Comments on: JET ALT/CIR Interview - Part 3 http://www.japannewbie.com/2007/09/24/jet-altcir-interview-part-3/ Sun, 06 Jul 2008 00:25:14 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Sugu http://www.japannewbie.com/2007/09/24/jet-altcir-interview-part-3/#comment-34931 Sugu Thu, 27 Sep 2007 11:51:02 +0000 http://www.japannewbie.com/2007/09/24/jet-altcir-interview-part-3/#comment-34931 Hi Simon, That's awesome that you're in China now. Are you doing translation work out there? This is where things get a bit complicated. Harvey calls me a CIR, but in reality, I'm not. I'm part ALT (Assistant Language Teacher), part PA (Prefectural Advisor), part CIR (Coordinator for International Relations), all rolled up into one. My title is actually that of ALT Coordinator. Our CIRs (we have 2 in Hamamatsu) are busy in the public eye. I'm busy taking care of ALTs and making sure their lives run smoothly. My Japanese is nowhere near fluent, but it gets me and my ALTs by. That's actually why I've had to deal with legal issues. ALTs get themselves into a lot of different situations that my boss and I have to help them out. More productive? Well, definitely busier. Everyday is different at the office and I have a ton of "war stories" now. Unfortunately, I haven't had much time to update <a href="http://www.gurusugu.com" title="GuruSugu.com" rel="nofollow">my website</a> in a long time. I think my last update was to welcome the LAST crop of ALTs! Hi Simon,

That’s awesome that you’re in China now. Are you doing translation work out there?

This is where things get a bit complicated. Harvey calls me a CIR, but in reality, I’m not. I’m part ALT (Assistant Language Teacher), part PA (Prefectural Advisor), part CIR (Coordinator for International Relations), all rolled up into one. My title is actually that of ALT Coordinator. Our CIRs (we have 2 in Hamamatsu) are busy in the public eye. I’m busy taking care of ALTs and making sure their lives run smoothly. My Japanese is nowhere near fluent, but it gets me and my ALTs by. That’s actually why I’ve had to deal with legal issues. ALTs get themselves into a lot of different situations that my boss and I have to help them out. More productive? Well, definitely busier. Everyday is different at the office and I have a ton of “war stories” now. Unfortunately, I haven’t had much time to update my website in a long time. I think my last update was to welcome the LAST crop of ALTs!

]]> By: Sugu http://www.japannewbie.com/2007/09/24/jet-altcir-interview-part-3/#comment-34926 Sugu Thu, 27 Sep 2007 11:36:37 +0000 http://www.japannewbie.com/2007/09/24/jet-altcir-interview-part-3/#comment-34926 Wow, I started a big discussion here! Thanks for all your comments! To respond to Lisa's comment, truth be told, I am quite conflicted about it. Both of your thoughts are correct. There are a lot of things I still want to see and do in Japan, so I want to stay. I want to travel more, and see a few more festivals that I haven't gotten around to. On the other hand, there are certain things I really miss about being back home. I miss being in an English-speaking country. I miss driving. I miss free shipping from Amazon.com. At the same time, there are obligations that I have here, both to myself and to others. There are things I feel a need to finish and accomplish here that aren't JET related before I can return back home. So in the end, I'm incredibly torn. I want to stay, I want to go, and I need to stay. Wow, I started a big discussion here! Thanks for all your comments! To respond to Lisa’s comment, truth be told, I am quite conflicted about it. Both of your thoughts are correct. There are a lot of things I still want to see and do in Japan, so I want to stay. I want to travel more, and see a few more festivals that I haven’t gotten around to. On the other hand, there are certain things I really miss about being back home. I miss being in an English-speaking country. I miss driving. I miss free shipping from Amazon.com. At the same time, there are obligations that I have here, both to myself and to others. There are things I feel a need to finish and accomplish here that aren’t JET related before I can return back home. So in the end, I’m incredibly torn. I want to stay, I want to go, and I need to stay.

]]> By: harvey http://www.japannewbie.com/2007/09/24/jet-altcir-interview-part-3/#comment-34296 harvey Tue, 25 Sep 2007 13:29:33 +0000 http://www.japannewbie.com/2007/09/24/jet-altcir-interview-part-3/#comment-34296 Will - You're linked! Will - You’re linked!

]]> By: Will http://www.japannewbie.com/2007/09/24/jet-altcir-interview-part-3/#comment-34216 Will Tue, 25 Sep 2007 08:31:46 +0000 http://www.japannewbie.com/2007/09/24/jet-altcir-interview-part-3/#comment-34216 Harvey - cool work with the interview. Alex - I understand your point (and thanks for the plug!) but I can also see Sugu's side - JET can become a career launcher, but it can also be a breathing space between jobs, and I don't mean that in a derogatory way, simply that given it is an exchange programme the idea is to experience Japan and then go home and tell everyone about it. Having said that there are always those fools like Harvey and me who fall in love with the place and forget to go home, so Japan becomes home..... BTW Harvey - can a fella get a Blogroll link!? cheers Will Harvey - cool work with the interview.

Alex - I understand your point (and thanks for the plug!) but I can also see Sugu’s side - JET can become a career launcher, but it can also be a breathing space between jobs, and I don’t mean that in a derogatory way, simply that given it is an exchange programme the idea is to experience Japan and then go home and tell everyone about it. Having said that there are always those fools like Harvey and me who fall in love with the place and forget to go home, so Japan becomes home…..

BTW Harvey - can a fella get a Blogroll link!?

cheers

Will

]]> By: harvey http://www.japannewbie.com/2007/09/24/jet-altcir-interview-part-3/#comment-34185 harvey Tue, 25 Sep 2007 04:28:41 +0000 http://www.japannewbie.com/2007/09/24/jet-altcir-interview-part-3/#comment-34185 Simon! I'm curious to know what you're doing in China! Are you teaching? Or doing something else? Did the sudden earnings change from Yen to Yuan shock your system at all? That's one thing that crosses my mind every time I consider what it would be like to make the move... Anyway, hope Simon notices this post and responds! :) I have casually studied Chinese myself, and visited Beijing (and Taiwan... China? A debate for another time, another place) and loved it! Regarding the comment on JET preferring people who speak no Japanese... I have heard that before as well. It's interesting. The monbusho (MEXT) scholarship which is another J-government system to get gaijin in Japan on the other hand seems to give preference to students who can speak Japanese well, and are familiar with Japan. I guess when coming over as a JET, the more you already know about Japan, the less of a "gaijin shock" you'll give the school/city you are sent to, thus reducing the impact? I have also heard that for similar reasons that more "gaijin-looking gaijin" will often be selected before gaijin of Asian decent... Though I do know 2nd and 3rd gen Japanese who have been selected for, and done well on JET... So I dunno. Maybe just rumors. Wow the JET cap has been extended from 3 to 5 years? Wow. I didn't know that. Maybe it's just me and my hyper-active nature... But I couldn't imagine being a JET/CIR for 5 consecutive years. Maybe if they allowed you to switch cities or something in the middle... But 5 years is a long long time to be "the gaijin" in a school district. Thanks for all the great comments everyone, this is a lot of fun! Simon! I’m curious to know what you’re doing in China! Are you teaching? Or doing something else? Did the sudden earnings change from Yen to Yuan shock your system at all? That’s one thing that crosses my mind every time I consider what it would be like to make the move… Anyway, hope Simon notices this post and responds! :)

I have casually studied Chinese myself, and visited Beijing (and Taiwan… China? A debate for another time, another place) and loved it!

Regarding the comment on JET preferring people who speak no Japanese… I have heard that before as well. It’s interesting. The monbusho (MEXT) scholarship which is another J-government system to get gaijin in Japan on the other hand seems to give preference to students who can speak Japanese well, and are familiar with Japan.

I guess when coming over as a JET, the more you already know about Japan, the less of a “gaijin shock” you’ll give the school/city you are sent to, thus reducing the impact? I have also heard that for similar reasons that more “gaijin-looking gaijin” will often be selected before gaijin of Asian decent… Though I do know 2nd and 3rd gen Japanese who have been selected for, and done well on JET… So I dunno. Maybe just rumors.

Wow the JET cap has been extended from 3 to 5 years? Wow. I didn’t know that. Maybe it’s just me and my hyper-active nature… But I couldn’t imagine being a JET/CIR for 5 consecutive years. Maybe if they allowed you to switch cities or something in the middle… But 5 years is a long long time to be “the gaijin” in a school district.

Thanks for all the great comments everyone, this is a lot of fun!

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