The JET Programme - Teaching English in Japan
In this series, I will share my personal experiences as an Assistant Language Teacher teaching English in Japan. I hope my experiences can also shed some light on English education in Japan and hopefully inspire you to come and teach here one day too.
English proficiency in Japan
As the balance of power in the world continues to shift towards the east, there has been a greater focus for many non-English speaking Asian countries to improve their proficiency in English. According to the most recent EF proficiency index, Japan ranked 49th in its proficiency in English, while China ranked 47th and South Korea ranked 31st in 2018.
While English has improved vastly across the tourism industry, there is certainly room for improvement in other industries as Japanese companies seek to do more business overseas. The good news is that Japan is introducing sweeping reforms across its English education system that are sure to improve Japan’s proficiency in English in the years to come.
From 2020, students applying for university in Japan will face an English component of the exam which will focus on speaking and writing in English. This has had a large impact on how English is taught in the classroom as there is now more of a focus on interactive communication as opposed to the previous prioritisation of reading and writing exercises.
In addition, English education will become compulsory for 3rd and 4th grade elementary school students, however many regions in Japan have already started introducing English at a much earlier age. This is where I come in.
The JET Programme
In August 2018, I came to Japan as part of the JET Programme as an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) to teach English in Fukushima. The JET programme stands for Japan Exchange and Teaching and has a 32-year history of bringing graduates from all over the world to Japan to teach English and promote internationalisation at a local level.
I work in 8 different schools - one nursery, three kindergartens, three elementary schools and one junior high school. I’m sure you can all imagine my surprise when I found out that I would be working in so many schools, but in all honesty, it has actually worked out rather well. As the only English teacher in my village, it has put me in the very unique position of being able to teach English to every student in the area.
Those of us on the JET programme are placed all over the country, many of which in rural areas where English speakers are generally hard to come by. Having JETs in these communities gives the locals as well as the students and teachers an opportunity to engage in a cultural exchange with us.
Over the course of the JET programmes history, there have been over 68,000 participants from 73 countries, making it one of the largest and most successful international programmes in the world.
When you apply for the JET programme, there are one of three positions that you can choose from. The first is the Assistant Language Teacher position (ALT), the position that I applied for. The second is a Coordinator for International Relations position (CIR) which focuses on work in communities on international exchange activities (it’s important to note that speaking Japanese is a requirement for this role).
The third position is a Sports Exchange Advisor (SEA) which is for sports professionals to promote internationalisation through sports training and the planning of sports related projects. Whichever role you choose to apply for, make sure your skills match the eligibility criteria otherwise your application won’t be successful.
There is a saying for those on the JET programme - “every experience is different” and one large factor in this will be the new place you call home. On the JET programme application, you will be able to list 3 prefectures for where you would like to work in Japan and whether you would prefer a rural or non-rural area.
My 3 choices on the application were Fukuoka, Nagoya and Sendai which represent the south, centre and north of Japan respectively. I didn’t get selected for any of my 3 choices, but to be honest, I could have been placed anywhere in Japan and would have been just as happy. Regardless of your placement, I’m sure that you will be coming to Japan as one person and leaving as somebody completely different.
The JET Programmes wider impact on Japan
There have been many studies which suggest that ex JET’s have been a major source of “soft power” for Japan. Many ex JET’s go on to either work in Japan or for Japanese companies overseas which is quite remarkable when you think about how they will continue to contribute to Japan’s growth long even after their time on JET is complete.
Teaching English in Japan has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life thus far. For many of the students, I am their first real encounter with someone from outside of Japan which for me is an honour. Every time I stand in front of the class, I can’t help but think about how these students will be part of a more globalised Japan one day and will hopefully go on to do many great things.
In the next article in this series, I will share my experiences from teaching English in a Japanese nursery and explain why it is one of the most fun places to teach.