JET Orientation

For weeks now I've been mumbling about this JET Programme thing and haven't really explained it much. Since I just went to this Q&A session tonight, I figured I might as well get into it now.

JET is basically a government-sponsored program that recruits English-speaking people to teach English in Japan. They connect applicants with schools, boards of education or prefectures that are looking to hire an assistant language teacher to help their English language teachers in the classroom. The contract is usually a year and you're able to renew up to about five years.

The application process is pretty extensive and used as a way to weed people out. After tonight's orientation, this fact has been confirmed. The essay portion is also an important part used to get through the masses. At the Q&A session, we had a brief intro to the program and watched a video with testimony as to how great the program and experience is.

We were also able to ask three former JETs about their experiences in Japan. Two were stationed in Okinawa and the other one was in Sendai. They didn't really enlighten me much as I've already done some initial research online. They were mostly positive about everything and encouraged us to apply. I guess you wouldn't really want anyone but cheerleaders talking to potential applicants though, right?

Some interesting facts I learned tonight: There were 81 complete applications from Hawaii to be an assistant langauge teacher (ALT). This position makes up over 90 percent of all applicants. There is another position called coordinator for international relations (CIR), but you really need to know your Japanese as you'll be working within the government. Of the 81 people, 48 were interviewed and 22 were selected to go to Japan. That's pretty stiff odds. About 60 percent of the total applicants got to the interview section and about 27 percent actually went.

At this point I'm neither encouraged nor discouraged to apply. I think I'll go ahead with it and see what happens. I really need to work on my essay since I haven't even started yet. I also need to update my resume so I can send it over to the people I have asked to write my letters of reference. You need two of those. I also need to research Japan a bit more and get a better feel of locations and where I'd like to be placed. The location request may or may not be given to you.

Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii Orientation

Last Saturday I went over to the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii and had a brief interview and tour. The girl I met with basically asked questions about my background, interests and motives for volunteering. Then she showed me around the gallery and the behind-the-scenes areas. I start volunteering this Saturday and opted to stay the entire day.

When I first faxed my volunteer application form to them, I was surprised because they called back within minutes. Perhaps that's not all too surprising in this economy though. Another interesting thing is that they asked me to bring my resume for their records. I found that very strange - like it was an interview for a real job or something. Are volunteer requests always handled this way?

I'm curious to see what kind of work they give me. On my form, I checked off numerous departments in which I'd like to help. One of the categories was to be a docent at their exhibit. I gotta say that I'm not really keen on doing that. However, I figured it was the best way for me to learn the historical and cultural aspects quickly and thoroughly. If I'm expected to regurgitate this info to visitors, I've gotta know my stuff.

My main reason for wanting to volunteer at JCCH is to learn about the historical and cultural part of the Japanese American experience in Hawaii. I want to apply to teach English in Japan through the JET Programme, and it'd be interesting to compare local Japanese customs to traditional Japanese customs. I'm sure there are many things that are similar but a lot more things that are different.