As
it's about time for the JET Program 2013 interviews, I wanted to share my
preparations for my successful interview in 2012, as compiled from other blogs
and sources.
No
matter what happens, always appear relaxed and confident. A part of the
interview is seeing how you react to stress. Emphasize that you are up for any
challenge. They are looking for the “genki” factor: that chipper, excited,
happy disposition that will win you have with plenty of Japanese kids. And
don’t forget to smile.
The JET interviews
have three main segments:
1)
Questions about your teaching / international experience
2)
Questions about you personally or how you would react in certain situations
3)
Some kind of teaching / role-playing demonstration
The interview will
be focused on:
- Your knowledge of and level of interest in Japanese culture
- Getting to know more about your personal interests or your background
- If you know what you put on your application, inside and out!
- Your ability to improvise and think on your feet
In addition, I made sure to know my application and statement of
purpose inside and out. Here are the interview questions to prepare for.
Qualifications
Why
do you think you are a good candidate for our program?
How
would you contribute to international understanding?
What
kind of special talents or abilities would you bring to the program or your
students?
Why
should we hire you?
What
makes you different from the other applicants?
Why
didn't you study abroad?
Why
are you interested in Japan
Why
did you choose this particular city/prefecture?
Culture (Shock)
What
kind of negative experiences do you anticipate encountering and how would you
deal with them?
How
do you handle conflicts with your friends?
If
you were at a work-sponsored drinking party and a fellow teacher tried to grope
you, how would you handle it? What if it was the principal?
What
would you do if you were expected to serve tea to the men during the morning
meetings?
What
would you say if a student asked you why America
bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Education Issues
What
sort of teaching experience do you have?
In
what ways do you expect education in Japan
How
will you present your home country to the Japanese people that you meet?
Suppose
there is an important event at one of your schools on a weekend that you had
pre-arranged plans. Your principal asks if you could cancel your plans and come
to the event. What would you do?:
Tell
us three things you would like to tell your future students and other ALTs
about your home country.
If
you could bring only three things to show Japanese students to represent your
home country/state, what would they be and why would you bring them?
Paint
us three pictures: three distinctly Western things that you could describe to
students without having a common language.
Name
the three most important people in American History.
What
if your JTE only uses you for a “human tape recorder”?
How
would you get students interested, especially if they have no reason to learn
English?
Classroom
Management
There
is a loud, obnoxious boy in your class who isn't doing the assignment you have
given.
You
are teaching a lesson and Japanese team teacher makes an English grammar
mistake. What do you do?
What
will you say if a student asks you about drug use?
Would
you ever strike a student? What if the teacher you are teaching with struck a
student in front of you?
What
would you do if you are teaching a class and there is one student in the back
room sleeping? Reading comics? Talking on a cell phone?
What
would you do if a student spit or cursed at you?
What
would you do if you were in the right classroom when the bell rang, but your
team teacher is not there?
General Knowledge
Base
What do you know
about Japan
What
Japanese movies do you like?
What
Japanese food do you like?
What
are your hobbies?
Who
is the governor of your home state (or province)?
Who
is the president and vice-president of your home country?
Who
is the prime minister of Japan
Name
five famous places in Japan.
What
are the important issues facing our world today?
What
are some current important events in Japan
What
holiday is your favorite and why?
Do
you like karaoke?
Name
five famous authors of your home country.
Name
the major islands (or cities) of Japan.
Name
three famous Japanese people.
What
do you know about the political system in Japan
What
are some issues facing Japanese-American relations?
Do you have
anything that you would like to ask us?
Ask
each to give one piece of advice to new JETs heading to Japan
Ask
the former JET about their time as a JET and how their interview went, or their
best moment in JET.
What
can I do to prepare, in the case that I am selected, before departure?
Good luck!!!!!
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