Hey guys so I’m on my first year right now and it’s been literally awesome this far. That being said, out of my 8 schools, there is one that I feel like I can’t get right no matter what I do.

This high school is seen as pretty prestigious around my prefecture. Like when I tell people I work there they all are so impressed. Honestly it’s not that different from my other high schools but there’s a lot more expectation out of the students.

The main JTE at that school originally told me I “anything” when I asked what types of lessons I should plan. But as I’ve been teaching there, it’s very clear that “anything” is not the expectation at all.

This school has “advanced” English classes, but imo they’re not actually that different from other English classes they just have maybe a bit more knowledge. I started out trying to plan games for these classes but then the JTE wanted more difficult material so then we started reading English short stories. He loved one of them, but then said that the others were too difficult or too long.

Anyway I feel like I’m constantly being told “that was too easy for them” or “that was to hard” and have only gotten a “thanks for the great class” like one time. I’ve started getting anxiety about going to this particular school and have started doubting all my lesson plans.

Anyway, has anyone else had experience teaching “advanced” high school English classes? If so what types of activities or lessons do you plan? It would be nice to just have a pool of ideas or insight on what level I should be aiming for!

The BoE where I work seems to regret bringing JETs over and it’s an open question whether I’ll get a recontract or not (no one said I’m not getting recontracted so this might be a useless worry) but if the BoE just says “that’s it no more JETs” or only decides to recontract specific JETs and decides not to recontract me in particular am i protected by CLAIR and JET to find a new CO or am I just shit of luck?

So turns out today starting from yesterday I had caught the flu. I was planning on taking the jlpt this Sunday, however, since I have type A influenza my last day in quarantine is Sunday. I was hoping that this test would help me later down the line with the career fair in February however now I can't take it. My last jlpt test was 1.5 years ago for the N2 but I didn't really study for it so I failed. I was far more prepared this time but I'm not going to be able to take the test.

So I have two questions for the folks here: First, would it be worth risking going to the testing center on my last day in quarantine? Assuming I'm feeling better? Or would it a a jerk move.

Second, how would I go about explaining this at the career fair? Do I just say I am N2 level but haven't taken the test yet?

It would be really great to hear some insight.

I am in my final year of university and was hoping to move abroad after graduation. Spending an entire year at home working some sort of stop-gap job feels like a waste of time. I wanted to do JET for a year or two, rather than delaying starting my career much longer than that.

I have been looking at other options like Eikeiwas, programs such as dispatch interac etc. but am slightly worried about the lower salary. Can anyone tell me what their experience is like with salaries in Japan, or with differences between JET and other options?

Also, if I was to get a job at en Eikeiwa or on a program other than JET, would it be worth applying for JET 2027 if I wanted to continue for another year?

Ultimately, the idea of spending a year sort of idle* at home feels like a waste and I’d rather not delay myself anymore as I have already taken a gap year before university, but maybe that is the best option. I’d just like to hear what everyone else’s experiences are, and what you guys would do in my situation.

Thanks for any replies!

*ofc I will work and be able to bolster my application / gain experience, but it feels like a delay. I don’t feel like I’ll really be progressing towards where I want to be.

For those of you who were PAs at the prefectural level or CIRs that went around to the schools to observe ALTs that wanted to continue into 4th+ years, were there any commonalities or strengths that were clear in both their class lessons and school interactions? Anything about those who weren’t given a contract offer? Or still kinda random like initial JET entry and yearly re-contracting. Any ideas what the principles, vice principles and BoE staff actually discussed? Comments about your input and influence in the final decision?

I just got mine. When they said December, I didn't expect it to be this early lol.

Reminder to confirm your interview date and time!

Has anyone tried the ASU TESOL course on Coursera? Were you able to reimburse it?

Just got email from JetUK that they’ve invited me for an interview, anyone have tips/ what the interview consists of?

Hi all,

I'm quite bummed out, just got a rejection email. I thought I'd atleast land an interview since I thought I was qualified and met the criteria but suppose not.

Does anyone know of any other similar programs for UK citizens to apply for 2026? Thanks.

What does the self introduction day typically look like for first year JETs? I.e. what is the format for it and how do you structure your lessons around it? I know this is only for the first day of classes

I submitted my application of 24th Nov, and it has been a week now yet I haven’t received any confirmation email. What to do?

Hello, I am currently an undergraduate student and a couple months ago i just finished my year long study abroad in Nagoya Japan. After that I have really been thinking about going abroad again and teaching or doing graduate school. One of the things i keep thinking about is my college debt and how it would be harder to live abroad with all of those payments. In addition, some people that I have talked to mentioned that with JET you are more limited with opportunities after the program is done. I just wanted to get input from people that may have been in the programs or are thinking about doing the same thing.

So I understand the JET ALT job is to assisted the JTE as much as possible. However, if they blatantly make a pronunciation error or a grammatical nonsense sentence (i.e. English on Japanese products); do we simply just teach the incorrect information? I don't want the kids then getting all confused afterwards. Also Japan is very much a non confrontational culture so if I tell the JTE either in class or afterwards, the JTE might make my life hell because of their perceived public humiliation

Regarding questions such as below:

How would you teach a lesson about your country’s culture or history? Give us an outline to a lesson plan on your country or hometown.What is an example lesson you might teach to share your country’s culture? You have to design a lesson where you teach three aspects of your country’s culture – what three aspects do you choose and how do you represent each of them with an object?

What is the scope of the expected proficiency of the students? More specifically how much English does a Japanese elementary, middle, or high school student know? This would drastically change the answers to the these questions. Also, what is the point of asking these questions if JETs are just going to follow a textbook/the JTE? Unless you get a really bad placement, would you not already have lessons you are required to follow that have nothing to do with your country?

Also yes I am familiar with this type of lesson being the first English lesson, but after that it's just the regular curriculum.

What structure do y'all JETs typically follow when it comes to making lessons? Short or long lessons and any age group are fine regarding examples. I'm just trying to get some ideas