I’m 41. I only graduated college about five years ago now, but I still can’t get my professors to write them at this point. My company (Publix; horrible company; don’t work for them) has a ridiculous policy against writing letters of recommendation, so that’s a dead-end.
Is my only option volunteering? If so, is there anything in particular that I should volunteer for, or is one thing as good as the next? I’m also thinking about trying to get my master’s degree just for JET, but I’m not sure if it’s worth the energy, expense, and time at this point. I’m currently in IT, but my degree is in English, so it would basically be worthless for what I’m doing now.
Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks, all.
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I’m 35 and was in a similar boat where my company don’t really do letters of recommendation beyond “He worked here for X amount of years” which is a pretty poor show.
For mine I asked a colleague who I’ve worked with for the last 6 years and knows me well, and a former line manager. Neither of whom minded bending the rules given what it was for. You could always try asking your team leader or someone who you’ve worked with for a long time?
I’d also advise against doing a Masters. I did one through the Open Uni while working, it’s exhausting managing work and study, and ultimately it’s an expensive bit of paper which doesn’t further my career and was more for interest than anything.
I’m 36 and leaving for Japan end of this month.
Don’t do a Masters degree just for JET. If you really want to up skill, have a look into a TESOL or CELTA course.
As for references, if you want to volunteer – look into anything involving teaching. I know someone who helped at the English program run by their local church.
Do not get a masters degree for JET…it’s not a career and has a maximum of 5 years. Do you have an old coworker or supervisor that has moved on to another job and couch write one for you?
Professors expect to get requests from students they absolutely do not remember. In the past I had a conversation with a professor who I had absolutely loved, a semester after I’d had his class of eleven people, asking for a letter of recommendation to apply for something or another and he had already forgotten who I was (ow my huge ego) but asked me to write the letter myself and he would submit it. For JET, I asked a language teacher I had kept in touch with (and am still in contact with, she’s a gem), and she also asked me to write my own letter of recommendation. It is absolutely normal to write letters of recommendation for yourself, because you know what the application is for and what you want it to say. Doing this kind of work is part being a professor, but making it easy for them will save both of you time and stress.
For the work letter… look, they just need to be able to glance at your LinkedIn and see that y’all worked at the same company. If you have a co-worker who is willing to sign off on it, ask them. If they’ve even just led a shift that you worked on or directed you on a minor project, voila, it’s work in a supervisory capacity.
Why would you get a masters degree for JET? At that point avoid jet and do an international school after teaching in your home country. A masters is overkill for this.
If you want a masters for life reasons, get on but not for JET. There are tons of teaching volunteer positions. I recommend working with your local library or looking into refugee relocation agencies in your area. Relocation agencies are usually looking for people willing to volunteer as English teachers.
I was in my early 30s when I began applying for JET (I’m a current JET). Both of my letters were written by executives of two separate non-profit organizations I’ve volunteered for. Both focused on international exchange and youth mentorship for third culture children. Perhaps this can give you an idea of how you approach fulfilling that requirement. Suffice to say, it’s possible to be accepted into the program without an academic letter.
I’m a younger incoming JET that graduated from college SEVERAL decades ago. I had contacts that were in a supervisory role over me write my recommendations, not professors.
My brother is a manager at Publix and he loves Japan, he’s been to visit me several times. Maybe ask around different managers at different stores you’ve worked at? He’s a manager at a store, if he heard someone near him need a letter he’d write it. You just have to find someone who would be interested in writing a decent letter who loves Japan.
A great question. I was just about to turn 68 when I applied for JET last year and I will be heading to Japan to be a CIR in early August and turning 69 before year-end. My last degree was in 1983; I have no idea if any of my professors are alive; and, I have been retired for ten years. I got a Kyushu University professor who I have known since he was a graduate student 26 years ago and one of the Japanese people who worked for me when I was the Economic Officer at the Fukuoka American Consulate 25 years ago to write my recommendation letters. I still keep in touch with both of them and visit them when I return to the Fukuoka area every two or three years. They are more friends than unpassionate observers. They were both able to discuss my talents, skills, and people abilities as well as my Japanese skills and I gather their recommendations were good but I wasn’t given copies of either letter. The JET program did not question my use of them as recommendation writers.
As a student who graduated in 2021, I used a combination of work + school recommendations on the first attempt and just work references on 2nd attempt.
Both attempts I got through to the interview stage with no issues.
41? Do you know what a JET salary and career prospects are?
Hi there, I am 37, and what I did was contact my Uni Japanese professor and ask him for one and the other one I got my career advisor from my uni to do. I am heading to Tokyo with JET this August.
You must be wealthy enough to not require a salary to have the luxury to volunteer. If that is the case just fly to Japan and volunteer. No visa needed
Late 30s to early 40s ? This is for fun right ? You’re not actually assuming being a jet will turn into a real career right? You have a real career waiting at home ?
I had been taking Japanese classes for a while through my local Japan-America society, and my instructor for those wrote one of my letters.
JET alumnus here (Fukui, 1999 ~ 2002). Good luck with the letter of recommendation.
Quick thought: Do you have a game plan *after* JET? Assuming you stay for 5 years, you’d be 47, which is approaching the “late career” stage of life. JET is an experience, not a career path.
Or maybe you are planning to return to IT afterwards?
Try get some volunteering work with children. Maybe an NGO that does education lessons on the weekend for young children will help.
In my 30s – I was fortunate enough that my current line manager was lovely enough to write one for me, but I was a bit stuck for the second one. I had two ideas – I do a lot of volunteering at festivals, and at these festivals there was always the same volunteer coordinator so my options were to ask him, or my teacher from my online school who is based in Japan. I checked with my embassy, and was told either option was fine. I went for the volunteer coordinator who whipped up a letter literally the day I asked for it. Off to Japan end of this month!
Just wanted to thank you for posting this. In my early 30s and was nervous it was too late to try this program but your post has given me confidence to go for it. Sorry publix isn’t going well but they have amazing sandwiches lol