Eligibility
General Information:
Please be aware that not all countries are represented on the JET Programme. This is primarily because the decision as to how many participants to be recruited in which country depends mainly upon the request of the local governments in Japan. If you are interested in participating in the Programme, you are advised to contact the Embassy of Japan in your home country to find out if your country is on the list of countries where recruitment is expected.
All applicants must:
- hold a Bachelor's degree in any subject by July of the year of departure;
- be a citizen of the country where the recruitment and selection procedures take place;
- have excellent skills in the designated language (both written and spoken). (For English-speaking countries this is English, and for non-English speaking countries it is English or the principal language);
- have a keen interest in the country and culture of Japan;
- in principle, be under 40 years of age or less (as of April 1, 2010);
- not have lived in Japan for 6 or more of the last 10 years, nor be a former participant in the programme for the last 3 years.
(for more detailed information on eligibility criteria, please refer to official application documents).
- TEFL qualification is helpful, but not required.
- must have a functional command of the Japanese language, i.e. sufficient for daily work in a Japanese office environment.
- Excel in a certain sports field and be recommended by either the participating countries' National Olympic Committee (NOC) or government organisation. Alternatively, the applicant should have equivalent abilities and recommendations. Furthermore, it is necessary to have a recognised and prestigious coaching certification/qualification from a vocational college or to have at least 3 years of coaching experience in one's specialised sports field.
Contract:
- Duration is for one year, ending in July or August of the year following departure.
- Renewable in principle for up to two additional years with the mutual consent of the contracting organization and the participant. It is also possible to re-contract in some Host Prefectures, Designated Cities for a fourth or fifth year.
- Participants normally work 35 hours a week, Monday to Friday.
Approximately 3,600,000 yen per annum after Japanese taxes are deducted. (This amount is sufficient to cover normal expenses for a single person, including rent and compulsory insurance payments).
Insurance:
Participants are required to pay about 40,000 yen per month to cover mandatory health insurance, employment insurance and pension fund costs. Accident insurance is also provided in this cost.
Accommodation *:
Participants will be provided with adequate housing information from their contracting organizations. Rents can vary greatly, but normally run between 50,000 yen - 60,000 yen per month.
Transportation:
Round-trip air tickets to Japan are usually provided.
Holidays *:
Japanese national holidays (15 days), plus at least 10 additional days (usually 12 to 20) of paid leave.
Placement:
Participants are placed in cities, towns and villages throughout Japan. Candidates can indicate placement preferences on the application form, but fulfillment of these requests is not guaranteed.
* Conditions of service vary according to the policies of the various contracting organization.
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