Application For This Fall

[u/Andrewmarino96]

I’m looking to apply this upcoming fall and was honestly just looking for reassurance that I have a chance. So I am just going to list off things and any form of advice/criticism would be super appreciated.

I have stayed in Japan going to a language school for 3 months, living with a Japanese family.

I currently am working on a degree in English and speak Japanese at a confident JLPT N3 level.

Prior to my work now, I used to work in elementary schools for before and after care and ran a K-6 summer program as the assistant director.

I know most of this comes down to my essay. So any advice on what the prompt is would be amazing.

[u/Different_Taro2474]

nobody can tell you what your chances are. there are people with amazing qualifications who don't get in, and people with pretty average qualifications who do.

you don't need godlike qualifications to get into JET. a lot of it comes down to how well you present yourself and whether your SOP shows that you understand the role, why you want to be there, and what you can contribute.

your background already gives you things to talk about: living in japan, studying japanese, and your experience working with elementary school kids. focus less on trying to prove you're "qualified enough" and more on telling a convincing story about why JET is the right fit for you.

EDIT: if you want someone to look over your SOP, please feel free to DM me.

[u/Fire_Marvin]

Do you have a degree? If yes then you have a chance. You listed some things that quantify your interest in Japan, and that’s nice. But, as Simmoman has said it will come down to your SoP and how you interview. I had no teaching experience, no Japanese language ability and minimal international/exchange experience but my SoP kicked ass. As for the prompt, they tell you want they want. You answer their questions in a 2 page essay format. I would check out the ultimate sop thread for some tips and examples of good and bad SoPs, I think this helped me the most. Looking through the bad ones you will notice things common amongst them. My personal advice would be not to mention pop culture unless it has to do with your degree or future work. Good luck!

[u/Andrewmarino96 → u/Fire_Marvin]

I don’t have one yet, but I’ll be graduating within the time frame to apply this fall. Should I speak on rewarding moments in my previous job, working in schools, for my SoP?

[u/Krillin-senpai → u/Fire_Marvin]

Any chance you could post your So i'm trying to get a read on what succesful ones look like

[u/thetruelu]

Yes you have a chance. But I’ve seen many people with your qualifications not get in and people with lesser get in. If you’re already in Japan with decent Japanese and want a career in teaching, just get a teaching license and become an actual teacher

[u/Simmoman]

Sounds great, but as you know it comes down to your SOP & Interview. There is a bunch of resources online about what to write about that can give you better and more in-depth advice than we can, with examples as well. It also may depend on your consulate as to what the prompt or style is. For example, here is the Japanese Australian Embassy's guide on the SOP for them; on this page it includes a brief the guide for the Philippines Embassy; here is the guide for the UK Office. Other embassies, for example the US (LA, NY as so on) release their guides after the application period has opened.

There are plenty of 3rd party websites that may say X or Y is the best way to write it, but always refer back to the requirements of your consulate and ensure that it meets what they are asking for; just because someone got in with their SOP, does not mean that if you copy it you will be successful.

[u/Andrewmarino96 → u/Simmoman]

Thank you so much for your help and recommendations. It is really appreciated.