The Japan Exchange and Teaching Program (JET)

This program affords graduates with an excellent opportunity to teach English in Japan, Successful candidates will help teach English at junior and senior high schools in Japan. Interested students should contact Professor Takemoto for further advice about preparing a strong application. Normally, the applications must be submitted in late November or early December. Candidates who prepare successful applications may be granted an interview that is usually conducted in February at the Japanese Consulate in Seattle and Portland. Interviews are also held in Spokane. Candidates accepted to the program will be notified in April. Interested candidates should see the JET link below; Takemoto sensei conducts workshops to help candidates prepare for both the written application and the interviews. Keep in mind that this is a highly competitive program that calls for applicants who exhibit a high degree of interest in international education and a fervent desire to teach English in Japan.

JET Homepage

Since 1990, Professor Takemoto has nurtured a special relationship with a small, private English conversation school in the rural community of Kanonji on the island of Shikoku. Every year or two, Professor Takemoto recruits Whitman graduates who express an interest in teaching English in Japan and who demonstrate that they have had experience tutoring and mentoring small children. Contact Professor Takemoto for a short interview and provide a resume, a Whitman transcript (proof of graduation), and one letter of recommendation that talks about your interest in teaching English as a second language and your willingness to work with children.