CLAIR News May 2023
As of 8 May 2023, COVID-19 has been reclassified as a ‘Class 5’ infectious disease. In principle, decisions regarding preventative measures will be left to the judgment of individuals and businesses. Please see the following link for more information.
Despite the changes, the Government continues to recommend, ventilation, hand washing/hand sanitizing, and mask wearing as effective prevention measures.
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 numbers 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)
* If your contracting organisation has changed, please register your new address.
Emergency Pocket Guide for JETs
To ensure your safety in Japan, please take the opportunity to ensure that you are prepared in case a disaster occurs.
CLAIR has compiled an Emergency Pocket Guide for reference in the event of a disaster. Please keep it with you at all times. Please ensure that you fill out the important parts and keep it with you in case of a disaster.
*CLAIR distributes the Emergency Pocket Guide during orientation for new arrivals.
https://jetprogramme.org/en/emergency-support/
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. At the moment Japan is entering a period of increased chance for emergency warnings to be issued as a result of increased rain and typhoons. 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.
With the aim of enhancing mental health support for JET Programme participants, CLAIR offers the JET Programme Mental Health Counselling Assistance Programme. 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.
JET Programme participants can also receive free counselling offered by CLAIR via Web Mail and Skype. If you wish to use these services, please access them using the URLs below, input the ID/password, and follow the instructions for registration. Up to 7 Skype sessions are available between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024. We recommend starting with web mail, which has no limits on usage.
Web Mail and Skype Counselling
Website: https://jetcounseling.com/
Login Information:
User name: jet
Please check the email edition of CLAIR News for the latest password.
The 2023-2024 Grant for TEFL/TESOL Certification was announced in April. Those who wish to take a TEFL/TESOL course in 2023-2024 and receive the grant should carefully review the ‘Grant Overview’ and ‘Grant Guidelines’ available at the following link, then fill out the digital application form.
https://jetprogramme.org/en/tefl/
The deadline for the first application period is Friday, 26 May. Please do not begin your selected course until receiving a notice of eligibility from CLAIR in June.
For questions regarding the grant, please use CLAIR’s new grant-specific email address: grant@clair.or.jp
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), during either the first or second tests of 2023. The grant reimburses the complete testing fee of 7,500 yen. To apply, please send the application form available at the following link by mail directly to CLAIR so that it arrives by the following dates. Details regarding applications procedures are available at the following link.
https://jetprogramme.org/en/jlpt/
| Test | Test Date | Grant Application Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| First | 2 July (Sunday) | 17 November 2023 (Friday) |
| Second | 3 December (Sunday) | 15 March 2024 (Friday) |
Please note that registration for the first testing date has ended. Registration for the second testing date is planned to run from 24 August 2023 (Thursday) to 14 September 2023 (Thursday). For information on registering for the JLPT, please see the following link (non-CLAIR affiliated).
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.
https://jetprogramme.org/en/gih/
For JET Programme participants who arrived in summer, it is almost 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 page 71 of the General Information Handbook (GIH).
https://jetprogramme.org/en/gih/
CLAIR serializes two columns about JET Programme participants and their activities in our monthly magazine, CLAIR Forum.
- ‘JET Katsuyaku no Genba Kara’ (‘JETs in Action’)
In this column, local authority officials share the activities of JET Programme participants. -
‘JET Kara no Tegami’ (‘Letters from the JET Programme’)
In this column, current and former JET Programme participants share information about themselves and their activities.
CLAIR is searching for writers for the column (2) ‘JET Kara no Tegami’ (‘Letters from the JET Programme’). Applicants would be requested to write one 1600-character article in Japanese. If you are interested in writing for CLAIR Forum, please email the information below to chousei@clair.or.jp
- Name
- JET number
- Nationality
- Job type (ALT/CIR/SEA)
- Host Prefecture or Designated City
- Contracting Organisation
- Affiliation (department/school etc.)
- Content you would like to write about, things you pride yourself on etc.
- Additional documents (optional)
If you are selected to write for CLAIR Forum, you will receive five copies of the magazine containing your article upon publication. CLAIR staff will correct submissions, so please feel free to get in touch no matter your level of Japanese.
Note: The column (1) ‘JET Katsuyaku no Genba Kara’ (‘JETs in Action’) is written by officials from local government authorities, but if you are interested in being featured, please contact us after first consulting with your Supervisor.
Note: Please accept that we may not request articles from all applicants. This is because writers will be selected to ensure a balance between article content, placement area, nationality, and other factors. We appreciate your understanding in this matter.
https://www.clair.or.jp/j/forum/forum/index.html
You can apply for online Japanese language courses offered by CLAIR.
For the 2024 fiscal year, changes are being made to the format and application process for the JET Programme Japanese language courses. Please check out the course guide on the JET Programme website (link below) for detailed information:
http://jetprogramme.org/ja/languagecourses/
Japanese Language Course Application Form
This is a reminder that CLAIR complies 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 haven’t 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/
Besides the ALT Handbook on the JET Programme website, there is another ALT Handbook produced by MEXT with support from the British Council. You can find it here: ALT handbook (https://www.britishcouncil.jp)
All JET Programme participants are strongly advised to register with their home country’s embassy or local consulate, and/or through your embassy run travel registration scheme while living in Japan, as 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:
https://www.mofa.go.jp/about/emb_cons/protocol/index.html
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 2022 edition of the General Information Handbook (GIH).
https://jetprogramme.org/en/gih/
Information is also available in English and Japanese on the following website:
https://www.nenkin.go.jp/international/english/index.html (英語)
https://www.nenkin.go.jp/index.html (日本語)
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 participant. However, if you are liable for damages, the costs can be very high. Therefore, CLAIR recommends that JET Programme 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.
