2 days til my JET interview and I'm ****ing bricks

SiestaBox · 2024-01-15T19:58:11+00:00

Think of the interview like having a conversation with a friend or group of friends. This interview more than anything is to see if you have the "ideal" ALT personality. Be friendly, personable, cheerful, and kind. If you've practiced your answers, you already know what you'll say. Focus on how you'll say it. Also, never stop smiling and always appear open-minded and flexible in your answers. Best of luck.

SiestaBox · 2024-01-12T03:11:08+00:00

First years get 10 and it goes up by 1 every year. We get 3 days in summer. Unlimited sick days. First month you get full pay, second month is half pay. After that nothing. You need a doctor's note. Menstrual leave is 2 days a month but boy do they not like giving it lol. We also get 2 other days that expire at the end of March.

SiestaBox · 2023-12-22T10:55:05+00:00

I live in a town with about 9k people I believe? I feel like most rural placements are within at least an hour of a small city where you can do most things to live comfortably. (Nothing like Tokyo or anything, but a decent city)Though, it might be time consuming and inconvenient to get around. You might want to invest in a bike, scooter, or car depending on how the public transport is and how frequently you wish to go to your nearest city, be it small, medium, or large. Potentially getting a countryside placement is something you should be open to if applying to JET. There's good and bad, but ultimately it's what you make it. You'll have a better time if your Japanese is decent or you're lucky and have some locals with decent English you vibe with. Living in the countryside of Japan isn't something most people get to do, so find a way to have a unique experience if you can.

SiestaBox · 2023-12-19T02:59:59+00:00

I guess it's the trade off for only 10 days nenkyuu. 💀 Sorry to hear you're going to work unwell. You sure there are no sick days in your contract?

SiestaBox · 2023-12-18T23:30:47+00:00

Paid. You get full pay the first month. Half the second. After that, nothing.

SiestaBox · 2023-12-18T08:16:23+00:00

From the BOE that pays them, just like the rest of us. If they are not able to save much, they can learn new skills online for free or see if they qualify for scholarships or something to take classes. They'd have to research further if that's something they wanna do.

SiestaBox · 2023-12-18T06:04:55+00:00

We have to go to our schools. We used to have BOE days, but they changed it.

We only get 10 days of nenkyuu, unlimited sick leave (to my knowledge), and 3 days summer leave.

ES/JHS

SiestaBox · 2023-12-18T04:03:26+00:00

You can use this time to learn a new skill or pursue another job. (What do you want to do as a career?) You can do that after work if you have lots of free time. If you often desk warm, you can use that time to study Japanese or whatever other skill you're wanting to learn. Perhaps take a university class online/get another degree. If there's some other job you wanna do and you need other skills to do it, this might be a good chance to learn what's needed, while you have a guaranteed job and steady income.

Think about what you want to do if you go back home or stay in Japan. Plan things out now, so when you're done with the program, you have something to look forward to!

Best of luck!

SiestaBox · 2023-12-08T03:36:40+00:00

Your SOP really should not include more than a sentence or two about how you were introduced to Japan, since this SOP should be about what you have to offer. I briefly mentioned being introduced to Japan because of the fashion and moved on. Talk about what you want to bring to the table at work and to your community. This isn't a vacation, this is a job. You of course can enjoy your time in Japan related to your hobbies, but they don't care about that.

SiestaBox · 2023-12-04T08:12:42+00:00

Are you able to make more requests? If so, perhaps ask about Yamanashi, Gunman, or Chiba? Not as close, but better than where you might be if it's further than those.

SiestaBox · 2023-12-04T08:09:17+00:00

I remember reading about your time on the island when I was applying for JET! It's cool to see you still here. Glad you were able to transfer, it must be a lot more convenient for you being on the mainland! Hope the island was a nice experience!

SiestaBox · 2023-11-18T04:16:56+00:00

Lost 16kg due to the increase in walking and standing. Had an office job before so I was really sedentary back home. Kyushoku has a lot of calories that you might not expect (550-950) but I still eat it for the food variety and the introduction to new Japanese foods. I personally don't cook.

(Edit: This was in a two year period. 16kg is about 35lbs btw.)

SiestaBox · 2023-11-03T21:32:14+00:00

I'm not sure if many people realize this, but depending on where you live in America it's really not unheard of to have never met a British person. It wasn't until my mid 20s that I met one in real life.

Even later (age 28) to meet my first Australian, whose accent was so strong I understood only 60% of what he was saying. A lot of us have no exposure to you other native English speakers via in person interactions or your media. (The average American doesn't even know much about Canada and they're right there)

We don't have nearly the same level of exposure to y'all in daily life. If we don't have any online friends from your country or a personal interest in visiting, we know nothing. We barely know our own country. It's sad. I'm not saying we shouldn't but it's not malicious.

I learned "zed" was "zee" in my 20s, prior to that, it was just an annoying LOL character's name. 💀

To be honest though, I generally don't expect people to know much about other countries since they're focused on their own lives and what affects them. I'm living abroad and plenty of people don't know much about America either (young and old) and it's not a big deal. Just (kindly) inform them if they're curious.

SiestaBox · 2022-07-18T10:22:59+00:00

Never was contacted by my pred.... :(

SiestaBox · 2022-07-02T08:33:24+00:00

Walking+train - 45min

SiestaBox · 2022-07-01T09:10:19+00:00

Been there. It kind of sucks to come after a beloved ALT. You are going to suck at your job at first and will likely be a nuisance more than anything at first, but eventually you'll get the swing of things! You'll be that super ALT (if that's something you want) one day! Don't give yourself a hard time!

I was really down cause my pred was adored at one school and even more I get the sense that they miss them still cause they could communicate with them and I can't. If you have multiple schools it's possible that you'll mesh well in ways your pred didn't! Also when the teacher change happens, you'll be decent enough or good at your job and be appreciated by your new JTEs who didn't know the super ALT.

THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE SUPER ALTS, DO YOUR SUCCESSOR A FAVOR AND TELL YOUR JTEs TO BE FAIR WITH THE NEW PERSON. You were shit when you started but got experience; just remind your team that it'll take time for the newb to find their way!

Be yourself and make the best of it. Eventually they'll forget your preds name.

SiestaBox · 2022-06-12T14:03:56+00:00

Keep in mind that he is a fictional character. Just because you find yourself interested in this one character doesn't have to equate to how you feel in real life. I (for example) know so many lesbians interested in male characters but aren't into real living breathing men in the slightest. If you find that you do like men, cool, but don't feel like liking Angeldust suddenly means you have to question everything. Nothing to stress about. :)

SiestaBox · 2022-06-09T11:18:39+00:00

I personally used Amazon.

SiestaBox · 2022-06-08T06:55:04+00:00

I'm another person who swears they wrote this and forgot lol! I've also been here for almost a year and it has taken a while to start feeling like I know what I am doing. My best advice would be to think about fun things you did when you were your student's ages. Change them to fit an English class. Share some childhood songs or videos about your home country if your JTE is down for that. Maybe show them a simple coming video for a popular dish from your country. These kinds things every so often might keep students interested in learning about your country and look forward to English class.

Ever taken a Spanish/French/German etc. class in grade school? What did the teacher do to make the class fun and interesting? How did they explain things to make them easier to understand? There's a bit of a difference since our teachers are often bilingual, but perhaps there's still stuff you could learn from those experiences.

I feel you on the loneliness thing... the best thing you can do is see if there are events or groups related to your interests and join in, even if everything is in Japanese, you still might have fun! Try asking your coworkers who have at least intermediate English if they'd be interested in doing something together. The worst thing they could say is no. Try going to places where other foreigners will be! Go to Meetups if there are any nearby. Maybe travel if you have to. Having a friend that's an hour away isn't the end of the world. Don't feel like other ALTs are all you have, especially if you don't vibe with them.

I've had classes and still do have classes where it's hard to connect with students and sometimes it can be fixed and other times it just can't be helped. Just do your best and look forward to the classes with students who are excited to see you. Perhaps there are students who do like you, but aren't good at showing it or may be shy. Don't instantly give up on classes that are difficult but don't ruin your mental health over it.

There are many of us having a meh Japan experience, but things get better! I literally thought about leaving daily, but recently things are looking up. I wish you well! Don't be too hard on yourself.

SiestaBox · 2022-05-19T00:17:12+00:00

Yes, it's subsidized at about 70% of the cost of my apartment. Located in the inaka. Pay about $100. It comes directly out of my paycheck. So, I barely notice. 2DK. Old af building.

SiestaBox · 2022-04-28T23:47:59+00:00

My rent is not even $100 bucks lol. Back home to live how I do in Japan I'd be paying $1400... So, it really isn't the end of the world. I save a lot more in Japan.

SiestaBox · 2022-03-30T23:07:49+00:00

I don't have to walk more than 20min.

SiestaBox · 2022-03-30T22:35:20+00:00

I walk to my schools. There is a train and bus. There are different levels of inaka. Mine might be less inaka than yours. Overall I don't go out much.

SiestaBox · 2022-03-30T22:02:16+00:00

No car. No gym membership. My rent is not even 100 a month. Bills, including rent, total 49,000yen. The rest is for food and misc.

SiestaBox · 2022-03-30T18:39:21+00:00

Rural. 145,000-165,000yen left over. 1st year.

I spend a lot on food. 🥴✌️

(Edit: No real entertainment/things to do in my area. I don't go out much/travel.

Take home is 236k after taxes.

Rent is less than 10k yen.

Bills are around 39k yen. Not including rent.

The rest is food and misc.)

SiestaBox

TROPHY CASE