JET ALT/CIR Interview - Part 1

Today on Japannewbie we have an interview with my friend from high school, Sugu, a total non-newbie when it comes to Japan.

Sugu has been in Japan for 3 years now. He came to Hamamatsu as a JET and has been more or less on the JET track ever since. This interview should be interesting to anyone considering coming to Japan to teach English on JET, and especially to those JET hopefuls who have no prior experience with Japan. The interview is quite long, so I have broken it up into 3 parts.

Though we both ended up moving from Iowa to Japan, Sugu and I have very different backgrounds. I studied Japanese in high school. Sugu didn’t. I was hooked on anime. Sugu wasn’t. I even listened to as much Pizzicato 5 as I could in order to get just a little bit more of Japan into my life. Sugu couldn’t care less. But now he’s in Japan and having a blast! What’s it all about?

Let’s find out.

Interview with Sugu, JET ALT/CIR - Part 1

Q: Most JapanNewbie readers will know that JET is the Japan government sponsored gravy train to bring English speakers from around the world to teach English in Japanese schools. Could you tell us about your perception of the JET program before you joined, and what attracted you to it?

A: Well, as unpatriotic as it is, I just wanted to leave the States, but I had no real method to do it. I got a degree in English with the eventual goal of being a writer, but after college, I became a bartender. It was fun but I always knew it would be temporary. After two years, I decided I needed to change my life before I got stuck. So I did research on different options, and teaching English was a good multi-cultural, multi-country venue. My problem then became that all of the jobs I found required some qualifications or teaching experience, of which I had none. JET was the only program I found that didn’t require any expertise, just a college degree.

Q: What did you think of the application and selection process? Now that you have been in the program, have you gained any information regarding the selection process that you would like to share?

A: The application process was easy up to a point. When I was selected for the interview, I prepared and did everything I could to get ready. But when the time came, it was easy but they asked some very odd questions. And if I had the slightest thin skin, I would have been massively offended by some of their questions. Since last year, I’ve actually been part of the selection process that goes on in Japan. I often wonder myself how certain people are selected and how others are wait-listed. I don’t know CLAIR’s (The government agency that is in charge of the program) criteria, but after they decide who is accepted, they send the applications to their placement locations, the different Boards of Education.

Oddly enough, it seems that the very good ALTs, the ones who are hard-working and dedicated started out as wait-listed or alternates. After the different BoEs (Board of Education), receive the applications, well, this is where I come in. I am one of the people who reads the applications and decides to accept the applicants that CLAIR chose. If my boss and I decide that an ALT is not a good match for our BoE, we reject the applicant and wait for CLAIR to send us another one. If we decide that we like the application, then we accept the applicant and try to place him or her in our schools. As a result I have to read the applications very closely, paying particular attention to the essay, the letters of recommendation, and the health check. I don’t read them for perfection, I read them for honesty.

For myself and my Board of Education, we don’t care if an applicant is into manga , speaks fluent Japanese or has a medically bad case of halitosis (although I’m sure junior high students would). Those are fine details that help match the person to one of our schools but we’re looking first and foremost at the person’s character.

Q: So it sounds like people should not be discouraged from applying to the JET program even if they have no Japan background whatsoever right?

A: Absolutely not. I look at myself as living proof (and I tell all my new ALTs this too) that if I can make it out here with absolutely no background and prior interest, then anyone can. Just put in your time and prepare to work.

Q: So now that you have been with JET for 3 years, looking back were things in the program pretty much just as you had expected? What were some of the totally unanticipated things you came up against?

A: Things have been incredibly different than what I was told and I’ve become much more cynical about things. I didn’t expect any of the sheer lack of professionalism that I saw in many other ALTs around the country. Some ALTs were always late (keep in mind that Japan is a very punctual country) or always dressed unprofessionally (ALTs frequently would go to meetings and seminars dressed in T-shirts and jeans). I didn’t expect that many ALTs came immediately after graduating college with no work experience and just wanting to extend their college lifestyle before finding a “real” job. But that’s all negative.

There were a lot of really positive experiences that I’ve had, and I try to focus on those on my website as well as in my life. I certainly didn’t expect that I would meet some great people, including what became the love of my life. I didn’t expect that I would have stumbled upon a semi-professional choir out here and joining it has been a source of some of my fondest memories. I also didn’t expect that I would gain some really valuable teaching experience. And I definitely didn’t think I would like this country as much as I do. I wouldn’t call myself a Japanophile, but Japan is definitely a great place to experience.

Q: Briefly, how were your first few years teaching experience with JET?

A: Rocky at best. I started from scratch, less than where a lot of the new ALTs started. My first year, I was trying all sorts of different methods and just trying to get a grip on the language, culture, and teaching. I made a lot of mistakes and saw a lot of lessons simply crash and burn.

My second year, I fit more into my groove and things were a lot easier. It got to the point that I could walk into a classroom with a general idea of what to teach and spew out about 3 or 4 activities for the students. I would have stayed at my school to teach for a 3rd year,but I was offered a coordinating position, where I now manage and train other ALTs.

Q: What kind of experience are some of the new ALTs coming in with now? Would you say there is a trend for JET to hire people with more experience? Or do total JapanNewbies, like you were, still have a shot at getting in?

A: Actually, judging from meeting the new ALTs over the years and now seeing the applications, it appears that less experienced people are taken first, and after that they select people who have more experience in Japan or Japanese. Of course, this is only my perception, but it seems like more and more JETs have no prior work experience before JET. JapanNewbie readers definitely have a shot and I would still highly recommend this program.

Q: How have your responsibilities in JET changed over the years?

A: As I said earlier, I originally started with two junior high schools, teaching both English and English Conversation classes. When my teachers felt I got a grip on that, they added elementary school visits. For my third year, I left my schools and came to the Board of Education to supervise, train, and coordinate the other ALTs. Occasionally, I’ll still get to visit and teach at the elementary school level, but mostly , my days are filled with translation, training, and sorting through some of the Japanese law as it pertains to various ALTs needs and questions.

In part 2 of this interview we will discuss Sugu’s Japanese language learning tips, study tool recommendations, and other things! Don’t touch that dial…

Sugu’s Website

JET official website