#gettingtojapan

So it’s been a long time since the last post...BUT! I will continue with my previous plan and keep on talking about the process :)

For sure the hardest part about the JET process, next to all the paperwork (of which there is a ton o.o) would have to be the waiting. The first part of the process of putting in the application at the most will take a month and can be less time if you turn it in early. But that will no doubt be the shortest of any wait in the whole thing. After that, which the application deadline was at the end of October, then you have to wait till mid-January to find out if you even got an interview. It was so nerve wracking x.x

But what that time did offer was the opportunity to practice or at least read up on the interview itself on blogs and, of course, at Tofugu :3 I used the one there for most of my studying up and for pretty much the whole process in general haha 

Something I found incredibly helpful for my own sanity was to practice different types of questions that have been asked in the past. A good list of those is on Tofugu as well as on a website called Open Door. However, you can also just google something like ‘JET interview questions’ and you will be given a lot of different things to look at :) The best advice I can give on practicing in this fashion is something I read on Tofugu. Every interviewer is different and they WILL change the questions they ask and the way they ask them each year. Because of this, make sure that if you practice a question that says something like “What do you like about Japan, especially in relation to food?”, be well prepared that the question is not going to be asked in that same way in the actual interview. They may not add the about food portion or they might say in relation to, say, performing arts, for example. So it’s important to think about honest answers that don’t seem ‘formulated’ or ‘fake’. I’m doing a terrible job at explaining that but if you look at Tofugu, they explain it WAY better ><

ANYWAY~ Now I’ll get to the actual hard part of this~

The Interview

I received my notification that I was selected for an interview in about the second week of January. There were a lot of instructions contained within the email that I’m sure will be there for many years to come and may even change so I won’t dwell on that portion haha

But in terms of the actual interview and preparing for it, the best advice I could give anyone would be to just practice beforehand to make yourself more comfortable. On the day of though, take a break, breath, have a good breakfast and just chill. Make sure you get a good night’s sleep before so your head can be in the game on the day of. Nothing is worse than getting to your interview so hopped up on caffeine that you can barely sit still. I guarantee your nerves will shoot through the roof, unless you’re SUPER used to these sorts of interviews. I was not. I have had jobs in the past, but I’ve never had a panel interview or anything as formal as this was. This is, of course, because I’ve been working in retail or at a coffee shop my whole working life. Those interviews were much more lax. 

My interview happened to be at my university, so I was very familiar with the campus and where the interview would be held. If you’re not, I would HIGHLY suggest planning out your route the day before so you have a good idea of where you’re going. The more you have planned the more confident you’re going to feel.

When I got there, I had to check in, which happened to have one of the speakers that was present at the informational session. So that right away calmed me down a little. I talked with him a bit, talked with my sister who had come with me and then I went into the waiting room where the other interviewees were. It was awkward, I’ll be honest. We were all in there, interviewing for the same job, though there were multiples of that job. We all knew how competitive it was though, of course. In those situations, it can be a little hard to want to talk to someone who is your “competition”, but I would highly suggest that you do. Just smile and talk to someone in there. It can help get the nerves out and you may even meet a new friend :) 

When your interview time comes, if your interviewers aren’t running behind, which they may be, so don’t worry too much, one of the interviewers will come to grab you. It’s usually the former ALT, and that was the case for me as well. They come to talk to you, break the ice as you head to the interview room. It’s all done to help you calm down. Because I know, and as I’ve read, they know how stressful the interview is. Best thing to do is to just remember that they’re people just like you.

Now, for entering the room, I have heard multiple different ways to do this, but this is what I did because it was what one of my senseis said to do. The door was already open for me so upon entering, I bowed, said, “し連れします” or “shitsureshimasu”, which basically means excuse me, my intrusion, etc., and sat down when it was indicated that I could do so. If your interviewers offer their hand for shaking, do so. Mine, however, did not so I didn’t. I was in such a state of nerves though that I didn’t even think about it at the time. It was only later that it came to my realization and I had a mild freak out that I’d forgotten to shake their hands X.X But it turned out just fine in the end because the table that was between us was so wide I doubt I could have even reached their hands haha 

After I sat down, the interview started. 

So, I’ve never done a blog before nor have I ever been a diary keeper, but this blog is going to be my attempt at keeping a log of my attempts and hopefully adventures on the JET program in Japan. :D

 So with that being said, I’ll go about telling about the process so far. I was planning from pretty much last year when I realized I would be graduating this December from ASU  :D I’m so happy to finally be done with college! I’ve been working toward this moment for a long time and I wish I hadn’t taken the time off I did. However! I’m so grateful for the experiences that I’ve had these last two years and am so happy to have been able to go through this adventure with my sister. :)

THE ESSAY

Okay, side note over! Back to the point, haha. So, I’ve been working toward the point I’m at now for a while now. Over the last few months, I’ve looked into the best ways to present myself as a viable candidate for the JET program for when I write my essay that explains why I would be good for the program. 

So I thought and I thought and I thought some more….

But every time I went to write…I just stared at a blank page. Questions of why I would be good..why I would do well in the program and why I would be a benefit just kept circling in my head. I would write a few words and then delete everything. Nothing sounded right. I even did a bubble chart or a thinking tree thing to get all my thoughts on paper. And while this helped narrow down things…I still found it nearly impossible to generate all these things into a coherent and meaningful essay that would impress the JET staff.

The pressure was piled on even more because one of my references wanted my essay to read so he could write a stronger letter and so he could know what my goals were exactly. 

What I found helped the most in writing was actually my friend. She is trying this year as well to get into JET and was having an equally hard time in writing her essay. She was getting disheartened about the whole thing and I gave her some advice about the types of things she could talk about and oddly enough it helped me write my own! Thank you Angelique XD When writing my essay, the most important thing I found to remember was that even though I don’t have any teaching experience or even that my main goal doesn’t have to do with teaching, I still have things I can offer to the kids that will be in my classes. Write like I had already gotten the job. It sounds silly, but I completely believe in the power of positive thinking. Whether it does anything magical or not, I know for a fact that it will help you have a better outlook and will make your writing more powerful.

All that being said, what should be top priority is really presenting yourself as you are. Know why you want to go to Japan and what sort of impact you want to make and do your best to get those points across in your writing.