Any CIR JET people?
 

Hi,

I want to do the CIR side of the JET programme when I graduate. Are there any people who have done/are currently working for CIR JET?

I am taking the JLPT 2 this year (though I read in the guidelines that you need to pass it the year you enter JET, giving me two attempts.) I think that I'm ok to pass it this year but am yet unsure.

Can anyone give me advice etc? :vsign:

From what I have heard, CIR's are usually former ALT's who have made a good impression. Last year a single CIR spot was open for my prefecture and about ten ALT's applied.

My advice would be to aim for the CIR but accept that you may be an ALT for a year before you get it.

Maybe things have changed, but in my day, it was extremely hard to switch to a new host institution (ALT to another ALT post or ALT to CIR). Most CIRs were people who applied from another country, same as the ALTs, it wasn't an "advancement" for ALTs. Also, many CIRs came from countries other than the English speaking countries that ALTs came from... we had CIRs in our prefecture from France, Mexico, and China.

It may have been another position at the prefectural board of education they were going for. I am not quite a JETxpert.

Well, I said it was extremely hard, not impossible (as far as I know). I don't personally know of anyone who went from an ALT to CIR, but I do know of 2 people who managed to switch from 1 ALT location to another. 1 girl was able to manage it in the 2 years I was there, and a year after I left, I heard that an ALT from a few towns over transfered into the position I had been teaching in. So it is possible to do. But there's a lot of paperwork, and you need to give some good reasons why you need to move (I don't know the exact reasons given by those 2 who succeeded, but I'd heard that in order to move, it's got to be something a lot better than "I just like that place better".)

Hey
Thank you for your answers so far.

As I said before, I was a little discouraged from the ALT job as I wont get to use my Japanese (and my TESOL qualification is irrelevant) so, if possible, I want to go straight to CIR.

Anyway, thank you.

If there are any other CIR people or people with CIR info, please let me know.
:)

As an ALT you have PLENTY of opportunity to use Japanese...trust me.

Yeah, just living there you'll find tons of chances to use it every day. And the JTEs (Japanese teachers of English) will often prefer to talk with you in Japanese if they know you can understand it. I didn't speak any Japanese though, so they had no choice but to speak in English with me, and I think it helped them improve their confidence in using English, as well as the students. (Yes, you'll find some English teachers that are still worried about conversing in English!)

But if you prefer the job of CIR to ALT, go for it! There are fewer openings, but also fewer candidates. I don't know what percentage of CIR applicants are selected and how these 2 things balance out.

I've heard of ALTs switching to CIRs, but I don't think it's that commonplace. Perhaps it was more common when you were a JET, jason. On a CIR forum that I read from time-to-time, I never hear about anyone switching from ALT to CIR, it's always a new applicant going directly for CIR -- something that I'm doing right now, in fact. I just had my interview at the Japanese consulate in Chicago.

As far as JLPT Level 2, I don't believe its an actual requirement to be a CIR, but your Japanese should be roughly at that level. However, you should still definitely take it, as it will help out when you're applying. The CIR position is a lot harder to get than an ALT, and I think Japanese language skills is often the deciding factor. In my interview they had me read a couple articles from Japanese magazines and then they asked me questions about what I read... so you might do well to brush up on your reading skills by ordering a couple Japanese magazines or a newspaper.

Anyway, I won't know if I'm hired for a few months yet, but things look good :D

Thank you, fellow Nagoya person! Would you mind telling me the CIR forum you mentioned, please? I've been reading the Big Daikon and it's very useful. They said in there mainly about the interview in London (which is where I would take it) being all in Japanese, and, as you said, the two articles. I've not tried reading articles lately but I should give it a try soon..

Also, to the person above (I can't remember who) I'm currently in Japan, as an exchange student, so I use Japanese every day and in every day life here anyway. What I meant to say above is that I want a challenge with my Japanese and I think that I can get that if I use Japanese in the work place. :o