Hello, my name is Benjamin Smith. I am from Marblehead, Massachusetts and I graduated from the University of Vermont with a double major in Japanese and Computer Science in 2023. I started out college at UVM as a Computer Science major and freshman year I decided to take Japanese at the recommendation of my orientation leader. I really enjoyed learning the language, and before I knew it, I had a minor and then a second major in Japanese. Now I am living and working in Japan in Yao city through the JET program, where I plan to remain for the next few years.
While I was studying Japanese, I heard about the JET program from Suzuki-sensei and became interested in applying. The application process was a little complicated, but all of the requirements were well outlined on the JET application website. I definitely think any teaching experience and work experience with children is heavily considered in the application process so be sure to include it if you are interested in applying. My interview was through the Boston consulate, but at this point interviews were still being conducted remotely due to the COVID pandemic. I called in to the interview from my apartment while I was still at school in Vermont, but still made sure to dress up for the camera. My interview was with four panelists from the consulate and JET staff, and lasted about 15 minutes. They asked me many questions about why I was interested in the program, how I found out about the program as well as my own skills and weaknesses. They also asked me to go into detail in regards to my experience tutoring Japanese as well as my work experience. They then tested my Japanese ability by asking me to roleplay a scenario in an Elementary school class where a student asks a difficult question in Japanese. The woman playing the student asked me if it was true that many people in America had very little money while there were also many rich people who didn’t share their money. When I said it was true, she asked me why. I was definitely thrown off by this question, and I managed to answer something along the lines of “I don’t know, but maybe it shouldn’t be that way!” This was also at the end of my interview so I was very nervous at this point. However, they made sure to emphasize that applicants’ Japanese skills cannot negatively affect their interview results, and they certainly would not ask an applicant to do something like this unless they were confident enough in their Japanese skills.
For the next few months, I was unsure if I would be accepted or not, but I found out at the end of March that I was selected as a shortlist candidate. With graduation coming up at the same time, this all seemed to be moving very fast. Part of me was nervous and part of me was very excited. Some time after graduation, I was informed of my assigned city and schools and connected to the board of education from the city. I spent most of summer working as much as I could to save up money I would need for the move in August.
Luckily for me, the JET program handles the cost of your plane ticket to Japan and back so long as you complete your contract, so I did not have to pay for my trip to Japan. The first three days were spent at a hotel in Tokyo for orientation. The process was very exhaustive, and many of us were very jet-lagged (no pun intended), making it difficult to focus. They introduced us to many basic aspects of our jobs we should be aware of, showed us example lessons, and taught us about aspects of Japanese culture and society that might be different from what we were used to in our home countries. After orientation was over, I rode the bullet train to Osaka station where I met the JET coordinators for Yao City. There were about 15 of us in the first group of ALTs, with another 15 that came in the second arrival group.
On that first day, the Yao City BOE (Board of Education) did everything they could to help us get settled into our new homes. They had previously connected us to a real estate company that would offer apartments close to the schools we would be working at, but we were allowed to choose any company we wanted if we had any particular preference. I ended up choosing the company they had connected us with to simplify things and had already paid my deposit online before I left for Japan. This meant that all there was left to do was set up a bank account, sign the contract agreement for the apartment, and buy the things I would need for my first night. The JET coordinators from the BOE assisted us with all of these. At city hall, we signed the contract agreement with a representative from the real estate company and updated our residence cards to read our new address. We then took a trip to the nearby Japan Post Bank to set up our bank accounts. Finally, we split into groups to buy essentials for our first night. I was very thankful for the assistance of the JET coordinators, as it would have been a very stressful day without their help.
As Japanese schools were in the middle of summer vacation at the time, we spent the next month going through training with the BOE. They showed us a variety of teaching materials used by the schools in the city as well as example lessons using said material. They also balanced this by sharing with us many aspects of Japanese culture as well. For example, they held language support classes for those of us who didn’t know Japanese, and also spent a day teaching us simple calligraphy. They also taught us how to do the Kawachi Ondo, a traditional dance originating from Yao City often performed at summer festivals and Bon ceremonies. Finally, we each visited the schools we were assigned to and got to meet our principals and teaching staff for the first time.
I think that my teaching experience so far this year has been somewhat unique, even by the standards of the JET program. This year is Yao City’s first time participating in the JET program, and previously the city had been contracting assistant English teachers from the company ALTIA. Since my group had arrived halfway through the school year, the contracts of the previous assistant English teachers were not complete yet. Because of this, until the end of their contracts in April, we are working in tandem with the previous assistant teachers for all of the classes we are assigned to, with the ALTIA teachers being designated NETs (Native English Teacher) and the JETs being called ALTs (Assistant Language Teacher). Awkward naming conventions aside, this was certainly a little uncomfortable at first, as I had to work everyday with someone whose job I was essentially taking. Luckily my NET is understanding of the situation and we get along very well despite the circumstances.
I had the same schedule and assigned schools as my NET with three schools total: a connected elementary/middle school, and another nearby elementary school. Three days a week I work at the middle school and I work at each of the elementary schools once a week. These schools are all the smallest in the city, meaning that there is usually only one class for each grade. The smallest of these is a class of six fourth graders at one of the elementary schools. While this means that I often have a lot of free time due to lack of English classes, it allows me to get to know the students on a more personal level. I often volunteer to go to classes I am not assigned to to help out if there is anything that I can do. I get along well with all the English teachers at my school, and while we don’t spend much time together outside of school time, we often talk in the teachers’ room during free time and never have issues communicating plans for classes.
My responsibilities differ greatly between the middle school and the elementary schools. At the middle school, most of the English teachers have lesson plans already laid out without needing any input from the ALT. We often come up with games, activities and worksheets that can supplement the lesson, and ask the JTE (Japanese Teacher of English) if there’s anything we can do in the lesson to help out, such as reading out dialogue, demonstrating pronunciation or checking students’ work as they work on it/when they are done. Occasionally we will be able to plan a whole class on our own around an activity, but the overall lesson plan is always dictated by the JTE. My JTEs are all very good at English, so we often prepare class materials and discuss lesson plans completely in English. This is different in the elementary schools because at my elementary school there are no English teachers, only homeroom teachers. I know some other JETs who work at larger elementary schools that have teachers specifically for all English classes, but at my schools we have to plan most of the English lessons ourselves and go over those plans with the homeroom teacher. Luckily, the elementary school textbooks are pretty straightforward and have many good ideas for lesson plans and activities that can be used in class. The homeroom teachers at my elementary schools are generally less proficient in English, meaning we have to go over our lesson plans mostly in Japanese.
Working in Japan as a foreigner has definitely been an interesting experience. Many teachers at my school stay far after the time I am scheduled to leave so I often feel I am being rude by leaving early. No one seems to mind, however, and usually they insist I leave by the end of my scheduled time. Most teachers do not socialize within work hours which makes it difficult to get along with some of my coworkers, but I have found other opportunities to get to know them better outside of regular work hours. One of these is the drinking parties that usually take place about twice a semester, where the teaching staff gets together at a bar or restaurant to have a meal and drink together. This usually happens after a big event like the cultural festival, the sports tournament or the end of the semester. Everyone has been much more relaxed at these events which made it much easier to socialize with teachers I didn’t know very well. At my first nomikai I ended up sitting next to a social studies teacher who I hadn’t spoken with before and we ended up talking all night. I feel much more comfortable talking with him now, even though we don’t have any classes where we have to work together. I also try to spend more time with teachers and students by participating in clubs. For the last few months, I have joined the middle school tennis club for their practices. While I am not particularly good at tennis, it has been a great way to get to know some of the students outside the classroom, and sneak a little bit of English practice into their extracurricular activities.
If you are interested in JET or any similar programs I would definitely recommend getting involved in activities related to Japan and/or teaching outside of the classroom as much as possible. If you are a Japanese student with time to spare, tutoring elementary-intermediate Japanese is a great way to both brush up on vocabulary and grammar you likely haven’t seen in a while as well develop important teaching skills. Take part in any service activities that are available to you as well. For example, my senior year at UVM, the Japanese program held multiple events at Tuttle Middle School teaching interested students about basic Japanese grammar and culture. Activities like this beyond the classroom will show that you’re willing to go above and beyond for the sake of teaching and make you look like a much more viable candidate.
Overall, JET has been a wonderful experience so far and a great way to start my career outside of college. I plan to stick with the program for at least another year, and following that, I am considering attending graduate school here in Japan. Until then I’ll be making the most of the time I have left to teach. I wholeheartedly encourage anyone who has interest in Japanese culture to apply to the JET program, as it’s a great way to engage in cultural exchange that is accessible to most everyone. Even if you think your Japanese skills aren’t good enough, there are many participants every year that don’t speak Japanese at all. Japanese might seem like a daunting language to study at some times, but living in the country might be the best motivation there is to learn!