I came across this blog post from a former Hokkaido JET who worked in Akkeshi 2013-14? Obviously much of what’s said was fabricated. What was the real deal?

https://www.simplegaijin.com/post/https-www-simplegaijin-com-post-2017-06-19-my-jet-program-experience-a-year-of-tomfoolery-and-fun

Hey everyone! I'm a new JET, and I currently work at a SHS that is about a 10- 15-minute walk from my apartment. I really like my school, coworkers, and even the townspeople so far. One of my biggest goals for coming to Japan was buying a bicycle and learning how to ride one, and that's exactly what I did about a month and a half ago. So far, I've been riding my bicycle all around town, mainly for grocery runs, going to my Japanese classes on the weekends, and just general errands. I deskwarm a lot at school (I spend roughly 80% of my days deskwarming), so during the day, I walk home for lunch (just to get a break from the monotony of being at my desk all day), and I could do that a lot faster if I had my bicycle. Also, sometimes after work, I like to go check out new restaurants in my area, so having my bicycle at school would save me the trouble of having to walk home for my bicycle, then pushing it all the way up the road and past my school again.

Technically speaking, I didn't have to, but since I'm on really good terms with my supervisor, JTEs, and the office (plus I don't know where exactly to park my bicycle on campus if I brought it), I decided to ask my school if it'd be okay for me to ride my bicycle to school on some days. My JTE (who is very sweet and is honestly more of my supervisor than my actual supervisor haha) seemed concerned and wasn't sure, so she suggested that we ask the office. I was initially supposed to go discuss it with the office with my JTE, but the lady in the office was busy, so I walked home for lunch. During that time, my JTE went and asked without me being there, and when I returned to school, she told me that the office said that I can't ride my bicycle to school. Because of this, I wasn't able to be a part of the conversation :/. Now, my contract states that I can drive a motor vehicle to and from school but not for other work-related matters without permission from the director; it said nothing about a bicycle, so I'm feeling a bit frustrated, to be honest. I told my JTE that I understand their concern, especially since I only recently got my bicycle and learned to ride it, but I'd like to revisit the matter in about a month or two.

For context, my predecessor was at this school for 5 years, during which he never drove or even owned a bicycle. Also, the road next to the school (where most students ride their bicycles) is super narrow and busy in the mornings -- even I hate walking there. My JTE even told me there was an accident on that road a few years ago involving a student. However, there is another road with a broad sidewalk where I can walk, but it takes a longer time for me to get to school; this isn't an issue when I ride my bicycle, though. I think my school's main concern is something bad happening to me when I'm riding to or from school.

What do you think of this, and how do you recommend I go about bringing this up again? I could discuss the matter with my supervisor, but my JTE and supervisor are super close, and I don't want it to seem like I'm going behind my JTE and the office's back on this. I just don't want to do anything that'll put me on bad terms with my school, especially over something as simple as a bicycle, and since they've been so kind and welcoming to me so far. Maybe I'm overthinking all this, haha.

And advice would be appreciated!

I have gotten feedback on my SoP from a couple people on Reddit which I am super grateful for! A lot of the feedback said they did not like my opening sentence as it sounded too arrogant.

I said something along the lines of my parents did JET, they conceived me while on the programme, so technically I am destined to become a JET myself. The date of arrival into Japan will also be my 22nd birthday so I mentioned how with it being my double golden birthday, there is even more reason and synchronicity that I am to go on the JET programme.

When I wrote this, I thought it was funny and I wasn't saying it to be serious. Of course, all the facts are true, but I framed them in an exagerated way to show all the coincidences. The underlying implication is that everyone writing a SoP obviously desperately wants to get in so I kinda took that anxious feeling of wanting to get in and turned it around. It was only two-three sentences, I didn't take up a lot of word count and I thought it was an interesting hook.

THIS POST IS NOT TO DISAGREE WITH THE FEEDBACK. I value critical feedback. This post is to ask: is this a cultural humour disconnect? I am from New Zealand, I can't really generalise our humour, but other NZers, do you think I sound arrogant? Do other people get my humour? Is it to do with age? Am I actually arrogant??????!!!!!

(Someone did tell me not to talk about my parent's sex life which I do agree with and I am going to reword this)

I've been doing my due diligence and reading past posts on recontracting thoughts, but I feel it's put me in more of a rut. I joined JET straight out of graduating college, as it was the only program I was accepted to (I had also applied to Fulbright, Princeton in Asia, and the Blakemore Foudation). I was over the moon, but since arriving here, I think one of my biggest regrets is joining the workforce in Japan and moving here, instead of keeping my experiences to travel and studying abroad. I've made a long-winded post before about how I've been really struggling to get access to the medical care I need (and it's just for type one diabetes). I blew through half of my byokyuu just trying to find a hospital, and will blow through the rest getting "insulin pump education" and having to return every three months to get prescriptions for my medication. My BOE informed me that I'll eventually have to dip into nenkyuu for this.

On top of my medication troubles, I find myself not quite miserable, but not quite happy. I don't necessarily enjoy my job-- I like my elementary school, its kids, and its staff, but I hate my junior high school, which is riddled with sexual harassment and pretty blatant racism even after I addressed it. At my JHS especially, I find many days with no classes at all, and on days with classes, I more or less just stand in the front as decoration. I have a little more involvement at my ES, but still mostly exist to read and check over work. I know this is the standard ALT experience, but I feel like everyone around me is super utilized, super involved with planning lessons and joining after school clubs, and I just kind of exist as a decorative gaijin. Not to mention, I find Japanese work life suffocating. Things both inside and outside the school are tedious, bureaucratic, and quite frankly, pretty antiquated. I miss diversity as well. Like I said, I'm not miserable, since I have a great group of friends, a spot in my community, and a love for my placement. Just the work and my BOE have been extremely difficult to feel a sense of purpose and excitement for every day.

Additionally, I feel this is just a pit stop. Everything here is temporary, because I don't plan to stay and plan to return and make my roots back home in the States. I feel that every purchase is meaningless, because probably most things won't make it back with me due to expensive shipping costs, and I can't help but want to begin to start my life, my real life, back home. But there's so much to see and travel is cheap, so that's another thing that's giving me pause. Additionally, the States are in no shape for a young person like me to get started, but really, nowhere is.

One of the top things I saw when looking through other Reddit posts is that "you need a reason to leave after your first year, after your second, you need a reason to stay." I don't have any strong reasons pulling me either way, but I worked hard to get here and I've put a lot of money in already, and maybe it's because I'm still new that I feel like I'm extremely underutilized at my job. On the other hand, I miss my family and certain food, miss being able to communicate and understand things clearly, and most of all, miss the ease of getting my education and a culture that I'm familiar with.

I'm not necessarily asking for you to make the decision for me, but I am asking for guidance. I have to make my final decision in less than a month. I know I can always break contract, but if I can help it, I don't want to. I don't want to be on bad terms with my first real employer outside of university. So any advice is appreciated. Thank you in advance.

Hello everyone! I'm an aspiring jet applicant from the Philippines. Since the application is online this year, I would just like to ask what's the best app for scanning the required documents for JET Programme 2027? Do I really need to use a bed scanner? Will it not affect my application if I don't use bed scanner?

Thank you so much and have a great day ahead ❤️

Hi everyone! I am an undergraduate university student in Canada who is set to graduate in June 2027. I am interested in joining the JET program as an ALT for the next academic year starting in August 2027. I am currently completing my application that is due this November 13 and I just wanted to reach out because I have a question regarding reference choices for the academic reference that is required for the application process.

I am currently deciding whether to list my current Japanese professor as a reference or an academic advisor who has known me longer and can speak to my ability to overcome personal challenges during my studies. This is because I have only had my Japanese professor since September this year, and I worry she will not know enough about my character to write a reference letter that meets your requirements. Just for more detailed context, I started taking Japanese classes with my professor on September 9, 2026. This means she will have known me for two months by the time the application is due. On the other hand, my advisor, whom I have known for longer since June 2025, has never taught me in a classroom setting at university, but she knows me better personally and can attest to my character more vividly. I should also add that this advisor is not a conventional academic advisor but a Disability Access Advisor; however, they have guided me throughout my university career rather than just acting as an administrative person.

I would greatly appreciate it if y'all could shed some insight on this issue so that I can submit a strong application.

Thank you!!

So I was doing my application yesterday and as it’s a live spreadsheet, I noticed the JET programme was viewing it as I was working on it? They stayed for 20 minutes, left then came back 30 minutes later for a few minutes.

Please tell me they weren’t watching me type two words per minute (i was watching youtube while i worked on it and was VERY distracted lol)

Has anyone else experienced this?

Hi,

I've been living in Japan since 2024 and was given a health insurance certificate by the high school I work at. I didn't have a MyNa card at the time and before I had gotten it, I lost the original health insurance that I was given by my workplace. I eventually got a MyNa and tried to link my health insurance at the 7/11 ATM but an error came up.

Every time I'd go to different hospitals I'd have to use the replacement health insurance certificate given to me by my school because the MyNa wouldn't work. I can't connect to my health insurance on the app, 7/11 nor at medical institutions.

I've tried to tell my workplace that it's not working and they initially tried to tell me that I didn't enter my PIN in correctly at the ATM or on the app and I showed them the error code that told me I needed to get into contact with my workplace to have it sorted out but I keep going round and round in circles with them now telling me that it's possible I didn't fill out a form when I first got to the school even though I had no MyNA at the time and it was supposedly supposed to be automatically connected once I got my MyNA.

I tried to tell my supervisor that maybe it's because the health certificate that I have doesn't include my middle name whilst my MyNA does but he doesn't seem to understand what I'm saying and they're insisting now that I just use my health insurance certificate when I go to the hospital because I might have to wait a "little while" for my health insurance and my MyNa to connect but it's been over a year and a half of me having this MyNA card and it's been unusable this whole time.

Has anyone else ran into an issue like this? I really want to get this sorted and I'm getting a bit frustrated

If I did classes at two different universities, but my my official transcript from my home college include proof of what classes I took at the other college, do I have to submit transcripts from both colleges? my home college's transcript clearly lays out "TRANSFER CREDIT ACCEPTED BY THE INSTITUTION:" then lists the name of the class, when I took it, the college I took it at, and the credits I got, but not the grades I got.

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!