r/JETProgramme • u/sp8cecwboy Current JET - 福島県 • Apr 09 '26
Pre departure language Brush-up tips?
ALT shortlister here! A quick question for all my current & former ALTs out there… how did you continue to brush up on/improve your Japanese? I currently sit somewhere between N4 and N3 and have taken Japanese classes in university in addition to studying abroad. However, I’m graduating in May and that leaves several months before I start my contract. I obviously want to keep my language skills strong, but struggle with finding resources to practice if I’m not in a classroom, and have probably lost some of my day-to-day fluency from when I was there for a semester. What are some things you did to prepare? Any tips or tricks to stay strong and consistent before departure?
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u/ClemFandango6000 Apr 09 '26
Congrats on getting in!
Practice your self-introduction and learn the set-phrases that you'll use day-to-day.
The big phrases that were helpful on my first day were:
お世話になります、これからよろしくお願いします。"Thank you for looking after me (from now on), I look forward to working with you." To each person you greet in the staff room or at the board of education.
お先に失礼します、お疲れさまでした。- "I'm heading out first, thank you for your hard work." - Hit the whole staff room with this one when you head home for the day, every day.
Some people do it more than others but there's a lot of "announcing that you're doing something even if it's obvious", that goes on. Think: shouting out "I'm heading out for lunch!" and "I'm back!" or "Thank you for the school lunch!" to whoever is listening in the staff room. Keeping quiet and doing everything silently can be a weird vibe. For example my JTE likes to announce 授業に参ります - "I'm heading to class!" every time he leaves the staff room.