CLAIR News March 2024
News・Updates
- Period of Stay and Status of Residence Renewal
- Information for JET Programme Participants ending their Term of Appointment
- JET Video Contest
- 2023–2024 JET Programme Opinion Exchange (CIR)
- Grant for TEFL/TESOL Certification
- Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) Grant
- Applications for Japanese Language Teaching Courses (The Japan Foundation)
- AJET Elections 2024 (National AJET)
General Information
Registration for the Safety Confirmation System (Emergency Call) and Contact Information Survey for JET Participants
CLAIR requests that each JET Programme participant register for the Safety Confirmation System (Emergency Call) and Contact Information Survey. These are two separate systems. Please register to both using the links below.
Safety Confirmation System:
https://asp2.emc-call.jp/clair/index_en.html or
https://asp2.emc-call2nd.jp/clair/index_en.html
Your login ID and password are both the final nine digits of your JET Number, omitting the first two digits (20).
*If your contracting organisation has changed, please register your new address.
Contact Information Survey: https://goo.gl/u1gVT2
Login ID: JET Number (11 digits beginning with 20)
Password: Date of birth (YYYYMMDD)
*For JET Programme participants who were originally scheduled to arrive in Japan in 2020 or 2021 please use your pre-arrival JET number that starts with 2020 or 2021.
Emergency Pocket Guide for JET Programme Participants
To ensure your safety in Japan, please take the time to prepare in case a disaster occurs.
CLAIR has compiled an Emergency Pocket Guide for reference in the event of a disaster. Please fill out the important portions and keep it with you, as a disaster can occur any time.
*CLAIR distributes the Emergency Pocket Guide during orientation for new arrivals.
Response to Safety Confirmation during Emergencies
In the event of a disaster CLAIR will confirm the safety of JET Programme participants using the Safety Confirmation System (Emergency Call). It only takes a few moments to confirm your safety via the email you receive. Please make sure you respond regarding your safety situation when a safety confirmation email arrives, as it otherwise takes time for Host Prefectures/Designated Cities to confirm the safety of each individual JET Programme participant in the affected area(s).
In any given year in Japan, there will be somewhere which has had an emergency warning issued. The country is also prone to large earthquakes. Because of this, we are asking JET Programme participants and supervisors at each contracting organisation to confirm information registered with the Safety Confirmation System and to check how to respond to a safety confirmation request should an email arrive. If you receive a safety confirmation request email, please respond to it right away.
Safety Confirmation requests are sent out based on Host Prefecture/Designated City, so participants may receive safety confirmation requests even when they are not physically near the site of a disaster. In this case, a response is still required from each individual to whom the request is sent.
Note: Beginning in 2022, safety confirmation checks using home telephone lines or cell phones without internet access will no longer be conducted.
Mental Health Support Resources
CLAIR offers the JET Programme Mental Health Counselling Assistance Programme with the aim of enhancing mental health support for JET Programme participants. This Programme provides a partial subsidy (50%, up to 30,000 yen per year) for counselling costs incurred through consultation with mental health professionals not covered by health insurance.
The coverage period for this year is from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024. Documents for the subsidy should be submitted through contracting organisations no later than 5 April 2024. Please consider submitting documents early, as CLAIR usually receives a high volume of applications in March and April.
JET Programme participants can also benefit from free counselling offered by CLAIR via email and Skype. If you wish to use these services, please access them using the URL below, input the ID/password, and follow the instructions for registration. Up to seven Skype sessions are available between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024. We recommend starting with email, which has no limits on usage.
Web Mail and Skype Counselling
Website: https://jetcounseling.com/
Login Information:
Username: jet
(Please check the email edition of CLAIR News for the latest password.)
Period of Stay and Status of Residence Renewal
For JET Programme participants who arrived in April, it is time to extend your period of stay, so please check the dates written on your residence card (especially JET Programme participants in their third year who will be reappointed for another term). For information on extending your period of stay or changing your status of residence, please refer to the Section 2.6 ‘Status of Residence’ in the General Information Handbook (GIH).
Information for JET Programme Participants ending their Term of Appointment
JET participants finishing their appointments in 2024 should refer to CLAIR’s online After JET Guide for information about how to prepare for your successor, move out of your apartment, deal with reverse culture shock and prepare for your next career move.
In addition, if you are finishing your term of appointment on the JET Programme this year and returning to your home country, please make sure you have discussed travel arrangements with your contracting organisation as early as possible.
JET Video Contest
Submissions for the 2024 JET Video Contest are under review! Special recognition will be given to the video(s) with the most likes, so please check out all the videos at the link below and give your favourite a like!
2023–2024 JET Programme Opinion Exchange (CIR)
On 26 February 2024, CLAIR hosted the 2023–2024 JET Programme participant opinion exchange for Coordinators for International Relations (CIRs). We welcomed 12 CIRs to our office to discuss three themes: training, communication, and support.
During the discussion, we received feedback on various topics including registration for grants, the grouping of participants during Mid-Year Conferences, the future of support materials, and communication between CIRs.
These opinions will be taken into consideration and shared within CLAIR to discuss and implement necessary changes to the Programme.
Grant for TEFL/TESOL Certification
The submission period for the 2023–2024 Grant for TEFL/TESOL Certification closed on 22 February 2024. All successful applications should have been contacted by CLAIR.
Details regarding the grant are available on the following page: https://jetprogramme.org/en/tefl/
For questions, please use CLAIR’s new grant-specific email address: grant@clair.or.jp
Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) Grant
The 2023–2024 Grant for JLPT is offered to JET Programme participants who have passed the N1, N2, or N3 level of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) for either the first or second test of 2023. The grant reimburses the complete testing fee of 7,500 yen.
Applications have closed on Friday, 15 March 2024. Applicants will receive more information once the payment details have been finalised for transfer.
Applications for Japanese Language Teaching Courses (The Japan Foundation)
The Japan Foundation will be hosting a special training course for JETs Programme participants who are considering teaching Japanese as a second language in the future. The course will be hosted at the Japan Foundation Japanese-Language Institute in Saitama City.
Participants will utilise their experiences in Japan to engage in workshops geared not only toward readying them to teach the Japanese language in the future, but bolster their repertoire for classroom teaching as current JET Programme participants.
Details are as follows:
Dates
First Session: 13 May (Mon.)–21 May (Tues.)
Second Session: 27 May (Mon.)–4 June (Tues.)
*The content is the same between sessions. Participants may only join one.
Those who wish to participate may apply through the following form upon receiving permission from their contracting organisation. The deadline for registration is 23:59 JST on 31 March (Sun.).
https://forms.office.com/r/vF4yMrSBVD
A course guide and other material may be downloaded from the following link.
https://www.jpf.go.jp/j/urawa/trnng_t/other_jet.html
Contact:
The Japan Foundation
Japanese-Language Institute Teacher Training Team
Email: nc_jet@jpf.go.jp Phone: 048-834-1181
AJET Elections 2024 (National AJET)
The National Association for Japan Exchange and Teaching (National AJET) is holding their annual elections. If you are interested in running for a position on the National AJET Council, please visit their website for more information on how to nominate and run for positions. The deadline for applications is 20 March 2024.
National AJET website: http://ajet.net/elections2024/
Home Country Taxes
Personal tax affairs in one’s home country are the responsibility of each JET Programme participant. Be sure to obtain and keep your gensen chōshūhyō, or Statement of Earnings. Please refer to the General Information Handbook (GIH) for more details.
Japanese Language Courses (Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced)
You can apply for online Japanese language courses offered by CLAIR.
For the 2023–2024, changes are being made to the format and application process for the JET Programme Japanese language courses. For detailed information, please check out the course guide on the JET Programme website (links below).
http://deli3.study.jp/?multi
http://jetprogramme.org/ja/languagecourses/
Japanese Language Course Application Form:
https://bit.ly/2HfLvpv
Regarding unit deadlines: Each unit will be extended automatically for up to six months, requiring additional contact through the course help desk for extensions into the seventh month onward. It is recommended to complete each unit within one month to complete the course in a reasonable timeframe.
Note: Questions about course content (grammar, vocabulary, etc.) may be submitted through the course provider site to receive an instructor response. Please not that responses may take a few days.
Embassy Information for JET Programme Participants
CLAIR has started a new webpage on the JET Programme website for embassies in Japan to post information for JET Programme participants from their country. Please check this page regularly for updates.
https://jetprogramme.org/en/embassyinformation/
Please note that CLAIR does not take responsibility for any of the information listed on this page. For enquiries regarding the information on this webpage, please contact the embassy in question directly.
Registering with Your Embassy
All JET Programme participants are strongly advised to register with their home country’s embassy or local consulate, and/or through their embassy run travel registration scheme while living in Japan. Your embassy may be able to help you and your relatives obtain necessary information and check on each other’s safety in times of emergency. Please check the website of your home country’s embassy or local consulate for more details:
Lump-Sum Pension Withdrawal Payment
JET Programme participants finishing their appointments and returning to their home countries may be eligible to receive a pension refund (lump-sum withdrawal payment). For more information, please refer to page 176～183 of the General Information Handbook (GIH).
https://jetprogramme.org/en/gih/
Information is also available in English and Japanese on the following website:
Enrolment in Property Insurance
Is your house or apartment covered by property insurance (kasai hoken)? If you do not know, please check with your contracting organisation supervisor.
There have been several cases where JET Programme participants were forced to pay for the damages to not only their own, but also their neighbours’ housing when there were water leaks or other problems. (If a water leak occurs, damage to the property of neighbours is covered by the JET Accident Insurance Policy Liability Endorsement, but damage to your own property as well as damage to the structure or building can only be covered by property insurance.)
Whether or not to purchase property insurance is the choice of the JET Programme participant. However, if found liable for damages, the costs can be very high. Therefore, CLAIR recommends that participants enrol in property insurance.
Although the majority of JET Programme participants live in rental properties, earthquake insurance may also be taken to account for the cost of lost household items, such as personal computers or TVs. Therefore, please take care to research a suitable form of insurance for your situation.
ALT, CIR & SEA Resources Available on the JET Programme Website
This is a reminder that CLAIR compiles handbooks for ALTs, SEAs, and CIRs on the JET Programme website.
The handbooks provide information on work duties, and how to adapt to your workplace in Japan.
If you have not checked out your handbook yet, please take a look!
Additionally, the page contains teaching materials for ALTs, including many example games and activities for different school levels.
https://jetprogramme.org/en/acs-h/
In addition to the resources above, another ALT Handbook produced by MEXT with support from the British Council can be viewed at the following site.
