The Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program

The Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program seeks to enhance internationalization in Japan by promoting mutual understanding with foreign countries. The program's goals are to improve foreign language education in Japan and to promote international exchange at the local level by fostering ties between Japanese citizens and JET Program participants from around the world. Sponsored by the Japanese government, the JET Program invites college graduates to experience living and working in Japan for 1-5 years. The program provides unique opportunities to gain insights into the daily life of Japanese people from a wide cross-section of society. Now going on its 23rd year, the JET Program has become a highly respected and successful program.

The application deadline was November 24, 2009.

New applications will be for a 2011 departure time frame and will be available in the fall of 2010.

(The JET Program does not have a rolling admissions system.)

If you have any questions regarding the JET Program after referencing these online resources, please contact Jessyca Wilcox at:

303-297-5335 or JET.Program.Denver@gmail.com

About JET

The Japan Exchange and Teaching Program seeks to help enhance internationalization in Japan by promoting mutual understanding between Japan and other nations. The program also aims to improve foreign language education in Japan and to encourage international exchange at the local level.

The JET Program is administered by several different Japanese governmental departments, although upon acceptance into the Program, participants are actually employed by their contracting organizations (CO). COs can range from town offices, to local boards of education to individual schools. As local government employees, JET Program participants are covered under the Japanese health care system, just as other Japanese citizens.

The JET Program offers competitive and dependable salaries, comfortable living accomodations, and superb support prior to departure, while in Japan, and upon return through the various JET Alumni Associations around the world. JET participants have the chance to become an integral part of the community fabric of their Japanese "hometowns". In addition, Japanese language correspondence courses are offered to participants while on the Program. Although Japanese is not a requirement to participate in the JET Program, we encourage JETs to learn as much Japanese as possible prior to departure and while residing in Japan, as it allows for a deeper level of communication and stronger personal connections to be formed on both sides.

Positions Offered

All positions offered are in various locations throughout Japan, although there are more positions in rural areas versus urban areas. The JET contract is a one-year contract, potentially renewable for a maximum of up to five years of employment. Applicants must at least hold a Bachelor's degree as of July 1, 2010 to apply for and participate in the 2010 JET Program Year. The JET Program works on an annual cycle. If you will not have your degree by the above date, you can plan to apply to the JET Program for the departure year that fits with your graduation schedule.

Assistant Language Teacher (ALT)- Assigned to local boards of education, elementary, junior high and/ or senior high schools, assistance

                                                                    in: English language education, preparation of teaching materials, participation in the classroom,

                                                                    participation in local international exchange activities. ALTs are not required to have Japanese language

                                                                    abilities or teaching certifications.

Coordinator for International Relations (CIR)- Assigned to town halls or other Japanese governmental institutions, assistance in: projects

                                                                                    related to international activities, English language instruction, planning of and participation in

                                                                                    activities engaging in international exchange, exchange activities related to cross-cultural

                                                                                    awareness. CIRs should be confident in their Japanese language communication abilties,

                                                                                    including spoken, reading and written Japanese at about the nikyuu (Japanese Language

                                                                                    Proficiency Test Level 2) level.

Please click on the images below for more information, including a general JET Program annual timeline.

All 2010 JET applicants can now check their interview status by visiting the Embassy of Japan's JET webpage. Interview scheduling through the Consulate General of Japan located in Denver for the 2010 JET Program has begun for selected candidates. Please read below for more information.

Interviews for the 2010 JET Program Year (July 25, 2009 departure) are scheduled to be in mid-February of 2010. The Consulate General of Japan located in Denver runs JET interviews in both Denver and Salt Lake City. You cannot change your interview location after you have submitted your application to the Embassy of Japan.

You can now check to see if you have been selected for an interview by visiting the above link. This information was posted at 5pm (EST) on January 26, 2010.Please do not call or email the JET Program Office to inquire about your interview status. You will need your application ID to access your interview status via the Embassy website. You can find this 6-digit ID number in one of three locations:

1. printed on the top of your JET application
2. printed on the confirmation card you received from the Embassy
3. shown to you upon submission of your application online on the application website

Please keep that ID number in a safe place, as you will continue to use it for the interview and departure preparation process, should you be offered a position.

If you are being interviewed through the Consulate located in Denver, you should have received an email with details by 8pm (MST) on January 26, 2010. If you have not received this email AND you have confirmed your ID # on the list of successful interview candidates, please check both your spam and trash folders. (Many times, emails from the JET Program Office can end up in these places if you have not added our address to your address book.) The dealine for signing up for an interview time slot is 9 AM (MST) February 1st, 2010.  All ALT candidates will have the opportunity to sign up for their own interview time slot. CIR candidates will be assigned an interview time slot.

To ensure that all communications between interviewing candidates and the JET Program Office at the Japanese Consulate located in Denver, we encourage you to add the following email address to your address book. This will ensure that emails from our office do not get accidentally placed in the trash or spam folders:  jet.program.denver@gmail.com

Candidates who have successfully moved on to the interview phase of the application process will be interviewed on one day during the interview period. Interviews are conducted over a period of a few days, but interviewees will only be interviewed ONCE during this time period. There are not multiple interview phases.

**Interviews for the CIR position will be conducted partly in English and partly in Japanese. Japanese language assessment will happen during the actual interview in this manner.

JET interviews in Denver are scheduled for February 9th (Tues), 10th (Wed), and 11th (Thurs), 2010. The interviews will be held at:

17th Street Plaza Building

1225 17th Street

Denver, CO

To schedule your interview in Denver click here.

JET interviews in Salt Lake City are scheduled for February 18th (Thurs). The interviews will be held at:

Univerity of Utah Conference Center

110 S. Fort Douglas Blvd.

Salt Lake City, UT

To schedule your interview in SLC, click here.

If you have questions regarding the JET Program interviews, please do not hesitate to contact the JET Program Office at the Consulate located in Denver. If you have requested an interview through a Consulate other than the one located in Denver, please contact the JET Program Office at that Consulate (or Embassy). Although the interviews are conducted using the same guidelines, specific information (such as required documents to enter the Consulate, interview locations, etc.)can differ from location to location. For a list of nation-wide JET Program Coordinator contact information, please click here.

The application deadline was November 24, 2009. New applications will be for a 2011 departure time frame and will be available in the fall of 2010. The JET Program does not have a rolling admissions system.

Applicants who will apply for the 2011 departure year must at least hold a Bachelor's degree as of July 1, 2011 to apply for and participate in the 2011 JET Program Year. The JET Program works on an annual cycle. If you will not have your degree by the above date, you can plan to apply to the JET Program for the departure year that fits with your graduation schedule.

Applications for the 2011 JET departure year will be available in the fall of 2010 through the Embassy of Japan's JET Program webpage at http://www.us.emb-japan.go.jp/JET/application2010.html.

The application is through an online system, but candidates must also be sure to physically send their applications in the manner specified to the Embassy of Japan in Washington, DC by the deadline. Applications cannot be accepted at the various Consulates.

The 2011 application deadline will likely be around the end of November, 2010. The deadline is not a postmark deadline. The deadline is the date by which all materials should be received at the Embassy of Japan, located in Washington, DC.

For tips on filling out your application and a checklist to ensure it is complete, please click here.

If you have questions regarding your JET Program application that cannot be answered after thoroughly reading through the directions, please feel free to contact, Jessyca Wilcox, JET Program Coordinator at 303.297.5335.

The Rocky Mountain JET Alumni Association in conjunction with the JET Program Office of the Consulate General of Japan at Denver hosted the 3rd annual Career Forum. This event was aimed at helping returned JETs prepare themselves for re-entering the work force in the Denver area, but the event was open to the public.

The Career Forum was held at the Japanese Consulate in Denver on Friday, October 16, 2009 from 4-6pm. The event was followed by a networking social at Sushi Han in Writer's Square. Please click on the invitation images for more details.

Fall recruiting for the JET Program has come to a close. We will not be visiting any other institutions until fall of 2010. You can reference the list below to see which schools we typically are able to visit. Despite the fact that our recruiting "season" is over, if you have questions about JET, please feel free to call the JET Program Office!

It’s the fall, the leaves are turning, that brisk feeling to the morning light is here and it’s time for students to go back to school and attend…. Career Fairs! It is recruiting season for JET and we’ve got a full schedule this year.

If you are a prospective JET, please feel free to stop by any of the locations we’ll be at this fall to ask questions. We are always happy to speak with you about the selection process, the application, and of course, the JET experience.

If you are a JET Alumnus, we would love to have your company during our recruiting efforts! This is a great time to come and share your enthusiasm about the JET Program and how it changed your life with other potential JETs. Our schedule is below. If you’d like to help out or join us for any of it, please send an email to Jessyca Wilcox at: JET.Program.Denver@gmail.com.

Colorado

Utah

New Mexico

Wyoming

On July 24th, 2009, 43 people gathered at the Consul-General’s official residence to partake in a Pre-Departure Orientation and Reception in preparation for their departure for Japan on the JET (Japan Exchange and Teaching) Program. This year’s group of Denver JETs underwent a rigorous selection process and will all be Assistant Language Teachers through out Japan’s school systems.

The Pre-Departure Orientation touched on many topics to ready them both for their trip to Japan and their personal and professional lives within their Japanese communities upon arrival. Each JET will stay in Japan for a minimum of one year, but many of them will no doubt opt to remain in Japan on the JET Program for additional years. The reception was attended by the departing JETs themselves, local JET Alumni, and members of the community who both helped to select the participants and prepare them for their adventure abroad.

Many JETs have reported that they are successfully settling into their new communities in Japan. The Consulate General of Japan at Denver has high hopes and expectations that they will embrace their duties with a smile, engage their communities and truly make this experience a part of who they are. We wish them the best!

Photos:

Top row: the Pre-Departure Orientation.

Bottom row from left: CG Kubo delivering a congratulatory speech at the Departure Reception, JETs reception guests enjoying Japanese food at the Departure Reception.

Click here to see Consul-General Kubo's remarks for the 2009 JET Departure Reception.

On Saturday, June 27, 2009 approximately 40 JETs and JET family members attended the Q&A Session hosted by the Consulate and supported by the Rocky Mountain JET Alumni Association. The purpose of the Q&A Session is to help prepare the departing JET for their everyday life- both professional and personal- in Japan. To this end, a variety of topics, such as gender differences within Japanese culture, building positive relationships with students and co-workers, cultural adaptation, etc. are covered. Local JET Alumni served as the sempai panelists and led the discussions and break-out circles.

As a new edition to the Q&A Session, this year we invited JET family members and partners that were not traveling with the JETs to Japan. A separate session was held for those members to help them understand how the JET Program works, the type of support that would be most helpful to the departing JET before, during and after their JET experience and simply to answer questions.

Photos:

Top row from left: DCG Kashima congratulating the JETs, panel and audience discussion, the panelists.

Bottom row: Break-out circle discussions with JETs and JET parents.

The Rocky Mountain JET Alumni Association in conjunction with the JET Program Office of the Consulate General of Japan at Denver will hosted the annual "Sing into Spring!" event on Friday, May 29th. All JETs and friends and family of JETs were welcome to attend. This year's event had a $5 charge at the door to help cover the cost of food and non-alcoholic drinks. We had a fantastic turn-out of local JET alumni, JETs getting ready to depart and were even able to celebrate a JET alumnus' birthday!

Please click on the invitation image below to see the event details.

Nearly 115 candidates interviewed in Denver, CO and Salt Lake City, UT for the 2009 JET Program in February, 2009. This was nearly a 30% increase in candidates selected for interviews from 2008.

Interviews in Salt Lake City were held at the University of Utah’s Conference Center on February 11th. Interviews in Denver were held downtown at the 17th Street Plaza Building on February 18th and 19th. Interviews take place mid-February every year and the Japanese Consulate in Denver holds them in both Salt Lake City, UT and Denver, CO.

JET Program applicants have their choice of requesting to be interviewed at any of the Consulates in the US or the Embassy, located in Washington, D.C. For a list of all interview locations, please click here. Please note that some Consulates (such as the one in Denver) run interviews in more than one location, so please read through the list completely. This information will also available in the 2010 online JET application.

Applicants are informed in late January or early February whether or not they have been selected for an interview. Candidates who have successfully moved on to the interview phase of the application process will be interviewed at a predetermined time on one day during the interview period. Candidates are only interviewed once during the selection process. There are not multiple interview phases.

The number of candidates who are successfully offered a position on JET changes every year due to several reason: every year the number of CIR and ALT positions which become open on the JET Program fluctuates, the number of JETs choosing to return to their home-countries varies annually, additionly, the JET Program recently extended the maximum number of years to participate on the program from three years to five years. As a result, some JETs are opting to stay on the JET Program for the full five years to maximize their time in Japan, thus reducing the normal amount of turnover in many positions. At the same time, more JET positions are opening up in the elementary schools, therefore creating more positions. As you can see, it is a very complicated process and giving a definitive acceptance percentage is nearly impossible.

The JET Program remains a competitive program and we are happy that we attract top notch graduates from around the US to participate in this unique, overseas employment opportunity in Japan.

Mombukagakusho , the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT), offers five different scholarships for non-Japanese nationals wishing to study in Japan.

ONLY U.S. CITIZENS LIVING IN COLORADO, UTAH, WYOMING, AND NEW MEXICO MAY APPLY THROUGH THIS CONSULATE. US citizens living in other states should apply through the consulate responsible for their state. Non-US citizens should apply through the Japanese Embassy in their country of citizenship. Click here for a list of embassies and consulates.

For more information on the Mombukagakusho Scholarships, please visit the website located here.

To view past Mombukagakusho examinations and answers please visit the website located here.

If you have any questions concerning the scholarships or application procedures, please contact Jessyca Wilcox at 303-534-1151 or cgjd-pr@qwest.net.

This scholarship offers US primary or secondary school teachers (or academic staff at teacher training institutions) the opportunity to study at a Japanese university for professional improvement. The 2010 application is for an October 2010 departure date.

This scholarship offers applicants the opportunity to spend 18 or 24 months conducting independent research under a Japanese professor. Any field of study is eligible for the scholarship, but applicants must find a Japanese professor willing to supervise their research. However, this does not guarantee that the applicant will be placed with that professor. The 2010 application is for either an April 2011 or October 2011 departure date.

This scholarship offers applicants the opportunity to spend up to 3 years at a Japanese professional training school studying one of several fields. The 2010 application is for an April 2011 departure date. Fields of study include:

This scholarship offers applicants the opportunity to spend up to 5 years at a Japanese college or university as an undergraduate degree student. The 2010 application is for an April 2011 departure date. Acceptable fields of study are: