So basically in my SOP I talk about being introduced to Japanese culture as a child, but beyond my intro I don’t really talk about having a strong attraction to Japan or fascination with the culture. I mostly talk about my work experience and international experiences and how I can apply that to living and working in Japan, which didn’t leave me much room to talk about why I want to go to Japan specifically as opposed to somewhere else.
I also emphasize why I want to do the JET program, to get a few years of international teaching experience before starting my career in education back home, but still, not a whole lot about the country itself.
Should I be worried about this? Will application reviewers reject my application because I don’t touch on this point very much?
4 comments
From what I gathered, you want to keep your interest in Japan brief and spend more time speaking about things that make you a good candidate for the program.
i hardly spoke about my experience with japan and heavily focused on my love for teaching and language learning.
they constantly hear about how every loves japan. theyve heard it a million times. its better to stand apart and focus more on cultural and international relations in regards to japan
On paper, JET is looking for people to do a job, promote their country in their community, then come back to your home country and tell everyone how great Japan is.
They look for people with skills to offer and mental stability. You just have to have an interest in Japan, not an obsession.
International experience is very transferable, even if it’s not Japan. So it should be fine, best of luck to you!
You need to mention it in one or two sentences and maybe again in your conclusion. Throughout the essay you should talk about how your teaching experience and how you will apply what you know to the classroom as an ALT in Japan.