Note, I imported all my posts from ladama.wordpress.com, and there’s still a few links to change, I’ll try to comb through my posts soon and make sure everything points to this URL.

*note* This post is for people who are applying to JET again after an unsuccessful attempt. If you have done JET and wish to do it again, check out the comment section.

It’s about that time again; the JET application is out soon and people are getting ready to subject themselves to the tortuously long process of applying to the JET Program on the promise of being to whisked away to the exotic land that is Japan. Many JET applicants will be bright-eyed first-time applicants, likely in the final year of their bachelor’s degree, having no reason to believe they won’t get the good news in April that a few short months after their graduation, they will be heading to Japan!

Then there are the 2nd time applicants, you know who you are. You sent in your carefully reviewed application last fall, were reasonably confident you would be selected over the multitude of ya-hoos that apply to the program, and then failed to get an interview. Maybe you still lurk around the message boards, filled with rage and/or sadness as you wondered how on earth all these people got in ahead of you. Maybe you flirted with going to Japan with Interac, or one of the eikaiwas. Never the less, here you are, planning to apply again.

The good news is you’ve already been through the whole application process, which does give you a leg up in some regards. But there’s probably plenty of room for improvement, here are a few tips.

Tip 1 – Review you old app: If you still have your application and statement of purpose (and didn’t trash it in a tearful rage), take it out or print off a copy and reread it. Be as objective as you can and write down what was good about the app and what wasn’t. Pretend you are a reviewer reading a stranger’s application and honestly ask yourself “Would I hire this person?”

Tip 2 – Fill in the gaps: There’s space to list experience in three different areas; international, teaching, and Japanese. As I’ve written before, do your best to put something in each of these sections. Now perhaps last year you didn’t write something down because you didn’t think it was significant or formal enough, maybe a quick trip to a neighboring country, or infrequent tutoring, or that you self studied Japanese for a while. Don’t hesitate this year, write it down!

Tip 3 – Think about revising your SoP: On message boards, I’ve seen some concern about reusing Statement of Purposes (and references, more later), with people worried that the application reviewers will deduct points for not trying hard enough or something. First off, these reviewers have to go through hundreds of applications in a few short weeks. The chances of someone specifically remembering your essay from last year is very slim. I personally worked very hard on my essay, and decided it’d be a shame to redo the whole thing, so I didn’t. And I got an interview. Now just because reviewers may not realize you reused your essay doesn’t mean you should. As per tip 1, reread the essay as objectively as you can. If you think it’s still strong and only needs small tweaks, then revise, if you think it’s beyond help, put it away and start fresh. If there’s one sentence in there that you still think is the best, most awesome sentence you’ve ever written, that could be a great jumping off point for your new essay.

Tip 4 – Go ahead, reuse references (but use caution): Like the SOP, I see people concerned about having the same people that wrote their letters of rec last year do it this year, and again, no one is going to remember you used those same references. And guess who got her reference letters from the same two people as the first time she applied? Yup, yours truly. But before you rush to get those letters from Mr. Whoist and Ms. Whatsit again, ask yourself if these are still the best two people to get letters from. It has been a year, your relationship may have changed, and it’s possible these people didn’t write you a great letter to begin with. If you still want to go with the same people, go over the directions with them, and try to assure they don’t just print off last year’s letter.

Tip 5 – Don’t overthink it: You’ll never know why you weren’t selected for an interview, which unfortunately could make you second guess every choice and agonize over things like placement requests, or should you write that your Japanese is “beginner-intermediate” or “intermediate”, or what paper clips you should use. Not that you shouldn’t put some thought into all this, but you have to find the right balance between attention to detail (good) to simply sweating the small stuff (not so good). Maybe sure you’ve done everything you can in the “big” sections (SoP, Japanese/teaching/culture experience) before you worry too much about whether to check “semi-urban” or “rural”. If you really find yourself agonizing over a part of the application, put it away for a little while, go take a walk or watch a movie. Try to feel refreshed before you tackle that app again.

I’ll probably think of more tips later, but that’s all for now. Good luck to you 2nd time applicants!

Ahead: what is ESID, how well will your JTE speak English, can you ever move within JET, and other miscellaneous things.

1. Every Situation is Different
This (commonly shortened to ESID) is the unofficial motto of JET. Any question you have about your school/living situation is almost impossible to answer because of the ESID factor. Will you get subsidized housing or will you pay 60,000yen a month for a tiny apartment? Will you be a human tape recorder or will you be planning several new lessons a week with little help? Will you get a nice understanding supervisor or will you get a hawk that scrutinizes your every move? There’s just no telling, because every JETs situation is different.

Unfortunately this has turned into the cop-out answer for everything an aspiring or new JET may ask. And the fact is a general message JET board is often not the best place to get answers to your specific situation such as your living situation or your duties as a teacher. Your predecessor, fellow JETs in your contracting organization, or a prefectural adviser are much better people to direct specific questions to than someone place in a prefecture half the country away.

2. No one in Japan knows what JET is
If you’ve been to Japan and have seen how they are with all things foreign, you would think the Japanese would know everything there is to know about this program that brings thousands of foreigners into their country every year. Alas, when you get to your placement, it’s doubtful anyone but your supervisor and maybe your fellow English teachers will know what JET is. Saying you’re here on JET will earn you blank stares from many of your co-workers, your students, and most certainly from that cute J-girl or boy at the bar. This is because you’re not employed by JET, you’re employed by your local government. Stick with telling people you’re an ALT or even “eigo no kyoushi”.

3. Sorry, there are no flying cars in Japan.
Yes, Japan is the home of innovative companies like Honda, Sony, and Toyota. And the streets of Shinjuku and Shibuya are lined with jumbo-trons several stories tall. But if you think Japan is all robot pets and toilets with more buttons than a DVD player, you will see otherwise pretty quick. Press the right button, and you can make an ATM do anything . . . except be open 24 hours. You don’t have to have a smartphone to have a cell that surfs the internet or plays TV, but you’ll probably have to pay extra for luxuries like voice mail and call-waiting. And at some point, the “Japanese-style” toilet is going to be your only option.

4. Pick up a hobby or two . . . or five
You will surely discover within a week of coming here that JET can offer you a good amount of downtime. Between the 8-4(ish) schedule, the obscene number of Japanese National Holidays, and the way schools change schedules and cancel classes with reckless abandon, you may often find yourself with nothing to do. Think you can go home early when all the afternoon classes are canceled? Well, a few JETs may have schools nice enough to do that, but the rest will be stuck at their desks. Now, you can sit and stew about having nothing to do, or fill your time with other activities. I suggest bringing a few books (paperback, and maybe something you’re willing to leave behind when you’re done with JET) or taking up writing or sketching at your desk. It’s also a great time to study either Japanese or some other correspondence course.

5. Just because your JTE teaches English . . .
I taught at junior high school, and while most of the teachers I taught with were proficient at English, there were a couple whose English level seemed to only be a lesson or two ahead of the students. These teachers had super “katakana-ized” pronunciation, used worksheets with glaring mistakes on them, and couldn’t answer even basic English questions (protip: avoid using “or” when talking to Japanese people). As for the elementary schools I taught at, the number of teachers who could hold more than a simple conversation in English ranged from zero to maybe 2 or 3 people.

Japan has notoriously low TOEFL scores (2nd lowest in Asia, only ahead of North Korea) and it sadly shows in students and teachers. There are any number of reasons for this low English proficiency, and a big part is an education system that’s still very much all about learning by rote and passing entrance exams.

Anyway, my point is you are going to be your JTE’s best English resource. You’ll likely be the only native English speaker they talk to on a regular basis, and you’ll be the only person that can help make sure they’re actually teaching correct, natural sounding English and not a Japanglish mess. So be available to your JTE, try to understand their situation, and don’t be afraid to be the one to initiate things.

6a: No, you’re not guaranteed up to 5 years on JET
As far as Assistant Language Teacher positions in Japan go, JET is pretty stable, and most ALTs are able to work as long as they want up to the 5 year limit. However, their positions are at the mercy of their contracting organization’s budget, and it’s certainly not uncommon for a JET to learn their school/BOE won’t be keeping them for another year. Fortunately, most ALT are told whether or not their town will keep them around re-contracting form distribution time, which is in October, giving the JET plenty of time to apply for transfers. But there is the occasional story of a contracting organization not breaking the news until well after the transfer request deadline that they won’t be keeping their JETs on. It’s not common, but it happens, which is why communication with your CO and supervisor is very important.

Also, being offered a fourth and fifth year is entirely at the discretion of your CO, and you may be in a city that only offers 3 years. You can apply for a transfer then, but keep in mind if there are a lot of JETs requesting transfers in your prefecture, people in their 1st or 2nd year are often preferred over 3rd or 4th years.

6b: You can’t transfer for the heck of it:
When I browse JET message boards and posts, I’m always surprised at the number of JET hopefuls that ask if they have the option of changing placements “to get a new experience”. Then I laugh a little and think “Oh, you have much to learn, grasshopper.” With your JET placement, what you’re given is what you get, and you will be in that placement for the duration of your time on JET. That said, there is a possibility of transferring either to another prefecture or within your own prefecture (the latter is far more common). Transfers are generally approved for the following reasons

• the JET’s contracting organization is cutting the position
• the JET wants to be closer to his/her [Japanese] spouse and/or the spouse’s family
• for health reasons (such as being closer to a medical center)

You cannot transfer just for a change of scenery, or because you want to teach a different age group, or because you don’t like your town or schools*. You either have to make the most of your situation or find a new, non-JET job.

*Of course, if you are facing a serious issue at your work such as sexual harassment, verbal abuse, or anything that you feel is threatening your safety, and it’s an issue where a transfer becomes the best option, you may be granted an exception to the general transfer rules. You may be able to arrange a transfer outside of the usual transfer deadlines. Talk to a Prefectural Adviser right away.

7. Dating in Japan: Yes, it’s easy for guys. No, it’s not as difficult for girls as you’ve heard.
Seriously, guys, you don’t need to go onto message boards and embarrass yourself by asking for tips on dating Japanese girls. If you’re foreign and not a complete anti-social nerd, you can get a Japanese girlfriend. Being tall, super genki, and light haired/eyed does help but none of these are requirements. Now whether you have a meaningful relationship, or just end up being a gaijin accessory that provides free English lessons comes down to you.

As for girls, we face a little more of an uphill battle. The stereotypical image of an international relationship in Japan is “Foreign Guy + Japanese Girl”, and this image is perpetuated by Japanese and foreigners alike. If media and message boards are to be believed, the romantic life of a female JET is akin to a Forever Alone comic. Hell, even the JET Guidebook basically tells female JETs to not expect to land a date in Japan, much less find love.

But I’m here to say the reports of female foreigners leading fruitless love lives are grossly exaggerated. This may be shocking to hear, but I did know several foreign girls who had *gasp* Japanese boyfriends in Japan. A few of them even got engaged and married. I also knew plenty of gaijin girls who hooked up with other gaijin guys in Japan. I personally was hit on and asked out much more often in Japan than back home. While dating in Japan may never be as easy for foreign girls as it is for a foreign guys, it’s far from impossible.

8. The word for “communication” in Japanese is “komyunikeishon”
What I mean by that is communication as we westerners know it is a bit of a foreign concept in Japan. We put value on being direct (to a point), asking questions, and voicing our opinions. The Japanese value maintaining the “wa” (harmony) and being part of the group, meaning their ways of communicating are much more subtle and indirect.

Unfortunately this results in plenty of miscommunication between JET and their coworkers. Most ALTs at some point are going to go to school one day only to find it closed, or get a call some Saturday and be asked why they are missing Sports Day or the Culture Fair. Or an ALT will think everything is going great with their lessons, until their JTE cancels their part of the lesson and they learn, likely from a third party, that the JTE didn’t think the lessons were effective, or that some students felt it was going too fast. Some ALTs try to ask for evaluations from their fellow teachers, but this often proves fruitless as Japanese people don’t like to criticize or to be in any potentially confrontational situation.

To handle this, I recommend a mixture of acting more Japanese but also exerting your Western “boldness”. When you think a teacher has an issue with you, don’t ask them directly, but rather try mentioning, in an indirect way to another person, that you’re worried you’re not doing a good job . Usually this gets to the teacher you have an issue with and they will come to you, directly or indirectly, and tell you what they’d like to change. As for the more ‘black and white’ issues, like not being told about school events or cancelled classes, don’t be afraid to go to a teacher at the beginning of the week and asking if there’s anything you need to know. It’s not how the Japanese would do it, but screw it, you’re a westerner and you can be bold and direct if you want. (I also recommend asking for and learning to read the morning meeting summaries, they often time tell you all the information you need).

look for more tips in this article

You finally get the email, it starts off “You have successfully passed the 2nd stage of the screening process”. You want to run around the room and shout “I’m going to Japan!” until you read the next sentence. “You have been selected as an alternate.”

I got this email, and I knew I was suppose to be grateful that I was an alternate. It meant I wasn’t rejected outright, and there was still a real chance of going to Japan. But in some ways it was worse than just being rejected. Being rejected would have meant that it’s over and done with, and it’s time to move on. As an alternate, all that laid ahead was weeks – possibly months -  of uncertainty. When will I get the call? How much time will I have to prepare for Japan? What I can’t go? What if I’m never upgraded at all?!

Being an alternate kinda blows. It’s the ultimate limbo, you’re not in JET, but you’re not out. You’re sort of treated like a short-lister (you get some of the same paperwork, get invited to a few events), but at the same time you’re very much not a short-lister. You get asked if you’re going to Japan, and all you can say is “I don’t really know yet.” While short-listers get all sorts of checklists and guides to pre-departure, there is no “Official JET Alternate Guide”.

So here is the Unofficial JET Program Alternate Guide from someone who went through it.

Here’s the good news
A lot of people are made alternates on JET. This isn’t an accident or some kind of consolation prize; it’s because a lot of positions open up between now and departure day. There are so many upgraded alternates that JET even holds a separate orientation: the “Group C” orientation in late August is entirely made up of former alternate who were upgraded too late to depart with A and B groups.

Different job, grad school, family, simple change of heart, there are countless reasons why people forgo their JET placement. So as of right now, in April, your chances of being upgraded are pretty good. I’ve even heard stories of people upgraded within days of learning they’re alternates.

There’s still paper work to be done
Even though you’re not *officially* going to Japan with JET yet, there are some things you need to do, and other things you should consider doing. (This mostly applies to US participants, apologies to non-US readers).

Required: Shortlisters and alternates receive a form where they check off whether or not they want to participate in this year’s JET program. It’s due about 3-4 weeks after the interview results are announced, so keep an eye out for that letter.
Also get a passport, probably a no brainer, but still, do it.

Recommended:
FBI Record Report: US JET requires all participants to get this. It’s $18 plus whatever your local police department charges for fingerprints, and since it can take up to 3 months to get, it’s recommended to apply for it now.

U.S. residency certificate: You need to file form 8802 to receive form 6166, which exempts you from paying Japanese taxes. It takes about 4-6 weeks to get, but that’s only if everything on the form is correctly filled out, otherwise you get a letter stating that the IRS needs more information and have to wait 4-6 more weeks. It costs $35, which sucks, but it is something you should do now in case you’re only given a few week’s notice that you’re going to Japan (also make sure your taxes from the last few years are in order before you apply). You can get up to 20 copies for the $35 fee, so might as well get a few (though the only person that really needs it is your eventual supervisor in Japan).

*Note: when I was an alternate, there wasn’t any push to get the FBI check or tax certificate before I knew I was upgraded, but now many consulates are asking their alternates to complete these things to assure their place on the alternate list. Find out from your coordinator what is and isn’t requested.

Hold off on: The physical and lung x-ray. The X-ray alone is $80 (yay, US health care!) plus whatever the exam costs, but since this can be done on fairly short notice, I’d wait until you know for sure you’re going.

The Mysterious “Upgrade List”
Every consulate has a list of their alternates, so when an open position comes to them, someone on that list is offered an upgrade. Now there’s a lot of rumors flying around about this list, so here what’s probably true, and probably not true based on my experience and what I’ve read/been told.

#1: You need to watch your phone because if you miss the upgrade call, they automatically go to the next person. I’m declaring this “Probably False,” because I did miss my upgrade call, but the coordinator left me a message, and then called the 2nd number I listed, so they do make an effort to get a hold of you. It’s only after several attempts that they would probably go to the next person. The thing is they can’t wait forever for your reply, so think about that before you go on a two week backpacking trip through the Yukon or some other place where phone or internet access is limited.

#2: You can find out where you are on the upgrade list. This is tricky, and it entirely depends your particular coordinator. No, you won’t be told specifically “There’s 20 people on the upgrade list and you’re number 8″, but some coordinators will tell you your general position on the list (high, or low) or reveal other vague information. Then there’s other coordinators who will say they can’t reveal any of that information, which stems to rumor #3 . .

#3: If you bother your JET coordinator too much, they will drop you down on the upgrade list: I’m going to say “Probably False” because I certainly hope a JET coordinator would be more professional than that. Still, the moral of this cautionary tale is don’t call constantly and ask for updates, and that’s definitely good advice. If you’re gonna call to try to gauge your place on the list, one time is enough.

#4: The list isn’t really a list at all, more like a pool: This is somewhat true. At the beginning of the upgrade process, someone drops out and the next person on the list is called up. But as time goes by, the requests for the upgraded JET may get more specific. The CO may want someone who has to drive, or something who’s willing to work with younger kids. Or it’s two weeks before the Group A departure, and the consulate wants to find someone who can leave that quickly. The list is no longer much of a list, but a pool from which the JET coordinators try to find the best alternate for the position.

Upgrades tend to happen in waves
* Late April/Early May: All short-listers have to send in a reply form saying whether or not they accept their JET position, and this form is due a few weeks after interview results are announced. For one reason or another, there are many people who initially turn it down, so shortly after this form deadline is the first “wave” of upgrades.

* End of May: Placements are doled out at this time, and for any short-lister on the fence about going, their placement will often make them decide one way or the other, and 2nd big “wave” of upgrades begins.

* Early~Mid July: Though not as big as the previous two waves, there are a noticeable number of upgrades a few weeks before departure, most likely due to cold feet as the departure date approaches.

Upgrades start to get few and far between after this point, but they do still happen. JET says you can be upgraded as late as the fall, and my first year there was someone in my prefecture who arrived in mid-October. I have even seen people on message boards being upgraded in December! The main thing about these late upgrades is they want the JET to get to Japan ASAP so the upgraded JET may only have 2 weeks or so to get ready. If you’re still an alternate at this point, you may want to decide if you are willing to drop everything and go to Japan on short notice, or just remove your name from the list and try again next year.

Also, don’t forget that positions are opening up on the Japan side as well. JETs in Japan have to decide if they’re contracting for another year at the beginning of February, and plenty will back out between February and August. My placement opened up when my predecessor decided in May he wasn’t going to stay another year.

Being upgraded doesn’t means getting someone’s scraps
If you’re upgraded after the placements are handed out, you may think, “I’m just getting a crappy placement that someone else didn’t want.” Now when someone at your consulate turns down their position, it doesn’t just go to the next person on the alternate list. I had a good friend who was shortlisted through my consulate turn down his placement because a) he got a better paying job and b) his placement was nowhere near his requested prefectures. I was upgraded the next business day, but I didn’t get his placement. In fact it was nearly a month before I knew where I was going. This tells me they do try to match the newly opened placement with the newly upgraded JETs. A fair amount of upgraded JETs actually get a placement near their requests.

And as I just mentioned, my placement opened up when my pred decided to not stay a 2nd year. This might raise alarms that maybe there was a problem with the schools or coworkers or the town, but whatever the reason, I loved my placement, never had a major problem, and stayed for three years.

Time to look into a different program?
Hey, if you’re determined to be in Japan by the end of the summer, there are plenty of private companies to apply to. The good news is the time between application and arrival in Japan with these companies is significantly shorter than JET. The bad news? Less pay, less benefits, less job-security, and well, I’ll just leave the googling of horror stories up to you. Not that JET doesn’t have it’s fair share of horror stories, but the private ALTs I knew in Japan encountered far more problems than most any JET I knew.

What I’m trying to say is do your homework, get on message boards and websites and find out what common problems a particular company has, and what you can do. Since the school year starts in April, there will be a better variety of job listings in February/March if you can hold off that long (maybe try to get a TESL certificate or some ESL teaching in during that time).

Try to put it out of your mind
I know, easier said that done, but constantly thinking about JET and “why wasn’t I short-listed” or “will I ever be upgraded?” is not going to make the upgrade call come any faster. Avoid message boards; seeing other alternates be upgraded before you will only bum you out. If you have a friend who was shortlisted, don’t talk about JET with them too much. When it got to be mid-June and I still wasn’t upgraded, I pretty much accepted I wasn’t going on JET and it’s time to look into other things. I decided this on a Saturday and the following Monday, I got a call from the consulate. So yeah, try to mentally get over JET, but don’t be surprised if that’s when you get your upgrade notice.

Leaving JET is as much of an adjustment as coming on JET, and something that can easily sneak up on you. The key is to prepare well and to prepare early. A fellow JET said to me, “Never underestimate the amount of time you need.” Good advice, and I tried to follow it, but that didn’t stop me from rushing around the morning I left.

Sending your crap home: I came to Japan with two suitcases and left with several boxes of stuff, as well as those same two suitcases bursting at the seems. Your stuff has probably expanded quite a bit as well, and if you’re like me, sentimental and unable to resist the all the cute crap in Japan, you’re going to be shipping a lot of it.

So what’s the best shipping method? Shipping companies are good for mailing large objects or very heavy objects, but cheap they are not. So unless you’re shipping furniture, your best option is the probably the post office. There is a size limit, and the charge is by weight, but sending it by seamail is going to be your most affordable choice. A big box of clothes would run me about 4000~5000yen, a big of miscellaneous things (books, trinkets, etc) would be 7000~8000yen. Books can be sent “media mail” for even cheaper, but not all post offices do this.

If you go with seamail, though, tape up your boxes really, really well, because they’re handled pretty roughly. I think my boxes ended up being used as a soccer ball on the ship, because a couple of my boxes arrived torn and with things missing, and also contained things that weren’t mine. When packing a box you plan on sending by sea mail, try to cushion the edge and/or the top and bottom with some clothes or stuffed animals or something squishy. It’ll be tempting to try to pack it as full as you can, but the fuller it is, the more likely it’ll burst open, so pack it “full”, then take a couple things out. If it’s valuable or breakable, or just something you’d really hate to lose, you should consider springing for an airmail package or putting it in your suitcase.

Consolidating your things: Now before your send off your X-number of boxes, you probably should go through and decide what you’ll really want to send home and what could be left. Fortunately, Japan has a lot of 2nd hand stores that will give you a little money for your things (emphasis on the little). I took the clothes I didn’t want to a store that gave me yen by the kg. I tried to take my books to Book Off, but I think only the ones in large cities will take English books (but here’s an English book website you can send your books to http://www.infinitybooksjapan.com/) There’s also organizations you can donate clothes and goods to, but often it needs to be shipped and you’re responsible for the shipping charges. Still, it’s a way for you clothes to get to someone who may really need them.

Furniture and large electronics will probably be left (or sold) to your successor. If you’re in the rather unlucky position of not having a successor, know that your apartment is most likely expected to be completely cleared out, including furniture, lights, even your refrigerator and gas stove! It’s a good time to call in some favors from your supervisor and have them help you get the furniture to the used furniture store or to the dump.

Also, don’t automatically assume all the furniture/appliances are yours to take or sell. If you came to a furnished apartment, it’s possible your CO purchased some of those items, and therefore those things belong to them. They may also belong to your landlord. If you take or sell these items, it’s possible nothing will happen, or it’s possible you’ll find the item’s value deducted from your last paycheck. Either way, you’d be screwing over your successor. Don’t be that guy.

Oh, and prepare for a sudden influx of hand fans, handkerchiefs, and maybe even a yukata or two when you start getting “going away” presents, save some space in your suitcase.

Getting the boring paperwork stuff done: There’s a few things you’ll need to get in order before you go, and the sooner you get to it the better.

* Your plane ticket home: Find out what your contracting organization’s protocol on buying your ticket home is. Some CO’s might pressure you to find the cheapest ticket you can meaning you may not get to leave the day you want. I’ve also heard of some COs that expect you to buy your plane ticket home before they reimburse you, and since one-way tickets inexplicably run hundreds of dollars more than one-way tickets, that’s a good chunk of yen you’ll have to spend that you may not be reimbursed for several weeks.

Also, know what you’re entitled to ticket wise. In general, you must leave within one month of finishing your contract. The ticket is suppose to be a direct flight or have a minimal number of transfers (with reasonable layover time) if a direct flight is unavailable. Also, the ticket should be to the airport you departed from on JET (though I believe you can get a ticket to any of the designated departure airports, as long as it’s in your home country). Your CO is technically only responsible for getting you to one of the designated airports, so say you’re going to Des Moines, your CO really only has to pay your way to Chicago or Minneapolis, then you are responsible for the rest. So long story short, find out ASAP what needs to be done ticket wise.

* Assigning a tax representative for pension lump-sum refunds matters: After you turn in your “gaijin” card and leave Japan, you can apply for the pension lump-sum refund. When you get it a few months down the road, you’ll notice 20% was taken right off the top. You can also get this back, but you’ll need a Japanese tax-representative to do it for you, and you need to assign this representative before you leave Japan. There’s forms in the JET Program General Information Handbook, and more info in the “After JET” guide, both available on the JET website. Make sure you assign someone who you can easily get in touch with a few months after you leave. Also, your tax representative needs to apply for the tax refund at your local tax office (i.e. the tax office that was closest to your Japanese address) so also choose someone who will be in the area for some time.

*Getting the Proof of Participation form, and your salary report for Jan~July: The contracting organizations get a special handbook from JET that contains a template for the “Proof of Participation” form. The salary report shouldn’t be hard to get, but my CO told me they couldn’t do it until the end of the year, so either put the pressure on, or make sure you have communication with your supervisor come next January.

* Visa Extension: If you’re a third year JET, your visa will probably expire the same day your contract ends. If you plan on staying a few days or even a few weeks after this date, you will need to change your visa status to “visitor”. It takes a trip the immigration office and costs 4000yen, there’s also a bunch of paperwork they ask you to bring, but mainly you need proof you will leave the country (so a copy of your plane ticket). I also brought my contract to prove my dates of employment were over, and my bank register to prove I had sufficient funds in Japan, but they didn’t even look at it. You probably shouldn’t change your visa status until you’re done working, but it still good to put it on your checklist.

* Taking the JLPT in July: If you are taking the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, make sure to do the change of address steps outlined in the JLPT pamphet. There’s only about a three-week window to change your address. If you miss it, maybe your successor can send the results to you, but note that they will not leave the results if your name isn’t on the mailbox! If you can’t tell, I completely missed the deadline to change the address, and didn’t make sure my name was still on my mailbox so no JLPT results for me. (I think I failed anyways, so whatever).

Managing the time you have left: I think it’s just inevitable that your last couple months are going to end up busier than you ever expected. Yeah, you get 4 holidays around Golden Week, but that’s hardly a time of relaxing. Then there’s the long stretch between Early May and Late July where there’s no public holidays. You’re simply going to run out of weekends, and when it gets to be June and July, you’ll find yourself facing a weekend where you’re have to chose between a going-away party with your fellow ALTs, a hiking trip with your coworkers, or just staying at home and getting some much needed packing and cleaning done. Basically, I tried to do all my “grunt” work on week nights, and save the weekends for daytrips and/or nights out with my friends. I had some personal leave left, so if I had an afternoon with no classes, I just took a couple hours off and tried to make a trip to the post office or do any other errands.

Another thing I advise against is committing to anything in the 2nd half of July since your schools will have end-of-term enkais and maybe even going away parties for you. Maybe you hate your school and don’t care about the enkais, but if they offer a farewell dinner for you, it only polite to attend.

Preparing your good-byes: It’s going to happen, the point where you have to say goodbye to your students, fellow teachers, and friends. You can put it off until the last minute or face it head on. I did write a farewell speech (and completely bawled when I gave it) and gave some of my JTEs presents, but I regret that I didn’t write a good-bye letter to people like the principal or English coordinator of the elementary school I visited. Make a list of people you want to do something for, either giving a gift, writing a letter, or just someone you want to make sure you see before leaving. Again, try not to commit to too much in late July so you have have final dinners and meeting with your favorite co-workers and friends.

Let JET help you: JET has it’s weaknesses and it’s strengths, and definitely one of it’s strengths is support for going back home. If you missed the Returner’s Conference in March, you should still check out the website for hand-outs because there’s still a lot of good information on things like graduate school, resumes/CVs, and just adjusting to life back to your home country. The General Handbook and the After JET guide really provide a lot of good information about preparing to leave. Your prefecture also may have a “Leaving JET” guide with information more specific to your area. All of these thing were definitely a help as I was getting ready to leave.

Get involved with JETAA: The JET Alumni Association is pretty huge, many major cities in the main participating countries have chapters. Most chapters put on a career forum in the fall after JETs come home, and it’s a good opportunity to network and talk with people who were in your situation a few years ago: back from Japan, trying to figure out what to do next. It’s also just a good way to meet people, especially if you’ve come home after a few years in Japan and found your friends have moved away, started families, etc. And of course, if you get involved enough with JETAA, you’ll have an item for your resume.

I’m sure many of you aspiring JETs can’t help but wonder how this will affect the 2011 JET Program. I saw a thread pop up asking about it on a JET forum, and the general response was “How can you be asking that at a time like this?!” However, all shaming aside, I do think it’s a legitimate question, and this disaster will have an impact on the JET Program.

First off, you should probably just avoid asking this question on forums because you’ll just get a lot of heat. Also, no one on those forums is likely to have that information, and if they do, they probably aren’t in a position to make an unofficial announcement on a forum. Any announcement will probably come from the official JET Website or from your local consulate, and it’s best to just wait for this announcement rather than call up your JET coordinator (trust me, they’re busy right now).

At this point in the JET “cycle”, the interviews of prospective JETs are done, and contracting organizations have already sent in their requests for new JETs, so now it’s about tallying how many positions are open and compiling interview results. The notification of acceptance (“short-listed”) is normally sent to interviewees early to mid April, and then placements are decided mid to late May.

Someone on the thread I saw said that since the funding of JET has been called into question in the last year, they wouldn’t be surprise if the JET program is significantly scaled down or even canceled so funds are spent on disaster relief and rebuilding. Now I would say in the most affected prefectures (Iwate, Fukushima, Ibaraki) JET will be scaled down, to what degree is unknown. As for saying the program will be cut nationwide to use the funds, that’s a bit extreme. I feel like that’s saying if there’s a hurricane in Florida, the state of Illinois is expected to lay-off x-number of teachers and send the money directly to rebuilding efforts, I don’t think it works quite like that. The Japan government does subsidize each JET participant to a degree, but most of their salary, as well as their flights to Japan and hotel stay at the Tokyo Orientation, is paid by the local contracting organization.

Also, just to compare, the Kobe Earthquake of 1995 caused about $100 billion US in damage. That year, JET had about 4,600 participants, 500 more than the previous year, plus that was a time when new JETs were still being flown over in business class.

It’s my best guess that the short-list announcement might be delayed, the affected prefectures may take on few, if any, new JETs, but elsewhere I don’t see any reason JET placements won’t go forward as planned.

*Edit*: 3/21 From the JET Program Website Earthquake Page

5. Specifics regarding the future employment and related conditions for JET participants in areas directly affected by the earthquake and subsequent tsunamis will be dealt with on a case by case basis depending on circumstances in respective contracting organisations and the wishes of respective JET participants. JET participants in areas other than those seriously affected will be treated as usual.

Anyways, a friend just introduced me to an awesome JET-related comic called “Life After the BOE“. It covers some of the more, well, irritating aspects of being an JET in Japan, as well as the things they don’t manage to tell you during the 3-day Tokyo Orientations. For example:

It’s a fun, well drawn comic that definitely speaks the truth. I encourage all current, future, and former ALTs to check it out.

The diplomacy of Janken (rock-paper-scissors): In elementary and junior high school, there are few conflicts that can’t be resolved with a round of janken. There’s an extra jelly dessert? Janken. Who won that last karuta card? Janken. No one wants to volunteer to present first? Janken. The loser may groan about it, but no one ever demands a rematch. The word of Janken is final!

Combini: Oh how I miss these beacons of light, a place where I could pay my bills and buy my onigiri, where I could stop in for pudding at 12 pm or 12 am. Where I could pay for a bottle of water with an 10,000 yen (roughly $100) bill and the clerk wouldn’t even blink. I’ll always remember the friendly chime and the “Irashaimase” of my local Family Mart.

Saitama Mascot, Kobaton

The Cuteness: How could I not love a place where everything has a mascot? Where no matter the location, there’s a gift shop with charms of Hello Kitty, Rilakkuma, AND Doraemon dressed like local fruits and flowers. Where my school lunch milk carton has a picture of Kobaton conducting a train or having a picnic. Frankly, everything without a smiley face is just boring now.

Meeting people from around the world: In my hometown in Colorado, meeting someone from east of the Mississippi river is about as “international” as it gets. So you can imagine my wide-eyed delight when I first karaoke’d with a group of Australians, or went to an onsen with a German, or danced at a club with a South African. Now it seems normal to go out with a Brit, an Aussie, and a Japanese person and then meet someone who’s Spanish but grew up in South America, and is stopping over in Japan on their way to Thailand.

Rated PG13 for language

My students’ English mistakes: Sometimes when I’d grade my student’s journals and tests, I worried that they haven’t learned any English at all. But usually the worry was replaced by delight as I read things like “I was in the blue grope.” and “I took part in an event like a cowboy.” Months are especially fun, “Jury” for July, “Nobender” for November. However, I still have no idea what month “Juniary” is supposed to be.

Kotatsu: While heating during the winter in Japan leaves quite a bit to be desired, kotatsu is completely awesome and something I wish I had back home. When the cold would set in around December, I’d throw the quilt over the table and tried to have everything I needed within arms-reach because I wouldn’t leave until April.

Being a semi-celebrity: What can I say? I enjoy it when my kids exclaim “Your eyes are blue!”, or marvel at my curly hair, or ask for my signature on their notebooks. It’s also fun to hear “Ro-ren-sensei, hello!” as I ride my bike around town. Of course, there are two sides to this coin, such as being spotted talking a guy friend and being asked, “Was that your boyfriend?” at school the next day. Or a student forgetting my name and referring to me as “gaikokujin”. Despite this, I’ll be sad not being so “exotic” when I return home.

Seriously, this is like a porno shop to me

Stationary: Maybe I’m weird, but I’ve always loved shopping for school supplies, and Japan is a stationary junky’s dreamland. Even relatively small stores have pens that come in 17 different widths and an aisle devoted to stationary paper. There also all the wonderful stickers, notebooks, and file folders that have any animal, character, or famous landmark you can imagine on it. I’ll especially miss the awesome pop-up, foil embossed, and die-cut greeting cards.

Souvenir snacks: I think most of us think of “souvenirs” as tacky little trinkets we give to friends who probably will put it in a box and never look upon it again. But in Japan, the word for souvenir, “o-miyage”, also means little individually wrapped treats. Every little town has them in all shapes and flavors. They can be . . . interesting, like say a sembei with a slice of octopus baked in, but it’s a perfect gift for co-workers.

Heading to an ikebana lesson

The General Bizarreness: Can you think of your first “Wow, this place is weird” moment in Japan? Was it when you first encountered a talking toilet? Or watched a variety show about eating? Or saw a little old man using a pink keitai with 17 charms dangling from it? Or learned the latest character all your students are obsessed with is a bowl of rice with a face called “Gohan-chan”? I miss these nearly daily encounters with the lovable weirdness that is Japan.

Tip 3, You have more international experience than you think: On the application, there’s several sections were you fill in your teaching, international/inter-cultural, and Japanese experience. Do you best to write down something, anything in these sections. You might have a lot of experience in one area, but writing down 10 things in the international experience section isn’t going to make up for writing nothing in teaching or Japanese experience sections.

The first time I applied, I had nothing in the “Teaching” section, but the second time I put down that I volunteered with ESL students (I only did it for a month) and was a lab monitor for three semesters (I determined that talking people through computer and printer trouble every time I monitored qualified as “tutoring”). It might have just been the thing that got me an interview that second time.

For those worried about lack of international experience, you can list pretty much any time you’ve stepped foot outside your country as international experience. If you’ve barely left your home town, try to think of anything cultural you’ve done. Did you host an exchange student? Take part in an international fair at your university or in your town? Attend French club regularly, or even semi-regularly? Write it all down.

Don’t worry if your “international experience” isn’t related to Japan at all. As I wrote in the JET FAQs, international experience is going to show you’re adaptable to different cultures, which is arguably the thing JET wants the most from a participant.

By the way, if you have some related event planned and it’s happening after the app due date but before the interview dates (like an int’l fair in December, or a trip abroad over the holidays) I’d go ahead and write it down since it will be applicable come interview time.

Tip 4, Statement of Purpose; Ask not what JET can do for you: All you really need to do in this 2-page double-spaced essay is talk about your experience and why you’ll make a good JET. Sounds easy in theory, but in practice this is probably the most stressful part of the application. And I did it twice. Here are some quick tips:

- Don’t talk about your love of Japanese pop culture: If you have some nice story about how you meet a Japanese exchange student who liked the same anime as you and that lead to a lasting friendship, put it in. Otherwise it’s best to just avoid mentioning Anime, Manga, Visual Kei, whatever. Some might say that if an anime is what got you genuinely interested in Japan, you can mention it, but the JET app reviewers already know Anime/Manga is most people’s first encounter with Japanese culture.

- Ditch the flowery language: This isn’t an Ivy League Dissertation, it’s an essay for a job where you’ll stand front of 14-year-olds and try to get them to pronounce “month” so it doesn’t sound like “mouse”. Your SoP should show you can communicate well, so keep your writing clear and concise.

- It’s about them, not you: Of course you should talk about your qualifications and what you hope to gain from being on JET, but don’t forget to talk about what you can do for them. When you’re done with your first draft, go through and see if you can’t eliminate a few I/Me/My’s. Also check the “what I’ll gain” verse “What JET will gain” balance. Do you have a whole paragraph about what you want to gain from JET but only one or two sentences about what you’ll do for JET? Try to even that out

- Get someone to proof-read it: This should go without saying (you should get someone to proof-read your whole application, actually). Get a couple opinions; I recommend you ask someone who doesn’t have anything to do with JET or Japan just so you can get an outside perspective. If you get two or more opinions, you’ll probably get conflicting advice, so that’s where your good judgement has to come in.

- (2nd time applicants) Don’t completely scrap last year’s SoP: If this is your 2nd or even 3rd time applying, you’ve already put a lot of work into an SoP, so why start from scratch? Dig out that old SoP and read through it. Cross out the weak parts and circle any passage, sentence or even just phrases you feel are still strong. See if you can’t incorporate that into your new essay. Of course re-reading your old SoP might just reaffirm you want to write a completely new essay, and that’s fine too.

Tip 5, Chillax: Hey, I was there (twice): reading and re-reading my application, revising my essay, triple checking that I had everything in the right order. Really what I needed to do was relax, take a break for a day or two from the app and do other things. You don’t get bonus points for sending in your application early, so take your time. Print out the check list and maybe have a friend go through the papers with you, making sure everything is there.

Once you send it in, it’s out of your hands. Don’t re-read your SoP because you’re likely to find a typo which will just cause you stress. Don’t second-guess your placement requests or the way you worded your international experience. Really, just try to forget about the whole thing until January.

And so ends my tips (for now). As I said before, I don’t mind answering any questions, so please comment.

Please keep in mind that I’m not any kind of JET insider and don’t have any secret info about the application process. I can only base this on my personal experience and stories I’ve heard from fellow JETs.

Tip 1, Get your sh!t together: The JET website already has a list of documents they want you to send with the application. Get going on this now, especially transcripts from study abroad (if you did). If you haven’t graduated yet, you’ll need some sort of “intent to graduate” form. My university told me to print out some BS thing online, and though I have no idea if that cost me an interview my first time applying, it probably didn’t help. Tell them you need a letter on university letterhead with a seal or signature from the registrar.

Tip 2, Your placement requests don’t matter (until they do): I’ve met plenty of people whose requests were Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto and still managed to make it on JET, so no, requesting big cities won’t earn your app an automatic trip to the round file. However if you get an interview, it’s very likely you’ll be asked why you picked a particular city or prefecture, so have a good reason for picking that place (or come up with one by interview time). Good reasons are: Did homestay there, hosted a Japanese person from there, your home town has a sister city/state relationship with that city/prefecture, your Japanese significant other is from there (by that I mean spouse, being engaged sometimes doesn’t cut it).

While I don’t think requesting a big city is gonna count against you, you can look at the data yourself (in the JET pamphlet) and see how likely it is you’ll be placed there. There’s 9 JETs in Tokyo (they ain’t in Shinjuku either, most of those JETs are on a tiny islands hundred of kilometers from Tokyo Bay), there’s also only 9 in Kanagawa-ken. Many major cities use private ALTs exclusively, so if you really have your heart set on Yokohama, JETs probably not for you. You might think you’re more likely to get your first choice if you choose a less “popular” prefecture, since not so many will request it. Not necessarily; I had a friend who requested Fukui, then ended up on Shikoku.

It’s just not worth stressing over placements since the Contracting Organization’s preferences (they can request that their JET be a certain gender and nationality) will take precedence over your requests anyway. Some towns always request a JET from a certain place because of sister city relationships, some placements are meant for couples, or for JETs bringing children.

So, pick wherever you want, try to have a good reason for that request, but be open-minded because they’re gonna place you where they place you. Or you can just not write down a placement request at all.

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So there are your first couple tips. Come back soon for advice on what to write for international experience, and the dreaded Statement of Purpose, spooky!

I’m more than happy to answer questions, so please leave a comment if you have any!