Study Abroad in Japan

I’ve been interested in Japan for a long time and was in 7^th grade when I told my mom I was going to go to the JET program. Graduating college and then JET seemed like forever away then, but I was determined. With that determination, though, came many fears. The worst fear was that I would finally make it to Japan only to find out I didn’t really want to be there. That’s why when I had the opportunity to go to Japan for a summer during college, I jumped at the chance. Through the Hofstra in Japan (HIJ) program, not only did I have an amazing experience in Japan, but I also gained the confidence that moving to Japan for a year (or more) was definitely what I wanted to do.

Going to Japan with my university was the perfect balance of supervision and self-reliance to be sure I would excel when I was truly on my own in Japan. During HIJ I stayed in a dorm separate from our instructor and was responsible for getting to and from class. It was an easy train ride from my dorm in 金町 (Kanamachi) to 北千住 (Kitasenju), where I transferred to another train to get to the school 東京未来大学 (Tokyo Future University). My first day I rode the train with three other girls from my exchange program and another girl who attended Tokyo Future University, but spoke no English. I was the only one in our group who had taken Japanese language classes prior to being in Japan, so I became the translator. It was empowering to know that even though my language skills aren’t perfect I could still communicate and get around. Even when I was just hanging around Tokyo I was able to get directions, order food, and just talk to people.

Another thing that put me at ease was traveling. HIJ started in 東京 (Tokyo), but after studying a few weeks at the university we traveled around to places like 京都 (Kyoto), 広島 (Hiroshima), and 高山 (Takayama). It was great to see a bunch of different things that Japan had to offer. It was also great to know that even while moving around I still enjoyed my time, no matter where I was. That was a main fear of mine with JET. What if I didn’t get placed in a city like Tokyo and was somewhere completely new that I’d never heard of before? How would I react? Sure, being in Tokyo was amazing, but traveling around with HIJ proved to me that no matter where I was placed I would still feel at home. That is exactly what happened, I am in a city but nowhere near Tokyo or anywhere I’ve been to. I’m still incredibly excited and know I’ll have a great time because HIJ prepared me to move around.

Probably the most important thing about HIJ was going to 大阪 (Osaka). The place wasn’t really the important factor, but that I went there on my own made it stand out. Osaka was not part of our original trip (although I believe it is going to be incorporated in the future), but I really wanted to go. Thankfully, our professor was extremely supportive and helped me plan a weekend trip. Leaving from Tokyo, I got tickets for an overnight bus round-trip to Osaka. I planned out the places I wanted to go and where we were going to stay while away from the group. I did have help from our professor, but ultimately it was my trip. I even had three other students come with me after hearing that I had put the trip together. The idea that I could plan a trip within Japan (mostly) on my own and even have other students show interest in it gave me a huge confidence boost about being in Japan on my own.

Studying abroad definitely made me feel more comfortable with agreeing to live and work in Japan. I was especially lucky to have a great program to go with. For anyone thinking of living abroad anywhere I would strongly suggest visiting first if you haven’t already. I was correct in my assumption that I would love Japan, but it didn’t hurt to double-check.

Application Process

My JET experience stated like everyone else’s, with an application. If you are interested in applying to JET, know that it is a long – but well worth it – process. For my 2013 departure, I had to start my application in the fall of 2012. There are two parts to the application. First is a paper application that includes three copies of up to fourteen documents. My paper application was due in November of 2012. If you pass this initial application, the next step is an interview. My interview was held at the Consulate General of Japan in Boston on a Friday in February 2013. I found out about my status as a short list candidate (accepted, but pre-placement) at the end of April 2013 and I found out my placement on May 21^st, 2013. So the entire application process from the first draft of an essay to leaving for Japan is almost a year, September 2012 to August 2013 in my case.

The paper application is the first step. This part is pretty straight forward. There are fourteen pieces, but depending on which position you’re applying for you won’t necessarily need every part. I only needed eleven out of the fourteen components. The others (Physician’s Form, FBI Criminal Background Check, and Certificate of Health Form) I either didn’t need or filled out after my acceptance to the program. You might not need all of the forms if you have not studied abroad or if you are not a certified teacher. The papers you need to turn in range from self-assessed medical forms to copies of your passport and diploma.

The Statement of Purpose is the only section of the paper application that can be creative with. It is a short essay with very specific margins that must fit on two pages. You need to incorporate relevant experience and motivation in respect to teaching and Japanese (or any) travel as the topics of the essay. Since this is the only chance you have to express your personality before the first round of cuts, it is incredibly important. I stated my essay by talking about an experience I had student teaching. I was teaching math, not Japanese, but could still talk about my teaching style and classroom management. I also wrote about one of my students who was interested in Japanese. I helped teach her some basic Japanese phrases and culture. I also described my time abroad in Japan. Even if you don’t have experience teaching a traditional class you can write about helping a younger sibling, friend, or anyone else. As long as you show some personality, education experience, and interest in Japan you should be good to go.

While the paper application is pretty straight forward and mostly filling out the correct forms, the interview is all about you. Before my interview, I Googled other peoples interview experiences. I read about people being asked everything from talking about geographical and political issues to teaching a mock lesson on the spot. I even read about someone who was asked what they would say if questioned about Americas motivation for dropping the bomb in WWII. I read about interview panels that were so belligerent they were described as a tribunal and panels that were almost too friendly. I prepared answers for everything – remembering dates, people, political parties, island names, and city names. I’ve never been good at memorization and thankfully I wasn’t asked about any of those things.

I had an interview with a panel of three women who were all very nice. The interview lasted about twenty minutes and I was mostly asked about what I would teach and how I would teach it. The questions centered around what I thought was the most important thing to teach the students in Japan about America, how I would keep the students engaged, and how I would deal with disruptive students. I was also asked why I wanted to go to Japan rather than somewhere else. Answering the questions confidently is important, just let your personality come through.

All of the information about the application can be found here on the JET website. The process can change year to year, but the format is always the same and all required documents are usually the same.