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!