Aspiring Canadian JETs 2013

[Cheerful_Spirit]

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer so promptly and comprehensively!

Great, so the letters must be on letterhead, recent, in a sealed envelope with a signature. Got that. But I must find someone who agrees to write the letter within a month since the instruction sheet will only be available during the application period, right? And I understand that will be between October and November? Or is it between beginning of October and end of November (and thus two months all in all)? But at any rate, I will tell them what is generally asked of referees so they can start thinking about it.

If I submit my application in October/November then, I will have my grades up until this summer and the rest of my courses will be described as registered but not complete. Once I get the final grades I submit them to you (but that might not be before February/March). Or will you request them if I have made it this far? In the meantime, I also send a letter from my university stating I am supposed to graduate in December.

So the checklist is for the entire application process? How convenient! I thought it was only for the letter.

Great, I will try and keep in touch with those people then. But I should aim to make it in this year! Thanks a million once again!

[OttawaPC]

Great, so the letters must be on letterhead, recent, in a sealed envelope with a signature. Got that. But I must find someone who agrees to write the letter within a month since the instruction sheet will only be available during the application period, right? And I understand that will be between October and November? Or is it between beginning of October and end of November (and thus two months all in all)? But at any rate, I will tell them what is generally asked of referees so they can start thinking about it.

You certainly can ask people to write your letter of reference now if you wish. Just as your referee to comment on the following areas (if possible):
a) Teaching and/or communication style, including how comfortable they are with public speaking;
b) Leadership skills, including their ability to work with people and in groups;
c) Work performance, including how they handle pressure or challenging situations;
d) Career aspirations (of which you are aware) that may have motivate the applicant to participate in the JET Programme
All referees must include their full name and title, the department they work in and either a telephone number or email so that I can contact them.

The application will be available the beginning of October, and the deadline will be set near the end of November which will give you ample time if you collect all your necessary documents early.

If I submit my application in October/November then, I will have my grades up until this summer and the rest of my courses will be described as registered but not complete. Once I get the final grades I submit them to you (but that might not be before February/March). Or will you request them if I have made it this far? In the meantime, I also send a letter from my university stating I am supposed to graduate in December.

I will not need a copy of your final grades when you complete your courses, just the proof of your degree.

So the checklist is for the entire application process? How convenient! I thought it was only for the letter.

The checklist is for entire application, and will specify the order the documents need to be collated in.

I look forward to receiving your application, best of luck with all the preparations.

[Cheerful_Spirit]

You certainly can ask people to write your letter of reference now if you wish. Just as your referee to comment on the following areas (if possible):
a) Teaching and/or communication style, including how comfortable they are with public speaking;
b) Leadership skills, including their ability to work with people and in groups;
c) Work performance, including how they handle pressure or challenging situations;
d) Career aspirations (of which you are aware) that may have motivate the applicant to participate in the JET Programme
All referees must include their full name and title, the department they work in and either a telephone number or email so that I can contact them.

The application will be available the beginning of October, and the deadline will be set near the end of November which will give you ample time if you collect all your necessary documents early.

I will not need a copy of your final grades when you complete your courses, just the proof of your degree.

The checklist is for entire application, and will specify the order the documents need to be collated in.

I look forward to receiving your application, best of luck with all the preparations.

Thank you so much! Your help is very much appreciated! Everything is starting to look a lot clearer to me. I will be back with other questions later, most likely! Thanks a lot!

[Toktogul]

You certainly can ask people to write your letter of reference now if you wish. Just as your referee to comment on the following areas (if possible):
a) Teaching and/or communication style, including how comfortable they are with public speaking;
b) Leadership skills, including their ability to work with people and in groups;
c) Work performance, including how they handle pressure or challenging situations;
d) Career aspirations (of which you are aware) that may have motivate the applicant to participate in the JET Programme
All referees must include their full name and title, the department they work in and either a telephone number or email so that I can contact them.

The application will be available the beginning of October, and the deadline will be set near the end of November which will give you ample time if you collect all your necessary documents early.

I will not need a copy of your final grades when you complete your courses, just the proof of your degree.

The checklist is for entire application, and will specify the order the documents need to be collated in.

I look forward to receiving your application, best of luck with all the preparations.

Thank you so much! Your help is very much appreciated! Everything is starting to look a lot clearer to me. I will be back with other questions later, most likely! Thanks a lot!

Hey Stephanie! My name is Pierre-Adrien and i.m a current JET in Miyagi prefecture. I was interviewed in Montreal, so if you have any questions please feel free to PM me. Also, I`m french canadian, are you too? Jet application is a long and hard process, but in the long run it`s worth it.

[Cheerful_Spirit]

You certainly can ask people to write your letter of reference now if you wish. Just as your referee to comment on the following areas (if possible):
a) Teaching and/or communication style, including how comfortable they are with public speaking;
b) Leadership skills, including their ability to work with people and in groups;
c) Work performance, including how they handle pressure or challenging situations;
d) Career aspirations (of which you are aware) that may have motivate the applicant to participate in the JET Programme
All referees must include their full name and title, the department they work in and either a telephone number or email so that I can contact them.

The application will be available the beginning of October, and the deadline will be set near the end of November which will give you ample time if you collect all your necessary documents early.

I will not need a copy of your final grades when you complete your courses, just the proof of your degree.

The checklist is for entire application, and will specify the order the documents need to be collated in.

I look forward to receiving your application, best of luck with all the preparations.

Thank you so much! Your help is very much appreciated! Everything is starting to look a lot clearer to me. I will be back with other questions later, most likely! Thanks a lot!

Hey Stephanie! My name is Pierre-Adrien and i.m a current JET in Miyagi prefecture. I was interviewed in Montreal, so if you have any questions please feel free to PM me. Also, I`m french canadian, are you too? Jet application is a long and hard process, but in the long run it`s worth it.

Hi! Mind if I call you Pierre? I will certainly have questions for you as I go along the process. I'm also French Canadian, it's encouraging to know that some French Canadians make it in! My biggest concern is my accent... It really isn't that bad compared to other people. I actually think it's good but the French is still there lurking and I can't hide it completely. I''m trying to practice in the meantime to feel comfortable speaking it but I'm afraid that might rule me out... I do have good (I think) mastery of the grammar though.

[Toktogul]

Hey Steph, mind if I can you Steph?
Don't worry too much about your accent, I'm from Quebec city, and I do have a slight accent too. As long as It's not a huge/strong accent you will be fine. We are 2 french canadian in my city (in fact he was born and raised in France for 20+ years before coming to Canada, so he has a french accent) and they accepted us anyway. Also, take it has an advantage. The first thing the JET programme is trying to do is encouraging cultural exchanges, use the fact that you know english and french to give you and edge during the interviews. Also, when I tell my students that I was like them 12 years ago, an english student, they are very surprised and I think it makes it easier to teach, because we had to learn the same things back in the days. You also show them that It's possible to master english, and encourage them to go abroad to study english. Your accent won't even matter after that. Ehk, in class they have a cd with the textbook, and they listen to different accent from all over the world, including french. There is different accents in english, different pronunciations. There is soo many ways to use your french canadian identity to help enhance you chances to be picked upBe confident in your skills and everything will be fine I'm pretty sure!

If you want to talk about the whole process and need some tips, PM me or add me on facebook (I'll send you my name in PM).

Good luck
Pierre-Adrien

[Cheerful_Spirit]

Hey Steph, mind if I can you Steph?
Don't worry too much about your accent, I'm from Quebec city, and I do have a slight accent too. As long as It's not a huge/strong accent you will be fine. We are 2 french canadian in my city (in fact he was born and raised in France for 20+ years before coming to Canada, so he has a french accent) and they accepted us anyway. Also, take it has an advantage. The first thing the JET programme is trying to do is encouraging cultural exchanges, use the fact that you know english and french to give you and edge during the interviews. Also, when I tell my students that I was like them 12 years ago, an english student, they are very surprised and I think it makes it easier to teach, because we had to learn the same things back in the days. You also show them that It's possible to master english, and encourage them to go abroad to study english. Your accent won't even matter after that. Ehk, in class they have a cd with the textbook, and they listen to different accent from all over the world, including french. There is different accents in english, different pronunciations. There is soo many ways to use your french canadian identity to help enhance you chances to be picked upBe confident in your skills and everything will be fine I'm pretty sure!

If you want to talk about the whole process and need some tips, PM me or add me on facebook (I'll send you my name in PM).

Good luck
Pierre-Adrien

Please do! I go by the name Steph a lot more than Stephanie. Wow, what a boost of confidence your post just gave me! Thank you so much for the tips! There are so many ways to take advantage of my accent... I considered it a flaw, but there are positive sides to it! I hadn't seen it this way... I think I might come off as more approachable to the students and it will give them confidence to know that they can certainly learn like I did. It's easier to know how they feel since I went through that too. Wow. Thank you for enlightening me in such a way. I will build on this advantage instead of seeing it as a handicap. You can add me on Facebook (Sutefu Kim Chen); actually, anyone can, I really don't mind, my profile is public after all.

[darkaura]

Well here I am again getting ready to apply to the JET programme. I'm guessing that I'm not the only one who is franticly getting ready for the application process even before the applications open. I think that's good getting excited about this is awesome. Good luck to everyone who is applying.

[AVN]

Can't believe it's already September again...
Craziest part is that one of you might be my replacement this time!
I'm in my last year an my placement only ever gets Canadians!
So if you request Hokkaido you could very well be taking over for me!!!

[dtaylor]

Hello! I'm trying to get things organized here and was wondering about the letter of reference that has to be from a teacher since I'm a student. Does this have to be from a university professor or can it be from other teachers? For example; I recently did my last semester of student teaching and was wondering if I could ask my mentor teacher for a letter of reference.

Also, I had heard something about early departure from some people. Is this possible? I had heard that it takes place in March or April but wasn't able to find any information on the JET sites about it. Thanks!

[AVN]

Hello! I'm trying to get things organized here and was wondering about the letter of reference that has to be from a teacher since I'm a student. Does this have to be from a university professor or can it be from other teachers? For example; I recently did my last semester of student teaching and was wondering if I could ask my mentor teacher for a letter of reference.

Also, I had heard something about early departure from some people. Is this possible? I had heard that it takes place in March or April but wasn't able to find any information on the JET sites about it. Thanks!

Early departure is something you can apply for but very few people get. The big thing is you have to have finished your degree before then. For early departure you would be replacing someone who left early or possibly filling a spot in a city where they prefer early arrivals.

[nlChristina]

Hello, fellow Canadians!

I've been lurking on this thread since its creation and figured that it was about time that I introduce myself! My name is Christina and I am an Aspiring JET from Newfoundland and Labrador. I've been seriously considering JET since mid-July, so the fact that it's almost time to apply is a little nerve-wracking; however, I am very excited!

I do have a few questions already. If I am accepted for an interview, I will obviously have to fly to one of the interview locations as none are held here in NL. I am assuming that this interview location will be in the consulate through which I apply. Do I get to choose the consulate or do I have to go with the one that is geographically closest to me? Will applying through one consulate give me a better chance of being selected than another? While Halifax is closer, I would prefer to fly to Toronto or Ottawa to visit friends and make the most of my airfare.

I look forward to freaking out with the rest of you over the next several months!

[Eririn]

^^^ I think a teacher-mentor would count as something else (as in, not a professor). It would be your second letter of reference.
For instance, I'm not a student anymore, but one of my letter will be from a former prof, and my other letter will be from the ESL teacher/mentor who I did my TESL placement with. They're both teachers, obviously, but one was more literally my teacher, and the other was a mentor. Hopefully this makes sense. ^_^

I must start physically preparing for this soon! For a while I've been thinking about what I'll write in my statement of purpose and about how my skills/knowledge/interests apply to the JET programme, but I'm still really nervous. I don't have much formal experience working with youth (though I've done peer-related volunteering at all levels of my education), and I've never taken a class in Japanese. I've been trying to learn Japanese on my own, though. I just hope what that I have done will count towards something.

Also, a question. This might be an odd concern, but here it goes: I read on another thread that on your application/in the interview, it's better to say that you are interested in things like ikebana and taiko drums rather than Japanese pop culture. Is this true? Because it seems a bit...ridiculous. I'm sure many of us became interested in Japan through things like anime and manga (it was Spirited Away, for me), and I don't think I should have to hide this. I'm immensely into Japanese history and literature as well (one of my longterm goals is being able to read Higuchi Ichiyo's journals in the original Japanese, even if I don't want to learn ikebana), so could a balance of interests between traditional and new still get someone the job?

[yujia]

^^^ I think a teacher-mentor would count as something else (as in, not a professor). It would be your second letter of reference.
For instance, I'm not a student anymore, but one of my letter will be from a former prof, and my other letter will be from the ESL teacher/mentor who I did my TESL placement with. They're both teachers, obviously, but one was more literally my teacher, and the other was a mentor. Hopefully this makes sense. ^_^

I must start physically preparing for this soon! For a while I've been thinking about what I'll write in my statement of purpose and about how my skills/knowledge/interests apply to the JET programme, but I'm still really nervous. I don't have much formal experience working with youth (though I've done peer-related volunteering at all levels of my education), and I've never taken a class in Japanese. I've been trying to learn Japanese on my own, though. I just hope what that I have done will count towards something.

Also, a question. This might be an odd concern, but here it goes: I read on another thread that on your application/in the interview, it's better to say that you are interested in things like ikebana and taiko drums rather than Japanese pop culture. Is this true? Because it seems a bit...ridiculous. I'm sure many of us became interested in Japan through things like anime and manga (it was Spirited Away, for me), and I don't think I should have to hide this. I'm immensely into Japanese history and literature as well (one of my longterm goals is being able to read Higuchi Ichiyo's journals in the original Japanese, even if I don't want to learn ikebana), so could a balance of interests between traditional and new still get someone the job?

I've been thinking about my statement of purpose as well! Do you know what's the word limit?

What are the qualities of a good ALT candidate? Does anyone know the percentage of people being hired each year?

Thank you for your help!

[AVN]

^^^ I think a teacher-mentor would count as something else (as in, not a professor). It would be your second letter of reference.
For instance, I'm not a student anymore, but one of my letter will be from a former prof, and my other letter will be from the ESL teacher/mentor who I did my TESL placement with. They're both teachers, obviously, but one was more literally my teacher, and the other was a mentor. Hopefully this makes sense. ^_^

I must start physically preparing for this soon! For a while I've been thinking about what I'll write in my statement of purpose and about how my skills/knowledge/interests apply to the JET programme, but I'm still really nervous. I don't have much formal experience working with youth (though I've done peer-related volunteering at all levels of my education), and I've never taken a class in Japanese. I've been trying to learn Japanese on my own, though. I just hope what that I have done will count towards something.

Also, a question. This might be an odd concern, but here it goes: I read on another thread that on your application/in the interview, it's better to say that you are interested in things like ikebana and taiko drums rather than Japanese pop culture. Is this true? Because it seems a bit...ridiculous. I'm sure many of us became interested in Japan through things like anime and manga (it was Spirited Away, for me), and I don't think I should have to hide this. I'm immensely into Japanese history and literature as well (one of my longterm goals is being able to read Higuchi Ichiyo's journals in the original Japanese, even if I don't want to learn ikebana), so could a balance of interests between traditional and new still get someone the job?

In regards to references. It would be best, for balance and because this is a job, to have a letter of reference from an employer as well as a professor. Unless you don't have one you could get a reference from.

I believe there is still a spot on the application where you can list your study of Japanese and just indicate it is self study and your level. They're not looking for certification just an idea of your level.

As for the last question it is a very common concern and the reason for it, as far as I have been able to gather is not so much anything to do with having been introduced to the culture through anime or the likes. It's more to do with what does that really tell the employer. Remember your SOP is not a letter explaining who you are. Your SOP is you selling yourself. Tell them why you would be good for the job. What you can do for them. If you can use your interest in pop culture as a selling point on why you would be an amazing ALT sure fine but most of the time it doesn't come across well as that's a reason you like Japan not a reason Japan will like you. With traditional things you can sell it as you want to join local cultural events etc and participate in the community etc.
So long as you keep in mind that the goal is to sell yourself as an ALT not an introduction or a love story with Japan then you should be fine.