What is the JET Program?
The Japan Exchange and Teaching Program is a lot of things to a lot of people. At its most basic level, since 1987 the JET Program has allowed thousands of individuals from over 30 countries to spend a year or more in Japan, teaching English, learning about Japan, and bringing some of their own country to Japan in the spirit of internationalization.
The JET program stands for the Japanese Exchange and Teaching Program. It is run by the Japanese government (with three separate ministries sticking their fingers into its rules and regulations), and is a program intended to enhance cultural exchange and English education in Japan. At least… thats the official definition. But, it turns out, even the official definition varies fairly dramatically depending on who you ask (there is also a lot of verbiage about cultural exchange and internationalization, but that element seems to be increasingly less central). The casual definition would be that its an organization that hires native English speakers to teach English in Japan (it also has some other jobs available, but something around 90% of the jobs are in teaching English). This year there are around 6,000 JETs employed in Japan.
Established in 1987 for the purpose of promoting internationalization and language education at the grassroots level, the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program invites college graduates and young professionals from over 39 countries to share their language and culture with Japanese youth. Billed as one of the largest educational programs in the history of mankind, more than 20,000 foreigners have visited over 16,000 Japanese public schools since the program began. JETs participate in the program in one of three ways: as Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs), who team-up with Japanese colleagues to teach English in primary or secondary schools; as Coordinators of International Relations (CIRs), who perform various international and intercultural related functions in local government offices; or as Sports Exchange Advisors (SEAs), who engage in internationalization activities through the instruction of specific sports.
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