Application Timeline

 

2010 APPLICATION DEADLINE: November 24, 2009, 5:30pm, EST

There are two main parts of the application procedure, the initial screening (on-line/written application form) and the interview:

  1. Initial Screening: Once the on-line applicatin is available on our website, you will be able to create an account and fill out your application on-line. You will then be required to send in a print-out of your application to the Embassy of Japan. Early submission of applications is encouraged although there is no “early decision process.” Applications will be processed in the order received but all results will be posted on the same day. All applications received on time will be screened by the Application Review Committee to determine which candidates will continue to the interview stage. Submitted documents, including late applications, will not be returned.
  2. Interviews: Candidates who pass the initial screening stage will be interviewed for final selection at the location they indicated on their application. For a list of interview locations see Table 2. Interview sites cannot be changed without the consent of the Embassy's JET Program Office.

INITIAL SCREENING: December /January 

Applications will be screened at the Embassy during December 2009 and January 2010. We will not accept late application materials and will only consider those complete applications which arrive on time. Upon processing, the JET Program will send confirmation cards to all applicants. The confirmation card confirms receipt of your application in the mail and serves as a reminder of your ID number.

IMPORTANT: All applicants will receive ID numbers (upon creating accounts on our online application or upon receipt of your application by the JET Program). By early February, applicants will be able to check their status online using their ID numbers on this website. Do not call the Embassy or Consulates to check the status of your application.

INTERVIEWS: February 

Applicants who passed the initial screening will be interviewed at the Embassy or one of the 16 Japanese consulates located in the U.S. and Guam (or other designated interview locations as listed in Table 2), as indicated on the application form. Interview dates and other details will be sent to interviewees by the Embassy or Consulate that they chose for their interview location. Interviews are generally held in mid-February (although this is subject to change).  All transportation costs and other expenses to and from the interview site are to be borne by the applicant.

Note about interviews: If you make it to the interview stage of the application process, you must have your interview in the US in February 2010. (Choose your interview location with this in mind.) Telephone interviews or interviews in other countries are not possible for US applicants.

RESULTS ANNOUNCED: Early April 

Final interview results will be announced to successful, unsuccessful, and alternate (see explanation below) candidates in early April 2010. Alternate candidates will be upgraded when needed, until the end of December 2010.

PLACEMENT NOTIFICATION: May-June

Once a short-list candidate accepts a position and sends in the Reply Form, CLAIR, along with related organizations, will assign the candidate to a contracting organization (see Terms & Conditions). After a contracting organization is selected, short-list candidates will be notified of their placement assignments. An unofficial Notice of Appointment, Terms and Conditions of Employment, and other materials, will be sent from the contracting organization to the participant. However, if it becomes clear that there is some factor restricting a short-list candidate’s ability to fulfill the duties of the job or if a contracting organization cannot be found for an applicant, placement may not be possible. If it is determined that the factors which hindered the candidate’s ability to perform the duties of the job no longer exist the following year, the candidate will not be required to complete an application form if he or she still wishes to re-apply to the JET Program.

PROCESSING OF ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS: April-July

Successful applicants and upgraded alternates will be required to submit (1) FBI Identification Record, (2) Certificate of Health, signed by a licensed, practicing physician, (3) Proof of US Residency from the IRS (forms 8802, 6166), (4) photographs for visa application, and (5) proof of graduation (if graduating between November 24, 2009 and July 1, 2010). If you are unable to provide proof of degree conferment by July 1, 2010, you will be disqualified from the program. Alternate candidates will also need to begin the process for their FBI Identification Records and Proof of US Residency in April, if they intend to remain on the wait list. Details on these requirements and additional pre-departure preparations will be provided to participants by the Embassy and each Consulate in the spring.

FBI Identification Record: All successful short-list candidates and alternates will be required to obtain an Identification Record (criminal history record) from the FBI and submit it to the Embassy or Consulate General where they interview prior to departure for Japan. Those who have lived in any foreign countries for more than one year continuously in the preceding five years must also submit a criminal background check for those countries. Failure to submit these documents by the departure date without sufficient reason or if evidence of a criminal history appears on a candidate’s record that was previously undisclosed, said candidate may be disqualified from the JET Program as detailed under “Disqualification."

 

SOME IMPORTANT TERMS:

Short-List Candidate:Applicants who pass the interview stage of the screening process at the Embassy or one of the Consulates receive notification that they have been selected to participate and are scheduled for placement.

Alternates:Applicants who pass the interview stage of the screening process but are not selected for the short-list. Alternates will be upgraded when short-list candidates decline positions or withdraw from the Program. Therefore, the number of alternates who are upgraded depends on the number of short-list candidates who decline postings in a particular year. The JET Program upgrades alternates on an as-needed basis through the summer and fall.

Participants:Short-list candidates who accept positions by sending in their Reply Forms and for whom contracting organizations (placements) have been selected.