JET USA - Updated?

[Cool]

Hi! I have been gathering materials and working on everything I need for the application for JET USA as far back as July. I asked my letter of recommendation providers back in August.

Now, returning to the JET USA website, it seems to have been updated with a stipulation that I should not have asked for a letter that early, instead suggesting to wait until the Reference Letter Guidelines come out.

I feel like I have been misled. I did everything possible to prepare early, and while I intend to notify my recommenders of these guidelines, I'm worried that they will see me as irresponsible or hasty, when in fact I was trying to prepare. Any advice here? Am I losing my mind and the website has always been that way? I looked in the internet archive and it seemed to support my sanity, but still...

Many thanks for any responses!

[Ebi]

It'll be fine. As long as the people you asked write strong recommendations then don't worry about whether or not they match the guidelines exactly. They're only guidelines, after all, not rules. I don't recall even seeing guidelines back when I applied, so they might be a new thing. (Probably because people suck at explaining what the JET program is when they ask people to write the letter for them.)

[Gizmotech]

A) There is always the chance they will change the rules and requirements for the JET programme application. This has happened before.
B) You were totally jumping the gun. The application process won't start for another... month? and getting this stuff done months in advance is entirely unnecessary.

[Cool]

Thanks to you both for your responses. I'm much less concerned now than I was, although I do still feel somewhat frustrated by the changing details provided. I'm going to advise my letter writers and knock my SOP out of the park.

Cheers!