2012 JET Application Questions?

[miami_coordinator]

Hi 2012 JET applicants! I wanted to start this thread in case anyone has any questions about the application process, the JET Program in general, or anything related to the JET process between now and departure.

It's a bit much for me to follow all of the various threads that will be going on here, so please post questions you may have here (and if people can bump it from time to time for newbies, I'd appreciate that).

Please remember that for some things there may be different policies among the different countries and sometimes even among the different coordinators. Specific deadlines and application processes can vary. If you are from a country other than the U.S., I'll do my best to answer your question, but it is advisable to confirm with a coordinator in your country of citizenship. Also, while I am a JET Program Coordinator, I am not directly responsible for decisions regarding interviews, acceptance, or placements. I volunteer to have an active presence on this board. It's not part of my job descriptions or duties; it's something I choose to do in order to use my experience and knowledge to help JET applicants and candidates. Sometimes I am wrong. I try to correct myself when I spot the mistake, but I might not notice it or it might take me a while to get to it. Since "miami_coordinator told me so!" is not a legitimate excuse if you end up being disqualified over something, it's a very good idea to verify anything I (or anyone else on this site) recommends.


Good luck to everyone, and feel free to post below. Feel free to PM me if you have a question of a personal nature.

[merkypie]

Oh, thanks so much for this thread!! I don't have important questions at the moment -- its more nerves than anything -- but dannyblaccala at the old 2012 thread asked this question. I wasn't sure if we gave the "correct" answer:

2. After my winter semester ends in April (2012), I need to take one more course in the summer semester (May-June) in order to complete my degree. Im not sure if I technically will receive my bachelors degree (in my hands per se) by July, however I will have successfully completed my requirements for a bachelors degree. Does JET need me to be finished my bachelors degree by July or do they want a physical copy of it by July?

[miami_coordinator]

Oh, thanks so much for this thread!! I don't have important questions at the moment -- its more nerves than anything -- but dannyblaccala at the old 2012 thread asked this question. I wasn't sure if we gave the "correct" answer:

2. After my winter semester ends in April (2012), I need to take one more course in the summer semester (May-June) in order to complete my degree. Im not sure if I technically will receive my bachelors degree (in my hands per se) by July, however I will have successfully completed my requirements for a bachelors degree. Does JET need me to be finished my bachelors degree by July or do they want a physical copy of it by July?

Ah, good question. First, it's important to note that this is a requirement in the US and is not standard for all other countries. Technically, degrees need to be in hand before departure. Some countries may have slightly different requirements for how, when, and in what manner proof of graduation is submitted. For the US, we have so many candidates and we've been burned before by candidates not informing us that they failed to graduate that we instituted this policy for our JETs.

In order to be eligible for JET, an applicant must provide proof of enrollment and proof of date of graduation at the time of applying. The degree must be conferred by July 1, and either a transcript reflecting the degree and the date conferred or a photocopy of a diploma with that same information must be provided to a JET coordinator soon after that date. Therefore, in this case, dannyblaccala does not necessarily have to have the diploma in his hands by July 1, but he must prove that the conferment has taken place by this time. It may well be that the degree will be conferred in time to meet our requirements, but quite possibly the actual graduation day, which is the usual date of conferment, will not take place until later July or August. In that case, dannyblaccala would not be eligible to be a JET candidate.

[Teishou]

I've been living in Utah for a while, but am not a resident. You apply with the consulate of the state you are a *resident* for, correct? Why is that exactly, as opposed to just the nearest one?

[miami_coordinator]

I've been living in Utah for a while, but am not a resident. You apply with the consulate of the state you are a *resident* for, correct? Why is that exactly, as opposed to just the nearest one?

For the U.S., all applications must be sent to the Embassy of Japan in Washington, DC. The DC Coordinators are responsible for processing the applications and putting those that meet our eligibility requirements through the reviewing stage. They then send those applications that have passed to the interviewing stage to the coordinators at the various consulates around the U.S. depending upon which interview locations the JET applicants selected.

For certain things (such as MEXT scholarship applications and certain visas), it is true that you must go through the consulate that covers your your state of residence. This has to do with jurisdiction policies. For JET, though, we do allow U.S. applicants to interview through whichever location is most convenient for them. This will also be the location from which they will depart for Japan, unless they choose to transfer to another city in the same departure group (http://www.miami.us.emb-japan.go.jp/en/jetprogramfaq.html#i8). This is particularly convenient for applicants who are still students. For example, if an applicant resides full time in Georgia but attends a university in New York City, it would be possible to interview in New York in February but depart from Atlanta in July (as both are Group A cities).

Utah falls under the Consulate General of Japan in Denver's jurisdiction. Salt Lake City is one of three locations throughout the U.S. where they do offer interviews despite there not being a local consulate (the other two are Spokane and Phoenix). If you chose to interview there, you would still technically be considered a "Denver JET" and would depart for Japan through Denver, unless you chose to depart from a different Group A city.

[DowneasterJC]

Hi guys,

I'm planning on applying for JET (in the US) once applications become available, but I was just wondering if there was anything I can go ahead and get a head start on before the application process starts, in order to get my application in as early as possible? I'm already working on my SoP, and as soon as the semester starts in a couple of weeks I plan on asking some professors if they would be willing to write a reference letter, but is that all I can do beforehand?

Also, another question I've been worrying about but that isn't really going to affect my decision to apply:

I know that the official stance is "no experience is required", but how important is it to have some sort of international and/or teaching experience? I hear that the program is very competitive, so I'm just curious as to how much my lack of teaching experience would hurt my application points. I do have some teaching experience and some international experience in Kenya, but that's about the bulk of it. Plus, my teaching/tutoring experience was mostly "off-the books", as it mostly occurred while my Japanese tutor was busy and had a lot of 101 students in. I would help them with some of their questions while I was waiting for my turn, but it was by no means anything official.

Then again, I'm probably blowing the problem out of proportion as I'm a former pre-med student, so when I hear "this program is competitive", I immediately imagine the cutthroat medical school application process.

Edit:

Another question that just came up:

Would it be alright if one of my reference letters was written by a GTA instead of an actual professor? I ask because my Japanese tutor is a GTA, and I think he really knows and understands my interest in and desire to learn more about Japanese culture. Would that be acceptable, or would it be "unprofessional" to have someone who's just a teaching assistant write one?

[miami_coordinator]

Hi guys,

I'm planning on applying for JET (in the US) once applications become available, but I was just wondering if there was anything I can go ahead and get a head start on before the application process starts, in order to get my application in as early as possible? I'm already working on my SoP, and as soon as the semester starts in a couple of weeks I plan on asking some professors if they would be willing to write a reference letter, but is that all I can do beforehand?

Also, another question I've been worrying about but that isn't really going to affect my decision to apply:

I know that the official stance is "no experience is required", but how important is it to have some sort of international and/or teaching experience? I hear that the program is very competitive, so I'm just curious as to how much my lack of teaching experience would hurt my application points. I do have some teaching experience and some international experience in Kenya, but that's about the bulk of it. Plus, my teaching/tutoring experience was mostly "off-the books", as it mostly occurred while my Japanese tutor was busy and had a lot of 101 students in. I would help them with some of their questions while I was waiting for my turn, but it was by no means anything official.

Then again, I'm probably blowing the problem out of proportion as I'm a former pre-med student, so when I hear "this program is competitive", I immediately imagine the cutthroat medical school application process.

Edit:

Another question that just came up:

Would it be alright if one of my reference letters was written by a GTA instead of an actual professor? I ask because my Japanese tutor is a GTA, and I think he really knows and understands my interest in and desire to learn more about Japanese culture. Would that be acceptable, or would it be "unprofessional" to have someone who's just a teaching assistant write one?

If you have some free time, you may want to do some relevant activities that could give you a little more insight into the job, such as working with international students, studying Japanese, studying for a TEFL certificate, assisting with a kid's club or classroom, etc... Those things can give you a bit of a taste of what JET might be like, and it can give you some practical experience for preparing for the interview and for JET itself.

In terms of competitiveness, there's no question that JET is a very competitive program. In the US, we have thousands of people apply for hundreds of spots. The majority of JET applicants will be unsuccessful. And yes, it is true that we definitely do value teaching experience and Japanese speaking abilities. However, don't let that discourage you. The application is both broad and specific enough that you have the opportunity to list all sorts of experiences that touch on teaching, working with children, international experience/exposure, etc... It's not only teaching or studying Japanese that can give you relevant experience that you can use. Tutoring, babysitting, volunteer work, studying language other than Japanese, and traveling can all be beneficial and helpful to an application.

Keep in mind that we definitely do have the applicants who seem to have all of the things that seem "perfect" for JET - Japanese language proficiency, traveling experience, teaching degrees, etc... For a variety of reasons, they may or may not be selected to be JETs. At the same time, we have candidates who may have never been to Japan (or even outside of their home countries) without language or teaching experience thay may still offer interesting experience and enthusiasm that could lead to an acceptance. Also, here's a bit of insight: most potential applicants I talk to are afraid they're not "good enough" to be considered for JET. It's normal, but the truth is that we have a lot of really great JETs from a variety of backgrounds and various majors. The only people who are absolutely certain to never be accepted are the ones who don't apply.

And finally, for your LoR question, if you are still a student and will not be graduating from your university until after our deadline, then one of your letters must be from a professor or advisor at your university who can confirm you are an enrolled student and will be graduating by our July 1 deadline (for the US only). While your second letter can be from almost anyone else (professor, boss, teaching assistant, high school teacher, etc...), I would recommend having the first one at least be from a professor and that it be on official university stationery.

[DowneasterJC]

Thanks for the great reply!

I'm definitely planning on getting some work in. I've also done some things with the university Japan Club and taiko group as well, now that you mention it.

This may be a little much, but what would you say are the biggest reasons that applicants are turned away before the interview phase? Outside of things like not meeting basic age or academic requirements, improper applications, etc.

[James K]

First off, thanks for all of the contributions and insight on this thread as well as in the past.

Are there any anticipated changes to the application documentation for 2012 or does it all remains pretty standard from year to year? I've read here that it's best to wait at least a week after the applications are open to allow any of the kinks to be ironed out, does anyone have any advice on when to start getting the documentation together?

[Terin317]

Thanks for the info in this thread

EDIT: Erased initial question. Nevermind, I think this is the info sheet I was looking for: http://www.us.emb-japan.go.jp/JET/2011J ... mation.pdf Hope others find it helpful.

Here's a question: I will include my bachelor's degree in the application, but I will be receiving my master's degree in December of this year. Should I throw in the proof of expected graduation date for the master's INSTEAD of the showing my bachelor's, or perhaps include both? Or just leave it at the bachelor's and let my transscript and letter of rec from my professor explain that I'll have obtained my master's by the end of the year?

[kawaiijutsu]

I'd say go ahead and toss in the proof of graduation, if you can get it. In reality though, if you can't, you should be fine. What they care about is that you have a Bachelors, and your transcript and stuff will show your work for your masters. I assure you that if you interview, they will ask you about your masters degree lol

[miami_coordinator]

This may be a little much, but what would you say are the biggest reasons that applicants are turned away before the interview phase? Outside of things like not meeting basic age or academic requirements, improper applications, etc.

That's not an easy question to answer, both because of confidentiality reasons and because I am not part of that section of the selection process.

You can't really "safeguard" yourself against potential rejection. A lot of time and effort goes into the reviewing process, and there are a lot of factors that affect whether you will be passed on to the interviewing stage (not least of all the number and quality of overall applications). The best you can do is make sure that you at least don't get disqualified - follow the directions EXACTLY (it's surprising the mistakes and oversights people will make, given how much work goes into assembling the application itself), make sure all of the required materials are included, and have someone you trust go over your application to make sure it represents yourself as well as it possibly can. Give yourself plenty of time in case there are any mistakes or bugs with the online application, and be sure to mail in your application packet with plenty of time before the deadline.

[miami_coordinator]

First off, thanks for all of the contributions and insight on this thread as well as in the past.

Are there any anticipated changes to the application documentation for 2012 or does it all remains pretty standard from year to year? I've read here that it's best to wait at least a week after the applications are open to allow any of the kinks to be ironed out, does anyone have any advice on when to start getting the documentation together?

Waiting for a week or so is my personal recommendation just based on a couple of bugs we have had the past two years, but that doesn't mean that this year will also be problematic. So, it could be absolutely fine to start filling out the application as soon as it becomes available - we'll just have to see! Even then, if there are problems, it shouldn't affect anyone's chances. We're pretty understanding, especially when the fault is on our side!

I haven't seen the updates for the 2012 year yet, so I can't say what will and won't be changed. Chances are there will be some alterations, but I can't say how much or in what areas. You'll just have to wait for the application to become available in September or October!

[miami_coordinator]

Thanks for the info in this thread

EDIT: Erased initial question. Nevermind, I think this is the info sheet I was looking for: http://www.us.emb-japan.go.jp/JET/2011J ... mation.pdf Hope others find it helpful.

Here's a question: I will include my bachelor's degree in the application, but I will be receiving my master's degree in December of this year. Should I throw in the proof of expected graduation date for the master's INSTEAD of the showing my bachelor's, or perhaps include both? Or just leave it at the bachelor's and let my transscript and letter of rec from my professor explain that I'll have obtained my master's by the end of the year?

I didn't see your original question - hope you found the answer OK! Remember, all of that information currently listed is for LAST YEAR'S application. There will almost certainly be at least some changes for this year's application.

For the Master's degree, while it is not necessary to meet our basic eligibility requirements, it can be advantageous to prove that you are enrolled in a Master's program. If you claim that you are enrolled in a higher degree program but do not provide proof, you will not gain credit for it but neither will you be disqualified (as long as you submit proof of your Bachelor's degree). To provide proof of the Master's program, you should go through the same steps listed for proof of enrollment and intended date of graduation for a Bachelor's degree; get a letter from your registrar, dean, or head of your department (on official letterhead) declaring that you are a currently enrollment student in X program and will be expected to graduate with a Master's in X on such-and-such a day.

[miami_coordinator]

I'd say go ahead and toss in the proof of graduation, if you can get it. In reality though, if you can't, you should be fine. What they care about is that you have a Bachelors, and your transcript and stuff will show your work for your masters. I assure you that if you interview, they will ask you about your masters degree lol

Well, they might ask about it and they might not. Every interview location is different. Some stuff is standardized and some is not, so (through experience) I've found it's generally best to avoid absolutes!