Hello, my name is Kevin Sword. I graduated from UVM in 2017 with a major in Japanese. I went to Japanese Language School at Middlebury College in the summer of 2016. I did not get a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certificate before applying to JET. I’d suggest not bothering with one as JET will pay some money for you to get an online certification.
I have been on the JET Programme since 2017. I started on my 5th and last year of the program in summer 2021. I work in Ena, Gifu at elementary and junior high schools. I taught an English conversation class at the culture center. I translate articles as a volunteer for The Big Issue Japan. I’ve been paid to do translations of documents for clients that contact the international exchange association, as well as some city documents.
I don’t remember the interview very well, but it was intimidating to be in front of three people.
Moving was interesting. I basically sold everything I wasn’t bringing, and threw away a lot of old things. I packed a couple of cases of memorandum for my dad to keep. I packed two suitcases of clothes. JET pays for transportation and accommodation to your destination from whichever consulate you apply from. This includes the plane ticket to Japan, the hotels along the way, and whatever is used to get you to your placement. When I got there, my predecessor was staying in Japan so I had to start from scratch. It was fine though! I’d suggest going to a recycle shop to get your dishes and some furniture. Most used things, especially dishes, are still perfectly fine.
It’s interesting working for a Japanese school. I think first impressions are important, but it’s okay to relax a little after a bit. Professionalism is key. Even for some things you might think of as normal, you have to ask about them in a Japanese school. For example, studying by reading manga. It may look to the teachers like you’re slacking off. Ask the vice principal, principal, or someone else in the teacher’s room. I often play the piano in the music rooms at my school, of course asking first. Of most importance is to have good rapport with the kids. You should be a friendly face that they look forward to seeing, whether or not they like English as a subject. If you’re at an elementary school, try to play with the kids. As for attire, look at what other teachers are wearing. It’s perfectly fine to wear a tracksuit if other teachers are as well. It makes it a lot easier to play with the kids and move easily. Of course, ask someone higher up if it’s okay to do that.
For junior high schools it’s similar. The kids should be able to speak just a tiny bit, so you can talk with them to have them practice English a little. Talk about what anime they watch, or foods, or other simple subjects.
I also have taught an adult English conversation class through the culture center. I planned all the lessons and had full freedom as to the content. It was difficult but it was really fun. It’s quite different teaching adults as opposed to kids. They have a wide range of experiences and actually want to learn if they’re coming to a conversation class. The downside is that sometimes stuff comes up and they can’t come, so it’s a little hard to follow a progression.
My role in class is to be an English model and be engaging. Enunciating words and over-exaggerating some pronunciations is good. If the kids find it funny they might imitate it and learn without knowing!! Gestures and facial expressions can be used to great effect in promoting understanding. Also, make flashcards with pictures to show on the TV, or print them out. Of course, ask about what your school has already so you don’t waste resources. Some words don’t work well with pictures. Check the songs in the textbook and see if they are engaging. There are some better songs to use on YouTube. If your school blocks it you can use youtube-dl-gui to download at home. Ask your teacher if you can use it and show the song to them.
I think greetings are good. Make sure to say good morning to your teachers. It can be in English or Japanese, or you can use both. I think a lot of teachers want to practice their English even if it’s just a simple greeting! And make sure to say 「お先に失礼します。」when you leave. Another great thing to say is to thank your teachers after class. Just say 「今日はありがとうございました。」or something to that effect. Even if the class didn’t go smoothly, you are working together with the teacher to make class work.
Check your weekly schedule often (it’ll be in your mailbox or pinned somewhere in the teacher’s room). Ask someone to explain what’s going on in the school. There might be events that you are not aware of, simply because you’re not factored into things. Don’t feel bad about it. If you can, try to participate in school events even if they’re outside your working hours. The teachers and students will think better of you for it, and most events are pretty fun. You may be able to get 代休 (daikyuu) for the time you spent. For elementary and junior high schools, Sports Day is the big one. It’ll happen in spring or fall depending on the school. There will be a cleaning day as well, where the folks in the community come and help cut grass, rake leaves, and generally make the grounds nicer. It’s a good chance to meet some community folks.
My official work hours are 8:30 to 4:30. But, I suggest coming in a little early, so you can relax a little and be already getting ready for classes at 8:30. You don’t want to be rushing things, so leave a little time in case your commute takes longer than usual, or if you wake up late. You may have to stay later than 4:30, since you need to have meetings with teachers to talk about the next lesson. These meetings are a good time to suggest games or activities to do in class.
Even if a teacher says they are fine and you don’t need to make activities, keep suggesting. It may take a while for your teacher to warm up to your suggestions. Elementary and junior high students should have iPads now, and most or all schools use LoiLoNote for collaboration and submitting work done on the iPad. Some other ALTs in Gifu have used Kahoot as well. It’s quite easy to make presentations or do worksheets on them, and you don’t have to print stuff. Activities using these should be easy to integrate into a class.
In class, be careful with how you correct the teacher. You may be able to correct the teacher a little more directly depending on your relationship with them. You can try asking them at a meeting if they want you to correct them in class. It’s extremely important to not embarrass the teacher in front of the students. The same goes for students. Even if the answer is way off the mark, say “Close!” and “Good job!” because it takes a lot of courage to answer in front of the class.
As for translating, I’d suggest starting with web novels, news articles, and blog posts. They’re fairly long-form and have various vocabulary depending on the topic. Most importantly, it’s easy to look up vocab by copying and pasting. I did some of them during my free periods at school. To avoid copyright problems, don’t publish them. But if you want to apply for a volunteer or job position it’s nice to have a portfolio you can pick from and send an example along.
As for life outside work, I suggest taking vacations only during school breaks, and go to different spots in Japan. Weekend trips are pretty easy as well to take locally. Get involved in something locally. Your city website should have a information page on サークル (clubs) focused on different subjects. You can take classes at a community center or culture center. You can also find groups on jmty.jp (ジモティー) for all sorts of interests. Your understanding of Japanese will greatly improve if you are using and learning vocabulary for something you’re interested in. It’s also a great chance to learn something unique to Japan. Personally I dance yosakoi. It’s a great time and a great way to meet people around your age. I also collect goshuin. They’re stamps with calligraphy given at shrines and temples as proof that you prayed there. There’s a lot of great designs for them.
Have a great time!