Hey guys! Long time lurker, and first time poster here.
I’ll be applying to the programme this year for a 2024 start (pushing it back because I’d like some more experience in my current job). While I know this is a really hard question and can’t be answered, I was wondering what my experience looks like compared to other jets and how likely it’d be that I’d be accepted.
Simply put;
\-24, Degree in Economics from a UK university.
\-I currently help manage a private tuition place for kids. Maths, English and Entrance exams. By far my favourite job ever and I plan to either continue tutoring or get teaching qualifications when I return (UK Based)
\-I have been learning Japanese fairly intensely for around 2 years, taking the N2 this year (I feel ready for it judging by mocks online).
\-I do enjoy Japanese media and such, but honestly my drive to continue learning has been my obsession with learning and the brain. Learning a language has taught me a lot about HOW to learn and has completely changed my mindset to be something like “almost anything is possible if you’re driven and put in the hours”. Being able to watch something like a History documentary in another language you wouldn’t be able to understand otherwise is a pretty surreal experience.
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I’m looking to stage my SOP around my love for teaching and tuition, and how I’d like to carry that energy and mindset as above into sparking an interest in English media and learning. Is this a good plan?
I also feel like I need to do this now before I get too many obligations back home. I’m not planning on staying more than around 3 years, just to get really good at Japanese, and have another thing that I could potentially tutor later on.
Let me know what your experience was and how you presented yourself on your application! I’d love to know if I have a decent shot with a good SOP. To those of you with more/less experience, what did you do that you think made you stand out on your application?
Thanks guys and much love.
10 comments
* Your degree doesn’t matter too much. It’s just a requirement for the visa.
* Your tutoring experience is really good. A lot of applicants won’t have any / a lot of tutoring or teaching experience so this will help you.
* A decent level of Japanese is also good. It’s definitely not the key deciding factor but it will give you a few extra points.
* I’ve seen so many SOPs where people just talk about how much they **love** Japan for half of it so taking this angle of how you enjoy teaching and learning will help you. Remember to talk about how what you will bring to Japan and not just how Japan will benefit you. The E in JET stands for exchange after all.
Focus on what you uniquely bring to the program and how you will be an asset in a classroom. It’s good to have long term plans — especially if JET can tie into them — but your post reads more about what you’re going to get out of the program, rather than what you bring.
They don’t really care about your language ability (unless you’re applying for a CIR position). Most applicants have: tutoring/teaching experience, Japanese study (home and/or abroad), an interest in Japanese media.
You have time to dig deep and figure what will make you stand out. It’s not something that anyone else can really tell you, since it’s personal.
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I applied this year. So waiting to see if I get an interview or not. What I did for my statement of purpose is obviously answer the questions asked but I personalized it. Be you, be different, tell them why you would make a good addition to the program, what you will bring to the table in regard to the “exchange” part of it. I love athletics and did mine on sports. American sports culture and Japanese sports culture is very different. So to bring in experience from my home country and to bring back experience from Japan is my selling point. Good luck
I’m going to talk about something not mentioned in the comments yet: be prepared to talk about what you’ll bring to your Japanese community/city OUTSIDE of the classroom. If you’d like to get involved in the city’s tourism events, any extracurricular English or Japanese lessons, annual festivals, things like that. Based on your post, you could talk about specific ideas of how you would like to study Japanese language while experiencing full immersion. These extra topics could especially be helpful if you get an interview.
Of course, ESID, and the reality is that ALTs sometimes don’t have as much influence on the students as other full-time teachers. It’s worth it to consider how else you can get involved in your community and engage in cultural exchange, both at school and beyond.
Good luck with your current job and the application process when you’re ready to apply!
I’m a JET alum, and all these responses are great and certainly helpful, but I also wanted to add in my experience meeting so many JETs that their backgrounds were all so varied! The one true consistency amongst everyone was their care for children, interest in Japan, and personability/adaptability. There were plenty of people with surprising backgrounds in different industries, but I think if you possess and can convey and communicate those three to four things above, you’ve got a great shot! It’s a wonderful program. Best of luck!
Focus it more on yourself – your skills, hobbies, experiences etc. Mention your Japanese/ teaching skills of course, but they matter much less than you may think.
just wanted to let you know I appreciate this post as a lurker potentially interested in applying on the same timeline—good luck 🙂
I low-key think the most important thing on the application / particularly interview is how well you’re going to mesh with Japanese society. Having language skills and an interest in Japanese culture is helpful, but demonstrating that you have good people skills and can work through difficult situations / aren’t going to get into conflicts with your coworkers is just as, if not more important. The thing I’ve found most of my coworkers have in common is that, regardless of how they talk, they’re able and willing to put up with a lot.
Consider: Applying as a CIR, because even if you don’t qualify for a CIR you might qualify as an ALT. It’s like a potential buy one get one free shots for your application. This doesn’t have too much to do with your initial question regarding SOP, but the info might be handy.