BANZAI!!

Dear JET Program Applicant:

Thank you for your patience in this time following your JET Program interview. The second stage of the screening process for 2009 is now complete and we have made our final decisions. I am pleased to inform you that you have been selected as an Alternate Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) candidate. You will now be considered for upgrade to ALT status should an opening become available through either withdrawl of another candidate or by Tokyo increasing the number of positions available to this Consulate. Upgrades may occur at any time between now and mid-December, 2009. Every year a certain number of alternate candidates are upgraded.

In a few days you will be receiving a packet of information which will require your immediate attention. Please carefully review the contents of this packet and respond accordingly at you earliest possible opportunity. This mailing has been sent to the permanent address you indicated on your application and confirmed at your interview. If you do not receive it by Friday, April 17th please contact me. Important documents from this mailing have also been attached to this message. As an alternate this year there is a large chance that you may not be upgraded; however, you are still required to submit documents that have fees attached.  Therefore, if you feel that you are not financially able to pay these document fees, or if you do not wish to wait between now and December to find out if you will be upgraded, please feel free to withdraw your name from the Alternate list.  Please know that there is no penalty to do so; you are more than welcome to apply again next year

The JET Program requires that all selected candidates request an Identification Record (criminal background check) from the FBI. The responsibility and $18.00 fee for this background check must be bourne by you, the candidate. Please request your check immediately as the process is quite lengthy. Please read the instructions carefully. If you require additional information you may visit the website directly at http://www.fbi.gov/hq/cjisd/fprequest.htm. Furthermore, if you have lived outside of the United States for 1 year or more continuously within the last 5 years, you must also secure a background check for the country in which you lived. Please see the packet for further instructions.

Please note: reply forms and health screening forms must be returned to the Consulate General of Japan in Portland by Monday, April 27th, 2009!

Congratulations on your qualification as an alternate candidate on the JET Program. Please do your best to proceed through the next few weeks in an organized and timely manner. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Thank you,

Matthew Turner
Public Relations, Cultural & Educational Affairs
Consulate-General of Japan in Portland

 

JET – The interview

After successfully making it through the initial process, I gave an interview for the Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) position. Unlike the other participants, I live an hour away from Portland. Others had to stay at a hotel for the night. Dressed professionally, my name was called and I went into one of the four rooms prepared for us.

They had a table set up and three people asking me questions. Two of them were former JET participants, the other was a Japanese language teacher. I felt confident and ready to answer any question they threw at me.

First they asked me the basic questions such as, what is my current position, have I ever applied to JET before, etc etc. Then they asked, “Why did you choose JET?” I knew the worst reply would be, “I love anime and Harajuku fashion!!!”  Which isn’t true.

Then they started to ask me questions based off my answers such as, “You said you wanted to join JET because you want to learn Japanese, but JET is more of a cultural exchange, not language. How would you adjust?” Then they asked me some culture based questions like, “What if a tall American guy came into the classroom and left and your students began to ask, ‘Sensei, when is the American coming?'” and things like, “What if you’re at an izakaya with your faculty and your boss came up behind you and offered a massage?”

Then they gave me a small portion in Japanese to see where my Japanese level is at. Had no affect on my interview, but they wanted to know how well I could speak Japanese.

Lastly, they asked me what my hobbies were. I said one of them was singing. That’s when they made me sing. They told me to sing something for them that would work with little kids. So I sang “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”. They liked it! They asked about any other hobbies I had, and I told them that I like painting.

After that, they asked if I had any other questions.. and I asked.. shook hands and I was out the door. I felt good from my interview and I think I did well.