JET Programme Preparation Seminars

This is actually a post from yesterday that i posted on my other blog. I'm still trying to figure out which host I like better.


I attended the “2009 JET Programme Preparation Seminar” yesterday and today I went to the “Teaching English in Japan Seminar.” More than anything, this was a chance for us to meet everyone else in the program and to talk to people that have been in the program recently.

At the JET preparation seminar, we learned a bit more about what living in Japan will be like, what to bring, what not to bring, the nature of the work, and such. The essential mantra from the day however, was that “every situation is different” – or “ESID” as they called it. What this means is that there are so many questions about where we will be living, how we will be living, how things work in japan, questions about work conditions, and so on. When we consider how large a country Japan is and the vast number of people in the country, it isn’t possible for the JET Programme to provide answers to these questions that will be applicable to everyone. We did however, hear several stories about certain experiences that related to these issues. So although we never received any straight answers, we did get several scenarios to consider, which helped us to visualize potential issues that may arise, and potential outcomes that we may have to deal with.

Here is a list of the topics that were covered during the seminar:

• Now in Tokyo
• Your first month in Japan
• Money and Taxes
• Culture Shock
• Living in Japan Workshop
• Working in Japan
• General Q&A
  

Most of the topics were covered in a lecture format and presented by former JET participants. The workshops were let by former JETs, but were based primarily on the discussion of current JETs. These were actually quite interesting as we were able to think through as a group through various scenarios that involved cultural differences or conflicts of interest in the workplace.

After the seminars, we went down the street to a pub where the JET programme provided some food and some mingle time. Overall, when I left to go home, I was more excited about going to Japan than ever. Again, the largest benefit from the seminars was the people that we were able to associate with. I met someone who has actually worked in the city that I will be living and working in and was able to get a great list of contacts in the area. I also found out that a few people had requested my area specifically, which for me, gives my destination an added sense of desirability.
Today’s seminars were quite a bit different. We got some more information on our actual working conditions, but again, we couldn’t get too much information as “every situation is different.” We were however provided with several activities and games that we can use in the classroom. Some of the activities were quite good and I would definitely bring them into my classrooms in the Lower Mainland.

If nothing else, these two days have given me a chance to get some scope of what I still need to prepare for before I leave. And once more, I’m definitely more anxious to get to Japan.