Teach English in Japan – JET Program Application Extensive Guide 2019

JET Statement of Purpose

Here is the real meat of the application – the Statement of Purpose – which is a very epic title for a personal statement.

You would have encountered this when you were applying for university, a job, or even when writing a love letter in a Valentine’s card.

It’s basically selling yourself as the best suitor for the role.

So in this section I am going to break it down for you and tell you exactly what you should include to catch the eye of whoever is going to read your pitch.

How I Sought the Help of Former JETs

When I was writing my Statement of Purpose, I sought the help of former JETs. One was a friend of a friend who had just been offered the role as an ALT and the other was a man named James, the creator of the ALT Insider Podcast – a podcast dedicated to providing information surrounding the JET Programme and teaching in Japan.

James looked over my draft and told me exactly where I was going wrong.

The friend of a friend also sent me there SoP which was so valuable as it allowed me to see what a successful finished piece looked like. So I am going to do the exact same thing for you within this section and share my winning formula!

But first…

The Suggested Template by the Application Guidelines

It is a good idea to follow this template, using the following headers as structural prompts. If JET has provided them to you, then it’s a good indication of what they are looking for you to write:

1) General Statement

Here you should write your reasons for wishing to be a part of the JET Programme.

2) What can you contribute to the Programme?

Hint: If you have lived abroad before for an extended period, try and mention any aspects you found difficult to adapt to and how you overcame these problems.

3) Teaching ideas

Do you have any teaching experience? Mention teaching methods and classroom approaches you have used. Which were the most effective? This will display your passion for education.

My Annotated Statement of Purpose

Here I will go through each paragraph of my Statement of Purpose and annotate exactly why I put each thing that I did. I believe this to be the most valuable section of this guide, as a paragraph by paragraph dissection of a successful SoP was something I desperately wanted to read when writing mine, but could never find.

(You can find a full version of my SoP after the annotated version for ease of reading).

So here it is, I will use the 3 sections I outlined above as headings – starting with:

Section 1: General Statement

Note: The annotations will be italicised, whereas the paragraphs from my SoP will be in bold for ease of differentiation.

Paragraph 1

I went to university to study English with the ambition of becoming a teacher, as I have always want to be a positive role-model for the younger generation. I then found the JET Programme and it instantly appealed to my genuine passion for the Japanese culture, as well as my ambitions in teaching English.

So here in this first paragraph I tried to include all my main points I planned to expand on as briefly as I could. Here are the main attributes I was trying to draw attention to:

• Ambitions in education
• Passion for Japan
• Positive role model

Paragraph 2

Remember, the main thing that JET are looking for is that you are to be an ambassador for your country. JET is not just about education, but also international relations.

So here is an example of how I broadcasted myself in this light:

[I will include my entire Statement of Purpose at the end of this chapter.]

After researching JET and seeing that it ‘represents one of the greatest initiatives in the field of human and cultural relations’, I immediately saw it as an opportunity to be an ambassador for the United Kingdom. For me, it is a unique way to do my bit to improve international relations by developing a connection with Japanese teachers and students through a shared passion of embracing language and culture. I see no other programme that emphasises this as much as JET.

1) So here I quoted straight from the JET website to show that I had done my prior research. This displays that I am serious about this application…well,  serious enough to read a website before I decided to move my entire life to Japan.

2) Next I hit a crucial keyword of ‘ambassador’, before talking about improving international relations through embracing language and culture. So this is something I decided to put more emphasis on after doing my research. In my first initial draft, all I talked about was teaching and education – which isn’t the whole package that JET is looking for.

3) A little bit of flattery never hurts.

Paragraph 3

My fascination with Japanese culture began when I started reading Japanese literature. Since then, I have explored events and activities revolving around manga, origami, calligraphy, sushi and have started learning the language. I feel this interest in the culture will allow me to find common ground and connect with potential students. To be able to live and work in the country that has inspired me since childhood would be an extraordinary experience.

In this paragraph I’m answering the question of ‘why Japan?’ as JET wants people who have selected this programme because of an interest in the country. You could have just as easily applied to go and teach in say China or Korea, so what is it about Japan that has brought you to this application?

Because although the pay for JET is great, the cost of living in Japan is higher than in other Asian countries such as China, Vietnam and Thailand, therefore  your selection of the JET programme must come from a fascination with Japan…so talk about it (but try not to write an entire paragraph about how Pokemon Red and Blue got you hooked).

2) What can you contribute to the Programme?

Paragraph 4

During studying my English degree, I volunteered as a student mentor and as a guide for the International Society. I gave lectures to new students and provided one-on-one tutorial to help them settle into their work.

In the International Society, I helped integrate exchange students into their new country and surroundings. I did this by providing tours, correcting grammar on forms and essays and introducing them to the culture. This experience has given me a confidence in being a mentor and a passion for the benefits of cultural exchange.

Here I mentioned my degree and all of the extra curricular activities I did during that time.

I thought about all the things I did at university that was relevant to JET. Luckily I did indeed work as a student mentor (for about a week) and I was a member of the International Society. I made friends with people and showed them around (which is technically providing a tour so it’s not stretching the truth too much).

So with these two points, I have hit the brief of being a mentor to younger people and of displaying ambassadorial qualities.

Get a pen and paper and list all of the things you participated in at university (no matter how minor you think they are, or for how long you did it).

Now look at this list and see how you can make them relevant to the JET Programme.

Ask yourself:

• Was it related to teaching/tutoring/mentoring or being a positive role model or leader in any way?

• Did it do anything to strengthen international relations or improve your cultural knowledge? For example, being a part of a salsa club to embrace a new culture.

• Was it relative to Japan, for example, did you take a martial arts class? Or even better, did you provide instruction to less experienced students in this class?

• Was it relative to demonstrating English language skills? The next paragraph of my SoP is a good example of this…

Paragraph 5

I also volunteered to write a children’s book for World Book Day to inspire more children to read. I worked together with illustrators, graphic designers and teachers to produce and publish this book.

As you can see, I used an example which displayed that my English skills are above average. Not only am I a native speaker, but I also have developed the ability to write books in my language…and not just any books, children’s books (do you see how I have managed to sneak two buzzwords into one point?)

If I can write books for children, not only am I very capable to teach the English language, but I have suggested that I also know how to express things for children to understand – which is pretty important for a teacher!

Also a quick mention of my collaborative experience with the final line. As an ALT, you will be assisting a Japanese teacher, therefore it is important for JET to see that you can work well with others.

Paragraph 6

I am also experienced in adapting to life living abroad, as I once set-up a summer fitness retreat in the Spanish desert. The language barrier was a challenge to adapt to due to the location being in a rural area, however, I dedicated time to learning the language and was soon engaging in conversations with shopkeepers in Spanish. I also found navigating my new surroundings troublesome at first, but overcoming these struggles is an experience that has made me a more well-rounded individual.

In the section two heading caption states something along the lines of:

If you have lived abroad before for an extended period, try and mention any aspects you found difficult to adapt to and how you overcame these problems.

Therefore, in this paragraph I drew upon my experience of living in Spain for a summer in a rural area. This is a good example as you are very likely to be living in rural Japan if you become an ALT. So there will be issues of a language barrier and locals reacting to you as if you are a ghost.

So I chose to bring up a similar experience and displayed that I overcome the struggles and how I was a better person because of it.

This is the kind of resilience the JET Programme are looking for. They don’t want to invest in you and send you half way across the world for you to just phone up asking to go home a couple weeks later.

So do you have any experience being abroad? Or have you struggled with a language barrier before? How did you overcome it?

Show your resilience!

3) Teaching ideas

Paragraph 7

So here begins the first paragraph of the ‘Teaching Ideas’ section (forgive me for unrelenting self-promotion in the first line, but that is the nature of this game!)

I have a great energy that gets people excited to participate. I also have classroom experience, teaching both English and French students from junior to teens.

I am a musician and can sing, rap, play guitar and ukulele. I have used these talents to teach classrooms musically before and could contribute this to the JET programme. I once got my French students to write an English poem together on the white board and we all then performed it as a rap.

Here I am mentioning my classroom experience, which is obviously a great thing to expand upon in your SoP if you have any. I saw this as an opportunity to mention my USP, which is music.

See in Japanese schools, after school clubs are very important. The schools would like you to get involved in these clubs should you become an ALT, hence why I’m mentioning my musical skills. I want them to think that I could potentially help out or even run my own after school music club.

Think how you could broadcast your value in this way. Are you good at magic? Basketball? Juggling?

Paragraph 8

A lot of my French Students were low ability and at first were hesitant to learn, but after I implemented interactive learning activities such as games and dramatic scene performances, they were soon coming into the classroom eager to participate.

An example of one of these games was ‘Hot Seat’, which would see one student sit in a chair in front of an English word on the whiteboard. They were then given clues in English by the rest of the class and had to guess the word.

In this paragraph I am not just demonstrating my ESL classroom experience of using educational games (which is a big part of the job as an ALT), but I am also mentioning that I have worked with students of low abilities. This shows that I am able to adapt my teaching style to different ability students.

Paragraph 9

I would also get the students to write in a diary about their day and all the fun activities. I went around and helped them individually with their grammar.

I encouraged the students to ask each other questions about their diaries and eventually they were having full conversations about their day in English. This kind of development is what I find so fulfilling about being an English teacher.

Here is more mention of teaching ideas that I could bring to the classroom. I also added a comment on how I find teaching so fulfilling. It’s important not to just list your achievements, but to also show what they mean to you.

I feel it’s always good to sound like a human, and not a robot.

Paragraph 10

I have also acted as a Teaching Assistant in Primary Schools as part of Initial Teacher Training. This has given me experience in educating in a supportive role. Whilst the teacher would teach the class as a whole, I would take individual groups for music lessons. Each student would get a percussive instrument and follow with my as I play ukulele. We would then think up lyrics and create a brief working song together. The students were very happy that they had produced a finished project and the sense of accomplishment was a driving force in their learning. This is something that I could potentially implement in Japanese classrooms if selected for JET. One of my favourite moments from this experience was watching a young girl born without hands and forearms play the bongo drums with a smile on her face.

Here is more mention of classroom experience, but this time highlighting that I can work in a supportive role to a main teacher, which is exactly what JET is looking for in an ALT.

Then once again mentioning my USP of music and how I could possibly implement music lessons in Japanese classrooms if selected for JET (see, drawing on my research of after school clubs being important in Japan, and hinting that I could be valuable as a musician).

Think how you could tick these boxes within your own SoP.

I then included a memorable story of the girl without hands learning to play bongos. It’s a nice story, but it is also one that I hoped would make my SoP stand out and stick in the mind of the reader.

Do you have any relevant stories that you could include that would make your application stand out?

Paragraph 11

From my research I have seen that after school activities are a big part of a Japanese school student’s day. I would relish the opportunity to assist in these activities, as well introduce new ones. I was part of my university’s Ultimate Frisbee team, so this could be something to demonstrate to the students.

Here I am directly addressing the after-school activities showing my sporting side as well. This was to cover all bases in case there was no demand for music to be an after school activity.

If you are sporty or active, share it!

Wrap Things Up!

Paragraph 12

Overall, I am applying to the JET programme as I see it as the premier way to improve international relations and inspire the Japanese youth to embrace the English language. I wish to live in Japan due to my fascination with the culture from a very early age and I feel I have the right international, teaching and life experience to really make a positive impact on the JET programme, as well as in Japanese schools.

So here I am basically repeating my introduction, to remind the reader once again that why I am applying for JET.

So I mention why I have selected the JET programme in particular, and why I want to live in Japan, before finishing with a nice line about making a positive impact in schools.

This was my ending, but then James from ALT Insider recommended that I include what I want to as a future career, and why I believe JET will help me to achieve it…

Paragraph 13

For my future career I hope to become a university lecturer in English and creative writing. I believe that the JET programme will give me a fantastic educational experience and also the confidence to be a future professor of English within a Japanese university one day.

So I mention that I want to pursue a career in education, but also that I one day hope to teach in a Japanese university. So they can see that I am serious about coming to Japan, I want to make the most of this opportunity and pursue a career here.

That is the kind of ambitious and passionate person that JET would like representing them in schools.

So what is it that you want to do as a future career?

How can you make it relevant to JET?

That is something to think about not only for the benefit of your SoP…but also for your life!

When I Sent My First Draft to James from ALT Insider Podcast

After listening to James’ podcast nonstop for a week, I emailed him asking for advice on my SoP. I sent him a draft and here was his feedback:

What James from ALT Insider told me when I sent him my first initial draft

1. Length

I know this is your first draft, but your SOP is about 300 words too long. Aim for about 600-700 in your final draft. (The limit in the UK was 1000 – therefore my final draft was 900. James was looking at it through an American perspective, which has a shorter word limit).

2. After JET Plans?

You definitely need to mention how you will use what you learned on the JET Programme in your future career. Even if you’re undecided, say what genre of work you want to do and how you will use your experience to do that work better in the future.

3. Too much experience

You have great relevant experience, but you go in almost too much detail about it. You need to lose 300 words anyway, and I think getting rid of some of the details you list here would be the best way to do about doing that. Keep only the most relevant.

Are You Ready To Write Yours?

You should now have a pretty good idea of what to write for your Statement of Purpose.

I have included mine as a guide, I wouldn’t recommend re-wording or copying it because it should be authentic to you. That is the mark of a successful personal statement, is when the reader can sense its authenticity.

But as long as you hit the main points and buzzwords that I have described in this section, then you will wow them with your SoP!

Here is a quick summary of some points to hit:

• Wanting to be an ambassador for your country and do your bit towards international relations

• Resilience in an unfamiliar situation

• Your USP – relevant to after school activities

If you SOP is feeling a little light on experience, you can try teach from home jobs with:

• Cambly
• Cambly Kids
• Amazing Talker
• Allschool
• Preply
• PalFish
• Excedo

Or check out more side hustles from home:

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