International Teaching Opportunities: Teach English in Japan with the JET Program

For college graduates eager to see the world, teaching English as a foreign language can be the ticket. With the JET program, you can teach English in Japan even if you are not an experienced teacher or familiar with the Japanese language. The application process is lengthy, but the JET program has many benefits over trying to secure a job on your own.

JET is a government sponsored exchange program. You work for the local board of education directly in the schools. You are not simply working for a language school. You teach not only English language but also your home country's culture to students in elementary, middle, and high schools.

Although it is certainly helpful, you do not need to know the Japanese language to get hired by the JET program. This is because you will be working as an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) and will not be leading any classes by yourself. Instead, you will be working directly with the Japanese Teachers of English (JTE) at each school.

The job description of the ALT cannot be easily summarized. If you have a vision of Japan students eagerly sitting up in their chairs to learn, dismiss this preconception. Japanese students are like students in any other country. Some are studious, some aren't. Some are shy, others are class clowns. When applying for the JET program, you have an option to request high school or junior high school/elementary school. Most ALTs who teach in junior high school also teach in elementary school. In elementary school, it's more about introducing them to a culture and a language than teaching English. Games are often played. In junior high school, the students are often excited about English. Many have never talked to a foreigner before and it is easy to build enthusiasm with the students.