1) My name is Devon Boy, I’m 26 years old and I graduated from the University with a major in Linguistics and a minor in Japanese. I studied Japanese for 3 years at UVM. I’m half Puerto Rican and half German. I graduated in 2018.
2) I wanted to visit Japan and live a life very different from my own, so I applied for JET. I was placed in Satosho-cho in Okayama Prefecture.
3) The interview was not nearly as scary as I thought it would be. They asked me different questions like why I wanted to go to Japan, if I liked kids, if I was ok being alone/isolated in a country town. Basically they want to make sure you won’t break contract and run back home. Just be positive and friendly and you will be fine!
4) The moving process was fun. Finally my own apartment with no roommates! I had no predecessor so I bought most of my own furniture and dishes/utencils. My board of education helped me a lot with moving in and even came with me to buy and register a bike. The company paid for my commute but I paid for all my apartment goods.
5)I worked at an elementary school, which I hear can be a bit more relaxed than junior high or high school. The teachers all dressed professionally (dress clothes or track suits – no in- between). The Japanese are very professional and have certain ways of doing things that took some getting used to (bowing, use of very polite Japanese). I wore a nice collared shirt and khaki pants to work. I taught Kindergarten to 2nd grade as the main teacher so I planned all my lessons, prepared materials(flashcards, videos, songs). 3rd to 6th grade I assisted a Japanese teacher of English(JTE). The JTE made all those plans and talked to me about what game ideas I had or would often have me prepare powerpoints to show the students (about holidays for example or little quizes). I also taught an adult conversation class once a week. This was the most challenging aspect of the job because I had no guidance and had to completely wing it on my own. But I made lifelong friends and still talk to many of my adult students!
6) My experience working with the Japanese was good. They were always polite, but very busy and I often had to take the initiative to find teachers to discuss lessons – rarely the other way around. But I liked the teachers I worked with and they were often curious about my culture and asked questions. My school was great, the students and teachers were very kind. I had a hard time communicating at first, but it got easier over time. The school culture and all the events/ceremonies were often and sometimes very tiring, but I got used to them. I often just followed the other teachers’ lead for these. I had no after-work obligations.
7) If you want to teach in Japan, you hopefully like kids, can speak or are open to learning Japanese, and do some research. Make sure you really want to go! Japan is great, but there are a lot of rules and things to be aware of so diving in blind is not recommended.