Study Japanese

One of the main reasons people choose JET is to immerse themselves in Japanese culture and, of course, learn the language. As a JET participant you have access to several different courses through CLAIR. As a resident in Ehime, you can find local lessons and tutors in most cities. There are also opportunities to become TEFL certified.
CLAIR Japanese Courses

CLAIR offers free Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced courses. The courses starts in September and April and last six months. The courses are provided online as e-learning courses and there are unit tests at the end of each unit. Please contact your supervisor if you are interested. CLAIR also offers a Translation and Interpretation Course, although the fee must be borne by contracting organisations.

EPIC Japanese Courses

EPIC in Matsuyama and Niihama offers intensive Japanese courses during spring and summer. Ask your supervisor for more details. Large towns may also have their own language courses or private tutors. EPIC also maintains a list of organisations offering Japanese lessons and tutoring across the prefecture: http://www.epic.or.jp/kurasu/documents/English.pdf

Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT)

There are 5 levels – N1 being the hardest and N5 the easiest. Tests for all levels are held every year on the first Sunday of December and July. The application deadline for the December test is in September, and the application deadline for the July test is in April. The application fee is 6000 yen and you can apply online through the JLPT website. JET now offers a small grant for those who pass Level 3: http://jetprogramme.org/en/jlpt/

TEFL

If you enjoy teaching English, this is also a great time to become TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certified. There are many online programs that you can complete in your free time to improve your teaching skills and gain valuable credentials to help you continue to teach after your time with JET. The JET Programme now offers 200 partial grants toward TEFL programs of 100 hours or more each May, so keep an eye on your email for more information when spring rolls around!

Post-JET Options

When you are approaching the end of JET you may be feeling anxious about the change ahead. You know you have some very unique experiences but you may not know what your next steps are. You have new skills but you’re not quite sure how to best use them in your future career or best sell them to a prospective employer.You have a wide range of options going forward but you may not be sure how to narrow these down and how it all connects with your education and experience before JET. A former Ehime JET, Steve Turner, offers a free consultation for Ehime JETs trying to consider their options.  

He works with people that are making life and career transitions to help them understand what comes next, and how to engage with the existing JET and JET alumni network to find a position.  

He was a JET in Matsuyama for 3 years and has gone on to have corporate roles and non-profit roles. You can contact him at steveturner.coach@gmail.com to arrange the free session.