Application Process Part 2: Interview

Tonight I'll be returning to the application process, specifically the interview. If you aren't a prospective JET applicant, this post will probably not be of much interest to you. Sorry!

So you've finished the paper application, mailed it in, sat around for a couple of months, and have been accepted to interview for the JET program! Congratulations, you are in the fortunate ~50% or so of applicants (I made up that number) who get to spend a bunch of money to travel to a stressful interview, followed by more months of anxious waiting. You lucky dog, you.

JET interviews, in the US, take place in mid-February over the course of one week. Applicants can choose a time and date within this one week window; its a first come, first serve system, so choose early. On the paper application, you choose a city to interview at; this city will also be the city you depart from, should you be accepted. It is possible to change departure cities, but it's a big hassle for everyone so choose carefully. I interviewed in Chicago.

I got a ride to Minneapolis followed by a bus to Chicago the day before the interview. While boarding the bus, I was so pumped full of adrenaline that I nearly forget my new suit in the car; this was Narrowly Averted Disaster #1. Don't forget your suit. Parenthetically, I had to buy one specifically for the interview; I went with charcoal, in an effort to look as drab and uniform as possible (Japanese business style) without looking I was attending a funeral. Leave the baby blue suit at home.

In Chicago, I stayed with an Internet Friend with whom I play Go. This made the trip much cheaper than it otherwise would have been, which was great. I spent the night before the interview attempting to review questions I thought I might be asked, sweating, and generally wanting the whole ordeal to be over.

In the morning I discovered that my passport, which was my primary form of ID at the time after losing my wallet, had been left in Minneapolis. My only ID was my college ID, which doesn't even really look that much like me. Narrowly Averted Disaster #2 - they ended up accepting the college ID, but it did not put my mind well at ease to have had the scare. Triple-check that you have everything you need.

I took a train to the interview site, the Japanese Information Center, nearly an hour and a half early. This turned out to be a good idea, as I had to stumble around in a department store for some time before I found the elevators. Make sure you give yourself enough time! Rumor has it that the receptionists take note of when applicants arrive, so be sure to get there the recommended 30 minutes early.

While waiting to interview, I was put with some other ill-looking applicants in front of a TV playing an amazingly perky video about the Program. The program followed the daily lives of some six applicants, none of whom were American - I can hardly blame them, as I'd tend to hide Americans whenever possible, too, if I was trying to sell an international program. After watching the video and reading some pamphlets about information I already knew, I was called in.

The JET interview takes place in a 3 on 1 setting. The applicant is seated before three representatives of the program: a former JET, a Japanese consulate worker, and a member of the community related in some way to the program or to Japan. In many cases, as in mine, this third member is a local professor. For approximately 20 minutes, the three interviewers will question the applicant on whatever they see fit, and the questions are notoriously difficult to prepare for. The interviewers all have copies of the application to review, and are seated at a table; the interview is specifically designed to be stressful. The setting itself is part of the interview; JET participants need to be flexible and deal well with stress and unexpected situations, and the interview is designed to an extent to simulate this.

Questions can range broadly between a variety of topics, and many are geared specifically to the applicant. Sometimes, questions will be asked related to the applicant's interest in Japan - what are some Japanese authors? Can you name the current Prime Minister? What interests you about Japan? Do you know the names of the four main islands? As I mentioned previously, JET applicants do not need to be Asian Studies majors or Japan experts, but genuine interest in Japan specifically - and not just "working abroad" or "Asia" - is required. If you are actively interested in working with JET, answering these types of questions shouldn't be a big deal. Brush up beforehand so you can answer confidently and not be afraid of these questions.

Some questions will relate to the applicants past experiences. In my case, I've studied in Japan and taught Japanese at a summer camp; I was asked about both of these experiences. Other questions might be hypothetical - "What would you do if you were asked to stay late for no extra pay? What would you do if you had an encounter with the police, and couldn't communicate with them? What would you do if you were propositioned by a student? (actual question, I've heard)". These questions are designed to be unexpected, again to see how the applicant will handle it. There generally isn't a "correct" answer, other than stressing how adaptable you are and not getting flustered. Some applicants have been asked questions ranging into the absurd - just answer as best you can and express how eager you are to resolve situations gracefully and to spread international understanding.

Some applicants are asked to give an example lesson to the interviewers, but not all are. It's very much worth your while to spend time beforehand thinking of some possible approaches to this. Short and simple is fine - you can cover a simple word topic, or teach a song, or something similar. There are many ideas on the Internet for this.

Once again, the motto of the JET program: Every Situation is Different. Every interviewee has their own experiences, and they can vary wildly even within the same interview group and consulate. Do the best you can and try to forget about it once the interview is over - you've got a good two months or so before you'll find out your results. Next time, I'll talk about the various results of the interview, and what happens next. If you are planning on applying, good luck - now is the time to start cultivating references and thinking about your Statement of Purpose.

Welcome to Monbetsu

So I finally got my long-awaited placement today. Although the days until I leave are still crawling by, I now know at least the city where I will be living, which helps a lot.

For at least the next year, I will be living in Monbetsu, Hokkaido, which can also be spelled Mombetsu thanks to the lovely Japanese alphabet. Having never heard of this town, I looked it up promptly on Google. Google tells me that this is Monbetsu:



Charming! Turns out that's just the ocean, which is celebrated for being covered in ice. Scientists from all around the world come here once a year for a conference to talk about sea ice, apparently. This is Monbetsu:



It's a town of 26,000, situated along the northeastern coast of Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost main island. Monbetsu is known for the aforementioned sea ice, as well as apparently having the best crab in all of Japan. It's quite isolated, as Japanese cities go, and as a city in Hokkaido it enjoys long winters and heavy snowfall.



When I applied for JET, I requested Hokkaido, as I've always wanted to visit the region and it's said to be full of natural beauty and wilderness. Many JETs don't get placed where they want, and many view Hokkaido as a "worst-case" placement, but I enjoy the cold and I thought it would be a neat place to go, as well as perhaps more available due to the number of applicants who specifically don't want to go there. Apparently, this plan worked, as I'll be headed there in August!

The next step of my process is to hear from both the local Board of Education and my predecessor. The JET program itself does not employ me or any of the other JET program participants; my employer will be the Monbetsu Board of Education. Once they get in touch with me, I'll know more details about the schools I'll be teaching at and my living arrangements. At this point, all I know is the city.

My predecessor is the person who is currently residing in my position, and will be leaving before I arrive. They will tell me all about the area and the appointments, including the living situation and transportation. They may also sell me their furniture and other items that they won't be taking home with them. Again, once I contact this person I'll know much more about my position.

I'll post more information about my placement as I get it; for now, anyone who wants to know more can check out the official city homepage, in English. In my next post I'll be going back in time once again and talking about the interview process, back in February. Until then!

Placement Panic!

To return to the present from my reminiscing about the recent and arduous past, I'd like to expel a little bit of pressure buildup in the form of a warm and gassy blog post. Right now, myself and hundreds of other new JETs are waiting with forced patience to find out about our placement, or the details of our near-future lives in Japan. The program states that this information generally comes around June, but word on the street seems to have it that we could hear back any day. Needless to say I'm fairly exploding at the seams waiting to hear. One prefecture actually jumped the gun this year and informed its applicants early, and some of the departing JETs have taken the liberty of contacting their replacements already. Neither has happened to me, because I have rotten luck.

Hopefully within a week or so, the general announcement will go out and people will starting getting their information officially. At this point, I will most likely hole up on my laptop and do as much research as I can about my particular rice paddy because I really am in dire need of ways to pass the time.

Until then, I guess it's back to studying. So many kanji characters, so little time.

Application Process Part 1: Initial Applications

Since I still have absolutely nothing of consequence related to JET to blog about, I am still sitting around with nothing to do but wait for placements, I'd like to start my series on the application process. This will primarily interest those who will be starting this process in a few months, a situation I can look back with absolutely no fondness. Let me just get this out of the way: the application process is, to word it generously, rigorous. The payoff at the end, and the feeling when (if) you get accepted, is absolutely worth it, but that doesn't make the months and waiting and the piles of paper any more fun to wade through.

So who should apply for JET? A common misconception is that JET is only looking for those who have studied Japanese or Japanese culture, or who otherwise have involved Japan in their academic career. This isn't true; although many applicants have studied Japanese or studied abroad in Japan, there are also JETs hired who have no language ability and have never been to the country.

What JET cares about is adaptability, enthusiasm, personality, and honest interest in the program. An applicant doesn't have to have been involved in Japan previously, but they must be able to convince the program that they are genuinely interested in going there to teach and share their culture. Of course, many applicants have various interests and experiences relating to Japanese culture, and this is a large reason for many to apply to the program, but don't think that lack of relevant experience is an instant dismissal. Of course, teaching experience is a plus but again, not necessary.

So, you've decided to give it a shot. It certainly can't hurt to start the process; you can always make hard decisions later if you actually are offered an interview or position. The first step in the process is to fill out the initial application, which appears online around October. Every country has its own timeline, and its own application, but they all open up sometime in the fall and they generally end in November. Starting early, as always, is recommended.

I, of course, did not start early, and ended up priority express mission critical mailing my bulging folder of JET materials to Washington D.C. the morning before they were due, to the tune of something like $35 shipping. Don't be me. Save yourself money and ulcers.

The initial application consists of a detailed form to be filled out in order to let the JET program know everything they could ever possibly want to know about you. This is all fairly standard, but introduces a recurring theme in the process: precision. The application process is very precise and demanding, and this itself is part of the selection process: can you follow directions? Prove it by following all of them on this application. Check everything six times, as some of them are rather hidden.

The application requires copies of your transcript, and proof of graduation. Many people apply while still in school; as long as you'll be graduating in the spring before you go, you'll be fine. If you aren't graduated yet, you include a form from the school stating that you will be. There's no exceptions to the requirement for a degree of some kind; this is an immigration thing.

The application also requires two letters of reference. This part is important, and I think that my letters were probably one of the strongest parts of my application; I don't really know, however, since you don't get to see them. These must be sent in sealed by the original writer. Make sure to request them early. I asked two professors of mine with whom I had good academic relations; although neither were related in any way to Japanese or the Asian Studies program, I asked them because I thought they would give me a better reference and knew me better than any of my Japanese professors. The quality of the references is more important than their "relevance" to JET.

The other important part of your application is your Statement of Purpose, or SoP. This is a two-page document you write describing yourself, your interest in the program, and why the Japanese government should spend its money to ship you to off to some remote rice paddy. The statement of purpose is perhaps the most important part of your application; at the very least, it should be the part you spend the most time on. This is where you get to really make your application stand out from the pack, so put some thought into it. My SoP focused on my sincere belief in the important of international exchange and cooperation, and touched on my various experiences related to the field. I talked a bit about my experiences as a counselor at Mori no Ike, a Japanese immersion youth summer camp, and about my experiences studying abroad in Japan. The SoP can't go over two pages, so try to make it concise; this isn't the place for padding your language. You should easily have ten pages worth of material to prune down here.

Once everything is collected, along with the various documents you need to collect, you send everything in to D.C. and do your best to forget about it. This is an important skill, as the bulk of the 6+ month application period consists of waiting.

At some point in December, you'll receive a letter stating that the embassy has received your application. This letter will also include an application number, which you'll use later to see if you got accepted for an interview. This happens in January. At some point, your embassy will announce that results have been posted, and will make public a large chart of numbers. You look at this chart and and if your number is on it... congratulations! You got an interview! If not, you go drink a lot.

At a later date I'll talk about the interview. I realize this a giant post about stuff that's mostly available elsewhere, but I said I'd post about my experiences in the application process and I intend to carry through with that since I really have nothing better to do. Until then!

Nothing to see here

Welcome to my blog, Every Spider is Deadly. The purpose of this blog is to write about my experiences in Japan on the JET program, primarily so my friends and family can follow my adventures and look at my pictures of funny engrish signs and unusual rocks. I also intend for this blog to be a resource for anyone looking for information or first-hand experiences about JET, a situation that I was in last fall and winter.

Unfortunately, I'm a bit limited at the moment by the fact that I have not actually left for JET yet. I don't even know where I'll be going. Despite this, I've started my blog already, because I am an American and we are known for our can-do spirit and lack of attention to that sort of issue.

To start off, I'd like to talk about what the JET program actually is. If you are a level 70 Japan Expert and already know all about this, feel free to skip this section. If not, read on!

JET stands for Japan Exchange and Teaching. The JET program was started in 1987 by the Japanese government to promote international cultural exchange and cooperation, as well as to bolster foreign-language education in primary schools. What this means in practical terms is that the JET Program hires a number of foreigners every year to live in Japan and assist Japanese teachers in the classroom. The bulk of these teachers are recruited from natively English-speaking nations like the US, Canada, England, and Australia, while a smaller number come from many other countries. This position is referred to as the ALT position, for Assistant Language Teacher; there are also CIRs, or Coordinators for International Relations, who work with local governments to promote international activity and exchange. Since I'm an ALT and not a CIR, and I know little about the CIR program, I won't talk about them here.

Formally, ALTs are hired to teach in one or more schools, ranging from elementary school to high school. The Japanese public education system requires English study from a young age, and ALTs are intended to act as native speakers to assist students in learning. JETs are not simply meant to work in the classroom, however - the JET job extends far beyond this.

The other purpose of JET participants is to act as cultural ambassadors of their nations to Japan. Many Japanese, especially in rural areas, will have little firsthand contact with foreigners; the JET program is meant partially to address this. JET participants are, in this sense, always on the job, as their day-to-day life in Japan is just as important as their work in the classroom.

Now, a little about myself. I've been accepted to participate in the JET program, for which I am honored. I will leave at the end of July for a three-day orientation in Tokyo, after which I will depart for my posting. I haven't received my placement yet, which means I don't know where I'll be going; JET participants can request specific areas or locations, but are at the mercy of the program.

I'm a 25 year old student living in the US, originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota. I graduated last fall with a degree in East Asian Studies, and studied Japanese and Chinese. My application to JET in fall of '09 was my first application, and I was accepted in April. I speak some Japanese, and spent a year in Akita Prefecture at school. It was this experience that made me decide to return to Japan to work if possible.

I'm very excited to be participating, and the months until departure are moving by quite slowly indeed (part of the reason for starting this blog early). Until departure, I plan on posting periodically about the application process; it won't be all that long before the 2011 crop of applicants will start that arduous process. Stay tuned here for updates about applications, interviews, and acceptance. Of course, my experiences are my own, and don't necessarily reflect what anyone else has experienced, or what a prospective applicant should expect. I can only speak for myself.

And finally, a word about the title of this blog. A common mantra that aspiring JETs quickly learn is abbreviated as ESID - Every Situation is Different. This is used when answering program questions to reflect the fact that the experiences and conditions of various participants can vary wildly, even within the same town or school. A secondary usage of the acronym, however, was explained by the Chicago coordinator Austin: "Every Spider is Deadly." This truism* about the Japanese experience is something that every applicant should be aware of, and is thus worth remembering along with the ESID mantra. Thanks for the advice, Austin.

I'll be updating this blog about my preparations and application experiences as the departure date approaches, so stay tuned. I look forward to sharing my experiences with anyone who cares to read them.

*Lest I scare anyone needlessly, spiders in Japan actually aren't particularly dangerous. They are, however, thrillingly large and colorful. Later perhaps I'll blog about giant Japanese centipedes, which actually can be dangerous.