Placements

[mattclough]

Yeah I have heard from the Kencho that they already know who is coming to the ken, all that's left are placements. Hang in there guys. I didn't find out my placement till like the middle of June, but that was due to 3/11

[Damien_ShimanePA]

My understanding is:
Yes, BoE's should have already received information on new JETs (or, at least, they have in my prefecture).
New JETs should receive notice from consulates soon, or at least before the 31st.
Following that, reply forms are due.
Once the reply forms have been received by the BoE and provided that it is after the 31st, contact can be made.
I could be mistaken, however.

We've got around twenty new JETs coming to Shimane this year, so some of you best prefer yourself for the adventure/rabbit hole that is rural Japan!

That's fantastic that its that many though! Well, I guess for us... ^_^

It's one less than last year and fourteen less than the year before, though.
That being said, Shimane has, traditionally, quite a high retention rate of its JETs. One of the highest in Japan, if I recall correctly.
New JETs are always a good thing, though.

And yes, Senior High School/Prefectural JETs (at least here) are decided once reply forms are in, so some of you may have to wait a bit longer to find out exactly which city/town you're going to.
Still got nothing on last year, though.

[dtrue]

I totally forgot that reply forms came after hearing from the CO. WHOOPS.

But other than that, yes, agreed on the "by May 31st" -ness, what my supervisor said as well, for what it counts.

Just to clarify, is the reply form you are referring to a seperate one from the one we sent in when we found out we were shortlisted (stating whether or not we were taking the job) or a completely different one?

[Jennaiii]

It is seperate and it is to accept your placement iirc. It has been a while!

[Siyris]

It is seperate and it is to accept your placement iirc. It has been a while!

I'm not sure what you mean? I only had one reply form last year, and that was the one I sent in to accept my offer of JET.... I was told there was no second reply form for placement, as the program assumes you said yes and meant it....
The shortlisters are sent out to various COs about the same time that notifications are sent out to applicants. So most COs know the names of the new JETs they want before the reply forms have gotten to Japan.

[KumaNate]

I know there are 2 people coming to my town..a Canadian and a guy from CO. Once we hear back from you guys with your placement acceptance, I get to call you Not too much longer and the suspense ends. Enjoy it while it lasts!

[Loerian]

Does anyone know if all the consultates find out at the same time I was just wondering if it might be longer for a small country like ireland ? As for the wait I won't complain lol im just so grateful to be going

[Siyris]

Does anyone know if all the consultates find out at the same time I was just wondering if it might be longer for a small country like ireland ? As for the wait I won't complain lol im just so grateful to be going

Last year most consulates found out within a few days of each other. There were a few outliers though that found out after everyone else did.

[Jennaiii]

It is seperate and it is to accept your placement iirc. It has been a while!

I'm not sure what you mean? I only had one reply form last year, and that was the one I sent in to accept my offer of JET.... I was told there was no second reply form for placement, as the program assumes you said yes and meant it....
The shortlisters are sent out to various COs about the same time that notifications are sent out to applicants. So most COs know the names of the new JETs they want before the reply forms have gotten to Japan.

I am pretty sure I had a second reply form. But as I said it was a while away. Either way, shortlisters won't hear from the CO until they've received the reply form.

[tashikanakoto]

I know there are 2 people coming to my town..a Canadian and a guy from CO. Once we hear back from you guys with your placement acceptance, I get to call you Not too much longer and the suspense ends. Enjoy it while it lasts!

I'm from neither of those places... guess that means I'm not going to wherever you live in Kumamoto-ken! Narrows it down a bit.

[ssb]

I requested Kumamoto so this is relevant to my interests.. Unfortunately I am neither of those people

[KumaNate]

I know there are 2 people coming to my town..a Canadian and a guy from CO. Once we hear back from you guys with your placement acceptance, I get to call you Not too much longer and the suspense ends. Enjoy it while it lasts!

I'm from neither of those places... guess that means I'm not going to wherever you live in Kumamoto-ken! Narrows it down a bit.

Lol yup, you have knocked approximately 5 square miles off the map...hahaha.

I requested Kumamoto so this is relevant to my interests.. Unfortunately I am neither of those people

We have 40 or so new JETs in Kumamoto, so you still have at least 38 chances!

Good news is whoever my successors are, I am setting you up with a mean set of instructions and how to do's to make life easy.

***EDIT*** To those wondering, yes reply forms have been sent from the towns through CLAIR. You should receive them soon. I think for me this process took only a few days so my guess is end of this week beginning of next.

[AVN]

I can't wait until more info is released I'm on the prowl for two new neighbours

Gah - that'd be fantastic - Hokkaido was my 2nd choice only because I didn't want to seem so apt to want it as badly as I do!! The JET that was at the interview location was placed in Hokkaido and he and I had a great conversation before my interview!!! I want Hokkaido so very badly

...If you wanted to go to Hokkaido you should have had it as your first choice. Contrary to popular belief they do try to give you your first choice and as Hokkaido has so many new placements every year a lot of people (not all there are other factors that come into play) that request Hokkaido, get Hokkaido. By making something else your first choice you may have messed up your chances of getting Hokkaido

[wiensama]

I read this in the SF group and found it to be really helpful, so I thought I would share it with everyone.

"I know many of you are anxious to find out about your placement. Many of you have made placement requests, I want to assure you that the JET office in Japan does their best to make sure you are placed somewhere that you will be happy, and part of that is trying to place you where you requested. The reality is that it is impossible to grant all placement requests due to many reasons. One of the main reasons is that most JETs request the same places that are popular and well known (Tokyo, Osaka, Yokohama, Kyoto, etc.), so there are too many requests for the open positions in these areas. Another reason is you may not fit the needs or desires of a certain Contracting Organization (CO), remember your CO is the employer and they have needs to fill too, which you may not meet. For example, COs may request someone that is from a certain country, from a place that has a sister city relationship with their town, has teaching experience, speaks Japanese, or has some special skill. The CO's requests are also not always guaranteed to be met either, but the JET office tries their best to make a match. Ideally, the CO's request and the JET participant's requests both match up. Another thing the JET office takes into consideration if they are unable to meet any of your requests is your background and interests, they will review your application and feedback from your interview and try to find a location where they think you would be happy. For example, if you indicate that you enjoy snow sports, they might put you in an area where you have easy access to skiing or if you enjoy working with children, they may put you in a location that emphasized elementary education. Regardless, I can assure you that there is a lot of thought and work put into where you are placed, even though it may not seem that way at first. With that said, whether you receive one of your top three choices, or are placed someplace you have never heard of, I sincerely hope you have an open mind when you receive your placement, regardless of where you are placed. I assure you that it will be a rewarding experience. "

[tashikanakoto]

***EDIT*** To those wondering, yes reply forms have been sent from the towns through CLAIR. You should receive them soon. I think for me this process took only a few days so my guess is end of this week beginning of next.

Are these reply forms forwarded to us by our coordinators in our home countries?