Re: Applying to the JET Program - Vlog #2- Don't procrastinate!

[crackaline]

yeah i'm still waiting for 1 of my letters of recommendation and i asked her to do this for me in september. she said she was sending it out this week though so i'm hoping to get everthing else squared away. i am praying so hard to get into this program. i have never wanted to do anything else more than this in my life.

[MessagesFromEarth]

I know exactly how you feel. It sounds like you're in a situation very similar to the one I was in.

If you don't get your letter this week, grill the person writing your letter and make sure they understand your deadline.

Best of luck!

[NullnV01d]

Hey there from Scotland!

Thanks for making and sharing these videos, I've just watched them back to back and enjoyed them all. Subscribed!

From what I see you don't mind answering questions so I'll just come out with them instead of asking if I can ask :D

I'm interested in the lessons you described giving, did you plan those yourself or was it part of the JET trainning? I'm a student Primary school teacher and they sound very good, both educational and captivating.

[MessagesFromEarth]

Hey there in Scotland!

As far as my introduction "lessons" go, JET in no way gave me any advice. MyArgonauts's awesome videos gave me some prep, but some of the JETs who had been in Kagoshima City for a few years were the ones who really told us what we would need to do for our introductions and how to do the introductions in a way that would be interesting for the students.

I have to say its gone pretty well so far, only it gets a little repetative after you've done it 50+ times :)

[NullnV01d]

I'm getting through MyArgonauts's videos slowly but surely, they've all been pretty helpful so far. It's going to be a couple of years before I'm applying to JET but I'm looking to go on a working holiday next year so there is still a lot of useful info for that.

[myargonauts]

cool beans! Thanks for the excellent advice!  I agree with all that you said - the letters of rec are very important and somewhat out of your control, so it's good to get on them early and follow-up, as you did, to make sure they'll be completed in time.

[kansaiPJ]

Very good point. As someone who regularly writes recommendations for my students, I find that I often get them with little time to get them done. Recommenders are naturally, not as enthusiastic about getting it done, nor is it the highest priority on our 'to do lists'. So I think it is extremely important for people who want letters of rec, to get it in early, to make personal contact with the recommender, and to follow up in a timely manner.

[MessagesFromEarth]

I agree. Both the Rec Letter requestor and the writer of the Rec Letter should understand the time fame involved and be committed to a deadline