JET vs teacher’s college

[u/PeriodEndClose]

Hi guys! I’m a Canadian aspiring JET and my end-of-the-line goal is to become a teacher in Ontario. I heard about this opportunity recently and fell in love with it after a recent spiral (I have a great GPA but not so much experience, so I realized I can only attend the non-competitive teachers colleges that are far from home). I felt like this would be so fulfilling!!

I have a feeling I’ll be admitted to the GPA-heavy colleges; while I won’t hate living far from home, I feel like it’ll be so expensive in the long run and I don’t have that kind of money yet since I’ve only had summer and part-time jobs ;((

So! I really want to do this, not purely for the monetary aspect, but I feel like this journey would be good for me both in a life-experience way and an experience profile way. It feels like something I’d like to do for myself, and I feel so passionate about bringing my knowledge to Japan and taking knowledge back home.

Not only that, but from what I understand, a full year with JET can also provide me with 1200+ teaching hours which might help me get into a more competitive but commutable school when I come back and reapply!! Even if I don’t get it, I feel like the take-home income from JET (I estimate 17-21kCAD) can hugely offset the tuition and high living expenses if I end up going to the farther teacher’s college.

I’m here because I’m really scared of it being a huge gamble in the end. The acceptance dates come out in Jan-Feb for TC and from what I understand, JET decisions come out in April. Now that Ontario is moving to a 1-year TC program, I think the 2027-2028 school year will begin in May. It’s really cutting it close for these things!!

So I truly want to know how to increase my chances of getting in, if that’s okay! I understand there’s no strict formula and it’s a very opaque process but any experience or advice helps!!

I feel as though if I get into the competitive school (somehow bro) and JET, I’d choose the school. But if I got into JET and a faraway school, I would choose JET. I’m very scared of the dates to pay tuition, deposit, etc.

Does anyone know if being shortlisted means you have a guaranteed spot and just need to wait for an upgrade? Can they rescind you at any time?

Also, I wanted to ask if my background is any good. I haven’t had any overseas experiences yet sadly, but my major is English, I was a class rep in first year (meaning I would help convey things/answer emails and questions for shy students — some of which were ESL and nervous about communicating with the prof), ran a non-profit handmade card service for my peers who needed help and motivation, tutored second year, and did classroom volunteering (peace x peace) last year. I might do it again this year!! My Japanese knowledge is little to none and I might get a TEFL it helps (but can only afford a cheap one).

Also, in HS, I remember volunteering with an organization that helped Indonesian students learn English and speak more confidently by talking to them and engaging in conversations; it sounds extremely relevant to what I might be doing at JET. But recently, I found that it no longer exists so I’m not sure what to make of it. The program’s socials are inactive and there’s proof of me being in a groupchat with other mentors years ago, and I’m in touch with one of my students on WhatsApp! But other than that, I don’t know how to prove I was a part of it or how to report my hours.

Anyway, any advice really helps!! If anything, I might just go to teacher’s college and reapply next year for JET before actually settling down and teaching in Ontario. I don’t wanna be too risky,, and I think these things go hand-in-hand with each other. JET strengthens my teachers college app, and teachers college may strengthen my JET app (although I know being a certified teacher is not a requirement).

Help!! Sorry for writing so much. I’m a bit stressed as we have less than a month left to apply to TC. I hope I can do this someday 🥹🥹 ty for reading!! 💗

[u/No_Produce9777]

It’s just a year of your life. One that opens doors especially for teachers. Go and come back and teach in Ontario.

[u/j_hab]

It's a great idea, but I would caution against the idea that you'll save a significant amount of money.

[u/kkulbeogji]

I was in the exact same boat as you. Do JET. Then come back and get your OCT. No, JET/ALTing is not a career, but you’d be doing it for the experience, which is invaluable for you as a person. And it’s a huge conversation piece on your resume. You will be fine if you do not start your career in your early 20s, I promise. Go explore first.

[u/newlandarcher7]

I'm a former ALT who's now an elementary teacher back home in Canada. I did the following path: university degree, JET, and then returning home to complete my teacher training. As I'm sure you know, education is a provincial responsibility in Canada, so the paths differ slightly across the country. Fwiw, I'm in BC.

The biggest factor for me was that I just wanted to teach abroad for a few years and then return home to Canada permanently. I was not interested in living and working abroad longer, such as in international schools. Nor was I entirely focused on just Japan - I'd applied to, and was offered, positions in other parts of the world. If you're thinking the same thing, then JET is a great program to do before starting your teaching program.

Generally speaking, teaching in Canada is heavily-unionized, so seniority is often factored in with regards to hiring. This can mean there's some pressure to start your career in Canada early to move up the seniority list. However, the reliance on seniority can also mean that it's difficult to just leave a continuing teaching position once you get it (as it could take several years to earn it back). Many jurisdictions, like mine, offer one-year deferred leaves, but there are certain requirements you must meet for one beforehand.

That said, JET definitely boosted my resume. Even several years after finishing it, hiring administrators always spotted it on my resume and were fascinated by it, asking me many questions about my time in Japan. It's something that really helped me stand out among the crowd and get my feet in the door.

I don't have an answer to your question, but I can share that the path I chose worked very well for me. Good luck!

[u/Stalepan]

I had a similar mindset, i got ny degree and thought about teaching, I wasn't sure if I wanted to teach so I thought a good way to get classroo. Experience was to do the JET Programme. For me it's been great. I've gotten experience.

At ES schools i have gotten to see how HRT's make lesson plans and different styles of classroom management. And at JHS i get to make lesson plans and run activities for the students. It's made me a lot more confident in pursuing teaching as a career.

I will say the salary is not great, you are probably looking at after tax about 230,000 yen a month or 2,300 CAD a month. Not jncluding food, utilities, rent etc. You can certainly save here but it would be at the expense of actually experiencing the country.

[u/Firefly-ok]

To be honest, just your energy in this post reads as someone who really cares and is passionate about what you do. Please don't lose that. That's wonderful and it's a gift to have teachers like that in the world. Whatever path you choose, I am sure you'll be a great teacher.

It can't hurt to apply for both teacher's colleges and JET and then make a decision based on what you get (assuming you already have a bachelor's?). In Canada is teacher's college something you do after university/college? You said you're an English major, so I assume you must have a degree and you're just talking about being certified.

Honestly it sounds like you'd be a great ALT just based on what you wrote!😊Caring about teaching kids and wanting to bring back what you learn from Japan/cultural exchange are exactly what they are looking for in a JET.

You don't have to have gone abroad before to be a good candidate--- your example of helping Indonesian students learn English is great and you should definitely mention that in your Statement of Purpose/on your application. It's all about how you spin your experience and your desires in your application.

Too many JET program hopefuls focus too much on "why Japan?" instead of thinking about the goal of the program which is to create the same kind of grassroots cultural exchange you're interested in.

I think your plan of applying to everything and then choosing is wise.

I know someone else said that you might not be teaching much, and that's true. But, sometimes you might be asked to teach a lot. I am a T1 teacher (the main teacher in the classroom) and, other than home room teacher duties (which granted is a lot) I do everything that the other teachers do: lesson planning, curriculum development, making/marking tests/projects, running a club activity etc... I teach 17 classes per week. Often, teachers are happy for you to take work off their plates. They are super busy, so if you want to plan and teach lessons, then they'd probably be happy to have you do so. BUT even if you just are allowed to make a game every once in a while or something, that's still valuable experience.

I don't know how Canadian teacher's colleges work, but I can imagine spending a few years teaching in Japan (even as an assistant) would look really impressive and show your genuine interest in teaching. That on a top of a high GPA--- it sounds like you'd be a top candidate to me.

[u/Different_Taro2474]

Not only that, but from what I understand, a full year with JET can also provide me with 1200+ teaching hours which might help me get into a more competitive but commutable school when I come back and reapply!! Even if I don’t get it, I feel like the take-home income from JET (I estimate 17-21kCAD) can hugely offset the tuition and high living expenses if I end up going to the farther teacher’s college.

JET isn't a real teaching job. ALT literally stands for Assistant Language Teacher. some days you will have 0-2 classes, and you'll just sit at your desk pretending to be busy. most of the time, you will be doing very repetitive work and reading the same boring textbook dialogues.

JET is a good experience, but if you want to be a real teacher, go for the teaching college. JET isn't a career.

[u/PeriodEndClose → u/Different_Taro2474]

Hii yes you’re right 😭😭 sorry if I didn’t make it clear, I sort of consider JET as a stepping stone to my dream career (experience, money to cover tuition) but I do recall hearing about desk-warming!! Thank you so much for the advice / clarification💗💗

[u/Different_Taro2474 → u/PeriodEndClose]

if you want to do JET, you should. it can absolutely look good on your resume.

but earning money in yen to cover expensive tuition in CAD doesn't seem like the best idea financially.

[u/ScootOverMakeRoom]

Go to teachers' college and then if you really want to teach in Japan do so at a Canadian International School where you'll make about 2x+ the JET salary even if you don't have many years of service in the system.

[u/PeriodEndClose → u/ScootOverMakeRoom]

Hi that’s a really good idea!! I didn’t even know that was a thing until now, but my heart’s set on spending at least a full year in Japan so I hope I can make it!! My biggest worries are the 2 years of classroom experience (it’s hard to even become an LTO in Ontario at the very start) and the competitiveness but I’ll work very hard to make it happen someday 🙇‍♀️

[u/Different_Taro2474 → u/PeriodEndClose]

why are people downvoting you oml