JET Programme Singapore Souvenirs

this title should be the puzzle for "Before and After" on Wheel of Fortune! (and i bet no one got what i mean..)

anyway, i attended the JET farewell reception on thursday, and it was really nice to get to know some of the other singaporean JETs better before we leave, and just as nice to have had the chance to meet some JET alumni and learn more about what's in store for us :)

but perhaps the most interesting piece of information was regarding the JET applicants for 2008. contrary to rumours that there were more than a thousand applicants, the actual number was far far less - about 168 applicants in all. from these 168 applicants, about 40 were shortlisted for the interview, which means that how you appear on paper is extremely important. all the more reason to put in more effort for the statement of purpose and application form!

i also discovered that i'm the 2nd singaporean to be posted to osaka! whee! feel quite privileged :) the first one was also the very first singaporean on JET, and went as a CIR. there arent any CIRS this year, although we're the biggest batch so far. i think the previous 2 batches numbered 18 people, and the good news is that the number of singaporeans going on JET has been increasing steadily.

meanwhile, the bunch of us have been sharing what we're bringing over as omiyage too, and i just feel that i ought to make a public service announcement here regarding buying souvenirs of singapore. do be careful when buying souvenirs from lucky plaza! i'd say that apart from those stuff that are going for 2 for $10 - most of these are being sold at roughly the same price elsewhere, like in chinatown - some of the others are priced really high! for example, this rather beautiful mug featuring scenes of Singaporean culture that i bought at chinatown for $9.90 was going for $12.90 at one shop in lucky plaza, and at $18.90 (!!) at another shop in the same place! this is so clearly a ripoff, and i'd advise all to exercise caution when buying things from there.

better still, just dont buy from lucky plaza unless you've shopped around at other places or if you dont want to inconvenience yourself by travelling elsewhere. i'd say that chinatown is one of the best place to buy souvenirs due to the sheer number of stalls - even then, do check out the stalls nearest to the road along which sri mariamman temple is located before buying anything as they're generally the cheapest - although i heard that arab street and mustafa are great places as well. i dont go to the other 2 that often because they're a little out of the way for me, but i agree that the shops in arab street do sell some pretty nice things that can't be found elsewhere.

oh. and the ultimate ripoff? the souvenir shop at merlion park. buy from lucky plaza if you want, but DO NOT, i repeat, DO NOT EVER buy from the shop at merlion park. and please announce this to every other person who visiting singapore too. if some things in lucky plaza can be a ripoff, just about everything in that shop is CUT-THROAT. check out that place for yourself and you'll realise that i'm not exaggerating at all!

Applying to JET - tips and suggestions

Applications for Singapore typically open in late September, with the deadline usually 2 months later in end November. Application for the 2008 programme began and ended on 25th Sept and 30th Nov respectively, so it'll be a good idea to check the Embassy of Japan's website regularly from 20th September to obtain the application form.

Filling in the form is easy enough once you figure out how to type in your information. It's quite impossible to enter anything until you highlight the entire Word document, select the table settings to show all the borders and lines and merge those within which you want to type something. Maybe it's just that I'm stupid, but it really frustrated me till i figured that out :P if there're any sections for which you need more space and more lines, feel free to attach appendices to your application :)

2 of the most important components of the JET application are the statement of purpose and section 29 (in last year's application form) of the form. I'm not sure if the theme of the latter changes from year to year, but last year's application form requested applicants to state the "proposed direction of their current or future profession and its relationship to the JET Programme".

I heard that there were about 1000* applicants for JET last year! While I cant vouch for the reliability of that information, there are certainly many many applicants yearly, hence making yourself stand out is very important. Here are some suggestions and tips for applying for JET which I hope will be helpful :)

 

First and foremost, JET is a job. It's the first thing that my lecturer said to me when I asked her for a referral letter, and i think it's especially relevant to applicants applying to go on the programme fresh out of university. Many apparently treat the programme as an opportunity for them to travel and have fun, which shows in their application form, and my lecturer informed me that it's usually not as easy for fresh grads to be selected as compared to those with some working experience. I think no more than a quarter of us among the 25 Singaporeans on JET this year are fresh grads, which perhaps may be a reflection of my teacher's advice. So, sound professional and give serious consideration as to what you want out of being an ALT on JET as a career choice!

 

Section 29 of the form is fairly focused, and mine comprised 2 paragraphs and 228 words. I think this section was designed to filter the serious job applicants from those who treat the programme as a travel ticket to Japan, and require applicants to really consider how applying for JET would fit into their long term career plans. It basically wanted the applicant to state:

• why work overseas? --> overseas experience, exposure to different cultures?
• why work in Japan? --> interest in Japan, want to improve command of the language, want to use Japanese in future careers?
• why choose to be a teacher? --> enjoy working with children, want to enter the education sector?

Of course, these can (and should?) link up to personal aims and aspirations too, which are part and parcel of one's career choices anyway!

 

The Statement of Purpose is a bit trickier, as it should cover a broader range of topics. the JET Programme is as much about being an assistant language teacher of English as it is about cultural exchange and sharing. From these arise three very important questions:

1. what skills and strengths do I have to be a good English teacher?
2. how great is my wealth of knowledge regarding my home country and culture (or a variety of countries and cultures) that makes me a worthy applicant?
3. why do I want to apply to teach in Japan and not any other country?

 

What skills and strengths do I have to be a good English teacher -- Perhaps you've done relief teaching and enjoyed it a lot. Maybe you have lots of passion for teaching and conduct lively and interesting lessons. Do you have certain character traits which make you suitable as a teacher? How confident are you regarding your English ability? Why do you think it's important to help to develop the English language skills of (Japanese) children? Has your interest in teaching been inspired by other events or people?

How great is my wealth of knowledge regarding my home country and culture -- I sort of pulled out all the stops when I was addressing this aspect in my essay. haha. I mentioned having been on the Hyogo Ship Programme and sharing information and knowledge with Japanese peers. I talked about how my student exchange to London has impacted me, not just culturally but also in giving me the confidence and the knowledge that i can live overseas - something which i'll be doing when on JET. I highlighted how being Singaporean makes me unique and different from applicants from other countries. Just make a list of everything you can think of, and find a way to link them all together and sell yourself!

Why do I want to apply to teach in Japan and not any other country -- I didn't talk much about this, as most of it was already covered in what I had written in Section 29. But it should state clearly why you're interested in Japan when there're many other countries in which you can work as an ALT too. The culture, the food, the language, the society? Perhaps it's because you've studied these in school but want to experience Japan first hand. Maybe you've been to other countries and want to experience Japan. Whatever it is, just remember that there's far more to Japan than anime, manga, computer games and gadgets!

Besides these, I think it's really important to read, and re-read, and re-re-read the statement of purpose. I refined mine over and over again till I was satisfied with the final product and couldnt make it any better - not that it's perfect, but that it's really the best I can do. I tightened sentences, checked my grammar and punctuation - which MUST be flawless considering you're applying to teach english! - and rephrased paragraphs to squeeze in as much about myself as i could. i added a conclusion, as i felt that it was a good way to end the essay and summarise everything that i'd written.

All in all, I think completing the various components of the JET Programme application form requires spending time and effort. Dont short-change yourself by doing a sloppy job of your statement of purpose thinking that you can always apply again next year if you dont succeed. Ask yourself why you want to go on the JET Programme so much. Readers of your statement of purpose should be able to gain a sense of who you are - as an individual, not just any other person with good qualifications and skills plus a yen for japan - hence it should convey your passions and interest in going on JET. Search your feelings, dreams, hopes and aspirations, write them down, and do your best to convey them in the essay so that whoever reads it will sense your strong desire and be convinced of your motivations.

All the best, and good luck!

 

* Correction - there were about 168 applicants. See here.