To JET or not to JET

[Expert Insomniac]

So, I have a question for everyone involved in the JET program.

My current plan is to finish college, join the JET program for two years, then return to America to pursue my ultimate career choice: being an editor at a publishing company. However, my father is absolutely convinced that if I go to Japan after college, I will be destroying my chance at starting a career. I figure if I put the JET program on my resume, and I have an interview, the interview could go three ways.

Option A: The interviewer sees I did JET, and exclaims "You lived in Japan? What a coincidence; I love sushi! You're hired!"

Option B: The interviewer sees I did JET, and doesn't give a damn.

Option C: The interviewer sees I did JET, and exclaims, "You did JET? Don't you know that Japanese children love to shove their fingers up other people's butts? I could NEVER hire someone who would willingly put themselves in a situation where fingers could be inserted in your butt. You're a freak. I'm calling security."

So folks, what do you think? Am I screwing myself over for life, not affecting my job chances, or actually enhancing my resume?

[Tssss..]

i think you should do what you feel like doing right now regardless of the future. if you spend all your time trying to prepare and worrying over the future, you'll never have fun in the present.

besides, who doesn't like sushi???

[Expert Insomniac]

Oh, don't get me wrong. I'm definitely doing JET after college (unless, you know... they don't accept me.) I'm just curious as to what, if any, affect this will have on my career opportunities.

Besides, I'd be kind of scared if I started making major decisions based on what people I met on the internet told me. For all I know, this website is a cover and every single member has been hired by my father to pose as a forum member, just in case I should happen to ask this question.

Whatever he's paying you, I can pay you double. If you accept dryer lint as a form of currency.

[Tssss..]

eh...........with option c he/she would hire you for your bravery (stupidity?) in going into sure danger for the purpose of furthering education and peace among nations.....


yeah, even i won't buy that one

[Invictus]

So folks, what do you think? Am I screwing myself over for life, not affecting my job chances, or actually enhancing my resume?

I am inclined to think that, depending on the field you intend to enter after JET, as well as how long you stay in Japan, it would tend to enhance your resume quite a bit. Global is the wave of the future, so anyone with foreign language and cultural skill becomes a more attractive prospect. Of course, as a present member of the JETset myself, I may just be in total denial of reality... :D

[Arvynia]

Hi Expert Insomniac (mind if I call you EI?) - I think I'm in the same situation as you. I am going to graduate this September and have a choice to stay with my internship and build a career and eventually own my own business in a couple of years. But I've been really wanting to do his program ever since I was in highschool. Not only have I always have an interest in the Asian Culture, especially Japanese, it would actually benefit me in my career later down the line, since my career would have something closely related to what was manifested in the Japanese culture.

I do think that you should go on and do the jet program. You are still young, you're fresh out of college, so you don't really have any obligations to anything. I feel this would be the perfect time for you to indulge and make the best of your "young free life" - once you go straight into your career right after college, it's a bit more difficult to do what you want, especially up and leave to a different country for possibly years.

I have recently made up my mind to apply for the ALT position also. I am sooo so very burnt out ever since I started college, that I do NOT want to go straight into my career because at this point, I know that I will eventually end up resenting my careerif I do not take this opportunity. It's just something I've been looking forward to do ever since I was a young teen. I want to live my life to the fullest and experience different worlds - heck I've never been outta the damn country for goodness sake. Right now I feel very stuck, and when I think about staying in Chicago for the intern and going straight to work, I just have this dreading feeling that my life is running away from me. It's not what I want. I have worked so hard to get where I am, only to work harder? Screw that. I need a break and I'm going to drag it out as long as I can. :)

Besides that, it's a very good opportunity. But I would say: don't do this *just* because it's an opportunity. Do it because it's something you want to do, and that you have to be willing to adapt and be openminded and don't expect too much... just be accept and be surprised.

You know you can always pick up where you left off as far as your career is concerned, but being young and free of obligations and ties only happens when you're young (or pathetic??). ;)

[Invictus]

Travel and experience in other cultures is awesome. Both of y'all, drop me a line if/when you ever make it to Japan. If you're in the Gifu-shi area, I'll buy y'all a Guinness. :P

[Arvynia]

oh yeah really, Invictus? I seriously am going to hold that against ya. ;)

btw, what's a guinness?

[Invictus]

Feel free to hold me to it. You'll deserve it if you can make it to my area of Japan and track me down. ;)

Guinness is a world-famous brand of Irish beer. I happen to quite like it. Even though I'm not quite old enough to drink in Japan... :P

[Arvynia]

How about if I just make it to your area, and then you can look for a lost little vietnamese girl instead?

Eh... I'm more of a mixed drinker. Not big on beers. But I do wanna try Sake.... And how old are you? Or rather, how old do you have to be to drink in Japan? I thought most countries other than the use have lower drinking ages. Shows what I know. eh.


Anyway. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm excited. And. I can't sleep. :(

[nice gaijin]

If you're in the Gifu-shi area, I'll buy y'all a Guinness. :PJET must pay well ;)


I'd put it this way: Teaching English in Japan may be a good life experience, but whether it's going to beef up your resume or not...

I'm hoping that your scenarios are in jest, especially the third one (although if you went anywhere to get your rectum stretched, I wouldn't hire you either). An interviewer is going to see that you taught english in Japan and saw "ok, so what did you get done in your two years there? What did you learn about your own language? How does this make you a greater asset to our company?"

So if you are doing this to start filling up your resume, you might want to ask yourself these questions first, or perhaps seek some career counseling cause I don't think any of us are necessarily authorities on what Publishing companies are looking for in editors.

[Expert Insomniac]

Arvynia: Why, you can call me whatever you want!

I agree with you. One of the main reasons I want to do JET after college is once I settle down and start my career: that's it. There's my last chance to be nomadic. In the end, it's far more likely we'd look back and say "I wish I did JET" than look back and say "I wish I had started my career immediately."

And I think I'm doing JET for the right reasons. Besides the fact that it's an amazing opportunity, I've been outside the US only very briefly, and in a context where I did not get to experience a foreign land. Japan is a society that is very different from America (as you may have noticed... hehe.) I've been raised my whole life in California, alternating between the different locations listed in my locations. I want to see the world from a different perspective. Learn what works and doesn't work for other people. I want to know what life outside of America is like.

The idea of teaching english to Japanese kids also appeals to me tremendously. I would enjoy being put in a situation where I'm asked awkward questions, and have to think on my feet. I want to see how I react completely out of my element.

I know there will be good times, and bad times. I really have no idea what to expect. I guess that's my main draw: I want to teach english in Japan because I have no idea what will happen if I do.

And to answer your question, Guinness is a book of world records. ^_^

But besides that, it's a brand of beer. And Invictus, I still have three years of college left (I know, don't ask me why we're arguing this now) but if you're still there then, I'll let you know I'm coming.

[hanacker]

For a technical field, you'd probably be better off if you looked for a job related to your background right out of college, but for something more liberal artsy like being an editor it probably isnt a big deal.

[Arvynia]

I think you'll be fine with your current plan. At least you got something to look forward to. Besides, things can always change.

[Invictus]

How about if I just make it to your area, and then you can look for a lost little vietnamese girl instead?

Shouldn't be too hard. I'm quite accomplished in recognizing the "lost" look, particularly since I often wear it myself... :P

Eh... I'm more of a mixed drinker. Not big on beers. But I do wanna try Sake....

Sake is great stuff. Somewhat more potent than it tastes, though, so be careful to imbibe it at a measured pace. ;)

And how old are you? Or rather, how old do you have to be to drink in Japan? I thought most countries other than the use have lower drinking ages. Shows what I know. eh.

Actually, it does show what you know. Japan's legal drinking age (along with age required to sign contracts and the like) is 20. I just turned 20 today, actually.

Not that I haven't done my share of responsible boozing... in Mexico, they let you drink at 18. Heh heh heh...

JET must pay well

It doth, especially when you're in a less-frequented area like I am. I didn't have to pay key money (aka landlord bribe) and the school board of education subsidizes 15,000 yen of my apartment rent each month. For those of you planning to apply to JET, I would strongly recommend going for an urban area of a more rural prefecture. Big-city Japan is expensive and generally way too much of an urban jungle (at least for me; I found it quite unpleasant trying to swim through a sea of salarymen in Shinjuku :p), and really being out in the boondocks can deprive you of the nicer joys of life, like internet and supermarkets that sell chile. ;)

Honestly, I think I'm basically in a perfect position here in Gifu City. The winters are mild, Nagoya is a quick train hop away, there's a ton of cool historical stuff practically within walking distance, yet I can still get my time with nature in my weekly climb up the rougher trails of Mount Kinka. There aren't too many gaijin, which makes for a good cultural experience, but at the same time, the few gaijin who are in the area stick pretty close together, which makes for a good support network. The people are urban enough not to scream when they see a gaijin, but rural enough to still make you something of a local rock star (when I went to buy a bycicle recently, the saleslady asked for my autograph).

I haven't traveled widely enough to be an expert on all areas of Japan, but honestly, I think Gifu is about as nice a situation as one can hope for. Besides, it's really easy to get a plumb assignment in Gifu, since most potential JETs aren't even aware of its existence. :D

EDIT:

And Invictus, I still have three years of college left (I know, don't ask me why we're arguing this now) but if you're still there then, I'll let you know I'm coming.

Well, I just might still be around. But dang, you're thinking about these things kinda early. Hang on, that sounded wrong coming out of the mouth of someone who applied to JET when he was 19...

[Arvynia]

You must have zipped through college. And Happy Belated bday to you. My birthday was on Aug. 31, and I turned 21, so I just started to drink. Well... yes, I did. I didn't get drunk though. Just had a few shots. For a small girl, I think I hold alcohol pretty damn good. Natural high tolerance. Yeah baby...

I actually hope I get into a place similar to yours, Invictus. But I'll make the most and the best with whatever I get. I have a hunch I'll really enjoy this opportunity.

[Invictus]

You must have zipped through college.

Homeschooled through high school, started college at 15 . :D

And Happy Belated bday to you.

Why, thank you!

My birthday was on Aug. 31, and I turned 21, so I just started to drink. Well... yes, I did. I didn't get drunk though. Just had a few shots. For a small girl, I think I hold alcohol pretty damn good. Natural high tolerance. Yeah baby...

Lucky you. While I am absolutely impervious to sunburn (must be some crazy Mexican-American hybrid gene, since I'm well within European whiteness standards), I'd rate my alchohol tolerance as just average. Not that I've tested its fullest extent mind you, but I at least know that I can stay 100% unequivocally sober after two beers and a few shots of sake...

I actually hope I get into a place similar to yours, Invictus. But I'll make the most and the best with whatever I get. I have a hunch I'll really enjoy this opportunity.

It's all about the attitude. If you're a whiner now, you'll be a whiner in Japan. If you're laid-back now, Japan will be a wonderful experience.

If you do hope for a semi-urban posting, by the way, I really would recommend Gifu, particularly Gifu City. The surrounding prefectures tend to be too rural, too urbanized, too cold in winter (I'm a Southern California/Arizona boy all the way :p), etc. The only thing Gifu really lacks, as far as I can tell, is close access to the ocean, which does suck for me. That aside, though, it's really about as good as it gets insofar as JET goes.

[koku]

I don't see how that would hurt your resume at all.

Especially if you picked up the Language(are you taking it right now?).

If you pick up a second language, it will help ALOT. At the very least, It will make you look good.

[Expert Insomniac]

Yeah, I just finished first year Japanese, and will either take second year this school year or over the summer. Although my fluency could best be described as a huge load of crap, it really annoys me when people move to another country without even attempting to learn the local language first. Plus, if I get lost on the subway, I want to at least be able to go up to people and say, "I live here. Left or right?"

I personally think it's either option A, B, or D. I figure the main reason for putting JET on my resume is to show I haven't been just slacking off after college, and who knows? Maybe I'll be interviewing with a closeted Japanophile, and it will get me extra points.

[hapacheese]

Actually, you best hope it's Option C. Because if he/she doesn't hire you for your sexual preferences, you can turn around and sue for discrimination!!!!!1!


Ehem.

[Pierrot le Fou]

It's going to be B. Your employer won't know JET, and likely won't care unless you've got an education degree and are applying for a job doing ESL or something else in the field.

I highly recommend a placement in a city, preferably Osaka or whereabouts because no matter where you get placed around Osaka, you'll be near a city. While rural bumfuck nowhere is fine for a year, it really starts to grate on most people, and they leave more quickly than city JETs in general. You want to be within 4-5000 yen round trip to a MAJOR city to make it not that big of a production to go on the weekends.

[koku]

if you lived close to the city, as a JET employee do you have enough $$$ to go out to the cities on weekends and like...oh

club
site see
just go out a day or two?



How comfortable is it really?

[misuta_t]

damn invictus,

i was just about to ask how old you where... my ass is a newbie jetter and im 23. you could call me more of an undercover JET, which is sooo true like in the handbook since i have japanese ancestory. so i fit in pretty well and no one has asked for my autograph yet =) though im not too bummed about it.

personally i think JET is a great experience for anyone. for me in particular its been killing like 5 birds with one stone (though again "everyone's experience is different, and every situation is not the same") if you get into JET you hear that "ALOT"

here are a few of my own stones (im sure yours would be different)
1.) get back to my okinawan roots
2.) have accomidations into a foreign country be totally arranged for you, being in one of the best run organizations around, and all you had to do was fill out an application and take a 10 minute interview
3.) experience a totally different culture
4.) will be great on a grad school application or teaching cred application
5.) be greeted by some of the most generous people in japan (im in okinawa, may be different for other places)
6.) all this and im getting payed for it (tax free mind you)

personally i like being in the so called inaka(country area). i find it kind of funny, when i think of country, i think the middle of no where where you pump your own water and have not electricity, to the japanese inaka just means that they have alot of farms here and dont have 1000 tall skyscrapers (but i guess its all relative)

hopefully yalls get your choices, i got my first choice and im totally happy with it.

good luck with JET applications, i think it comes out in october, man i was stressing out that time last year. i had put all my eggs in one basket, luckly i got everything i asked for, and more.

if anyone, is thinking of heading over to the countryside of Japan's version of Hawaii, stop on by and we can have some Orion beer or awamori, the choice of drink over here.

late

[Arvynia]

Hmm.. I just printed about every information on the official website and read through everything. At first the process of the JET seems daunting, but after reading through and taking notes and prioritizing what I have to do first, isn't so bad. I need to study the map of Japan more, but I was just wondering what places or other places would you recommend?

[Pierrot le Fou]

I would recommend Osaka, Osaka-shi, Kyoto-shi, though you probably won't get any of them. Osaka prefecture is very small, and anywhere in it you go, you'll be near the city (along with Kobe and Kyoto). Kansai is like a giant city with TONS to do it in. Since you can't generally get a JET position in Tokyo...

People who live in the inaka tend to like it at first, but most people start to lose the stomach for it pretty quick when their neighbors start snooping in their trash, they have to travel 2 hours by ferry to see another foreigner, or they realize how boring it is to have no way to go out on a weeknight without taking the next day off.

If you can TRULY tolerate being the most talked-about member of a backwater town of under 10,000 people, with a several hour drive to the nearest city or train station, then inaka may be for you. For those of us who are used to living with the conveniences of city life, indoor plumbing and whatnot, the city is a must.

The pay is 300,000 yen/month from which about 25-30,000 is taken out for pension and health (you get the pension back, but not the health). City or country, that is enough to travel, go out, go to cities, blah blah blah. How comfortable it is depends on how much you drink. I put most of my salary into my belly and expenses, plus my previous job in the US was paying more (over $40k/year US), so this is a step down and doesn't feel THAT comfortable to me.

It depends on how you budget. It's not easy to travel AND save thousands of US dollars a year for most people. You shouldn't be taking out loans either though.

[Arvynia]

So far, Gifu City sounds most appealing to me.

La la la.... I'm getting ready to go through with the application. ^_^

[misuta_t]

in regards to the application...

read it through thoroughly. my friend had also given me this advise and it helped me greatly. at the very end of the packet it asks you to have your original application with 2 additional copies all of which should be sorted and each application should be paperclipped (not stappled) together.

one of my friends had told me how one friend stappled hers together and never got a reply/interview. so make sure to pay attention to the details, im pretty sure thats one of the criteria they use in picking people as well.

good luck on the appliction (oh and make sure to ask for letters of rec ahead of time) and hopefully if you have any kind of teaching experience, as mine was being a TA for college courses, it helps greatly as more ALTs are those with a little bit of a teaching background.

[Arvynia]

Yes, thanx a million, misuta_t. I've read thoroughly twice the whole thing. I didn't know about the paperclip part though. And I know I'm more than qualified for this. I've had tutoring/teaching experience since early highschool till now. I've already prioritized what I can/need to do first since the application isn't available just yet - so the letters of reference are one of the top things to do first.

[Invictus]

if you lived close to the city, as a JET employee do you have enough $$$ to go out to the cities on weekends and like...oh [snipped for irrelevance]

Yes. I am presently living comfortably, eating well, doing stuff on the weekends, paying for a cell phone, getting internet and TV, and socking away US$1300 a month. If you're not the frugal type like I am, you should be able to have quite a good time on an almost nightly basis.

So far, Gifu City sounds most appealing to me.

Yes, it's a great place. ;)

I wouldn't entirely believe Pierrot, btw. The city is nice, but in my humble opinion one can be too urban just as easily as one can be too rural. The key is to find the golden mean. For me, that's Gifu City, as it has a foreign food market, 400,000 people, and just about every amenity you can name, but is still rural enough that there are a half-dozen mountains to climb within a half-hour's bike ride. In addition (though I'm honestly content with Gifu), if you get cravings for REAL big-city life, Nagoya is a pathetically short train-hop away. It's weird that Gifu City has slipped under the radar of most potential JETers, but I'd say it's the most underrated place in Japan.

By the way, Arvynia, which batch of JETers are you thinking of going with? If you possibly can (you probably can't, but it's worth the research), shoot for the April arrival. Japan is at its prettiest, the weather is great, you'll get to teach the same group of students for an entire year, etc.

In addition (and again, memory fails me here), I would recommend shooting for a senior high position over a junior high. The students are easier to teach, and (in Gifu-ken at least) you're likely to be assigned just one main school to teach at instead of the half-dozen to a dozen that are not uncommon in JHS assignments. This will let you get to know the teachers and students a lot better, and will dramatically cut down on travel costs and inconvenience.


EDIT:

PS-- Interview-wise, teaching experience is good, and I also suggest you express some interest in non-major fields of Japanese culture, and demonstrate intercultural experience. I strongly suspect that what got me quickly accepted--and what got me such a great post within Gifu-ken--were two seemingly small things:

1. The fact that I was fluent in another language (Spanish) and culture (Mexican), and that I'd done a bit of overseas travel.

2. On my resume, I noted that I practiced some judo and kendo. When my Japanese interview enquired thereupon, I ended up mentioning Takeda Shingen and sumi-e somewhere in the ensuing discussion. This seemed to greatly impress the entire interviewing panel... after the interview, the head interviewer even pulled me aside and told me I should have little trouble getting into JET. :D

[Pierrot le Fou]

Everyone tends to think that they're placement is the best, or among the best, assuming that they are enjoying their stay. However, picking Gifu-shi is not going to be a slam dunk, and if you get put in rural Gifu prefecture, you're not going to be a stone's throw away from a city the size of Gifu-shi, and that's going to suck. Putting all cities on your preference form is not likely to guarantee you a placement in one, and that's got a big chance of backfiring on you.

If you are American, check to see if your city has a sister-city in Japan, or if your state has a sister-prefecture or somesuch in Japan. That will greatly impact your placement.

After doing that, check the various prefectures for places that have a high population density and few placements far away from a major city even if you get put in the worst possible of placements in that prefecture. So many people request Kyoto, and don't realize that the furthest reaches of Kyoto prefecture are a good 3-4 hours away from Kyoto city, and Kyoto is the closest city to them.

Anyone who thinks that the application process makes sense is probably wrong. Your placement is not determined by strength of application, but rather arbitrarily. First is sister city relationships. After that, it's a matter of sheer luck as to your placement. The places with little turnover will have few openings, meaning you're less likely to get the top choices of most people on JET. Do not apply for Tokyo, as you will likely get an island out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean in the middle of nowhere.

Most JET placements are rural. Cities are turning to private ALTs more and more because of the reduced cost and higher flexibility in hiring and firing. That leaves JETs to staff rural public schools where private companies don't send people to (because of distance and expense). The turnover is also far higher in rural areas because it's in the middle of nowhere.

I am not trying to say that Invictus is wrong, and I'm sure Gifu-shi is a great place, but don't assume that he got it out of merit because one interviewer who has little/no impact on placement liked his interview or application. Sister-city relations followed by necessity are heads and shoulders above desired placement in where you get put.

[Arvynia]

Wow, that's a lot of research to do just to find a place I might like. And even if I do put it down as my preference, I may not even get it. I think I should just wing it. I'm sure I'll have a blast either way. I'm not really the type to be irritable or whatever just cuz things don't go my way.

I'm open to any and all possibilities. To be quite honest, I was not even going to put down a preference, and have them put me wherever they want. Either way, I'll make the best of it.

Invictus, I do not think it's possible for me to get in the April batch. I believe that we have two batches, late July and early August.

Haha... This year's applications aren't accepting Resumes. I think they're asking us everything either in our paper for doing the program, or in the application itself.

Did you guys do a lot of researches on placement when you did this?

Ed: I wouldn't even know how to find out if my city/state has sister city/prefecture in japan...

[koku]

yeah i'd put something like "just put me close to stuff."

[Pierrot le Fou]

yeah i'd put something like "just put me close to stuff."
Thank you for the insight. Honest. Where would we have ever gotten without you? Your all-encompassing understanding of the JET program application process, specifically the statement of location preference, is overwhelming.

[Varia]

I studied abroad in Gifu. It was awesome. Yeah, Gifu in general is pretty rural. There are no real big cities in Gifu. However, even small cities have things to do, and if you don't like your city, it's only a 10-15 minute train ride to the next one over. And yes, Nagoya is rather close, but not so fun unless you have a friend with you. Actually, travelling by yourself in Japan is pretty bad. It's so boring and occasionally depressing.

I was staying in ???. Next to it is ??? and down the tracks a bit it ???. All cool places. All inaka. Gifu is awesome.

Plus Gifu-ben is similar to Kansai-ben, so learning the local dialect will be pretty fun.
________
Mflb vaporizer (http://vaporizers.net/portable-vaporizers)

[Invictus]

All true, Varia.

And yes, Arvynia, after much research, I came to the conclusion that Gifu-ken had what I needed it to have in terms of location, weather, accessibility, dialect, population density, natural beauty, etc. My distant second pick was Fukui.

Contrary to what Pierrot says, I actually looked for low population density in picking my first choice of prefectures. These were my personal criteria:

1. No major cities to ruin my life with urban sprawl.

2. Central location with good weather and plenty of natural beauty.

3. Someplace not in the first 200 pages of the average tourist guide, to make sure I wouldn't be overrun with other JET applicants dying to get into the plum spots thereof.

What can I say? I got an enviable assignment as a result...

[koku]

Thank you for the insight. Honest. Where would we have ever gotten without you? Your all-encompassing understanding of the JET program application process, specifically the statement of location preference, is overwhelming.


um.......it was a joke.

And kind of one favoring your idea of as long as you're close to things that's the best you can ask for.

[Pierrot le Fou]

Or you just got absolutely lucky, which is far far more likely. Positions in prefectural capitals, and even bigger cities in the inaka are hard to get because of the generally low turnover and higher availability of private AETs who tend to be slowly taking over more urban JET jobs.

I live in a city of 80,000 with Osaka 30 minutes away, and Kyoto 15. I got absolutely lucky because of a sister city relationship. I am surrounded by mountains, and yet have the second biggest city in Japan under 500 yen away. I have Kyoto 15 minutes away. I have several bars in my town. That's lucky, and I don't credit it on anything but luck.

The placements on JET are 90% NOT the requested prefectures. I've seen people not get placed in Hokkaido despite the fact that it's a not-so-requested prefecture (while Sapporo is a requested city) considering the amount of positions in it, and I've seen people get placed in Kyoto-city who didn't even request it (despite it being one of the most highly requested placements).

You got an 'enviable' assignment (which is to say an assignment you enjoy so far) because you were lucky to be in the vast minority which got his requested placement. That's not because you were God's gift to the JET program. It was because you were lucky.

Are you really of the belief that it's because of your superior talent and commitment that you got Gifu-shi?

[koku]

snip


Well, to that, I have a Great (http://www.outpostnine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=634) answer.

[Azrael]

Placement, to me, seems really random.

I got almost exactly what I asked for. My first choice was Kyoto, second Osaka, third Nara. My city is in Kyoto Prefecture, next to Nara, more or less equi-distant from Kyoto and Osaka.

I have friends who got their first choice. I have friends who got the second. I have friends who got the third. I know a lot of people who got none of the above. I can really apply no kind of logic, no kind of "Well, if...." to the placement process.

[Pierrot le Fou]

Order of Importance:
- Openings (you cannot get placed in a prefecture/city with no open slots)
- Position (CIRs tend to be more urban because they do translation and whatnot which is far less important in the sticks)
- Sister City (if your sister city is in Japan, you will be going there)
- Sister States (if your state has a sister prefecture, you will probably be going there)
- Preferences

So really, for instance, I asked for Kyoto-shi, Nara-shi, Kyoto-fu on my application, and I got my third choice, but it sure as Hell wasn't because I requested it. As the first person from my town to come to Japan, I was placed in my sister city, who told me flat out that they had been requesting a JET from their sister city for the longest time. That's why I'm here -- not because I set it third on my application.

All practical considerations come first. Considering that we are to be cultural ambassadors, it fits in well with sister-city relations and the like, which is why that tends to trump everything but availability of positions. No amount of marvelous showing in your interview or on your application will get you placed in a city which doesn't have any open JET positions, and there's no way your preferences will trump your sister city placement UNLESS there isn't a position in your sister city (in which case you'll probably be put close by).

If you want to know where to apply to to have a good chance, then find a forum for JETs (http://www.bigdaikon.org/board/) and ask where the third years who are leaving are located, so you can put their city down on your form. That way you are more likely, due to the impossibility of there not being an opening (assuming they don't switch to a private ALT), to get that placement.

[Arvynia]

I'm not too worried about placement. So when I have time, I'll looking to your suggestion, thanx.

[koku]

would it be too much to ask what and how the sister city thing works? What's the significance and story(if there is one) behind it?

I THINK St. Paul's sister city might be akita i'm not sure, but I'm in Minneapolis.

I wonder if the seeing where the 3rd years that are leaving and putting down their city works. Seems like it would but on a grand scale, would know 3-5 openings really make a difference(unless you talk to like 25+ 3rd year JET forumites).

[Invictus]

The placements on JET are 90% NOT the requested prefectures.

I'll concur that you often won't get placed where you request, but that's not necessarily the rule. It will, as you pointed out, depend on a great variety of factors.

You got an 'enviable' assignment (which is to say an assignment you enjoy so far)

Excuse my saying so, but you here sound distinctly angry/bitter/otherwise cheesed. I just gave my honest assessment of my placement; no more, no less. As I said, 90% of whether you're happy or not is whether you have a positive attitude toward the difficulties. I don't pretend that life is perfect for me (believe me, it's not), but I find that my place is exactly what suits me.

because you were lucky to be in the vast minority which got his requested placement. That's not because you were God's gift to the JET program. It was because you were lucky.

In my experience, there's no such thing as luck. Or, to paraphrase Pascal, I don't find that probability is probable. ;)

Are you really of the belief that it's because of your superior talent and commitment that you got Gifu-shi?

Oh, not at all, and I apologize if that's what I implied (though it seems to me that you're taking my words way out of context here). There are exactly three reasons, in my estimation, that I got the place I requested:

1. I requested it. Though this means little in the grand scheme of things, I was at least on the record as saying that I wanted to go to X place.

2. I picked a prefecture that doesn't get a lot of requests. I'm willing to bet that 75% or more of all JET applications have Kyoto, Nara, et. al. as one of the three choices, which is partly why everyone bitches about not getting their first/second/third pick. On the other hand, few people even know Gifu exists, much less put it down as their first pick. I have yet to meet a JET who picked Gifu and didn't get in.

3. There were no other interfering circumstances. There's a healthy flow of JETs in and out of Gifu, Gifu doesn't use many (if any) private ALTs, my town has no Japanese sister city, etc. etc.

As you can see, skill and dedication had nothing to do with it.

[Arvynia]

Thanx to Illusion, i did find some sister cities for Illinois:

Bloomington/Normal : Asahikawa, Japan
Carbondale : Nakajo - Niigata, Japan
Chicago : Osaka, Japan
Decatur: Tokorozawa, Japan
Shaumburg: Namericawaka, Japan
Springfield: Ashikaga, Japan
Waukegan: Kiyotake-Cho, Japan

I guess I'll look up these cities tomorrow (today) and find more about their stats...

[misuta_t]

actually i cant really validate if this is true or not... but a fellow okinawa jet told me that having relatives or saying you have the ablitity to adapt in a specific place greatly helps your chances of getting in (or so i believe) as i was among only 2 people out of my squad to go to okinawa. (my grand uncle actually lives in okinawa)

and okinawa was actually my first choice. now i didnt put it on my form but i did mention how i did wanna go to okinawa and that i had family. and it does make sense that the JET program would try its damnest to get you situated into a place where you would fit in and feel well in. the cost and burden of having an unsuccessful JET are huge. so if you have some sort or connection with the place you are going to then would be far more likely youd get it. (but i can see the randomess of it all)

there was another guy that i met who straight put on this request all Okinawa for all 3 choices... when they asked where he what choice he would like if not placed in okinawa he said that his current school that he teaches in would do just fine. not that i would advise doing this at all. just something ive heard.

for me... i love when im like one of 9 out of like...a sea of 2000 JETs in tokyo who look at your little white name plate and got "your going to okinawa! i wanted to go there!" but there have been alot of people who didnt even put anything down and love their spots...

i wouldnt worry too much about it anyways... you hardly have any control over it, and if you get in, you get in. on a side note dont trip if youre an alternate, almost everyone that ive ever met on the JET program where alternates. your chances are pretty high to get into.

good luck on the apps(cuz its all that, and a bag of chips)

[misuta_t]

on a side note... as you can tell... im not an english major... so that really doesnt give you brownie points either

(however i did graduate with a double in graphic design and communications... and in my interview one the guys said my background was perfect for the job... but ive heard of people gettin straight told they were in.... then not getting it, so who knows)

[Invictus]

It also seems to me (just my observation) that those with prior teaching experience seem to get better positions. Since your school does have some say in who they pick, it would make sense that the best schools would get priority to select the best-qualified candidates. Of course, very little in Japan makes sense, so... ;)

misuta_t, are you in Okinawa right now? What with the typhoon and all, that's gotta suck...

[misuta_t]

actually from what i heard...

kyushu is gettin hit harder than us... didnt miss school today... but for once no one stayed past 6... not even the teachers

[koku]

there was another guy that i met who straight put on this request all Okinawa for all 3 choices...

Wow...I really wonder what It would be like to have that kind of mentality. I mean this guy could have screwed his chances and had to wait A YEAR; yet, he didn't care AT ALL.

Sure it's just one example but I bet that's how he leads his life and makes other decisions. Mabye it was just a joke though, but I do believe some people go through life with that mentality.

Did you hear what happened to him? Sorry for the sort of off topic response.

[Arvynia]

WAIT, what is this about school?

I'm not doing my JET thing from my school. I did research on it and I knew about it, but my school doesn't really ... have anything to do with it.

They didn't say it was a requirement for us to go through the school first, none at all...

And yes, they did say that the more experience we have with teaching, the better luck we'll have.

[misuta_t]

yo kokojin, the guy i was talkin about was a JET that i met here in okinawa... hes actually a 3rd year JET and im pretty sure it wasnt a joke... hes that type of guy. he really wanted to go to okinawa (i think it had to do with him being in martial arts or something).

he was already a teacher teaching troubled youth with learning difficulties, so he already had alot of teaching experience. his answer when they asked him if he didnt get into Okinawa as in "but where else would you like to go if you dont get into okinawa" his answer was that "The current school i teach at now would do just fine." he does come off as a bit arrogant, but i do feel hes real and he really does love teaching.

arvynia was your post in response to my post? i was under the assumption that you knew JET was about going over and being an ALT, assistant language teacher at schools. there was a typhoon thats hitting japan right now... being in okinawa we got hit first... however sometimes school you teach at gets canceled due to the typhoon some times it doesnt.

JET has no real connections with any schools, its a government run organization... one of the best thas actually set up (contrary to horror stories that i heard about nova) and usually the people that know about JET are usually japanese teachers in your college. i know at UCDavis JET was talked about ALOT and SF has the largest number of out going jets in total (with alot of UCDavis heads among them... i swear i met like 20 people out of the 200 that left from SF that went to UCDavis) JET is run by CLAIR which is a division of the Japanese government that runs it. basically the only requirement you need are to be younger then 40, have a bachelors degree and be spunky and interesting.

i personally find that doing JET right after college is the most helpful. you got a butload of teachers that can write you letters of recommendations for this program and if you were a TA for college courses... even better. Usually the people that I have met that are on JET and had previous careers either were all teachers beforehand or had some kind of teaching abroad experience. though i dont know... being a marketing director or something maybe helpful... but again i say that doing JET right after college is the best. ive only been in JET for a month now... and i have kind of equated it to freshmen year at college in the dorms... lots of new faces, new places, and lots of drinking.

peace

[Arvynia]

Oh, I knew about JET and CLAIR and all - but I wasn't sure if someone had said that in order to do JET, you had to go through your school's selection process.

So far from what I have researched and know, I'm more than qualified for the program. It just kind of suprised me to read the whole deal about school - but now I can rest easy since it has nothing to do with the school.

Thanks lots, misuta!