Hello! I’m Cristen Braun, a college graduate of the University of Vermont, a state I am also from. While I was there, I majored in Global Studies with a minor in German. That resulted in a semester where I studied abroad in Salzburg, Austria. I took Japanese for fun during a year and a half of my time at UVM because of a love for the language, and a love for learning languages in general. Through Suzuki-sensei, I learned about the JET program, and applied during my last semester of UVM where I graduated from in 2020.
I work as an assistant language teacher in four elementary schools across my city in Oita prefecture. My placement was decided by JET, though they do allow for requests in regards to cities and/or prefectures.
My interview went far better than I imagined it would! I was interviewed by a team of four women, three that were Japanese, and one American who had taken part in the JET program before many years ago. They asked about my reasons for wanting to take part in the program, my experience with the Japanese language, and my experience with teaching (as the latter was on my resume). It was very like a relaxed, organic conversation. There was a section of the interview to speak in Japanese, and while I was nervous, they were very kind.
One phrase you will hear often in JET is the mantra of ESID: Every Situation Is Different. For my case, my placement included an apartment set aside for me. Other placements may require you to find an apartment on your own, sometimes with assistance from your Board of Education (or supervisor if you end up being a High School ALT). There were a few things left for me, but in terms of furniture, I had to find most of it myself after I arrived. JET pays for your plane tickets and moving your luggage on the flights, but you have to pay for any overweight fees on your luggage. In addition, something new to when I came, because of the extended stay at the hotel for quarantine, we had to pay to ship our luggage ahead of us near the end of our hotel stay. In the future, when we can return more to a normal JET experience, you may be able to work something out with your predecessor if you have one for them to leave some useful furniture behind for you.
Endless paperwork, especially in the first week to get you set up, but once that’s over, it’s pretty smooth sailing. Again, every situation is different, but elementary school is one of the more relaxed positions you can get as a JET. As the foreigner, you aren’t held to the exact same standard as your Japanese coworkers, but the basics still apply. Having a little of the language and trying to use it as much as you can is very appreciated. Memorize those basic phrases, because you will say おつかれさまです a LOT. With clothes, I’ve seen a few (but very few) ladies wearing jeans in the office, but best to play it safe and go business casual. On sports day(s) you can wear gym clothes, but more along the lines of a tracksuit, or at least the track pants. If you’re elementary school especially, the kids might ask to play with you, so for other ladies, I’d recommend getting looser dress pants for ease of motion (uniqlo will be your friend here).I’m not sure about other placements, but at least for my schools, I’m expected to pitch in with cleaning time. For my schools with an English room, I go there, but for the other two, I help in the staff room or sign up for another room in the school.On a regular day, between or after my classes, I’m usually preparing other activities or games, seasonal decorations, or studying kanji. I would also recommend taking the time trying to get to know your coworkers in the office.
My Japanese coworkers are some of the sweetest people I’ve ever worked with. I’m in a very small city where the only other foreigner is the other ALT who works at the junior high school, so I’ve been pretty accepted on the whole as their foreigner, and they take good care of me. Coworkers will go out of their way to say hello to me if they spot me out of work, and many are very open to hearing about where I’m from and how it’s different from Japan. They are likewise very happy to share things with me that I might not know about Japan and their own culture when I ask.While they are incredibly hard workers, a lot of them are very down to chat with you at work to pass the time. Also, if you bring omiyage or sweets to share, do not be surprised for them to come back later that day with something else for you. Both your coworkers and students will be very insistent on being fair and equal like that.
Keeping an open mind will help you a lot with teaching in Japan. There will inevitably be culture shock moments that make you question why they choose to do things a certain way, or why you aren’t allowed to say x/y/z, but don’t take it personally and work with what you have. The biggest thing though is to focus on the language. At least with JET, it’s easy to get caught in an English bubble, but put yourself out there. For other Japan-related jobs outside of teaching, even if you think you don’t need much Japanese to do it, you can do it even better the more you have.
With the JET program, it is just as much a position as a cultural ambassador as we are teachers. I think making sure that sinks in is important, as I hear some complain that they don’t feel like much of a real teacher. The teachers we work with are often the deciding factor in how we are utilized in the classroom, so some may want us to do less or more. It’s not for sure that JET will give you the placement that gives you the more (or less) teaching heavy job you’re looking for, so JET is really best for those who can be flexible with that.
Be strict with yourself on your work/life balance, with JET or any other job. It’s not bad to stay late a few times (I have for English club every other month), but your time is limited, so spending it on yourself to recharge is important so you don’t burn out.Also, invest in your own place. Make it comfortable. The last thing you want after a long hard day is to go back to a place you hate to live in.Lastly, be patient with yourself and your progress. You don’t need to be settled in your home or perfect at your job right away. Just focus on gradual improvement every day, whatever that looks like for you.
If you’ve never been to Japan before, like me before this move, invest in a small towel/handkerchief to carry on your person everywhere. Restrooms don’t have towels usually, so you’re expected to have your own. There are super cute ones you can get with characters, and you can usually find themed ones as you travel.