Teaching English in Japan with the JET Programme!

[theriddlersnotes]

mannn that sucks a boke D:

[vidEOkid12345]

I am definately considering going to japan through the JET system, cuz id love to see what its like in a japanese school, and teach them more about my language, and maybe abit of culture on the side :), i cant wait!

[aussiechick00]

hey can you tell me how u woould say "the only words i know are..." so tht i could say "sorry, the only words i know are..." if i ever went there? (im just big on the excuses thing XD...obviously)

[rgomez246]

Planning on doing the JET Program someday :) I will be starting college when I'm 21, majoring in Communications with a specialty in Public Relations so I hope I get in with something like that :p

[elizabethpink]

A number of my friends have gone to Japan with the JET Programme and one thing they've all commonly said is that the students ask a LOT of personal questions. Mainly about their sensei's romantic relationships. Did you find the same thing? And is there a reason? (I know family is of extreme importance there, so I'm assuming that's why.)

[Ms01722]

Can anyone compare the experience you'd get out of teaching english in Japan compared to China?

p.s. Kevin is a nice-looking guy.... ;D

[PolishCutie93]

do you have to have a teaching degree to do the JET program?

[vidEOkid12345]

@PolishCutie93 i read that you only really need a bachelor degree, and not a specific one, just a bachelor degree in anything xD

[creamiorange]

Can someone give me an estimate of how much money a university english teacher would make a month? I'm in college now and I'm debating whether the extra 2 years for a masters degree would be worth it.

[fagbowsa]

aaron reminds me of steve from blues clues..... i don't have the oddest idea why either....

[BouvierLovesDesrosie]

Sweden isn't on the list of participating countries for the JET Programme, does that mean that I have no way to apply?

[PussyCatDoll14]

Thank you soooooo much for this video!!!

[6shige9]

ビデオ、ときどき楽しく拝見させていただいています。

がんばってください。(^ ^)b

[Bluesub6]

Maybe a stupid question - is your income made as a JET in Japan in anyway taxable by the US government if you're an American citizen?

[nulifeagain]

whats the age limit for JET? also, do you have to have a degree? thanks for posting!  enjoyed it

[vidEOkid12345]

@nulifeagain ive read that you have to be at least under 40

[chibomato78]

I have a family, and I want to teach English in Japan. is Jet an option for me?

[LaurenRoseUK]

Can girls teach in japan too, I really want to go after I finish my degree x

[poloxamer407]

@LaurenRoseUK of course you can

[artsyweirdo]

before you went to Japan, did you know any japanese? and once you arrived in Japan, did you live with someone else?..sorry for all the questions...did you encounter many english speakers?

[zebaroa666]

hi there, can a english teacher who's not a native english speaker join the Jet programme?

[happymarkkj]

I hope to do the JET program one day. So excided for that, ive been training for a year on my language. Just one more year and im finished with school!

[happymarkkj]

I hope to do the JET program one day. So excided for that, ive been training for a year on my language. Just one more year and im finished with school!

[katsumijp21]

JET is a bit unfair.why just native English speakers? there are a lot of great English speakers that aren't native.

[nulifeagain]

@katsumijp21 its not so unfair...if you have ever taken a language class with a person who wasn't a native speaker (no matter how good their intentions) you'd understand.

[esquire805]

i want to teach

[dagger09]

I don't know if you've answered this already but I would like to teach English in Japan as well but I only have my 3 year experience of teaching 4th graders here in America as a Teacher's Asisstant. Is there any specific training orcertifications I would need to be considered as a candidate? A lot of Programs call for a Bachelors Degree. Thanks for the vid and any help you can give me!

[geezwoman]

For JET, the minimum requirement is a bachelor's degree. If you want to do any academic job in Japan, the government actually requires that you have your bachelors (in anything). Teaching experience is not required. Nor is Japanese language.

[dagger09]

OK, looks like I have to get my butt in school then. LOL. Thank you!!

[1bloody1]

That's awesome. My mom's an adviser at a college and she was helping this student that told her about JET. I want to teach English in Japan, so this is perfect for me. =D

[pixusbubblejet]

I hope Kevin can make a video about experiences teaching English in Japan being Asian or Japanese American?.. i think you definitely had different experiences compared to other "gaijin" ...

[ultraxmusic]

Japanese never think of Asian Americans as "gaijin" because "gaijin" basically means White or Black in Japan. If you are non- Japanese Asian you are a foreigner, but still can be possibly assimilated into Japanese society, and you can become Japanese. But Whites and Blacks can't.

[pixusbubblejet]

I agree. Although I think Western (non- Asian) people can become citizens of Japan, legally speaking, but they would never be accepted as "Japanese" ethnically speaking, because they dont look Japanese.

I think Asians can be accepted as Japanese both legally and ethnically, because they can blend into the society. This is the case with Chinese and Koreans who naturalize as Japanese. They change their identity and totally become Japanese.

[leprasia]

@pixusbubblejet Actually, the Chinese and Koreans born in Japan never really assimilate into the culture. They probably won't get the stares Westerners get but somehow, the Japanese can tell who the foreigners are and exclude them in social groups.

[pixusbubblejet]

@leprasia well having spoken to chinese and koreans born and raised japan, its depends if the said person wants to assimilate or not. if they assimilate they are accepted. if they choose to maintain a nonjapanese identity then they intentionally stick out. thats how it actually is in japan.

[Tarumaezan]

@ultraxmusic Actually a "gaijin" is anyone who is not Japanese. Many Asian Americans who go to live in Japan seem to think that they'll be more accepted as a local than their white or black counterparts. This is simply not the case. The term "gajin" is even used to describe the Ainu (indigenous people of northern Japan). These people have all but lost their cultural identity, having taken Japanese names and lost their language (due to draconian policies), but are still not considered Japanese.

[ultraxmusic]

@Tarumaezan.. Actually you're incorrect. The term "Gaijin" has always been historically attached to Whites & Blacks, but not Asians in Japan. In recent years "Gaikokujin" is used for all non-Japanese foreigners. "Gaijin" traditionally means any non-Asians. The historical fact is Asians can & have been assimiliated by the Japanese. Asians have flexibile identities in Japan, which Whites or Blacks don't have. Chinese, Koreans, Ainu all have a choice, the question is, Which identity do they choose.

[Tarumaezan]

@ultraxmusic I can't claim to be a historian so you may have me on the historical usage of the term "gaijin". I guess it depends on your definition of assimilation. If Chinese and Koreans are willing to change their names, lie about their ancestry and pretend to have been brought up in Japan then I guess they can, as you said, "become Japanese". Due to the physical resemblance, if their Japanese language ability is impeccable, they may pass as Japanese.

[ultraxmusic]

@Tarumaezan.. No its not " i guess", "i claim" or "maybe", it IS a cultural & historical fact. You dont know the history of how "Japanese people" themselves formed and geographical reality of Japan being an island. Mainland Asians have been assimilating into & been assimilated by Japanese society for centuries, even before there was an official "Japan". Its been on going thing for the past few thousand years, and yes, it even happens right now. Of course some Asians do not choose to assimilate.

[Tarumaezan]

@ultraxmusic I'm well aware of the successive migrations from mainland Asia that resulted in the creation of the people we know today as Japanese. The Japan of today, however, is very different from the Japan that the Jomon and the Yayoi people migrated to. Japan has officially existed for a long time and the majority of it's inhabitants consider themselves distinctly Japanese (not part of some Asian brotherhood).

[ultraxmusic]

@Tarumaezan. Well obviously Heisei Era Japan is different from Jomon Era Japan. Do you need to state the obvious to yourself?? That still doesnt change the ongoing fact of cultural assimiliation. The assimiliation of Asians has always been happening, and keeps on happening. It happened 2000 years ago, 1000 years ago, 500 years ago, 50 years ago, 5 years ago, 5 minutes ago.. Its not a "possibility", its a definite sociological fact. The point is Asians have a different experience from "Gaijin".

[Tarumaezan]

@ultraxmusic Again with your flawed definition of "gaijin". Non-Japanese Asians in Japan are considered "gaijin". If you don't believe me I suggest you come to Japan and randomly ask Japanese in the street if they consider Chinese, Koreans, Vietnamese, Indonesians, etc to be "gaijin". You will undoubtedly find the answer to be a resounding yes.

[ultraxmusic]

@Tarumaezan.. Again your lack of historical & cultural knowledge of the term "Gaijin". Both the historical fact & present fact is that the word "Gaijin" is automatically applied to White & Black foreigners because they do not look Japanese or Asian. Asians are traditionally not called "Gaijin" but called by their specific ethnic group name. I have spoken to many Chinese and Koreans born and raised in Japan, and they are not called "Gaijin", but "Kankokujin", "Chuugokujin", and often Nihonjin!

[Tarumaezan]

@ultraxmusic The term gaijin is applied to non-Japanese Asians. Japanese people are generally very polite and will address someone as a Kankokujin, Chugokjin, Doitsujin, New Jilandojin, etc upon learning which country they are from. They do this for non-Asian foreigners too. I am Caucasian and have been reffered to by co-workers as a Nihonjin who can speak English. This is flattering but is not meant to be taken too seriously.

[ultraxmusic]

@Tarumaezan. If you think you have the same experiences as a Chinese or Korean person born and raised in Japan, you are seriously deluded. Of course you are "Gaijin", but that cannot be said for Asians who have successfully assimilated into Japan or have been in Japan for generations. As I have stated before, go back read it, some Asians choose not to assimilate and keep a non-Japanese identity. In most of these cases they have no stake in Japan, are nationalistic. or dont plan to live in Japan.

[Tarumaezan]

@ultraxmusic I don't think I've had the same experience as Chinese or Koreans born or raised in Japan. I never said that. I quite enjoy my guest status and not having to change myself to be accepted by society.

[Tarumaezan]

@ultraxmusic In the Japan of today the term gaijin is applied to all foreigners regardless of whether they are Asian, Caucasian or Negroid. You appear to be unaware of the numerous difficulties and discrimination faced by the Ainu, Zainichi,Ryukyuan people and Brazilian Japanese. There are also widespread reports of abuse by Japanese employers of the migrant worker scheme and the mainly Chinese workers who come to Japan to work under the scheme.

[ultraxmusic]

@Tarumaezan. No. In the Japan of today, "Gaijin" is still automatically applied to White & Black foreigners, but not necessarily to Asian foreigners who have the option of Assimilation in Japan. The fact of the matter is there is no feeling of Foreigner Brotherhood that you are implying, that Whites, Blacks and Asians in Japan are the same and feel connection to each other. That is simply not true. East Asians in Japan have long known about and taken advantage of their flexible identity options.

[Tarumaezan]

@ultraxmusic I never implied there was any feeling of Foreigner Brotherhood in Japan. Read the post again. The reference was in regards to there being no "Asian brotherhood".

[ultraxmusic]

@Tarumaezan. You seem to be unaware that when looking closely at alleged cases of discrimination, it usually is proven to be cultural unawareness or lack of education regarding local customs. Something as small as sorting recycled garbage properly, and the problems it causes. The fact is in most cases Nikkei Brazilians do successfully assimiliate into Japan because of relatives and friendship circles that ease the transition. Assimilated Chinese & Koreans in Japan also have relatives & networks.

[Tarumaezan]

@ultraxmusic Nothing I wrote suggests this. I live in Japan and am well aware of these issues. Of course it is possible for newcomers to Japan to establish networks of friends and relatives. Non-Asian people can do this too. But regardless of one's ability to establish support networks the fact remains that discrimination against foreigners (including the Asians) in Japan does exist. It doesn't affect everyone but it does affect many (including East Asians).

[ultraxmusic]

@Tarumaezan. In your attempt to overstate the "Japanese/Non-Japanese" concept, and obsession with "discrimination", you have ignored the historical & cultural facts. The fact is Whites & Blacks do not have the same experiences as Asians because of fundamental historical & cultural differences between them. This has led to different treatment & experiences of these groups in Japan. Of course there is discrimination. But imagining all foreingers are "Gaijin" seriously misunderstands the situation.

[Tarumaezan]

@ultraxmusic It's not me who serioulsy misunderstands the situation. There are fundamnetal cultural and historical differences between Asian cultures too. Fact remains non-Japanese (including east Asians) are considered "gaijin" by Japanese people. Unless, of course, they choose to pretend to be Japanese.

[ultraxmusic]

@Tarumaezan. No, you are simply wrong. You seem to think all foreingers have the same experiences as you, but you are totally misunderstanding the situation. The word "Gaijin" is automatically applied to Whites & Blacks because they simply do not look Japanese/Asian. The fact is "Gaijin" is automatically applied based on physical appearances. But for Asians who do not look "Gaijin" there is no automatic application. Asians have more varied experiences and flexibility compared to White & Blacks.

[Tarumaezan]

@ultraxmusic I certainly do not think that all foreigners have the same experience as me. We all have different experiences. But your usage of the word "gaijin" is inconsistent with the way every Japanese I know uses the word.

[ultraxmusic]

@Tarumaezan. Well, the fact is your usage of the word "Gaijin" is quite inconsistent with the way every Japanese I have ever known for the past few decades in Japan uses the word.. You are also inconsistent with the historical & social & cultural facts of Japan.. So in fact "Japanese" people cannot be simply reduced into an overly simplistic "either/or" dichotomy as you've done.

[Tarumaezan]

@ultraxmusic That's not what I've done. What I did was point out that being Asian doesn't mean the Japanese will view you as any more Japanese than a white or black person. The fact that terms such as sangokujin, zainichi kankokujin, zainichi chosenjin and nikkei burajiru-jin exist indicates that simply being of similar appearance to Japanese people, or even being born in Japan, doesn't mean you will be recognised by society as Japanese.

[Tarumaezan]

@ultraxmusic Of course it's possible for foreigners to assimilate into Japanese society, difficult but possible. However, without changing one's name, speaking and reading Japanese at an impeccable level and lying about one's origins, even people of similar appearance to Japanese people will not be considered Japanese.

[ultraxmusic]

@Tarumaezan. No. you are completely wrong because in fact Asian people who have successfully assimiliated into Japan are in fact accepted as Japanese and this goes on with continuing generations. This has already happened continuously for many years. This is happening now in the present. You are contradicting the actual cultural & historical facts of assimiliation based simply on your personal narrow experience as a western gaijin.

[Tarumaezan]

@ultraxmusic You state that Asian people have more flexible identities in Japan than non-Asian people. Given that non-Japanese Asians residing in Japan must go to such extreme measures (as changing one's name and lying about one's ancestry) to be considered Japanese I personally don't see them as having particularly flexible identities. Obviously you do.

[ultraxmusic]

@Tarumaezan. Compared to Gaijins (ie Whites and Blacks) the Asians who have move to and lived in Japan continuously non-stop for hundreds of years in fact have flexibile identities because they have the opportunity to be assimilated into Japan. That is the fact of the matter. Whites & Blacks do not have the opportunity to be assimilated into Japan because they are Gaijin. A few Westerners have achieved legal status as citizens, but its quite rare, and they are never really accepted as Japanese.

[ultraxmusic]

@Tarumaezan. Maybe you need a more simple explanation. White & Black Gaijin Westerners are never culturally accepted as Japanese, despite a small few gaining citizenship, in actual practice they are Gaijins for life. On the other hand, tens of thousands of Asians who want to become Japanese, can and have been culturally assimilated as Japanese for so many years. So its pretty obvious that Asians have more flexible identity options, compared to Westerners who remain Gaijin for their entire lives.

[Tarumaezan]

@ultraxmusic While assimilation into Japanese society is possible for other Asians it involves denying one's ethnic heritage and pretending to be Japanese in order to avoid discrimination or simply being treated as a foreigner.

[Tarumaezan]

@ultraxmusic Of course the Ainu situation is very different. Perhaps my Japanese coworkers were mistaken when they told me that the term "gaijin" actually applies to Ainu too. In any case, despite the fact that they have taken Japanese names, ceased speaking their native language, and for all intensive purposes adopted a Japanese lifestyle, many Ainu are still identified by their physical charateristics and many talk of being teased in school for this. They also talk of workplace discrimination.

[caca1712]

@pixusbubblejet

Yes I agree.

[Bezu]

Awesome! I'm going to sign up right now! I knew there was a reason I took all the japanese classes in my first 3 semesters of college :)

[genoism]

Cool video. I'm really considering applying. Though do you think I'm screwed if I'm a vegetarian? It seems like every food over there is sprinkled with some sort of meat or something another that was from an animal.

[semipuri]

in the photos you reminds me onizuka sensei of GTO!lol

[ClaireDrama]

sounds like an awesome time!!!

[dysthymia7]

Have you ever heard a teacher having an affair with a legal age high school student?

[speekit]

unfortunately, yes. but luckily no one I know or met personally.

[darcyperkins]

@speekit i did jet from 99-02 in ibaraki. heard thru the grapevine/story mill of a jet who got not one but two of his jhs studnens pregnant. not sure of truth of this but heard it. loved japan though. was my major for my undergrad degree and was there twice and spent 4.5 years there.

[ALifetimeDream]

@speekit What's unfortunate about it if they're legal?