The JET Programme: So You Want To Be An English Teacher
Reading Time: 2 minutes Sushi, Sony, Miyazaki, Nintendo, Sumo.
You would be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t associate at least one of these things with Japan. But what about the words (or more accurately, acronyms): ALT, CIR, and JET?
Each year, the Japanese government employs thousands of foreigners as Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs) in elementary, middle, and high schools across Japan (with the expectation that these ALTs will teach English).
It is known as the Japanese Exchange and Teaching Programme, or JET Programme (no, you’re not the only one bothered that it isn’t spelled “Program”), and every year thousands of foreigners are shipped off to Japan under the pretense of their being English teachers (or rather ALTs).
The JET Programme serves as a medium between the English-speaking nations of the world and Japan, as the ALTs are ultimately employed by local Japanese governments, schools, or boards of education.
They throw these gaijin (foreigners, in Japanese) into the deep end as they are shipped off to their respective prefectures and expected to fall in line with their Japanese counterparts. However, said assimilation rarely occurs peacefully.
So you want to be an English teacher. In Japan. On the JET Programme.
Good for you.
What you may have failed to realize about JET is that it is not an organization aimed at teaching English within Japan.
Instead, according to their website, “The [JET] Programme seeks to enhance internationalization in Japan by promoting mutual understanding between the people of Japan and those of other nations [and] to enhance foreign language education and promote international exchange at the local level through the fostering of ties between Japanese youth and foreign youth alike.”
In layman’s terms, this sounds like, “to make Japanese people less afraid and more accepting of foreigners and to work on their English, but mostly to make Japanese and foreign people friends.”
A common complaint of ALTs in Japan is that they are used as tape recorders in the classrooms (or not used at all), and that the Japanese Teachers of English (JTEs) appear to prefer classes without the bothersome foreigner. For anyone seeking a career in language education, the JET Programme may not be right for you.
I would venture a guess that one of the program’s key demographics is recent twenty-something college grads who may or may not be building resumes (or saving money) for graduate school.
And in case you were sharp enough to note that CIR was never defined, it stands for Coordinator for International Relations. These folks are not English teachers but are still recruited via the JET Program for Japan’s many localities.
An article clearly written by someone that did a cursory search of the JET programme and actually knows nothing first hand. As the unofficial slogan suggests, “every situation is different,” and while some schools may not utilize their ALTs to the best of their ability, it’s just lazy to reduce it to “hoo hoo, you just recite things.” It is the primary job of the ALT to assist a JTE (Japanese Teacher of English) with their class (read: you’re not just thrown off the deep end), and to *make English class fun*.
Regarding this whole “make Japanese less scared of foreigners” thing, yes- it’s part of the job to be an ambassador of your culture and to expose your students to people and cultures they wouldn’t otherwise interact with. Is representing your country and showing off the cool things about the US or UK or wherever else really such a horrifying thing to do?
Really, what’s with the obvious fearmongering in this article?
If you’re reading this and considering applying to be a JET, my advise is this: erase this useless article from your head and seek out the real info about JET, both the good and the bad, from people that know what they’re talking about.
Also, keep this in mind: contrary to the assumptions made by this commenter I spent two years working in Japan as part of the JET Programme.
The unofficial slogan “every situation is different” is really just a way of saying “not happy with what’s happening in your school? tough shit, deal with it”
If you want to be a glorified and overpaid tape recorder, JET is the place for you. If you actually endeavor to become an English teacher, you’ll be disappointed with the reality of the program.
Good info. When I hear people complaining about not having freedom in the classroom, I’ll direct them to this post in the future.
“JET is that it is not an organization aimed at the teaching of English within Japan.” is the non-hidden truth JETs seem to forget/not realize/ignore.
If you want to be a teacher, then become a teacher. If you want to “Teach English in Japan!” become an ALT.