The JET Program: Teaching English in Japan - A Beginner's Guide

Every year, thousands of native English speakers make their way to Japan looking to take on jobs in the burgeoning English-education industry. Many of these teachers sign up for six month contracts with private schools in the major cities, teaching small groups of adults conversational English; but a fair number of these foreigners are part of the JET program.

The JET program, which stands for Japan Exchange & Teaching, is organized by three ministries within the Japanese government and comprises the world's largest teaching exchange program. Participants are interviewed in their home countries and, if accepted, are flown to Japan to begin teaching throughout the Japanese public school system. The JET program was created to help young Japanese students gain experience hearing English as spoken by native speakers; English is mandatory in the Japanese school system.

JET program participants are required to be college graduates and the vast majority of the participants are in their 20s or 30s, which leads to a youthful and energetic program. With participants coming from all over the world, the JET program is also highly international. Participants don't have to have any particular major or teaching credentials, or even to have studied Japanese in the past; instead, the JET program focuses on finding enthusiastic individuals to act as both cultural ambassadors and teaching assistants.