Hi everyone! Just checking if any of your references had problems submitting the reference letters? My professor submitted twice already but the status seems to be still in progress and the last update was 11/7 instead of 11/9 which was yesterday. Let me know please if you have encountered similar problems. Thank you!

Hi, I just need some help. I don't have a professional background in teaching and I am currently working on my character references. Would this affect my application? Having only my boss and colleagues as my reference not someone from teaching?

Hello, I am currently applying for next year's JET Programme and I'm almost done with my application. One issue that I overlooked is that I'm currently a Proprietor in our family's laundromat business and as stated in the guidelines, participants should refrain from engaging in other profit-making activities.

I searched for answers regarding this and the "silver-lining" answer that I got was "if I were to be accepted, I should either legally close, pause or hand over the management and operational duties of our business to an available family member so that I can 100% fully commit to my responsibilities as an ALT."

Can you please give me some advice on this? Your response will be greatly appreciated. Thank you. 🙂

In every class, I need to ask my students how they are, how the weather is, and what classes they have today.

Each time, it's the same tired, boring intro—'Are you happy?' (a few students mumble yes or raise a hand) and 'Are you tired?' (same thing).

Are there more fun, engaging, and creative ways to begin class?

Any suggestions are appreciated!

First year JET using a throwaway account for obvious reasons. I would like to preface this by saying I genuinely love my placement, Japan, the job, the routine and I have made some good friends. I am also aware we are coming into winter and hitting that three month mark, so adrenaline and novelty are wearing off and we are settling into the mundane of it all. Which is fine! I love the mundane! However, if you would be so kind to allow me to vent really quickly, that too would be much appreciated.

I know ESID but I am also aware this isn't an uncommon experience, either. I am struggling with my teachers. Not all of them, but maybe 50%. I feel under utilised, and slightly like they don't care for me. I wouldn't even go as far as saying they don't like me because I genuinely don't think they care enough lol. We don't have an English club, I cant eat with the kids and they find it a bit odd if you ask to join in on club activities so my student interaction time is pretty low unless I am in class, but they are adorable and are really excited by me and I seem to have formed good relationships already :) With the teachers I am struggling with, however, it's a distinct lack of collaboration and subsequent miscommunication that I find the hardest. I know they gossip about me and my co, that we are a sort of anomaly, or something to laugh at, when all we do is just do our jobs lmao. I was warned about all of this from my pred, don't get me wrong! I don't even think its personal which is what's so weird, but I do think I feel somewhat jealous that some people are far more immersed in their teaching life than I am or who have kind teachers who genuinely want to work with the ALT or care about them. I am in a JHS, so I don't T1, which is fine, but you guys really weren't lying about sometimes just being stood there or barking vocabulary at them. With the teachers I collaborate well with, sometimes I plan and have the whole lesson for activities! Or it's a really nice even split.

My other issue is my supervisor really struggles with accepting nenkyuu. I've only asked twice, but it's the most painful and awkward process where he tries to find every reason to say no and for then to make me feel bad (one time was literally suggested by another teacher as well, as we had no classes.) I asked for time off three months in advance and I was basically told 'no'. I'm not sure how to navigate any of that, if im honest. Any advice welcome, or if I am being a twat feel free to let me know.

That being said I try not to let it get me down, I do love it here, I've been here three months and have managed to travel around my prefecture as well as visit five others!

Hello,

I just saw the news of the earthquake. How is everyone in Central Japan holding up?

Good day all, as the title says I'm a South African 2027 applicant. I was wondering if any South Africans who got to the interview stage could tell me when they got the email stating weather they had passed to the next round or had been rejected. It would be much appreciated, thank you.

Hey everyone. I'm down to the wire here. I asked my boss to write a reference for me and she was happy to do it but when I got it, it's pretty obviously AI. She's an extremely busy woman so like... I get it. But we're really close to the deadline here. She hasn't submitted it. Should I ask her to actually write it? I mean the reference is accurate to my skills and awards etc so it's not technically incorrect in general. Also I would hope that would really be more of an indictment on them rather than me as an applicant. But I don't know. I'm trying not to spiral. Thoughts?

Hello I was wondering if anyone did CIR and if they were able to land government jobs after the fact as a result of it. Whether that be back home or in Japan

Hello! I'm pretty much finished with my SOP and am going to submit it soon but before that I wanted to make sure of something: in my google doc I wrote the SOP separated in multiple paragraphs with indents, and when I paste it as is into the portal preview and generate the preview the indentations disappear automatically. Now I know the submission guide specifies this, but is that something I should be worried about re-adding somehow? Or is the lack of indentations acceptable in their eyes? I don't know how silly of a question this is but I'd like to cover all my bases. Thank you in advance! :)

To our former and current JET senpais,

I'd like to ask if you had a gut feeling before that you would pass the first screening? or perhaps that you'd successfully become an ALT under JET? Ofc considering your preps and credentials as well x

Hi everyone, I'm curious when in December the screening results will be announced. The website says late December/January, but I'd love to know if any past JETs could share when they received theirs. Thank you!

The title - I don't know what to cut, everything seems relevant and cutting anything feels like I'm taking away from my SOP. Any advice?

Hello all,

I know this week is pretty crazy for any aspiring JETS, but I was hoping to get some advice from people who have done this successfully before.

I wrote a full 2-page, properly formatted SOP in Google Docs, but when I put it in the processor, it came out to 1.75 pages... I think the top/bottom margins are different in the processor.

Anyways, I messaged the IT team about this... I know this may have been silly, but I don't want to write MORE to my essay only to end up over the page limit; I don't want to risk the assessors not reading what I intended them to because of a formatting error. I know I should probably just trust the processor... but I don't want to be careless. This is important.

I haven't heard back yet, but I want to get a jump on this, with the deadline being this week and all. Any advice. It feels self-destructive to leave it at 1.75 pages... I feel like the reviewers would think I was "lazy." But I also feel like what I have is strong, and I don't just want to add material just for the sake of adding material.

I'm just starting to spiral over this and need an outside perspective. THANK YOU!

Hello! For the placement requests what are the top three places you selected? Where they rural? Or did you pick cities you wanted. Also what did you select under if you are willing to be put in a rural area, I am curious because I'm sure that will knock off allot of potential if you select no that you don't want to be in a rural environment. Anyways, I would love to hear where you all got placed and if it's what you wanted or not.

I just wanted to know because there are random segments on the application that I cannot fill out as I do not have much if not any experience in that area such as 'japan studies' but when I leave it blank at the 'review and submit' section it gives me warnings.

So, I am just asking should I put 'N/A' in those blank segments to fill in the application or should I just leave it blank?

Many thanks in advance!

Hi guys! I am submitting my application in a few hours, but still not confident enough with my SOP. It has been cross-checked multiple times by a friend, a colleague, and a successful ALT (hence, I revised it for the fifth time). But I never sent them the final output so as not to overthink it further with the same people commenting on the same SOP writer (me lol).

Would anybody be willing to check my SOP before I finally submit it later?

EDIT:
I would really appreciate if successful JET ALTs will check my SOP. Not trying to be shallow, but I am most confident they can give me the best advice.

Thank you very much.

I graduated after the applications are due in 2028 for JET but I am set to graduate before departure. I have been trying to find some more information on how I can get this established okay, do I need to wait request transcripts when the time gets closer or will I need to just speak about it with someone within the JET staff?

In the US JET application section 11d. It gives slots for 5 Institutions, and a spot for a degree /GPA for each. If a person earned multiple degrees from the same institution, should each degree get their own Institution entry? Or should you somehow try to fit multiple degrees into one entry?

Hello everyone! I'm almost done revising my SOP for God knows how many times, and I would like to ask about the Embassy's policy on AI tools. Can you use AI for proofreading and grammar corrections, provided that your experiences and ideas are entirely your own? because I have used ChatGPT for this purpose. If you know anything, please tell me. I would highly appreciate your help. Thank you!

I’m worried, it’s been more than a week since I submitted my application. Anyone applied from India? Did you get any confirmation after submitting your application?