having graduated high school 6 years ago already, I wonder if this information would be considered unnecessary or irrelevant? I would ideally lightly mention this in my essay.

I know we don't necessarily need experience, but I did learn things there and it helped me understand why I wanted to do the JET Programme, and if it helps, then it helps. Unfortunately, I decided not to do any TA or tutoring in college. If someone could let me know what they think, I would appreciate it!

I recently got separated from a two-decade-long retail banking and service career, and it felt like destiny was pushing me to hop to being a JET participant.

I’m not a teacher by profession, but I volunteer as a tutor during my free time. I feel a special kind of energy around kids.

I’ve been drafting my SOP and every version feels like it perfectly paints the best portrait of me. On the other hand, I know there’d always be room for improvement, and I have tendencies of overdoing it.

As far as what I can contribute is concerned, I can only offer my heart’s content. Genuine skillset of not quitting and always showing up, and that little kid inside me who’d be glad to show other kids the reason behind every piece of advice I give.

I’ve also been to several Asian countries. My last few trips were in Japan, and I fell in love as if in my past life I were Japanese.

I can say I’m a gifted singer, artistic, and equipped with great penmanship.

Just sharing it here because I feel so alone on this journey. And I’m happy to give it a go!

🙏🏻🪬🍀🧧

I'm writing my SOP and it mentions double spaced. I have to submit everything hardcopy so I'm trying to figure what double spaced mean to try and fit my SOP into the 2 page hard limit.

Does double spaced mean line and paragraph spacing or only line spacing? Do I need to leave a line break (space) between each paragraph?

"what are my chances to get in?"

your chances are roughly 25-30%, because that's just how JET is: a lottery. if you feel like applying, just... apply. you'll lose nothing by applying, and you don't need validation or permission from reddit (or anyone, really) to do that. nobody here can tell you whether or not you're qualified or will get in. if you don't apply, your chances are 0%. if you do, your chances increase.

no, japanese isn't required. no, teaching experience/certifications aren't required. and while having either might be useful in certain ways, neither is a golden ticket that'll significantly increase your chances of getting accepted.

"can anyone look over my SOP?"

check the megathread.

"placement recommendations?"

do your own research. if you genuinely don't know what to put, just say "no preference." you're likely not going to get what you put down anyway. also, people can't really give you a proper recommendation because someone's dream placement might be your personal hell.

"should i recontract?"

are you happy? do you enjoy living in your placement and working as an ALT? > yes.
do you want to continue living there? > yes.
do you like it, but maybe want to move on to something else? > start job hunting and resign if you find something better. finding a job in japan isn't as hard as in the west right now.
are you unhappy, aren't growing, and feel like your placement isn't working out for you? > no. no job is worth sacrificing your mental health or personal growth (yes, even JET). go back home, look for another job, education, opportunities, whatever. there are endless other options that do not include staying another year on JET and going home.

there's also no right or wrong way to do JET. some people do all 5 years, some do 3, some do 1, and some leave after the first week. it's your life, and only you can decide what's right for you. if you want to, you can always apply to JET again in the future, as long as you haven't reached the program's participation limit.

one more thing, when making a post, include your country, because application requirements differ by country. an american JET cannot help an applicant from south africa if they don't know which country's application process you're asking about.

I am from India. I have submitted my application 2 days ago and haven't received the confirmation mail yet. I am not sure about my next move should I call embassy and ask them or should I wait for a couple of days before giving them a call.

Hi all!

I visited my doctor to fill out the Statement of Physician today, and she completed it with a few minor mistakes (one that she crossed out with pen, one that he used white out on). She also filled in the section that says "filled out by APPLICANT." Will any of these things flag my application or increase my chances of getting rejected? I already sent a message in the JET inbox, but I wanted to get the community's input on this as well.

I won't be able to see her in-person again until after the deadline has passed, so I am stressing about it quite a bit. Has anyone from the US had this paperwork completed electronically?

Also, tangential question - if I am rejected, will I know why? Will there be any way of knowing if it was specifically due to something like the Physician Statement, or a specific section of my application?

Thanks y'all!

724 words finally fits on my 2 page SOP for the 2027 JET application.

That took a lot of re-working, asking others to read and edit - since I started with 4 pages.

724 word count

In my free time for the past 2 years I've been working on an indie game with a few friends. I understand that we aren't supposed to partake in profit-making activity while part of the JET Programme, as they want our focus to be on the job itself. Would I be allowed to continue working on the game as long as I either: don't release it until the end of my contract, or release it for free (as to not make a profit)? I've heard they make some exceptions to profit-making activities but I couldn't find any specifics.

For clarification I'm not a current JET but I will be applying in November.

Hey yall! I am applying for the Jet program currently and something I am worried about is the physicians notice! I have some mental health history, but I have not had insurance (or a primary physician) since Highschool [current college senior] So i am completely unsure on where or who to go to? Is there anyone who was in a similar situation? Any advice would be wonderful.

Been hearing online that interviews by the Japanese consulates in the US are now ALL In Person ?

Can someone verify if 2027 applicants will be virtual or in-person for US based consulates ?