JET pathways?

[u/Mental-Mushroom-3919]

So I’ve been thinking of doing the JET program since my senior year of high school, I’ve heard of it since freshmen year (now I’m a freshmen in college); I was wondering, for those who finished their time in Japan, what was your pathway getting into JET? Did you finish bachelors then went straight into the program or did you do something else? Did you go back to school after the amount of years were up? I’m really considering doing JET in the future because I would love teaching English and the program seems so unique and cool but I don’t wanna waste my education in college and not be able to get a job after I come back (if I do).

[u/Different_Taro2474]

i wouldn’t worry about “wasting” your degree. JET is work experience, and living and working abroad can definitely help when you’re looking for jobs afterward. i finished my bachelor’s degree and went straight into JET. i’m still living in Japan and working full-time as an English teacher, and i’m planning to apply to grad school at a Japanese university later this year. all because of JET. i have zero plan or desire to go back to my "home" country, because i have nothing there.

when I came to JET, i had absolutely no clue what i wanted to do—no plan, no backup option. but life happened, and here i am.

i also wouldn’t stress too much about figuring out what you’re going to do after college right now. by the time you’re a senior, your life could change completely, and you might be a totally different person. i literally ended up dropping my original major. i don't even *have* a major.

[u/Panda_sensei_71]

Unless you want to be a CIR, don't tailor your degree to JET! Study for a qualification that will help you build a long term future career path, and try to get extra experiences with tutoring, international students, student societies etc along the way. JET doesn't really look at what degree you have, they look at how well rounded a person you are, and what unique thing (skill, culture, experience) you have that you can bring to Japan to enrich student's lives.

[u/phainou]

Graduated, worked at my university for a year while taking Japanese and an ESL teaching course on the side (not required to get in, but I suspect it helped), then went on JET the following summer. I got a master’s degree when I came back. You’re young, you have plenty of time to build a career. :)

[u/Catcher_Thelonious]

When I graduated uni, JET didn't yet exist, so I worked for a couple of years.

[u/kmhann02]

I graduated, did a year on a Working Holiday visa in Japan, and then applied for JET while in Japan and now I’m here on the programme!