Irish Jet Alternates

[Loerian]

Hey thought I start this off, so anyone know how Alternates Work out ?

[socket2me]

Hey thought I start this off, so anyone know how Alternates Work out ?

I read somewhere recently that alternates are placed on a list and ranked. As someone declines their position, the top person on the list is offered that placement, and so on. I read the words 'many or most' alternates are eventually given a placement.

This is really heart-breaking, the thought of yet more weeks and even months of waiting is excruciating. I e-mailed the embassy, chancing my arm, asking if they could tell me how I stand on the list of alternates. They obviously couldn't tell me, but was worth asking I guess

It's such a cliché but I just feel numb, I don't feel happy or sad But I guess we should be ecstatic we're on a good list ha!

[Loerian]

Hey guys, I'm so glad to see there's a group just for the alternates. From here on out, most of the focus will be on the short-listers. And, I won't lie, it will suck. You'll feel left out and probably like you're dangling on a thread of hope while not hearing anything for days weeks or months. My fellow coordinators and I actually do this on purpose; we don't want to include you in all of the emails we send to the short-listers because we don't want to tease you with something that you may or may not have the chance to participate with. We feel for you guys, and I know I personally love when I hear that I have an upgrade to make. Hearing the excitement on the phone from an upgraded alternate absolutely makes my day.

So, before the focus completely turns to the short-listers, I want to talk to you guys.

I want to let you guys know that you should feel so proud for making it this far. I was absolutely blown away by the applicants I saw this year, and I heard the same thing from my fellow coordinators. You guys did everything you were supposed to do - you made our job incredibly hard. So, thank you for the agony of trying to make recommendations from so many fantastic people. It was hard, and it made me hate my job (because I knew there would be deserving people who would be ultimately rejected or put on the alternate list).

I also want you to know that it's not necessarily a "better" or "worse" thing. You weren't rejected; you were accepted... only, there's not enough space for you at this time. That means you have all of the qualities and experience we look for in a JET Program participant. Unfortunately, it may well be that others you interviewed with simply had a bit more and were ranked higher. It comes down to numbers; the cutoff was unfortunately above where you were.

Many of you WILL be upgraded. This usually happens in waves. The first one will happen likely in the first week or two of May. That is when we receive the Reply Forms from short-listers back, and we're able to see how many people have turned down their positions. The second wave is at the end of May, when short-listers receive their placements. It's less common, but there are always a few who turn down JET because they don't like their placement (they will not be permitted to reapply the next year, but some will turn it down anyway). The third wave is before departure in late July and early August when a few candidates will freak out and change their minds. In between and after those waves, there will be additional upgrades. Candidates change their minds, sudden problems at home arise and they have to withdraw, they break contract soon after arriving, other current JETs break contract, etc... So, we do have upgrades through December (occasionally we have ones in January and even February, but officially we say the cutoff is in December).

I know a lot of you want to know where you are on an alternate list. That won't help. First of all, we're not permitted to release that information. Second of all, it's not necessarily an accurate reflection of your chances of an upgrade. Sometimes we can go straight down the alternate lists and upgrade whoever is at the top. However, sometimes we have special requirements (find someone with a driver's license, find someone who speaks French, find someone who is from Omaha, etc...) for our alternate upgrades, and sometimes we're actually told specifically who to upgrade. So, even if you're at the bottom of the list, for all you know it could well be that you have something that a Contracting Organization specifically wants, and you could be the first one upgraded.

Now, it is true that many of you will NOT be upgraded. It's simply how JET works. There are far more qualified applicants than we have positions for. But, again, if you made it to the alternate stage it means that you have what it takes to be a JET. Unfortunately, if you reapply the next year (as many do), you will have to go through the whole process all over again. There is no guarantee you will be accepted or even make it to the interview stage the next year. My recommendation is to take a little time to process the result and then, in a few weeks, look at your application again. Go over it with friends and family members. What do you have that really makes you stand out? What sections are blank that maybe you can build up in anticipation of next year? Maybe you felt you interviewed poorly. That's not uncommon. Everyone knows the answers to all of the questions when you're NOT put in the spotlight, but when you are, you're liable to turn mute or maybe talk too much. So, how can you learn to become more comfortable with interviewing situations?

Some of the best JETs I know were initially alternates. Moreover, sometimes upgraded alternates get more out of the JET experience than those who were initial short-listers (because they know they nearly didn't get it). You're not out of the running yet, but unfortunately, it will mean more waiting and uncertainty.

It takes a lot of courage to keep your name in the running. I applaud and respect you. And I wish you all the best!
JET Program Coordinator
Consulate General of Japan in Miami
http://www.miami.us.emb-japan.go.jp/en/jetprogram.html

This really helped me out when I opened the envelope I cried kinda sad huh but I like to think like miami here said we are good enough it's not a rejection and coming up to exam time I won't be sick to my stomach thinking omg if I fail this I won't be able to go we are lucky that we don't have to live and breathe Jet for the next month we can focus be awesome and still get the chance to go so lets do numb for a little and then have a laugh k and if I'm seriously annoying right now let me know ha ha here is to us getting upgraded fingers crossed*

[Sairus]

Alternate on this end too. Pretty disappointed, but thems the breaks!

Time to drown my sorrows in some Deadliest Catch.

[bigwig]

alternate here also! it really is an ambiguous emotion, its difficult in the sense that we are limited when making other plans as there is still always hope....

Have you other guys any other plans for the summer?

[socket2me]

I'm amazed at how many alternates there seems to be. I've only seen one post on here from someone that's actually GOT a placement ha. Plus the only other person I actually know that applied, got alternate as well, however she's been offered a job so won't take it if her name does come up.

I only decided to make a backup plan a few weeks ago, a group of friends are going to London in October, we're in the final weeks of college. I'm going to have that as my aim, going over there, getting a nice part/full time job, having fun, blah blah.
What about everyone else?? I guess we should expect NOT to get a placement and go on with our lives


Have to be honest I sat outside this morning, opened the letter and had a good cry over it, ha.

[bigwig]

yeah there seems to be a lot of alternates, i havent heard from anyone who just plain rejected yet!

[rozzer]

Alternate as well. Devastated really, butjust relieved I haven't been fully rejected.

It's the waiting that's killing me..

[Loerian]

Hey bigwig, Hey Rozzer welcome to forum sorry to hear about your disappointment but looking forward to seeing us all upgraded if you would like to make up an irish alternate Skype group just pm me and we can have a laugh while we wait

[rozzer]

Just checked with the Desk, they couldn't tell me my place on the list or if I was near the top or bottom. Didn't think they would, but had to check something else, just thought I'd chance my arm when I had to query the forms.

[bigwig]

Hey Loerian,

yeah skype group is good idea! allow us alternates to moan a bit more! I havent actually seen my letter yet as i am up in college my mam just told me the result, what exactly is do we have to submit? what all is involved?

[Loerian]

Hey bigwig, a couple of the guys messaged me their usernames if you want to do the same I will happily add you ok so break down of what we need is to submit our reply form an a photocopy of the photopage of your passport those need to go into the embassay jet desk by friday 27th of april the form came in the envelope today then secondly you need to get the cert of health filled out by your doctor and a chest x ray or letter from your doctor and a police cert of character to be in by friday june 15th all the stuff you need came in the envelope

[socket2me]

I pointed this out in the Irish JET's thread but all of us alternate's check your email. We will be getting another letter on Monday as something was left out by accident. Unfortunately I had just left the reply form into the desk just a couple of minutes beforehand, so another trip to the Embassy for me next week (I am stupidly paranoid that post gets lost heh)

[Loerian]

OMG socket2me it was you who went in to the jet desk on front of me I handed my forms in in person this morning and Naomi called me back saying to come back so I ran off the bus ended up getting the form and handing them in along with photos that the fuji camera place in merrion centre lol and i just came on now to tell everyone 2 ha ha

[socket2me]

OMG socket2me it was you who went in to the jet desk on front of me I handed my forms in in person this morning and Naomi called me back saying to come back so I ran off the bus ended up getting the form and handing them in along with photos that the fuji camera place in merrion centre lol and i just came on now to tell everyone 2 ha ha

Haha, do you mean literally in front of you or metaphorically? I didn't see anyone else as I was coming out :S I was in and out at exactly 12:00

I have to admit I'm not particularly bothered at having to go back in next week as I do like having any excuse to go into the embassy, it's practically my Disneyland ha!