5 Things You Didn’t Know About the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program
Ever wanted to live in Japan, but don’t have the resources to do so? As long as you have a bachelors degree, the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program wants YOU to live in Japan, and it’s easier to qualify than you think!
Here are five facts you may not have known about the JET program:
1) You don’t need to know Japanese
Want to teach English in Japan? Then you simply need to know English. Some applicants think they’ll need to be experts in Japanese in order to apply, but that isn’t the case. The JET program wants you to learn Japanese while on the job. It can even be helpful sometimes if you don’t know a lot of Japanese because it means your students will have to practice their English!
2) JET comes with a full-time salary and free health insurance
When you sign up for JET, you earn a livable full-time salary (3,360,000 at the time of this writing) and free Japan national healthcare. Your flight to Japan for the job is fully paid for, as is your flight home when the job is complete in 1 to 5 years. You can also bring your spouse and dependents with you, and no, they don’t need to be members of the JET program as well.
3) How long you stay in Japan is up to you (sort of)
Well, you and your contracting agency. JET is the go-between that finds people to fill civil service contracts for foreigners at schools and English-teaching organizations. If you do a good job, your contracting agency can keep you on for up to five years, if you want!
4) It’s not always an English teaching job
Did you know that some JET participants teach sports? It can happen. It’s rare, but if you’re recognized as an athlete, you can coach a sport. If you have proficient Japanese skills, you may also work in a local government office as a cultural liaison, translating documents, promoting cultural events, and sometimes interacting with foreign celebrities as they come through.
5) Diverse applicants welcome!
The Association of JET provides support groups for participants of all walks of life. There’s Stonewall Japan (which supports LGBTQ JET members), JETs of African Descent, Veg JET for vegetarians, and many more. There are also counseling services, support networks, and events and activities for participants to partake in while living in Japan.
Learn more about JET on the official website.
— John, AB Staff Blogger
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