Founded in 1987 by the government of Japan, JET (Japan Exchange and Teaching program) is a popular teaching program aimed at providing English-speaking teachers to work as Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs) in public schools throughout Japan. While 90% of JETs are ALTs, another role JET offers is that of a Coordinator of International Relations (CIR), where participants assist l ocal government offices in international exchange activities.
JET is aimed at young professionals with an interest in Japanese culture and it promotes grass-roots international exchange between Japan and other countries. Participants are seen as representatives of their home countries, like cultural ambassadors, and play a crucial role in promoting understanding between nations. Since the beginning of the program, there have been more than 66,000 participants from 67 countries around the world.
Requirements for JET applicants include having a bachelor’s degree and citizenship from a participating country, along with a strong interest in Japanese culture. With a competitive salary and benefits like paid roundtrip airfare, a job lined up in advance, great support and a focus on cultural immersion, it’s no wonder it’s one of the most popular ways to teach English in Japan .
The JET program is very competitive and to be considered you’ll need to ensure you meet the following eligibility criteria:
You must be willing to deepen your knowledge and appreciation of Japan after your arrival. You must be motivated to participate in and initiate international exchange activities in the local community and make an effort to study or continue studying the Japanese language prior to and after arriving in Japan.
You must hold at least a bachelor’s degree or obtain such qualifications by the designated arrival date. Applicants may alternatively hold a certification of completion of a 3-year course to teach at primary/elementary or secondary schools.
You must be a citizen from one of the 54 participating countries where the recruitment and selection procedures take place by the time you submit their application form. Permanent residents without citizenship are not eligible for the JET program. Those who possess dual citizenship with Japan and a participating country must renounce their Japanese citizenship before accepting a position on the JET Program. Visit the JET site specific to your country (for example, the US , Canadian or UK program site), to learn about more details of your program.
You need to have good mental and physical health, fit to work in Japan for a minimum of 1 year.
You must be able to adapt to the living and working conditions in Japan, which might be different from those experienced in your home country. You must also be determined to responsibly complete your period of participation in the JET program.
Applicants should possess excellent language skills in the designated language of their country. For example, English for English-speaking countries like the US, UK, Australia, Canada, Singapore etc, French for France, Chinese for China…A list can be found on the JET website .
The following are required:
In addition to this, applications from non-English speaking countries must have a functional command of the English or Japanese language.
Applicants can’t have previously participated in the JET program for 3 years (as of their last year of departure from the program), or have participated in the program for more than 5 years in total.
Excluding cases where it was accepted that a participant had a valid or inevitable reason for withdrawing, applicants must not have declined a position on the JET program in the previous JET program year.
You can’t have lived in Japan for 6 or more years in the past 10 years since the year of your departure.
Having a desire to proactively maintain relations with Japan, even after completion of the JET program, is required.
When entering Japan for the purpose of participation on the JET program, applicants must agree to reside in Japan under the status of residence stipulated in Article 2-2 of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act.
You must be willing to obey all Japanese laws during your time on the JET program.
Applicants with a suspended jail term must have finished their period of probation by the time they submit their application form.
On top of this criteria, JET also asks that its Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs) applicants have the following:
If you don’t think you can meet these requirements, you won’t be able to apply to the JET program. If this is the case, don’t let this put you off teaching English in Japan , as there are other teaching English opportunities over there.
Technically a TEFL certification , or any teaching qualification, isn’t an essential JET requirement as long as you’re strongly motivated to take part in the teaching of foreign languages. The same applies to having previous teaching experience – it’s not part of the eligibility criteria. However, JET is a very competitive program so having qualifications that go above and beyond the minimum requirements will mean additional consideration will be given to you during the selection process, as stated on the JET website .
