JET Program: I Guess I’m Leaving for Japan?!

Hi friends! It’s been about three months since my last JET Program update. Just as a brief overview for any new friends who are joining me on my journey of moving to a foreign country, I’ve prepared during the last year and a half to two years for a job with the Japan Exchange & Teaching (JET) Program. I was originally supposed to leave for Japan about a month ago, but the timeline for departure was understandably switched around due to the global pandemic and remained uncertain. Well, fast forward to now and I’m frantically preparing to leave!

Okay, I still have some time before I actually go since they said they will give us at least two months to prepare, but hear me out, this process has been no less than an emotional rollercoaster. I started my actual application back in September of last year, during which one of my recommenders for my letter of recommendation made a submission error that locked out my application. I remember I almost broke down crying thinking one error that I had no control over would be the reason I would not get this job that I’ve been working towards since I was 14 years old. I’ve been developing my teaching skills and experience ever since I learned about teach abroad jobs back in 2011 and began active preparation specifically for the JET Program about a year and a half to two years ago. Obviously, everything turned out fine, but in that moment, I was so stressed and upset that something I’ve worked nearly half my life for would be taken away because of something outside my control. After I submitted my application in November, the anxiety of whether or not I would be called back for an interview was slowly eating at me. I got the callback notice in January and was scheduled for an in-person interview in February. During that one month, I frantically studied basic Japanese to prepare for my interview. Let me tell you, I bombed the Japanese language test. I was so confident in everything else about my interview, but when I say I bombed the Japanese language test, I bombed the Japanese language test. Even though the interviewers said the language test is just for bonus points, I was so scared that because of how horribly it went, it would take away points from my actual interview. My complicated review of how my interview went really just left me feeling like the results could go either way. I tried to push all thoughts regarding the JET Program out of my head, but there was a period of about two weeks just before results were announced where I legitimately could not do anything all day. This was during the time I got laid off from my waitressing job due to the pandemic and “shelter-in-place” quarantine laws, so I actually had nothing to do all day except check my emails every five minutes for a results email. The JET Program coordinator told me that results would be out by late March, so here I was wasting away with no other thoughts for two weeks when the results finally came out in April. I was so scared to check the results because a rejection wouldn’t just be a simple rejection for me. If you’ve been following my journey, you may remember that I was forced to graduate a semester early without my minor and without any substantial office work experience. My plans for a summer internship were suddenly thrown out the window a month before my forced graduation. I took a huge gamble by taking a gap year and banking on my acceptance into the JET Program. I was in a situation in which I had to decide that I would give up my dream of teaching abroad, a dream that I’ve been working towards since I was 14 years old, if I didn’t get accepted into the JET Program and go straight into the American workforce. This being the case, I was both so scared and so thrilled that my anxiety would finally be over. When I opened the email and saw “Congratulations!” and “short-listed” at the top of the email, so much joy and relief spread over me. The anxiety of the last two weeks in anticipation for the results and the result itself really did a number on me.

Waiting for the placement results was not as bad as waiting for the acceptance results. At least I knew I was going to Japan in a few months time, and although I would love to be placed in Kyoto City as I had written down in my application, I was still excited to be going to Japan in general and knew I would still find charm in a small town as well. I was in a blissful state of not refreshing my inbox every day and patiently waited for the placement results that would come out in May, but May became June and June became July. I was finally told to stop getting my documents in order, one of which was a certificate of health that cost me around $200 to complete (and now another $200 to redo it since they won’t accept certificates older than 3 months before departure). No additional information was given other than “there is a global pandemic. Japan has closed its borders. Stand by for further instruction.” Well, there were no further instructions until about a month ago when there was official notice that the JET Program would run as planned if, and only if, the Japanese government made a decision to open borders to foreign workers by September 30. I had to submit a form indicating whether or not I would continue with the 2020 JET departure or defer to 2021. I decided to continue with the 2020 departure simply because I was fairly certain that borders would not open up by then and because I did not have a permanent job at that time. I pretty much had no hope of going, so I just thought it would be a nice surprise if I could go in 2020 but still had the expectation of leaving in 2021. Well, in that time, I got a permanent job, and just two days before the September 30 deadline, the Japanese government decided to open its borders. Yikes. I was not prepared for this. I now have a permanent job and want to earn more money before I go to Japan, so I asked for a deferral to the 2021 intake. There were a few days of uncertainty and worry before I was told that I could not change my decision now that placements are in order. When the official email that 2020 departure would proceed came out, I was in the middle of my workday. I had a million thoughts running through my head and just needed a moment to process all the sudden life changes, but I couldn’t until my workday was over. It’s been a few days now, and although I wish I could stay at my current job to build work experience and earn more disposable income to use in Japan, I’ve also come to terms with the situation and am looking forward to finding out my placement.

Honestly, it’s been an emotional rollercoaster of a journey. From staking my entire future on the JET Program to dealing with application hurdles, waiting for an interview callback, taking the train to San Francisco for an interview I left feeling like it could have gone both ways, waiting for placements results that still have not come out five months after the initial estimated release date, from hoping 2020 would proceed as planned to hoping it wouldn’t proceed as planned, and packing my luggage to unpacking and now repacking, this ongoing journey has definitely been a mess, but nevertheless, I’m excited to finally embark on the next chapter. I am a bit sad that with COVID-19, the JET experience has not and will not be the same, full experience as previous years, but it is what it is. The anticipation of placements is slowly starting to eat at me, but in the meantime, I’ll be packing my bags and sorting through my personal belongings. I’m taking this job with the JET Program with the mentality and plan of permanently moving to Japan, so I’ve got my work cut out for me trying to pack my life in just two suitcases!

It’s been a wild ride, friends, but we’re finally almost there. Thank you so much for joining me on this journey. I will keep you updated as soon as I hear more!