JET Programme Now In 22nd Year

I was a JET Programme ALT almost 10 years ago and I am happy to say that the program is is still going strong. It was a wonderful experience and I highly recommend it. The Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme, now in its 22nd year, is run by the Japanese government and is aimed at promoting grass-roots international exchange between Japan and other nations. The number of countries sending participants has risen over the years, as has the number of participants. In 2009, the Programme has welcomed 4,682 participants from 38 countries. The current JET brochure, with information about jobs, minimum requirements, and more can be downloaded from the Official JET Website.

There are three different JET jobs. The following information is from the 2008 JET Pamphlet:

ASSISTANT LANGUAGE TEACHERS (ALTs) are placed mainly in public schools or local boards of education. ALTs assist with classes taught by Japanese teachers of English (JTE) and are thus involved in the preparation of teaching materials and in extracurricular activities like English clubs or sports teams. More than 90% of JET participants are employed as ALTs.

COORDINATORS FOR INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS (CIRs) assist local government offices in international exchange activities at the local level. Just under 10% of participants are CIRs and major duties often include translation/interpretation for government officials, teaching community or school English classes and international exchange event planning and implementation. Applicants must have a functional command of spoken and written Japanese.

SPORTS EXCHANGE ADVISERS (SEAs) work for local governments, coaching and promoting internationalisation through the universal language of sports. SEAs are sports professionals whose role is to assist with sports training and the planning of sports related projects. For the 2007 - 2008 JET Programme year, there are 13 SEAs placed throughout Japan. SEA applicants must be recommended by either the participating country's National Olympic Committee or another government organization.