Does anyone know if there's a way to see our application forms online? I stupidly didn't keep a copy for myself and now I'm doubting what one of my placement requests was.
Re: Interview Questions and Advice 2014
Does anyone know if there's a way to see our application forms online? I stupidly didn't keep a copy for myself and now I'm doubting what one of my placement requests was.
Re: Interview Questions and Advice 2014
For which country? I was literally just looking at my application (US) and the option to print it is still there.
Re: Interview Questions and Advice 2014
UK. I don't see an option to log in and see my application form
Edit: Never mind, I've found the login page.
Last edited by Oli0; January 21st, 2014 at 01:15.
Re: Interview Questions and Advice 2014
Hi everyone! So the general consensus it seems is to no-way mention any anime/manga/ video games in the interview. To be honest I'm not a huge fan of these media (bar the odd video game, and maybe a couple of anime series....) but truth be told, when I was a child, my first exposure to Japan was probably imported Japanese television -and I am a sucker for Studio Ghibli movies. If I was to bring this up in an interview, I would obviously follow it up with something a bit deeper...
So, my question is: have any of you successful ALTs mentioned this topic in an interview, and how did it pan out? Any advice would be appreciated!
Re: Interview Questions and Advice 2014
mentioned it in the interview? no. Was it a small part of the sop? yes (incidental motivational history)
Originally Posted by Cytrix
Re: Interview Questions and Advice 2014
I had my interview in London today, it was waaay less scary than I thought but I did get a reality check when I realised just how many people are being interviewed... So my hopes have been dashed a little and I'm now concentrating on applying for other jobs as my backup plan, but I honestly could not tell whether my interview will get me in or not. I only obviously stumbled on one question about football, but I think I managed the rest okay and even had a successful conversation in Japanese! Good luck to everyone who's got interviews coming up, and to those who don't, I'm sure everything will work out for you in the end! If I don't get onto JET, my plan is to just spend a few weeks travelling around Japan and enjoy the experience, then begin the joyous task of securing a job...
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Re: Interview Questions and Advice 2014
That's exactly what my back-up plan is after my interview tomorrow!
Out of curiosity, did you have the conversation in Japanese because you indicated a proficiency higher than elementary or was it instigated by chance?
Re: Interview Questions and Advice 2014
Football? But I'm glad that it seemed less terrifying once you were there. What was the grammar test like?
Re: Interview Questions and Advice 2014
I put down elementary but indicated I could speak at a conversational level in my SOP, and the Japanese interviewer asked if I could introduce myself then we just carried on for a few minutes. It felt like the whole interview was about 2 minutes long!!
Re: Interview Questions and Advice 2014
The test was more like a spelling test and I actually found it quite hard! I don't think it's something you can prepare for, it seemed like they were more interested in how extensive my vocab was.
Re: Interview Questions and Advice 2014
Thanks for answering!
Re: Interview Questions and Advice 2014
Guhhhh that worries me. I put whatever 1 was but I can only really recognise most kana and say very basic things. Nowhere near conversational. Maybe I should have put none.
Re: Interview Questions and Advice 2014
Well I had my interview today in London and felt like I was put through the wrangler. The grammar test itself was fine but it was pretty stressful when I was scrabbling for answers to questions that threw me right off. Luckily I have a new job starting Monday so it isn't the end of the world if I don't get in.
Re: Interview Questions and Advice 2014
What makes you think there are so many people being interviewed? It was quiet when I had mine today...
Re: Interview Questions and Advice 2014
Ahh, but think about it like this. How many people were at your consulate/embassy? Now multiply that number by all the interview locations in that country. Now multiply that number by the number of days the interviews are held. It gets pretty big pretty quickly, and some locations interview FAR more people than others.
For instance, I guessed the total number of interviewees at Ottawa, Canada was about 200. I know that Toronto did at least three times that total number. Add in montreal, vancouver, calgary, and winnipeg and you get probably about 1000-1500 interviews at least, for at most about 200-300 positions that open up annually for our country.
Re: Interview Questions and Advice 2014
I take your point, but there's no point obsessing over very unreliable estimates of statistics for the next two months. If you feel the interview went alright you've probably got a decent chance. If you don't get in, it's unlucky but there are plenty of other worthwhile things you can do with your life. That's how I'm approaching it anyway!
Re: Interview Questions and Advice 2014
Apparently there were only 150 interviews granted for all of BC. It was still a long process.
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Congratulations, interview recipients!
It looks like we have quite a few people who were offered interviews this year, and I want to say congratulations and good luck to you! I hope you'll stick around ITIL during the long, agonizing wait and maybe even wander over into the lounge area. There's a lot of great interview advice in the archives and a couple active threads, but don't hesitate to start a new thread to ask a question/kill time/share Japanese study progress/etc.
For those who didn't, don't give up on Japan quite yet! Many people who reapply are awarded interviews the second time around, and there are also programs like Interac that are becoming competitive with JET. It feels really disappointing now, but we're here to commiserate and talk about other options for Japan! I appreciate your participation in the site and I hope you still find reasons to come here and post.
Re: Congratulations, interview recipients!
A few years back I applied without any teaching experience, hadn't been to Japan and could hardly read Japanese and I got an interview but nothing came of it. Since then I got a CELTA, have been to Japan 8 times including a 2 1/2 month homestay, passed JLPT N4 and taught abroad for 3 years but no interview this time. How should I interpret the flat out rejection? Would it even be worth applying again next time around? Or are they clearly saying they're not interested in me for one reason or another? I'm not really upset because I have a solid backup plan but a little disheartened since I worked so hard to bolster my resume. If it's not worth reapplying I may just go for my Masters next year. Anyway, good luck to everyone else!
Re: Congratulations, interview recipients!
As weird as it may seem, I think JET generally prefer the 'fish out of water' applicants than those that pertain extensive Japanese knowledge/ teaching experience. I've heard countless stories of applicants with years of teaching experience, a full TEFL certificate and or highly proficient Japanese ability that are straight up slashed before the interview stage. Conversely, I've read and heard stories of applicants that have no teaching experience, no Japanese knowledge, or never stepping foot on a plane that have been short-listed. Of course this isn't always the case but it happens more often than not.
I think it's important to remember that JET is first and foremost an exchange programme, teaching is secondary. JET are probably more interested in applicants that they believe will offer an invaluable perspective on their own culture and in EXCHANGE, learn more about Japan through their own experiences. This is why they don't want applicants who have lived in Japan for 5 or more years; because it may perceived that those applicants...or applicants that are steeped in Japanese culture/knowledge won't have much to offer or learn. I also think there might be a degree of arrogance that comes off from applicants that pertain extensive knowledge about Japan or have a high proficiency in the language. They may write 'I deserve to be on the programme because I've studied Japanese for 6 years straight, all my friends are Japanese and I've been there 5 times a year for 10 years straight'...or something along those lines. It's all about how the applicant comes across when trying to convey this information in their statement. Conversely, those that don't have relevant experience are likely to say 'Even though I've never been to Japan/ studied Japanese, I'm willing to take on the position with an open mind and greatly look forward to learning Japanese' This is exactly who JET are looking for; those willing to try new experiences with a certain degree of wide-eyedness.
Also, as far as the 'having teaching experience goes' it may not be as helpful to your application as one would assume. I'm personally still waiting to hear back from JET regarding whether I've made it to the next stage(*RAGE*), but from the accounts I've heard and blogs I've read, being an ALT doesn't require much in the way of teacher training. To that extent, a qualified teacher with years of experience may be bored with the mundanity of being a 'human tape recorder', and I'm sure the JET reviewers are already aware of this issue and try to screen out the ones they deem unsuitable.
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