[outfinofulpv]

Hey all, I decided to take the plunge and apply for the JET programme, set to leave for Japan next July. I've been working on my 'personal statement' essay and I'm asking everyone I know to read and comment on it. Some of it is obviously stolen, even from Kendo World magazine...

The essay questions are

a) why do you want to do JET?
b) what can you offer JET, what travel experience do you have and what problems did you have to deal with?
c) in a classroom environment, how would you motivate uninterested students?

I tried not to abruptly stop the essay for each question so that it flows easily, but have marked the transitions for your clarity.

Here goes...

My reason in participating in the JET program is to experience the Japanese way of life and to share my culture with the people I come into contact with.

My interest in Japanese culture began around two years ago when I started practicing Kendo. So that I could understand my sensei better, I took a course in Japanese language and from there my interest in Japanese culture developed. I am by no means fluent, this year I am sitting the examination for JLPT level three, however I can maintain everyday conversation in Japanese and am comfortable in situations where the person I am talking to can speak little or no English.

At first my interest was only in Kendo, but as I started learning the language and making Japanese friends, I was exposed to more and more of the culture and became very enthusiastic about going to Japan. At first I was very impressed with all of the usual things that get a gaikokujin's attention... the food, the history, the media and things like that. The differences between east and west were always made apparent to me by my Japanese friends I had made in the dojo or a language exchange, and my non-Japanese sempai who would tell me stories about their visits to Japan. I was fascinated by concepts like the focus on the group rather than the individual, the social hierarchy clearly manifested in the language or perhaps the strong sense of identity as a Nihonjin that Japanese people have. After learning about all of these facets of Japanese culture, I slowly came upon an important realisation.

The concept in most westerners minds about Japan is a place that is completely alien to them, and few really ever take that image any further. If they do however, like me, the differences in the way people do things, the food they eat, the work habits, the social norms and values are all completely fascinating. To someone new to the culture, Japan is a neverending source of new, wonderful, interesting differences that can be experienced. However, focusing on the differences alone can only get you so far. It's my belief that celebrating our differences and recognising the similarites between our societies is, for a gaijin, the starting point for a real understanding of Japan, it's culture, and its relationship with the rest of the world. It is my intention to explore this in my time with the JET program.



This is not just an observation of Japanese culture and western culture, but more a statement about human nature in general. Having been brought up in many different cultural environments meant that looking for the similarities was the only way I could preserve a sense of culutural identity for myself.

I was born in the UK but soon moved to Pakistan, the country of my families origin. Due to part of our family already settling here, my parents decided to move to London when I was six years old. Three years later my father decided to work as an expatriate, lecturing at the Riyadh College of Health and Science in the capital city of Saudi Arabia, and a year later the family, myself included, followed. Moving to Saudi Arabia was a difficult experience as I was very used to the way of doing things in the UK, however being ten years old meant that there still wasn't much I had to do for myself. At that point, I was already bilingual (Urdu/English) so picking up Arabic without actively studying the language was quite easy for me.

My parents wanted me to be educated in the British system, and so four years later sent me to do my GCSE's at a boarding school in West Sussex. It was here that the combination of being put into another new culture and for the first time having the responsibility of taking care of myself provided for a challenging two years. In London there is a mix of nationalities and people from all over the world, however in countryside areas, like the area of West Sussex I was in, the population is almost entirely anglo-saxon. In a way, this was my first experience of being a 'gaijin' as there was nobody at the school that had the same kind of background as me. This meant that it was difficult for me to integrate myself into or create a social circle. Though I didn't consciously think about a solution, the way I ended up solving this problem was by diving head first into an activity that is rich with history and culture, namely the Army Cadet Force under the Princess of Wales Royal Regiment where I reached the rank of Lance Corporal in the signals platoon. This activity had me meeting people from all over the county and I eventually made a wide circle of friends, some of whom I am still in contact with today. Also, in the later stages of my time as a cadet, I was instructing those below me in areas such as First Aid, map reading and leadership.



This is the only real classroom teaching experience I had, however a lot of the time the young recruits could be undisciplined and not very motivated. What I found motivated them was relating exciting stories of using the skills I was teaching, and I would imagine that the same kind of approach might work in an English conversation classroom. By sharing my experiences with for example, a classroom full of Japanese schoolchildren, I would hope to bring to life some of the English they learn so that they have the motivation to learn more, not only about foreigners, but the world outside of Japan. I also think it's important to try and relate the subject matter to the lives of the students and would encourage participation from the students at every opportunity. Failing that, especially if it's a very young group of students and the topic is a bit dull, sometimes you just have to do something fun with them. This could be teaching them a song or creating a game where they have to use their English vocabulary.

I'm very excited about going to Japan and hope that my experience with the JET program will be a mutually beneficial one. Thank you for taking the time to consider my application.

Problems I envisage....

a)The references to Saudi AND Pakistan in the statement together. I don't have the time to get into politics, but I fit the profile to a T, all I need is a beard and a backpack. That coupled with the time in cadets makes me out to be a well trained killing machine... Perhaps I'll just say 'our family went abroad' but that obviously takes out the exotic arabian flavour.

b)I've tried to demonstrate high value by saying things indirectly, i.e. telling stories and making statments (see the second to last paragraph of this post for an example) that just happen to have extremely awesome details about me in them. Still, this is a fine line, so are there any instances that obviously come accross as bragging?

I still have a few cards left to play at the interview i.e. Founder of New UCL Kendo Club, and the South Africa aid project I was involved with but depending on how this essay develops I may change things around and put them in here.

Advice, comments, criticisms, flames, threats, assaults welcome.

[popsicesHoupe]

Just make sure that you don't let on that your whole body is covered in that downy fur, they'll boot your hairy ass out of there faster than you can say mohammed jihad.

[Heopretg2006]

I've got the whole 'Teen Wolf' thing going on

[bpejjssoe]

Seems quite nice. The only thing that I might say is that you could shift some of your 'what I have to give' stuff into the first paragraph. At the moment, the first paragraph reads a bit like a 'what's in it for me' spiel. I know that that's pretty much what they ask, but having filled in numerous applications of this sort, it's generally better to go with a little more balance (within the bounds of the question), especially in that all-important first paragraph.
There are a couple of grammatical points that could do with fixing up, and seeing as it's an application for the post of English teacher, you can't really let them slide. I don't have time right now, but it'll give me something to look forward to after practice this evening (rubs his decrepit pedant's hands together with glee).

[igs00r]

Problems I envisage....

a)The references to Saudi AND Pakistan in the statement together. I don't have the time to get into politics, but I fit the profile to a T, all I need is a beard and a backpack. That coupled with the time in cadets makes me out to be a well trained killing machine... Perhaps I'll just say 'our family went abroad' but that obviously takes out the exotic arabian flavour..

From my point of view, I won't see that as a problem. Obviously you need to emphasize on the positive points and keep the semi-negative points brief.

I reckon it would be better if you focus on the more recent experience in South Africa than your childhood Arabian life... Essentially they want people who are willing to help (like you did for aid work), and not just "I was there because my dad did adn he dragged me into it"

... In addition to the teaching experience part, don't you have something relevant to say in kendo? Such as organizing/ structuring/ managing/ planning the class/club with beginners, and not essentially a kids class... I am not sure if its just me who got the "oops he said he hasn't got any experience" impression on the first sentence, even though the later half of the paragraph works out fine (and make sense). But if in doubt you can always refer to those books about lesson plans and classroom management for teachers - avaliable for those going on teaching postgrad cert. (PGCE)..

- Note that I come across this as a reader, not someone who can really give any advice, especially in writing... and in english... but I do enjoy reading it.

[loginereQQ]

Tip for the interview, don't have any sticks of TNT strapped to your body, or any visible wires showing from your shirt. Tell them your name is Dave.

[RlUbQU3R]

You have a lot of cross-cultural experience, so I doubt content is going to be a problem. However as Kingofmyrrh mentions you need to proofread your english.

I would say drop phrases like this:

At first I was very impressed with all of the usual things that get a gaikokujin's attention....

Apart from the fact that the phrase is negative, it is bad english. Why are you mixing english and japanese in a sentence?
It is going to stand out to the reader that the only japanese words you use (in Romajii) are words to do with being foreign, gaijin, gaikokujin, nihonjin; however you also use the english word foreigner. Pick a language and be consistent.
You may be trying to show that you understand something about how (you think) the japanese see outsiders, but that is a loaded area that you don't need to draw attention to now. They are more interested in knowing about you, your experiences, and evidence that you are open-minded.

As Mingshi says don't accent the negative (that's a British education for you)

This is the only real classroom teaching experience I had...

"This gave me my first valuable experience of classroom teaching ....

I would agree with Mingshi that you should mention the positive organisational aspects of founding the kendo club now, don't hold back stuff for the interview, your job now is to get the interview, you can then think of stuff to expand on what you have said later.

Also as The great I AM is concerned, don't wear those arabian slippers with the curly toes or float into the interview on a magic carpet or mention that you know the Grand Vizier.... and no sudden movements.

[Gakeincidoniac]

I've edited your text for punctuation and some grammar issues. I didn't change content since that's your business.


My reason for participating in the JET program is to experience the Japanese way of life and to share my culture with the people I come into contact with.

My interest in Japanese culture began around two years ago when I started practicing Kendo. In order to understand my sensei better, I took a course in Japanese language. And from there, my interest in Japanese culture developed. I am by no means fluent. This year, I am sitting the examination for JLPT level three; however, I can maintain everyday conversation in Japanese and am comfortable in situations where the person I am talking to can speak little or no English.

At first, my interest was only in Kendo, but as I started learning the language and making Japanese friends, I was exposed to more and more of the culture and became very enthusiastic about going to Japan. Later, I was very impressed with all of the usual things that get a gaikokujin's attention, the food, the history, the media and things like that. The differences between east and west were always made apparent to me by my Japanese friends I had made in the dojo or a language exchange, and by my non-Japanese sempai who would tell me stories about their visits to Japan. I was fascinated by concepts like the focus on the group rather than the individual, the social hierarchy clearly manifested in the language, and the strong sense of identity as a Nihonjin that Japanese people have. After learning about all of these facets of Japanese culture, I slowly came upon an important realisation.

The concept in most westerners minds about Japan is that it is a place that is completely alien to them, and few really ever take that image any further. If they do, like I have, the differences in the way people do things, the food they eat, the work habits, the social norms and values are all completely fascinating. To someone new to the culture, Japan is a neverending source of new, wonderful, interesting differences that can be experienced. However, focusing on the differences alone can only get you so far. It's my belief that celebrating our differences and recognising the similarites between our societies is, for a foreigner, the starting point for a real understanding of Japan, it's culture, and its relationship with the rest of the world. It is my intention to explore this in my time with the JET program.



This is not just an observation of Japanese culture and western culture, but more a statement about human nature in general. Having been brought up in many different cultural environments meant that looking for the similarities was the only way I could preserve a sense of cultural identity for myself.

I was born in the UK but soon moved to Pakistan, the country of my family's origin. Due to part of our family already settling here, my parents decided to move to London when I was six years old. Three years later, my father decided to work as an expatriate, lecturing at the Riyadh College of Health and Science in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A year later, the rest of the family followed. Moving to Saudi Arabia was a difficult experience, as I was very used to the way of doing things in the UK. However, being ten years old meant that there still wasn't much I had to do for myself. At that point, I was already bilingual (Urdu/English) so picking up Arabic without actively studying the language was quite easy for me.

My parents wanted me to be educated in the British system, and so four years later, they sent me to do my GCSE's at a boarding school in West Sussex. It was here that the combination of being put into another new culture and for the first time having the responsibility of taking care of myself provided for a challenging two years. In London, there is a mix of nationalities and people from all over the world. However, in countryside areas like the area of West Sussex I was in, the population is almost entirely Anglo-Saxon. In a way, this was my first experience of being a 'gaijin' as there was nobody at the school that had the same kind of background as me. This meant that it was difficult for me to integrate myself into or create a social circle. Though I didn't consciously think about a solution, the way I ended up solving this problem was by diving head first into an activity that is rich with history and culture. Namely, the Army Cadet Force under the Princess of Wales Royal Regiment where I reached the rank of Lance Corporal in the signals platoon. This activity had me meeting people from all over the county and I eventually made a wide circle of friends, some of whom I am still in contact with today. Also, in the later stages of my time as a cadet, I was instructing those below me in areas such as First Aid, map reading and leadership.



This is the only real classroom teaching experience I had. However, a lot of the time, the young recruits could be undisciplined and not very motivated. What I found motivated them was relating exciting stories of using the skills I was teaching, and I would imagine that the same kind of approach might work in an English conversation classroom. By sharing my experiences with, for example, a classroom full of Japanese schoolchildren, I would hope to bring to life some of the English they learn so that they have the motivation to learn more not only about foreigners but about the world outside of Japan. I also think it's important to try and relate the subject matter to the lives of the students and would encourage participation from the students at every opportunity. Failing that, especially if it's a very, young group of students and the topic is a bit dull, sometimes, you just have to do something fun with them. This could be teaching them a song or creating a game where they have to use their English vocabulary.

I'm very excited about going to Japan and hope that my experience with the JET program will be a mutually beneficial one. Thank you for taking the time to consider my application.

With Love,

Dave

[ropinirole]

Here are the questions I was asked in my interview, if you make it that far:


Questions from JET Interview



First Interviewer (Female Japanese Consular Employee):

• You’ve lived in Japan for a year, so obviously you know a lot about Japanese culture, language…etc. What goals will you pursue this time around?
• Do you know any current news stories from Japan?
• What are some of the goals you’ve set for yourself if you return to Japan?
• (This question was asked as a follow-up to my mentioning my interest in Japanese cinema): Who are your favourite Japanese film directors?
• What are some of the places you travelled to during your stay in Japan?

Second Interviewer (Former JET Participant):

• Tell us about some of the strengths and weaknesses that became apparent to you when you were working at your last job (in Japan)?
• Imagine you are in class with a Japanese English teacher who makes a serious grammatical error in the course of teaching the lesson. It is clear that s/he has been teaching it this way all along. What would you do?
• Imagine that you are posted to a small village where everybody knows your business. What would you do if one of your neighbours phoned your principal to say that they’d noticed you engaging in what appeared to be inappropriate behaviour (e.g. coming home late at night or having young women over as guests?)
• If you were asked to put together a cultural presentation about Canada, what sorts of things would you include?

Third Interviewer (Applied Linguistics Prof. from a LocalUniversity):

• Let’s say that JET offers to pay the postage on a number of items to be included in a presentation about Canada. What items would you choose?
• What was the age range of your students at your previous school (in Japan)?
• (Follow up) Have you had any formal training in pedagogy?
• How would you handle a situation in which a large group of students was unresponsive to everything you tried?
• If you were asked to demonstrate the custom of pumpkin carving at a Halloween presentation, how would you do it?
• If you were asked to give a presentation about notable Canadians from the fields of politics, science, and the arts, whom would you choose?

First Interviewer (Again):

• Okay, just to confirm, you said that you wanted to teach in an urban area, is that right?
• You mentioned in your application that you speak some Japanese, so the last few questions will be in Japanese, OK?

Japanese Questions:

Bear in mind that, since you said you spoke some Japnese, you might be expected to speak a little in the interview. Brush up on your jikoshokai, et.c

And good luck. I think you should be OK once you work the bugs out of your app. letter.

[seodiary]

Hi there,
Just some things I pointed out-I went through the essay stress about 2 years ago now(currently "in the field")-it's good your starting early.

1) reduce the content about Japanese study. I get the impression that it doesn't really help your chances. Leave in the bit about why you're studying, but leave out the details-there's a self-assessment in the CV anyway.
Use this space to elaborate on other things.
2) as mentioned in previous post, stick to one language-in fact avoid use of Japanese terms unless absolutely necessary (like Kendo) ("gaijin" is too informal at best, offensive at worst)
3) while reading i was waiting for when you would get into your international experience-and was impressed with what I read. They want to know how you will adjust to life in Japan-it's not all roses (there have been suicides, alcoholism, crimes committed, etc. by JETs in the past) They want to have evidence that you can handle yourself in the Japanese social environment-again for me, learning about Japanese culture/society through kendo was somewhere in my essay...
I think what you have is good (you didn't say anything about consideration of suicide-bombing your school, which is a good sign).
4) general suggestions: use a little humour-if there was a funny incident where you experienced jpnese culture-slurping noodles, some kendo-related story, etc. Formality is necessary, but if you can make the reader laugh...
emphasize: what I can do for you- be more explicit about their half of the "mutually beneficial" relationship-think hard! (Friendship is a bit of a buzzword).
keep it positive-never say "that's all.."
Also-consider who you ask for references-find the best possible people-their assessment of you can make all the difference.

Good luck! Feel free to ask if you have any more questions.

(sorry for the patchwork post!)

[boizzones]

It looks really good, Anjin-san, and I think you have been offered some valuable advice.

You may want to consider that sentences of 17+ words are very difficult to follow.

Also a classic JET interview question is 'Can you tell me how the House of Lords work?' You might want to look up the answer.

I was also asked to name three Japanese cities, excluding Tokyo and Osaka. My mind went blank for several seconds before I blurted out 'Nagasaki and Hiroshima.' They still took me, thank god!

Best of luck - JET is a great experience.

[isopsmypovA]

By the way dudes, thanks for the help! They want me like a fat kid wants cake, interview on January 20th (guitar wails, choir of virgins sing, ewoks jump around, etc)

[casinoboneerer]

Way to go, i would guess that the interview will be an easy task compared to convincing somebody by writing. Anyway good luck.

[AccusaJalsBub]

By the way dudes, thanks for the help! They want me like a fat kid wants cake, interview on January 20th (guitar wails, choir of virgins sing, ewoks jump around, etc)

Awwww Poor Gibbo is gonna feel so lonely.

[DoctorTOneery]

Hey congratulations on getting to the interview stage.

Just treat it like any other job interview and you will be fine. I would maintain that enthusiasm is the thing they look for most in prospective JETs. Teaching out here can be pretty trying from time to time. Maintaining a level of enthusiasm is critical to keep the kids motivated even if they cant be bothered. I drank about 7 espressos before the interview for a bit of a boost.

Rememer they want you to come to Japan to teach about YOUR culture. They won't be that interested in your desire to deeply understand Japanese culture, although I would imagine this will be seen as an advantage. Probably not best to bring up tatemae, honne or isshin denshin

I would say your Japanese language study will be seen favourably, but as mentioned before it wont win you that many brownie points. I know JETs who were told off for speaking Japanese too much at school. The teachers wanted them to talk to the kids in English even though they didnt understand.

Funnily my interviewers weren't the slightest bit interested in Iai or Kobudo, they just thought it was a bit wierd. They were however really interested in anything to do with teaching experience or living abroad. I think Kendo will be different because you dont need to explain what it is to Japanese people, most of them really dont know what Iai or Kobudo is.

Basically I think you will get in pretty easily. You seem to have good cross cultural experience and some teaching experience. Add to this a desire to learn about Japan and basic Japanese skills and you look like a pretty good candidate.

The worst part is waiting to hear that they have accepted you by the way, it took ages for me!

Where have you asked to be placed out of interest?

[ARKLqAZ6]

Hey Alex, thanks for all the advice and encouragement. I take it that you're over there on JET now then?

I put down Sapporo City, Fukuoka City and Osaka City in that order as my options but I'm really not that fussed. As long as there's a bit of kendo and an internet connection, I'm happy.

Though having some samurai, geisha, free flowing sake, high-tech toilets, snow-capped mountain peaks, tropical islands, skyscrapers with nightclubs on every floor, well... all of that stuff would be a plus I guess .

Oh and I heard that they were mainly looking for enthusiasm so I completely scrapped the personal statment above and started again. Basically by gushing into a sheet of paper about why going to Japan and the JET program is really awesome, making a token attempt at answering the questions, doing a quick spelling/grammar check and sending it off. Worked for me!

I'd be really interested in hearing about your experience so far. I'm not so much worried as I am excited. I think the fact that the program gets so many mixed reviews is that a)the positions really are quite different in cushyness depending on where you end up and b)some people go out there with the wrong mindset. For me, I know it's going to be an adventure, and that's all I'm assuming...

[pouslytut]

The JET mantra is "every situation is different".

You are an employee of you Ken board of education, so whatever they say pretty much goes. Forming good relations with the schools you visit is of key importance to having a good experience.

You will notice significant differences in working culture between the UK and Japan no matter where you are placed.

Ultimately the key factor is to be cheerful and enjoy the experience for what it is. Sadly some ALTs come to Japan with no real appreciation of Japan or Japanese culture. Thus the experience for them can be trying, and they make judgements about Japanese pedagogy or working culture that are neither appreciated or warranted. I admit that working and living here is not always easy coming from a 'Western' society. Having said this, the job itself is actually very easy.

Basically, it is important to keep an open mind, and remain calm, even if you are annoyed by the indirectness of your co-workers and superiors.

Ultimately the JET experience is highly enjoyable and rewarding. Work can be immensely enjoyable (if trying at times) and the social and cultural experience you will gain outside of work is fantastic.

I can't write anymore as I'm rather pissed.

If you want to check out my blog (rarely updated) its here...

http://www.shiroi-baka.blogspot.com/

And my picutres are on Flickr here....

http://www.flickr.com/photos/shiroi-baka/

(Sorry there's loads of pictures of Sakurajima)

[irrawnWab]

Erm, this is going to sound really silly, but what is this JET programme?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JET_Programme