Alternates 2012

[miami_coordinator]

With the Group B departures gone and the Group C's happening soon, there will still be a few more upgrades that will happen, but they will be sporadic. The waves are basically over, and for the most part any upgrades from this point out will largely be because of current JETs who break contract (which is not necessarily a sign that they were in a bad place; many break contract because of health or job reasons, or because they cannot handle the change in countries or distance from their families).

Upgrades will continue through the rest of the fall and into the winter (technically the cutoff is mid-December, but I have seen upgrades take place in January and even February before, so that is a possibility). If you are still interested in being a JET and have the flexibility to stay on the alternate list, it is a good idea to do so. However, I would recommend looking into applying again for next year as well. Right now is a key time to start getting your documents together and plotting your application strategy. By that, I mean considering the things you have done in the past year that need to be updated (Did you graduate? Did you get a few more months of volunteer or work experience in?). Also, it's a good idea to plan your statement of purpose. The SOP is absolutely crucial, since it is the one place where you can actually stand out and show personality and commitment. Now that you know what the application looks like and how the interviews tend to go, you have a lot of experience that should hopefully help you with next year. Having made it to the alternate stage this year is no guarantee that you will be as successful next year, though, so I strongly recommend being just as careful in putting your new application together as you were with the previous one.

For those of you comparing rates of upgrades this year to last year, that is not a fair comparison. Last year was an unusual situation because of the earthquake. In some locations, there were a lot of shortlisters dropping out, which meant higher than normal numbers of upgrades. Also, some JETs decided to break contract, which also led to more upgrades. This year's rate of upgrades is much more in line with previous years'. Unfortunately, JET's popularity and the high number of well-qualified and enthusiastic candidates means that we will always have at least a few alternates left over at the end of the departure season. That does not mean that you are not capable of being JETs; it simply means that for whatever reason, your scores were below the cutoff line for the short list and that either your score was not high enough to be one of the alternates chosen early for an upgrade or that your application did not exactly match specific requests that a Contracting Organization may have had (such as to have a driver's license or to be from a sister city).

Best of luck for a future upgrade and, if you decide to apply next year, with the upcoming application cycle!

[learn1ng]

Thanks for all the information Miami, it will help all of us alternates make concrete decisions and plans about what to do from here on out.

[learn1ng]

This is quite unbelievable and I had just about given up hope but that email for the UPGRADE to the short list finally came today!

I feel that it has been my duty to stay as positive as possible and help keep hope alive as an alternate for all of us when I post in this thread, and given the lack of upgrade news in recent days, I hope to reignite that hope which has kept us going these past months and especially in these past few dark weeks as we all (at least I did) looked longingly at the sight of group A and B JETs departing for Japan, soon to be followed by group C, and felt that our chances of making it to Japan as alternates this year were slipping away through our fingers.

The only information I've received is that while placement and departure date are still unknown, the departure date will probably be in September.

From our shared experience as alternates that have waited and struggled with uncertainty for months, I know that words can only do so much to alleviate, and that hope itself can drag us down paths filled with misery, and that in the end there's no guarantee everyone will get what they hoped for. Nothing short of an upgrade can really lift the spirits of someone in the alternate position in my view.

It's kind of cheesy at this point and has been repeated over and over, but I can't think of anything better to say than that I wish everyone else who has been patiently waiting the best of luck and that the next upgrade will come to you. I am grateful for the opportunity to have been accepted as an Alternate and then getting upgraded just today. I will give it my all as a participant in the JET Program.

[J2012abc]

Congratulations! Now, I hope Calgary will have some upgrades soon as I'm trying to "patiently" wait for the good news! If I'm upgraded, I hope I will get placed in the Kansai region because I have read so much about that region and I have friends there!

[koko]

This is quite unbelievable and I had just about given up hope but that email for the UPGRADE to the short list finally came today!

I feel that it has been my duty to stay as positive as possible and help keep hope alive as an alternate for all of us when I post in this thread, and given the lack of upgrade news in recent days, I hope to reignite that hope which has kept us going these past months and especially in these past few dark weeks as we all (at least I did) looked longingly at the sight of group A and B JETs departing for Japan, soon to be followed by group C, and felt that our chances of making it to Japan as alternates this year were slipping away through our fingers.

The only information I've received is that while placement and departure date are still unknown, the departure date will probably be in September.

From our shared experience as alternates that have waited and struggled with uncertainty for months, I know that words can only do so much to alleviate, and that hope itself can drag us down paths filled with misery, and that in the end there's no guarantee everyone will get what they hoped for. Nothing short of an upgrade can really lift the spirits of someone in the alternate position in my view.

It's kind of cheesy at this point and has been repeated over and over, but I can't think of anything better to say than that I wish everyone else who has been patiently waiting the best of luck and that the next upgrade will come to you. I am grateful for the opportunity to have been accepted as an Alternate and then getting upgraded just today. I will give it my all as a participant in the JET Program.

Congratulations! Let us know where you get placed!

[learn1ng]

Placement email just came in! I'll be in Osaka and my CO is Daitou-shi 大東市. Will be leaving on Sept. 18 and arriving in Japan on the 19th, then straight off to the CO in Osaka.

[Hideaki]

Wow that's awesome learn1ng.

See, never give up, never surrender!

[J2012abc]

That is a good location you got. I would of been estatic and happy if I got an placement there as well. It was actually my first choice! I am still crossing my fingers and hoping for the best. I hope I will be upgraded soon!!!!!!

[Meela]

That's more info than I got. All I know is that I'l be leaving *maybe* September 11, and that I was placed in Fukuoka.

[koko]

Awesome placements learn1ng and Meela.

Meela, I am also on Kyushu (in Kagoshima) so if you ever want to visit the south, PM me! I leave Tuesday, but I should be settled once you arrive!

[chips822]

I'm also located in Kyushu, and am actually in the prefecture right next to you Meela (Oita). I love it here (though I'm very excited for it to stop being so hot) and I hear that Fukuoka city is amazing. So congrats!

[koko]

I'm also located in Kyushu, and am actually in the prefecture right next to you Meela (Oita). I love it here (though I'm very excited for it to stop being so hot) and I hear that Fukuoka city is amazing. So congrats!

WOO Kyushu! It is very hot here but so beautiful. I'm really excited to visit other prefectures on the island.

[Emidono]

So...how are the other still-not-JETs doing?

[husky]

So...how are the other still-not-JETs doing?

I think I'm doing quite nicely; the office job I started earlier this summer is starting to pick up a bit so I don't have much time during the weekdays, but I try to brush up on my Japanese when I can. I did a good amount of research since then and it looks like nothing short of a JLPT N2 or N1 will really help on job applications (aside from the occasional exception or connection). I have several places I'm in the process of applying to, and in the meantime I can rest easy knowing that my current job gives me some degree of financial stability, good experience to put on my resume and allows me to save for a trip to Japan later this year or early next year.

I guess I've also been giving JET a good look and talking with my current ALT friends, and I decided that I'd drop pursuing an ALT position; I think it would suit me if I were looking to teach in the future, but I'm not... so in my particular case, theoretically after I finish an ALT program the issues would be that I've just spent a few years and probably don't have too much money saved up with no substantial experience to put on my resume to go anywhere else except something related to teaching... so I guess after thinking about that for a few months I thought I'd just apply to other jobs in Japan instead (and it's hard! But I've gotten some amazing advice from people all over, so I think I can slowly work my way there).

How are things going on your end? Are you still up for ALTing?

[Hideaki]

Honestly, it comes in waves. Some days I think I'm over the JET experience, but then I find myself searching through the blogs and forums.

I recently helped a friend make the decision to apply this upcoming year. i think this past year won't be a waste if it will help a new hopeful by sharing my experiences and thoughts about what I did right, and what I did wrong.

Like anything worth trying, it's worth trying twice. i'll give JET another crack, this time I'm playing for keeps. A no holding back, cage match, prison rules all out brawl.

BWA HA HA HA HA HA

(see this is what waiting for 18 months does to a person.)