I’ll keep it short: – ***DO NOT RESTATE YOUR APPLICATION IN ESSAY FORM**** – ___Highlight what you bring to the table in terms of skills and experiences and why JET needs you: including cultural exchanges or teaching experience___ include actual examples of how they affected you or how you affected others. (Again, when in doubt, read the first bullet point) – you are not required to write about Japan in anyway or about how you love Japan/Manga/Anime etc. if anything avoid this if possible. Everyone and their mom brings it up
Good luck
The SOP should explain who you are and what you intend to do in Japan, and give evidence from personal experience that you can actually do it. If your purpose is compatible with the aims of the program, and your essay presents you as a reliable narrator, you likely pass. If your purpose seems dodgy, or your reasons sound made up, obviously it’s not gonna go well.
Whether you write about Japan is basically irrelevant to your success, but if you write weird stuff that suggests you have an unhealthy parasocial relationship with an entire country, it’s possibly disqualifying because the disappointment such people feel when faced with the reality that Japan is a normal country where people and not weeb heaven or the castle of their favorite idol ends in a similar level of bitter resentment for the country that scorned their love. Everyone knows this type of person and likely wants to avoid bursting their bubble.
Have a good think about your actual motivations, and the events and people in your life that led you to apply for JET. Tell the truth in positive terms and you should be okay.
Your SOP is a great opportunity to talk about why you want to go to JAPAN, and not just any country. It’s great to talk about what you find interesting about its culture, without sounding too creepy (because apparently some people always talk about loving the women there… ugh). I mentioned how manga was important to me as a kid, how I’ve always dreamed of living there, and how I think I would be a great teacher + ambassador for my country! 🙂 Because you’re also going there to promote interculturalism, so it needs to go both ways!
I wouldn’t repeat what others have said because they are some sound advice. I will just add that you need to have a few people read it and edit it a few times. Keep the main point that you first wrote but get some advice from friends, from a few trusted coworkers and from maybe a past teacher or professional. Not too much that the advice becomes overwhelming. And when you’ve read a draft that you feel absolutely cannot get better in your eyes that showcases who you are, your reasons for wanting to be an ALT specifically in Japan and how being there can help your future goals, then that’s your SOP.
A successful SOP should include:
1. Why are you interested in Japan 2. Do you have any foreign experience 3. Educational background 4. Goals as an ALT/CIR 5. Future aspirations after JET
Each point should be CONCISE and RELEVANT. How does each point support your argument? You should not dedicate a full paragraph to your love of anime.
Keep in mind that JET is a job not a study abroad or travel agency. Why are you suited for this job? What can you bring to the table?
Lastly, have considered the risks of joining JET. You will be placed in a foreign country for a year. Japan can be very isolating if you do not know the culture or language. If you do not know any Japanese prior to JET you mental health is at a huge risk. So how will you tell JET you won’t leave within the first year? JETs that integrate themselves with the local community are less likely to be depressed. So how will you do the same?
Answer the prompts provided by the embassy you’re applying through
7 comments
I’ll keep it short:
– ***DO NOT RESTATE YOUR APPLICATION IN ESSAY FORM****
– ___Highlight what you bring to the table in terms of skills and experiences and why JET needs you: including cultural exchanges or teaching experience___ include actual examples of how they affected you or how you affected others. (Again, when in doubt, read the first bullet point)
– you are not required to write about Japan in anyway or about how you love Japan/Manga/Anime etc. if anything avoid this if possible. Everyone and their mom brings it up
Good luck
The SOP should explain who you are and what you intend to do in Japan, and give evidence from personal experience that you can actually do it. If your purpose is compatible with the aims of the program, and your essay presents you as a reliable narrator, you likely pass. If your purpose seems dodgy, or your reasons sound made up, obviously it’s not gonna go well.
Whether you write about Japan is basically irrelevant to your success, but if you write weird stuff that suggests you have an unhealthy parasocial relationship with an entire country, it’s possibly disqualifying because the disappointment such people feel when faced with the reality that Japan is a normal country where people and not weeb heaven or the castle of their favorite idol ends in a similar level of bitter resentment for the country that scorned their love. Everyone knows this type of person and likely wants to avoid bursting their bubble.
Have a good think about your actual motivations, and the events and people in your life that led you to apply for JET. Tell the truth in positive terms and you should be okay.
Your SOP is a great opportunity to talk about why you want to go to JAPAN, and not just any country. It’s great to talk about what you find interesting about its culture, without sounding too creepy (because apparently some people always talk about loving the women there… ugh). I mentioned how manga was important to me as a kid, how I’ve always dreamed of living there, and how I think I would be a great teacher + ambassador for my country! 🙂 Because you’re also going there to promote interculturalism, so it needs to go both ways!
I wouldn’t repeat what others have said because they are some sound advice. I will just add that you need to have a few people read it and edit it a few times. Keep the main point that you first wrote but get some advice from friends, from a few trusted coworkers and from maybe a past teacher or professional. Not too much that the advice becomes overwhelming. And when you’ve read a draft that you feel absolutely cannot get better in your eyes that showcases who you are, your reasons for wanting to be an ALT specifically in Japan and how being there can help your future goals, then that’s your SOP.
A successful SOP should include:
1. Why are you interested in Japan
2. Do you have any foreign experience
3. Educational background
4. Goals as an ALT/CIR
5. Future aspirations after JET
Each point should be CONCISE and RELEVANT. How does each point support your argument? You should not dedicate a full paragraph to your love of anime.
Keep in mind that JET is a job not a study abroad or travel agency. Why are you suited for this job? What can you bring to the table?
Lastly, have considered the risks of joining JET. You will be placed in a foreign country for a year. Japan can be very isolating if you do not know the culture or language. If you do not know any Japanese prior to JET you mental health is at a huge risk. So how will you tell JET you won’t leave within the first year? JETs that integrate themselves with the local community are less likely to be depressed. So how will you do the same?
Answer the prompts provided by the embassy you’re applying through
I wrote a small article on this [https://medium.com/@rahil.chadha7/my-jet-programme-statement-of-purpose-adea1b03b318](https://medium.com/@rahil.chadha7/my-jet-programme-statement-of-purpose-adea1b03b318)
Hopefully it helps!