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08-28-2008, 03:46 AM
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08-28-2008, 08:56 PM
Whoa, this thread lit up again since I've last checked! :O I really appreciate all the information on the SoP, as I know I'll be stressing about this a lot in a short time. I really think that being sincere will definitely help your cause. I think after a certain point, it really becomes obvious that you're trying too hard, or being insincere about telling them exactly what they want to hear.
Another really good point about not focusing too much about your own career aspirations and goals. While being an ESL educator IS my career choice (I'm a Linguistics major with TESL cert.), I'm not going to go on and on about how great this is for my career, but talk a lot more about how my ESL education training and skills can help my students. Honestly, without reading this, I probably would have talked too much about how perfect this program is for ME, and not as much about the students. I know that my study abroad term in Japan will really help support my cause at making them believe I'm adaptable and flexible, but I'm really not sure how much I should go into it. Other then mentioning the obvious fact that it happened, I'm not too sure how much more I should go into it. Wargh so much to think about! XD I also need to look more into the areas I want to live in..I know Nishinomiya-shi in Hyogo-ken is my first choice, and Kobe is my second (sister city), but for my third choice...I'm still really up in the air. I was thinking Sakai-shi in Osaka-fu. I would never put down Osaka City (despite how much I love it there), but yeah, as you can see, these places are all pretty close. I really wonder if they will look down on that for some reason, because they know everyone puts down Osaka City, and these are all close to it. From what I've seen, a lot of people put down places in all different areas of the country, which is making me think that maybe I should find another area for my third place. That way if they can't find me a place in Hyogo-ken or Osaka-fu, they will have another prefecture to look in to instead of just throwing me in any place in the country. While I know that can happen anyway, I'd like to think they at least TRY to get you near somewhere you listed. Any thoughts on this former JETs? - Studied in Tokyo for my 2007 Spring Semester. Lived in Ota-ku in the Ontakesan area. Pics can be found on my Facebook. Feel free to add me ^_^
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08-29-2008, 02:22 AM
A friend of mine who got in this year put down all Kansai region placement requests, and got sent to Kagoshima - although that's our sister city and if they wanted a CIR from Perth I think there's only a couple that got through from here.
I'll probably be getting my grammar nazi boyfriend to read through mine... and maybe some of my friends. I think it would help to get some comments from people who have been through or are familiar with the JET application process though, because it really isn't like your average job application (at least not any that I've experienced!). I guess highlighting events that demonstrate your flexibility etc during your stay in Japan is what you need to do? I'll probably be mentioning something about my conversations with people in China, which consisted mostly of them saying 'okay' a lot and much wild gesturing XD Then bonding through our common language of kung fu!
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08-29-2008, 03:13 AM
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Sister city helps...more than you might think... I put down all different areas, and "big city" and got Amagasaki (right next to Nishinomiya, one of my favorite places in the world) but none of my choices were anywhere near Kansai, but I couldn't be happier that it where I was placed, as you can guess.
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08-29-2008, 03:40 AM
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- Studied in Tokyo for my 2007 Spring Semester. Lived in Ota-ku in the Ontakesan area. Pics can be found on my Facebook. Feel free to add me ^_^
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08-29-2008, 05:29 AM
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I THINK you are more likely to be placed in city size rather than location, though it depends how you "rank". My friend was "ranked" almost, if not number one, and he got the exact CIR location he wanted (in Nagoya). Don't count on anything more than you will be living in Japan if you get the job. (BTW, my choices were Tokyo, Nagoya and Fukuoka...places where I had friends...I knew nobody in Kansai when I was placed there, but now it is the best thing that ever happened to me.)
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08-31-2008, 06:22 AM
I have a quick question - does the contract/visa limit any extra work you might do? Specifically I'd like to continue doing freelance web design in my spare time if I go, to keep up with the industry and save up some more money. I don't want to do anything that's actually illegal or that will bring shame on me/my school/every ALT for all eternity though. The clients are likely to be international ones found online rather than local. Sounds unlikely that it would be allowed, but just curious as to specifics
 Failing that, doing freebie websites for charity and not-for-profit organisations should be fine right?
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08-31-2008, 07:40 AM
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- Studied in Tokyo for my 2007 Spring Semester. Lived in Ota-ku in the Ontakesan area. Pics can be found on my Facebook. Feel free to add me ^_^
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08-31-2008, 09:25 AM
Nope, all my freelance work I do at the moment is all legal, under my individual business
Ideally I'd like to be able to keep doing it and declaring it as income like I'm doing now (wouldn't say that to the interviewers though of course, I doubt they'd like it even if it is allowed). Otherwise I'll just do it under the table, but since reputation as a designer is important for getting more work it's a lot easier if I don't have to be secretive about it.
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