Adventures as an ALT or a CIR...

[ChisaChi]

It's strange - these sites seem to have a bit of a hazing process, and if you survive then you become one of them and join in heckling the next lot of new people (and occasionally each other). I wouldn't take it too seriously.

I've heard of people being asked to justify their placement requests in interviews, so I'm trying to stick with places I can list some intelligent reasons for requesting.

I remember seeing a chart like this a while ago, handy! I've heard that Aussies seem to have a good chance of ending up in Hyogo, but I wonder if it's just because they hire so many ALTs in general. Do they have so many because it's quite a large prefecture?

[OsakaPapa]

Nice to see that Osaka City has more then 2 ALTs going there, and while chances are still slim, there's still an actual chance. Still gonna go with Nishinomiya though

That chart also saved me from putting down Kanagawa as my third choice like I was thinking about. Pretty much nobody goes there, nor Yokohama city, so that's out. Osaka-fu took more ALTs then I thought, so maybe I'll put a choice in Osaka-fu. I really need to look into these more, because if they ask me why I chose these places, I want to be able to give a ton of reasons why As interesting as it may be, I'm really not a rural life kind of person, and I don't think I'd fare too well out there. I'd love to visit those places, but never live there.

[ChisaChi]

Would you turn down a rural placement then? It sounds like they do make up a pretty big percentage of JET placements. I'm just hoping wherever it is has internet access, but it seems even rural Japan is pretty well connected.

Eep, I just looked at how many people from the consulate I'll be applying from got through this year - seven, including one CIR. Of course Canberra is a pretty small city itself, but still ._. I guess at least that means the consulate won't have too many applications to lose mine in.

[OsakaPapa]

I don't think I would turn it down, but I know I would not be nearly as happy/functional in a rural setting. Also, when I say rural, I mean inaka type places, where I may be the first American people have seen or something like that. Shikoku, and prefectures like Shimane and Totoori come to mind when I think of places in Japan I don't want to live in. Where I live in the US is exactly the kind of place I'd like to live in Japan. Easy access to a major city, and not too far from the ocean. While I know I can handle the inner city life, I'd actually rather live in a suburb or something like that. I just dont wanna be surrounded by rice paddies and little else XD

[OsakaPapa]

I'll be applying out of New York City, which I think has the most applicants anywhere, if not close to it =/ While that means that they send more people, it also means more competition. While I like my chances, having studied abroad in Japan, founded a Japanese club at my university, and studying to be an ESL teacher, the less competition the better XD Depending on how things go, I may end up applying through Washington D.C., but as of right now I'll be going through NYC.

[ChisaChi]

That's fair enough, I think I'd prefer a similar suburban situation too in some ways. Although people's stories of being the town celebrity and being invited to lots of events sounds intriguing for me to not want to rule out the inaka. Playing with random town kids in rural China who thought my weird shaped eyes were incredible was pretty fun XD

Hrmm, just realised that newsletter with 7 people going from Canberra was from 4 years ago XD No indication if it's increased or decreased since then. From the article it looks like they all have a pretty impressive history in terms of experiences in and with Japan, like you do. I'm going to have to find a good angle to make my meager achievements look good!

[SSJup81]

I don't think I'd care for pure inaka/rural either. I really wouldn't favor being stuck in a place where the closest city or signs of civilization is like hours and hours away. I guess out of the three, suburban or semi-suburban, I'm used to suburban anyway, having grown up with it, would be good for a person like me, but whatever is offered to me, if I get to that point, I'd go on and take it...not that I'd have much choice in the first place. lol

Wouldn't it be ironic if by some crazy coincidence, that despite what we all put down or pick for placement, and we all get into JET, that we all end up in the same area or pretty close to one another in an inaka setting? lol

Oh, there is one thing I know I wouldn't do if in Japan that other JETs on some boards seem to glorify...drinking. I just don't get the fascination with sitting around getting drunk. I've never been drunk, but that can't feel too good.

[SSJup81]

Originally Posted by ChisaChi

It's strange - these sites seem to have a bit of a hazing process, and if you survive then you become one of them and join in heckling the next lot of new people (and occasionally each other). I wouldn't take it too seriously.

Well, at least this type of hazing is safe compared to what some university fraternities and sororities do. ^^

I've heard of people being asked to justify their placement requests in interviews, so I'm trying to stick with places I can list some intelligent reasons for requesting.

To be honest, I wouldn't know what to say for either choices without coming across as shallow or petty or uninformative.

Hokkaido: I love winter weather, and this region of Japan is very beautiful in the winter. It is also known for its onsen, good seafood, and various winter activities. It's also not as hot during the summer compared to the other regions.

Tochigi: I know someone on the Tochigi BOE. Yep yep. That's my reason why I chose it. Aside from that, and hearing how nice Utsunomiya-shi was, it sounds like a nice place.

Saitama: Yep yep, it's my sister city. That's my only reason. (Humorous sarcasm) I'm almost guaranteed a spot there!! Relations are important!

Could you imagine telling the interviewers that stuff above if asked? ><;

Maybe I could just say it was a random choice, or if I get to the interviewing process, I can cross my fingers and just hope that they don't ask me about it at all.

[SSJup81]

Originally Posted by OsakaPapa

I'll be applying out of New York City, which I think has the most applicants anywhere, if not close to it =/ While that means that they send more people, it also means more competition. While I like my chances, having studied abroad in Japan, founded a Japanese club at my university, and studying to be an ESL teacher, the less competition the better XD Depending on how things go, I may end up applying through Washington D.C., but as of right now I'll be going through NYC.

If you applied through D.C., and we both get to be interviewed, we'd probably meet up with one another there on coincidence or might even meet one another without even knowing.

[OsakaPapa]

Originally Posted by ChisaChi

That's fair enough, I think I'd prefer a similar suburban situation too in some ways. Although people's stories of being the town celebrity and being invited to lots of events sounds intriguing for me to not want to rule out the inaka. Playing with random town kids in rural China who thought my weird shaped eyes were incredible was pretty fun XD

Hrmm, just realised that newsletter with 7 people going from Canberra was from 4 years ago XD No indication if it's increased or decreased since then. From the article it looks like they all have a pretty impressive history in terms of experiences in and with Japan, like you do. I'm going to have to find a good angle to make my meager achievements look good!

When you talk about that stuff, it doesn't sound as bad X3 I guess it really comes down to making the best of what you have to work with ^_^

Hopefully more people have been sent out of Canberra since then. I'm sure the number has went up especially since the program grows every year. Are there any other places that are in a feasible distance that you can apply from? When it comes to achievements and such, while they would be helpful, I really think the essay is going to be really important, so make sure you nail that pretty good That will really tell them about you and if you plead your case well, I think you'll be fine They can't go just on experiences alone, because not everybody has the same oppurtunities.