Concerns about JET application process

[hunterofpeace]

I am a recent graduate with a Psychology major and both World Languages and English minors. I have taken two years of Japanese in college. I plan on getting my Masters in Education and I have been dying to go to Japan since high school. The JET programme seems perfect for me, but from what I hear the application process is very strenuous. I got my substitute teaching license and I will have been subbing for about a year when I leave but only a month or so when I apply. For those who have interviewed before, do I have much of a shot given that there are many others with more teaching (and Japanese) experience than I? Is it more about attitude or experience? Are there any tips that you can give that are useful for the interview process? How important is knowledge of Japanese in your overall score? Do you know of anyone who has been accepted with no prior knowledge? Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

[GunmaBrentPA]

Hey there! First off I would suggest cruising around the Archives. You'll find a lot of questions covering very similar topics.

I can tell you that this year's new Gunma JETs run the gamut from those who have visited and studied Japan extensively, trained and licensed teachers (including some who are TESOL certified), and those for whom this is their first real experience with Japan and/or teaching. We've got such a variety of JETs with drastically different backgrounds that I am convinced there is no one set of criteria that you must have in order to get into the programme.

Do your best. Be yourself. And if this is something you really want to do don't be discouraged if you don't make it in this year. Reapply.

Best of luck.

[hunterofpeace]

Thank you so much for your reply. I did find some pre-existing threads that helped a lot. I'm not nearly so nervous anymore. And you're right. If I don't make it, there is always the next year. ^_^

[Kegger]

For those who have interviewed before, do I have much of a shot given that there are many others with more teaching (and Japanese) experience than I? Is it more about attitude or experience? Are there any tips that you can give that are useful for the interview process? How important is knowledge of Japanese in your overall score? Do you know of anyone who has been accepted with no prior knowledge?

1. You have as much chance as the next applicant . I had very very limited teaching, and no Japanese experience and I got in.

2. I think its definitely about your attitude. I met a girl at my embassy who had a very slack attitude but her credientials were amazing. I can't say for sure, but I think what she wore, the way she spoke and her general attitude really let her down in her interview as I saw quite a few members of the embassy glance at her, embarrassed by her manners. Oh, a quick tip, whatever you do, wear a suit jacket! I know a girl who got onto the programme, but at the pre-departure orientation, was taken aside and spoken to about her clothing at interview...it transpired that she'd not worn her suit jacket!

3. There is no "winning" formula, so its difficult to give you any tips. The entire application process from the outside, seems a bit random. I have been told (at least at my embassy) the idea at interview is to make you feel a little uncomfortable, so things like the heating are slightly too high, and the interview rooms are a little bit smaller then you'd expect. I don't know if this is true, but it doesn't hurt to be aware, so you can calm yourself down. If you do get an interview, make sure you prepare. I didn't prepare as well as I could have, and I only found this site the night before:

http://internationalcenter.umich.edu/sw ... ttips.html

But everything is a bit hit and miss to be honest. I did get asked questions about what was going on in Japan on the day of my interview, so try and read the news in the morning if you can. Also be prepared to answer questions on anything that makes you unique. This is good! For example, I am a vegetarian, and Japan is not big on vegetarian food, so I had to field a lot of questions on how I would avoid offending people and how to explain that I was vegetarian etc etc.

Try and be enthusiastic. Try and smile, and not fidget and remember that they interview thousands of people (at least my embassy did) so you want to stand out a bit when they sit down and review all the scores.

Not sure how useful this book is but it might be a good idea:

http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~tc9w-ball/K ... eetWet.htm (2002)
http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~tc9w-ball/K ... ersity.htm (1996...I think?)

They're also a few years out of date unfortunately.

Here is a blog I discovered months after my interview which has a really good outline of how the application process (used to?) work(s):

http://constantineintokyo.com/2010/04/1 ... selection/

But for all this advice, the best thing is just to be yourself and try your hardest.

4. From the above blog, this pie chart shows (roughly) how much Japanese ability is taken into account:

http://constantineintokyo.files.wordpre ... ed-264.jpg

5. Finally, yes. I know me. . Like I mentioned above, I had no previous experience of Japan, no Japanese ability, limited experience teaching and hadn't even graduated when I applied. I am probably one of the youngest participants in 2010 but they took a chance on me, and I am prepared to give everything I can back. But please take everything I have said with a pinch of salt, and just try, because you never know.

:]

[miami_coordinator]

I really wish people would stop posting that Constantine article. I know that won't happen, but I think it does more harm than good because it gives people a false confidence in made-up statistics and a ridiculous pie chart which was created largely from conjecture and inferences. I know the intention is to try to make the selection process clearer to give people an idea of what their chances are, but it could also lead some very good candidates to self eliminate because they don't think that they'll fit the exact criteria enough. Some of the information is correct, but some of it is flat-out wrong (and that's only speaking from my situation; it could be more or less accurate for others).

The one thing I wish more people would do when writing their applications and preparing for interviews is to THINK. What is this Program about? What are the intentions and goals of the Program? What are some of the job responsibilities I might be asked to do? What are some of the difficulties I may encounter? What are some biases and unfounded expectations I have that could make adapting to the reality of my situation difficult? What skills and interests do I have that are well suited for this job? What are some things I might gain from this experience? What might I want to do after finishing the JET Program and would my experiences there tie in? If I were reviewing a JET application or on an interviewing panel, what are some things I might look for or ask?


It's no mysterious science. There are various things we look for, and sometimes it does come down to pure and basic math, but if your goal is trying to get your "score" right then you've missed the whole point. There's no winning combination. There's no perfect applicant. Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses. I am sure every person ever accepted into the JET Program had someone thinking "well, all this looks good, but this part makes me hesitant" at some point in the application process.

I think it's a really good idea to talk to alumni (sometimes more so than a current JET who won't yet have that added advantage of some distance to consider his or her JET experience as a whole) to ask what, in their minds, makes for a great JET. Be aware, though, that their impressions of the JET Program are going to be mostly locked in time and place, and therefore might not be entirely relevant for the situation you might find yourself in. And beyond that, the best preparation is to look inside of you and approach the process with confidence in your experience, potential, and dedication. Unfortunately, that's the one step most people seem to miss.

[5pool]

I would second those who were talking about credentials not playing a major part. I took 1 year of Japanese (which I did very poorly in), and had little to no international OR domestic travel experience... and in the interview, my knowledge of my own city didn't even come across well. Still, I had a positive, genki attitude and they appreciated this the most, I think. I know people that majored in Asian Studies, specializing in Japanese who got wait listed or that didn't even get in.

Also, I would stress the importance of the essay. This is really your chance to show them how different you are from others and demonstrate your English ability. The first thing the interview said to me was "Thank you for writing an essay that stood out" when I got into the interview, and the first 5 minutes we were just talking about what I had written. After that I felt so confident and at ease that I made it, and I could tell they liked me because on questions I struggled a bit with they pretty much supplied me with the answer ^^

[Kegger]

I really wish people would stop posting that Constantine article. I know that won't happen, but I think it does more harm than good because it gives people a false confidence in made-up statistics and a ridiculous pie chart which was created largely from conjecture and inferences. I know the intention is to try to make the selection process clearer to give people an idea of what their chances are, but it could also lead some very good candidates to self eliminate because they don't think that they'll fit the exact criteria enough. Some of the information is correct, but some of it is flat-out wrong (and that's only speaking from my situation; it could be more or less accurate for others).

My apologies

[SakuraHoshi]

I would second those who were talking about credentials not playing a major part. I took 1 year of Japanese (which I did very poorly in), and had little to no international OR domestic travel experience... and in the interview, my knowledge of my own city didn't even come across well. Still, I had a positive, genki attitude and they appreciated this the most, I think. I know people that majored in Asian Studies, specializing in Japanese who got wait listed or that didn't even get in.

Also, I would stress the importance of the essay. This is really your chance to show them how different you are from others and demonstrate your English ability. The first thing the interview said to me was "Thank you for writing an essay that stood out" when I got into the interview, and the first 5 minutes we were just talking about what I had written. After that I felt so confident and at ease that I made it, and I could tell they liked me because on questions I struggled a bit with they pretty much supplied me with the answer ^^

I'm curious to know what you wrote now! I've made a start on my SOP but I'm not sure what style I should be writing in or how to make it stand out. It's a bit of a bland monologue at the moment

I agree with the whole credentials thing. I followed the previous year's applicants and noted what they said when asked about their credentials and I noticed a lot of people seemed to get in who hadn't formally taught, learnt Japanese or even been abroad. I'm not saying this should always be the case but it's clear that personality and the right kind of attitude play an important part.

[miami_coordinator]

I really wish people would stop posting that Constantine article. I know that won't happen, but I think it does more harm than good because it gives people a false confidence in made-up statistics and a ridiculous pie chart which was created largely from conjecture and inferences. I know the intention is to try to make the selection process clearer to give people an idea of what their chances are, but it could also lead some very good candidates to self eliminate because they don't think that they'll fit the exact criteria enough. Some of the information is correct, but some of it is flat-out wrong (and that's only speaking from my situation; it could be more or less accurate for others).

My apologies

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to attack you or anything . There is some useful information in that article, but so much of it is outdated, specific to a single individual's experience, and written in such extremes that I think it actually muddles things up more than clarifies anything. I remember that desire to try to understand what's going on, but now that I'm on this side of things, I can see that trying to predict exact odds and percentages is actually disadvantageous, so that's why I mentioned that.

[hunterofpeace]

Thanks to all who replied. I have found your insights to be very helpful. I am still nervous but I can at least turn that nervousness into something constructive, like preparation for the interview. I welcome any more comments or suggestions anyone might have.

[miami_coordinator]

If it's helpful at all, I'll share my interviewing experience a bit. I was a senior in undergrad and very nervous about my JET interview (I went through NYC). I had to take time off of school to go, had a new suit, had studied who the prime minister and emperor were, and was just a frantic ball of nerves. As I went into my interview, I told myself to turn my nerves into excitement. I think I just about bowled the interviewing panel over with the amount of energy I threw at them just from walking through the door.

Maybe it wasn't the best impression I could have made, but now that I am on this side of the Program and am doing interviews myself, I think showing that enthusiasm and energy was a positive thing (might not work for everyone, but it did for me). After all, you're not necessarily trying to show how reserved or "Japanese-ish" you can be, you're trying to show that you will be someone interesting for students to watch, a likeable coworker, and open to the possible stresses and shock of moving and living abroad.

There's no perfect formula, and that's actually a really good thing. In your application and interview, don't focus about any of the things you don't have, think about the things you do. If you have some Japanese skills, that's great. If you don't, that's okay too - it's not required for the ALT position (but if you plan to learn some Japanese when you're there, how might you do that?). What experience, skills, and interests DO you bring? I like seeing candidates who have thought seriously about what this experience might be like - the good parts and the bad parts. I want to see someone who perhaps acknowledges that it's impossible to know everything he or she might encounter, and is okay with letting the experience unfold as it will. I want to see someone who, whether they're a frantic ball of nerves or not, has thought about the kind of ALT or CIR he or she wants to be and what might be good to share with Japanese friends and neighbors. As cliché as it sounds, this really is a time where you want to be yourself and show who you are and why you want to do this. Cookie cutter applicants are boring, and they make an interviewing panel's job really hard because how do you tell two identically impressive but unmemorable candidates apart?

Don't let statistics and the fear of not being "good enough" bog you down. Let us make that tremendously difficult decision. After all, even if you're worried about not having what you might consider to be essential characteristics, in our eyes you could be exactly what we're looking for.

[DjinnWired]

After meeting a lot of JETs from different places I get the impression that each consulate interviews to completely different priorities as well. It would be interesting to know what kind of guidelines each of them gets and how much they differ from country to country.

[SaitamaPA_Denise]

Can I just say, miami_coordinator wins at the JET forums today. Not knowing very much or anything for certain about the application process is frustrating and creates a huge amount of uncertainty and insecurity, but to anyone who's reading this and wondering if they're good enough or what their chances are, no one here can answer that, no matter how detailed you post to explain.

Seriously, just bite the bullet and apply. The worst that can happen is that it's a no, but second-guessing yourself or trying to read tea leaves and divine odds and probabilities won't help.

[ichigokuma]

Miami Coordinator,

wow, I totally agree. Today's round of forum posts winner! *ding ding* lol
As an applicant I was inspired by your very honest and very true post,
thank you!

[miami_coordinator]

Haha, thanks guys . Now to be mean, hee!

I do want to say that DjinnWired is correct, and interviewing locations and even interviewing panels can have different criteria for what they consider to be "best." The same is true for those who review applications. We do try to standardize things to some degree, but when you add humans into the equation then your're going to have different opinions on what is important. Some will value personality more than Japanese language abilities, for example, and some might think the opposite. That's why we can't have a guideline for how each place evaluates candidates. This is why I say that there is no formula. Even with what I've revealed doesn't mean you can ace an interview with me or my panel. Since there's no way to be a "perfect candidate," though, you may as well be yourself and just try to honestly answer questions and show why you think this is a good fit for you . You can't see how you compare with the people whose applications or whose interviews become before or after you. You can try to see yourself from the perspective of the application reviewers and interviewers (I actually recommend that; if you were in my position, what would you value most?), but you don't know where you stand amidst your peers. Don't focus on everyone else, just focus on you. Try to make it impossible for someone like me to imagine the Program without you, not by being "better" than anyone else, but just by being great all by yourself.

And lest you all decide that you want to interview through Miami because you think your chances would be better with me as opposed to with another coordinator, you should know that I take particular joy in being harsh. I really care about JET, and I'm going to do my best to make sure that only the best get through. If you don't have a good reason for applying through Miami as opposed to, say, Chicago or New York (especially if you live near one of those) then I'm going to be mighty suspicious.