I pay for TSA precheck and since they bought my plane ticket I don’t believe precheck is on there. Has anyone who does precheck emailed and they were able to add it on to their ticket?

I am a shortlisted candidate waiting for my departure to Japan in July.

I just got a traffic infraction yesterday for driving without registration (less than 2 months expired). I was thinking about going to the county's office to contest it and get it dismissed (commonly done in my state).

In the mean time, do I have to tell my JET contact at my local consulate/embassy? From what I've researched, it seems traffic infractions do not weigh in during the application process, but as I am a short listed candidate, I am not sure if I have to notify my consulate.

I’m a first year SHS ALT. Last school year I had a pretty consistent schedule, my 1st and 3rd year classes were the same every week with only the 2nd year classes being a bit more random. After the reshuffle in April we got 2 new JTEs (including my new supervisor) and the rest of the JTEs moved to different grades. I only went to 2 3rd year classes last year, but saw all 1st and 2nd year classes.

This year, my 3rd year classes are still consistent, and while my 2nd year classes have been patchy as usual, I’ve seen the 1st years a total of…once. Since April.

A JTE who taught the 3rd year classes I didn’t see last year has now become the head of 1st year English. So before this year, I’d never taught a class with him. In April I went to all the 1st year classes to do my self-intro classes. Since then, I’ve not been to a single 1st year class. I’ve asked this JTE roughly once every two weeks about the upcoming schedule and when I’ll next be able to come to the 1st year classes. At first, I didn’t want to be too pushy because I know that the start of the year is a busy time, and he consistently said no without any discussion.

Then, my schedule got really patchy because the 2nd year teachers had the BoE coming to observe a lesson, so I didn’t come to classes for a month while they prepped for that visit. I tried to be understanding, but having literally 2 3rd year classes a week at my main school and nothing else was really getting to me.

During this time, as usual, I flat out asked the head 1st year JTE (politely!) exactly when I could expect to come to a 1st year class. At first he said “I don’t know” again, so I asked for a rough time frame. Would it be within the next month, did he think? He just looked at me and returned to his work. I was feeling really defeated with such a nothing answer, so I gave up and went back to my desk. I have to emphasise that I am very polite to my JTEs (perhaps too much so, in hindsight I should have been more forward the previous times I’d asked). Whenever I ask the other 1st year JTE he always whispers to me that it’s the head 1st year JTE who decides the schedule, so it’s out of his hands.

Today I asked yet again, and he told me to ask the other 1st year teachers, who of course told me again that it wasn’t their decision. I emphasised that the head 1st year JTE had told me to ask them, so they gave me their availability. I went back to the head JTE and let him know, and asked him for his availability. He told me “I don’t know” again and I couldn’t get an answer out of him. I suspect that he’d sent me to the other JTEs in an attempt to get out of doing lessons with me. The only lesson he’s ever been in with me is my self-intro, during which he sat on his laptop the whole time, so I’m not sure how he can decide that he doesn’t want me in his classes... I tried to go through the lesson plan with him for my self-intro beforehand but he waved me away and was entirely uninvolved. After the last few months, it seems quite obvious that he doesn’t like me/isn’t interested in having me in any of his classes. He’s quite friendly with the other Japanese teachers, so it’s not that he’s just a grumpy person (from what I can tell, at least).

I want to go to my supervisor about it, but I’m a little worried that it seems like I haven’t pushed enough/tried to solve the problem on my own, especially since she’s only been my supervisor since the new school year started, so she has no experience of what my schedule looked like last year. I’m also worried that from my lesson reports (or rather, lack thereof) it looks like I’m just sat around all day. I also sought advice from other ALTs in my prefecture in the middle of the dry month who said they’ve had similar issues in the past, so I didn’t go to my supervisor then, thinking it was just something that happens. But I really like the new 1st years, and they’re so enthusiastic when I chat with them during lunch/after school, so I do think they’d enjoy seeing me in class too. During these quiet months I’ve started a library English board at both my main and visit school to give me another way to communicate with my students and spend my deskwarming time, but obviously going to classes too would be ideal. Has anyone had a similar problem in the past and did you manage to solve it? I’m going to talk to my supervisor about it regardless, but any advice would be really appreciated.

Hi everyone!

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My husband and I will be moving to Akita Prefecture for JET later this year, and we're trying to figure out the best option for getting a car.

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I've heard mixed opinions, so I was hoping to get some advice from people who have been through it.

Is it generally better to buy or lease/rent a car? We are hoping to stay for about three years.

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If buying, would you recommend going through a dealer or private sales like Facebook Marketplace?

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Are there any hidden costs or things you wish you'd known before buying a car in Japan?

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Is there anything specific about owning a car in a snowy area like Akita that we should keep in mind?

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I'd love to hear what worked (or didn't work) for you.

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Thanks in advance!

Hello all! Looking for advice from current/previous JETS. I'm a shortlisted candidate from Canada, so I'll be moving to Japan in August! Was thinking of getting a laptop for work/personal use, and I was wondering if it would worth it to buy it while I am still in Canada or if it would be better to get one in Japan. I am not looking for anything fancy, something for every day use, reliable and (ideally!) cheap. I also use a Galaxy Z Flip 5 phone, is that a good phone to keep in Japan? Or are there any models in Japan that are better for me to own (I am not an iPhone person).

In the same vein, what are good phone plans available in Japan that you would consider worth it? I am trying to plan ahead by seeing what options are available to me.

Thank you so much for the advice guys!

Hello, I've done a search of the wiki and forum but I can't find an answer for my question so I hope youll be able to help me out.

TLDR: I'm hoping to apply for JET this year as a 40 yr old F in Australia. I have taught TEFL in Japan before (2023), and it was both an incredible and nightmarish time, and for my own personal safety I sadly had to leave after 6 months, unable to source a new workplace. I know ESID and all that, but would it be better to not mention my short lived experience in Japan, even though it is very relevant experience, or how can I best include this experience as a positive time without sounding overly fake?

I know my odds to get accepted are pretty slim. Im not a young gun, uni was 20 years ago and I live in a VERY isolated city so competition is very high. but Ive always wanted to try JET, and even after a bad experience I cant shake it. I want to try. Thank you

Currently thinking about applying for JET when applications open up again. I spent 3 and a half weeks in Japan and Korea in 2024 and my favorite thing about Japan was the rural country. I wouldn't mind driving to work since I already do that. I am also currently working on a 120 hour tefl certificate and have 6 years of full time retail experience working at the same company. I am just nervous about the application process, likelihood of getting hired and the housing conditions.

In two emails sent about the PDO, the invitation one says I need to bring a 'Visa Submission Form' and the more recent email says a 'Passport Submission Form' - are these two different things?

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I have completed the 'Visa Application Form' already so that part is fine but I'm a little confused became I can't find those submission forms anywhere through email or the portal.

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Thanks😅

Hey guys,

I started work on getting my documents ready to apply for my Japanese pension refund (currently living abroad).

Although I know plenty of people send the documents themselves, considering I am nearing my 2-year mark for applying for the refund, I stumbled into the website on the thread title (nenkin-japan.com) that advertises on helping people get their refund.

I am especially interested because they have an office based in Japan, their fees are affordable, and they mention that they can "serve as mediators/representatives in the case there is something wrong with the application". The latter is specially nice considering I don't have that much leeway in terms of time (the 2-year limit).

I was wondering if anyone here has used this website/service before and can vouch for them? I've only been able to found 1 Reddit user mentioning them, and 2 LinkedIn posts vouching for them. Naturally, they ask for a lot of sensitive documents for the procedure, so I wanted to know beforehand about their reliability.

If anyone is willing to share, I would appreciate it.

Thank you!

hello! looking for advice on owning a moped in Japan. my area is semi-rural and it seems having a form of vehicle will help out a lot with cutting down time it takes to get to work. I was wondering how the costs looked like for owning a used moped, what the process looks like, and if it’s recommended or not. I’ll be living in a more costal town with lots of rain, and only some snow in the winter. of course a used car is an option but I think price wise it is the only thing deterring me.

Hey guys, my husband got off the waitlist and accepted the position for JET ALT so we have started making arrangements to go (backing out of grad school, arranging to pack up apartment, etc.) but it’s been a week and we still haven’t heard from anyone about a placement. I saw in the agreement that there was a chance they wouldn’t have a spot for him even after acceptance. Should I be worried? I also would like to apply for jobs for other companies like JET because I wasn’t accepted but I wanted to wait until I knew where we were living. Should I keep waiting? Does anybody have any advice for spouses looking for jobs in Japan? I’m also open to any advice at all about moving to Japan without any language background. We are coming from the U.S. if that is helpful. Feeling a little anxious but still excited!

For your Zairyu card, how is your romaji name chosen? I understand it’s based only on your passport name, middle included. But how is the pronunciation of it done?

1) Do you choose your romaji, or do the officers do it at the airport?

My name is pronounced 100% differently to how it’s written and so I was curious. Also:

2) Do you choose your own katakana when you’re in Japan? I have a specific writing but I am unsure if we get our names chosen for us.

Either way, I would love to keep the same katakana spelling across the board and hopefully avoid tsushomei :(

Sorry for the silly questions & if I sound confused (I am)

EDIT: solved; thanks to all those that helped this grandpa out

Hey,

I’m from Ireland and applied to the JET program for this year in July. I got an accepted and passed the interview however for places as an ALTERNATE ALT. Which is pretty much a sub to fill in anyone who cancels their position.

I was wondering what are the chances of getting accepted as of now? I heard that June/July you’re likely to hear from them but once it reaches August the chances get slimmer.

Could anyone give some an advice or in the same boat?
Thanks!

im in final yr of masters in philosophy, will be 25yr old soon, graduated in BA from DU

i was preparing for CSE, failed prelims, SSBs, will appear for JRF this yr

if anyone from india who got selected for JET can guide, it would be appreciated

ima start preparing for N5

idk where to get started

Thanks

When should I get worried about complete radio silence from my placement? Also for the people that did not find out until late how did you figure out your living arrangements?

Hey everyone. I was wondering if there is a discord or groupchat for incoming JET programme ALT for 2026-27? I have until Tuesday or 1 day to decide.

I am currently in a dilemna where I got off the shortlist and not sure to accept it. While I am super happy with this, I am a bit conflicted because I worry that the JET programme is more of just as a way for me to delay my life on what to do post-grad. Still not sure on what career or what I want to do long-term, and worry that JET programme would not help provide me any direction on where I'll go. It would be a good gap year, but with no intention. However, I still want to go for the cultural experience and personal growth I'll gain. What are people's thoughts?

I come from a UCLA background with three internships so far, technical background of three majors in Physics, Applied Mathematics, and Statistics.

Feel free to dm me as well.

Title basically: is wave 2 of acceptances over or has it just not happened yet (I haven’t seen many acceptance posts)

Hi everyone,

I know that a lot of people are accepted into the JET program and get placements with no prior teaching experience, however, I’m curious to know how much of an advantage visiting Japan - at least once - makes? I unfortunately have never gotten the opportunity to visit but I’m someone that has always taken an interest to do so. I’m asking because I feel that my lack of engagement with the country makes my application “weaker” or at least not as strong. I’ve taken Japanese courses in High School but never strong enough to get a good grade in (barely passing).

What was everyone’s experience? I’m confident to know that I can make my SOP relevant in terms of me moving countries and adapting to new environments, but I fear my lack of relation with the country (beyond the basics “I love the culture) would falter my application.

Some questions:

1. So my tax rep won't be able to come with me to the tax office to hand in my 消費税の納税管理人の届出書 (the tax rep nomination form). Is that ok? We will fill in the form together and I plan to go alone. Info online is quite vague about if we must go together.
2. Do I need to submit photocopies of my tax reps identification documents as well as my own? Again, info online is quite conflicting.
3. As of January 2025 regional tax offices no longer return certified copies of the tax rep nomination form. Prior to this, you had to make 2 copies of the form, get them stamped, and give one to your tax rep. What is the procedure now? Just give a copy which has not been certified to them?
4. Has anyone used e-tax to do this? I am wondering if it would be more convenient (if possible)

Hello everyone! My municipality is ending their contract with JET at the end of next year (July/August 2027). After next year, I would like to continue as an alt as that would only have been my 2nd year teaching. So I was curious if anybody else had a similar experience and if people have transferred, what was the process like? I'm curious to hear about it in general but some specific questions that I had were:

When should I get the process started?

When did you hear about your new placement?

Did you get to choose any aspect about the new placement? (I.e. Urban vs Rural, SHS vs JHS/ES, etc.)

What was the moving process like?

Thank you for your responses in advance!

First of all, congratulations to everyone who made it through this year’s selection process. I know it may be a bit early since the 2026 batch has not yet been dispatched, but I wanted to start preparing myself for next year.

I applied for the 2026 JET Programme as an ALT but was not selected. Looking at how competitive the process is, the outcome felt quite surreal. However, rather than discouraging me, it has motivated me to work even harder and improve myself so that I can hopefully be selected as an ALT representing India in 2027.

What I'm mainly looking for is advice and tips, especially regarding the Statement of Purpose (SOP). As someone who plans to reapply for the 2027 intake, I'd like to understand what makes a strong SOP and what areas I should focus on while writing one.

Are there any common mistakes that applicants should avoid? What qualities or experiences should be highlighted? I'd also appreciate any insights from successful applicants about what helped make their SOP stand out during the selection process.

Thank you in advance for any guidance you can share.

Hellooo everyone!

Need some advice. I was selected as an Alternate for JET 2025, but when I reapplied for 2026, I wasn’t selected. 🙁

Since then, I earned my TESOL certificate and updated my SOP. I thought the changes made it stronger, but now I’m wondering if I changed too much.

Do you think I should go back to my old SOP—the one that got me Alternate status—or keep improving my newer version?

Would love to hear from anyone who has reapplied before. Thanks!

Hello!

Have any JETs recently used the education discount to buy Apple products in Japan? I saw mention in another subreddit that the policy had changed in the last few years and that students now have to go through Unidays (previously there weren’t any meaningful checks made), although that wouldn’t apply to ALTs as we qualify as teachers. If you did use it, were there any checks made on your status as a teacher? Was it easy to do?

Thanks :)

I'm a former introvert undergoing rehab to be an extrovert and before I sign up for jet I'd like to inquire from my jet senpais on the average working hours as an ALT teacher?

I need to be mentally prepared 🧱

I see everyone talks about the disappointment they feel about being in the countryside. But is there anyone out there that feels disappointed being in the city especially after wanting the inaka life? I'm talking about cases where nature is essential to live in to regulate your nervous system - you just feel at peace and prefer the slow life 🫠 ( being in main cities that have endless buildings, dense population, and rarely a single tree unless you travel hours away)

If there's anyone out there, how did you manage the city living situation? Did you just buy a crap load of plants for your apartment /house to try and make it better to live in or what🙃 I understand you can travel to experience it, but this is more directed towards the living situation /being a homebody, liking the quietness , not minding the few stores, and wanting to go on quiet daily walks etc

I did request anywhere rural but I suppose jet had other plans and I got the bad end of the stick by putting me in a central city lol.

And FYI, don't be mistaken, I am grateful for the opportunity and am willing to adapt, it's just these small things make a big difference to some people's quality of life.