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Post by 🍅™️ on Feb 12, 2020 10:38:35 GMT 9
お疲れ様 and good luck to everyone who finished their interviews! Please try to not beat yourself up too much if you think you didn't ace the Japanese section!
As I think has been mentioned before, some current members on the forums (including myself!) thought they didn't do well or completely bombed the Japanese section, but still ended up getting in---either through shortlisting or waitlisting!
Although I have no basis on which to say this, I think it's more important that you are able to express (in both English and Japanese) your passion about cultural exchange/Japanese culture than it is to be perfect at Japanese. I interviewed just after I had taken the N3 and I still managed to get in, even after a lot of stumbling over text.
Anyways, congratulations for making it this far as is! And I hope we all can continue to provide advice or reassurance to you throughout this long waiting period.
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Mumblesnore
Dead Stargod
’Tis the season (for Eggnog)
Posts: 16,153
CIR Experience: Former CIR
Location: Tokyo
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Post by Mumblesnore on Feb 12, 2020 17:13:17 GMT 9
Yeah, they're definitely not demanding perfection in the Japanese portion. I misread kanji (I remember specifically I read 品物 as HINBUTSU) and I had to ask what a word meant in one of the questions the interviewer asked me, and I still got in.
Best of luck to everyone!
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Post by Ham on Feb 13, 2020 14:07:24 GMT 9
Also, I want to stress that being asked about becoming an ALT doesn't necessarily mean anything. My interview was pretty short (I think I had fewer than 10 questions, including the 3 in Japanese) and among those, at least two questions (one before the reading and the second one was either the last question or second-to-last question, which made me o0) were along the lines of "how would you feel if you were placed as an ALT?" and "what level of students would you prefer to teach (and why) if you were an ALT?" (To which I answered the older ones because you can get into meatier topics with them.)
Still got shortlisted as CIR.
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Post by michiru on Feb 13, 2020 16:06:56 GMT 9
Also, I want to stress that being asked about becoming an ALT doesn't necessarily mean anything. My interview was pretty short (I think I had fewer than 10 questions, including the 3 in Japanese) and among those, at least two questions (one before the reading and the second one was either the last question or second-to-last question, which made me o0) were along the lines of "how would you feel if you were placed as an ALT?" and "what level of students would you prefer to teach (and why) if you were an ALT?" (To which I answered the older ones because you can get into meatier topics with them.) Still got shortlisted as CIR. Yeah, I definitely agree. I think most interviewers maybe just do it for their records? Like, can we ask this person to be an ALT if need be/checking to see if you've changed your mind since the application. I was also asked, said no, I was not okay with being an ALT, and went on my merry way, getting shortlisted a few months later. I don't think it reflects badly on you if you say no, and I don't think it means you're in danger of not getting in as a CIR if you say yes.
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Post by Dee on Feb 14, 2020 13:39:49 GMT 9
Also, I want to stress that being asked about becoming an ALT doesn't necessarily mean anything. My interview was pretty short (I think I had fewer than 10 questions, including the 3 in Japanese) and among those, at least two questions (one before the reading and the second one was either the last question or second-to-last question, which made me o0) were along the lines of " how would you feel if you were placed as an ALT?" and "what level of students would you prefer to teach (and why) if you were an ALT?" (To which I answered the older ones because you can get into meatier topics with them.) Still got shortlisted as CIR. I was asked the exact same questions, and I got shortlisted too.
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Post by Aya Raincoat on Feb 14, 2020 19:41:33 GMT 9
To be fair, some CIRs are essentially ALTs who speak Japanese...
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seduy
Straight outta Narita
Posts: 25
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Post by seduy on Feb 27, 2020 0:31:31 GMT 9
How does the waitlist work? As in, for the results email if you are not shortlisted would you automatically get an option to be put on a waitlist (first come)? Or can you just be outright rejected (either-or)?
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Post by Aya Raincoat on Feb 27, 2020 8:34:10 GMT 9
How does the waitlist work? As in, for the results email if you are not shortlisted would you automatically get an option to be put on a waitlist (first come)? Or can you just be outright rejected (either-or)? There are 3 options: - Shortlisted: you're going for sure
- Alternate: if you accept, they may or may not call you within the next 8 months to upgrade you; this is not necessarily first come, first serve, since the COs have requirements (e.g. they need someone who's single because of the apartment they have)
- Not selected: better luck next time
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Post by herakleitos on Mar 3, 2020 1:46:18 GMT 9
What fun! I get an email from the JET program informing me that the government has somehow misspelled my last name! Now I have to furiously dash to re-do my fingerprinting. Unbelievable.
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zaza
Straight outta Narita
Posts: 25
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Post by zaza on Mar 4, 2020 4:52:01 GMT 9
To any of the Canadian CIRs, any idea what specific record check is needed if I were to get accepted? There are 3 options for Ontario so I am not quite sure. (Criminal Records, Criminal Records and Judicial Matters, and Vulnerable Sector)
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Post by Aya Raincoat on Mar 4, 2020 8:36:36 GMT 9
To any of the Canadian CIRs, any idea what specific record check is needed if I were to get accepted? There are 3 options for Ontario so I am not quite sure. (Criminal Records, Criminal Records and Judicial Matters, and Vulnerable Sector) I believe it used to be Vulnerable sector, but the plan Criminal Records was fine last time I applied? Please direct these types of questions to the embassy/consulate, though! (Or if another Canadian hopeful already asked and has an answer that's not 3 years old, hue)
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Post by beniyuri on Mar 11, 2020 17:15:33 GMT 9
Any Oita CIRs here? All I know about Oita are the hot springs! How many CIRs in that prefecture?
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Post by kiseki on Mar 11, 2020 17:38:10 GMT 9
Any Oita CIRs here? All I know about Oita are the hot springs! How many CIRs in that prefecture? [mention]orihime [/mention]is there
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Post by 𝑜𝓇𝒾𝒽𝒾𝓂𝑒 on Mar 11, 2020 17:58:12 GMT 9
Any Oita CIRs here? All I know about Oita are the hot springs! How many CIRs in that prefecture? Oh hey! I'm in Oita prefecture! Did you get your placement already?
We have: 1 CIR (English) in Beppu City (me) which is where most of the onsen are
3 CIRs (English, Chinese, Korean) in Oita City (we used to have 4, one finished a few months ago and hasn't been replaced yet but they were in the rugby promotion dept. so now the Rugby World Cup's over idk if they'll be replaced), all in the prefectural office 1 CIR (German) in Taketa I think
1 CIR (Korean) in Bungo Ono I think (they may have left because last time I saw them they were a 5th year and that was last year)
I think that's all of them? So a total of 6/7
I'm finishing in August but I got told they're not replacing me so unless they lied to me hue if you did get placed here I would say it's prolly most likely you'll be in the prefectural office in Oita City, unless a town/city who doesn't have one atm has decided they want one.
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Post by Aya Raincoat on Mar 12, 2020 8:40:00 GMT 9
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Post by beniyuri on Mar 12, 2020 14:31:33 GMT 9
Any Oita CIRs here? All I know about Oita are the hot springs! How many CIRs in that prefecture? Oh hey! I'm in Oita prefecture! Did you get your placement already?
We have: 1 CIR (English) in Beppu City (me) which is where most of the onsen are
3 CIRs (English, Chinese, Korean) in Oita City (we used to have 4, one finished a few months ago and hasn't been replaced yet but they were in the rugby promotion dept. so now the Rugby World Cup's over idk if they'll be replaced), all in the prefectural office 1 CIR (German) in Taketa I think
1 CIR (Korean) in Bungo Ono I think (they may have left because last time I saw them they were a 5th year and that was last year)
I think that's all of them? So a total of 6/7
I'm finishing in August but I got told they're not replacing me so unless they lied to me hue if you did get placed here I would say it's prolly most likely you'll be in the prefectural office in Oita City, unless a town/city who doesn't have one atm has decided they want one.
Thank you for the detailed answer! And wow, it narrows down easily. Yes, I just got my placement yesterday. I was surprised because I was bracing myself for a rejection letter because I felt I bombed the interview. I have never been to Oita but I am just happy it is in Kyushu!
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Post by 𝑜𝓇𝒾𝒽𝒾𝓂𝑒 on Mar 12, 2020 14:37:07 GMT 9
Oh hey! I'm in Oita prefecture! Did you get your placement already?
We have: 1 CIR (English) in Beppu City (me) which is where most of the onsen are
3 CIRs (English, Chinese, Korean) in Oita City (we used to have 4, one finished a few months ago and hasn't been replaced yet but they were in the rugby promotion dept. so now the Rugby World Cup's over idk if they'll be replaced), all in the prefectural office 1 CIR (German) in Taketa I think
1 CIR (Korean) in Bungo Ono I think (they may have left because last time I saw them they were a 5th year and that was last year)
I think that's all of them? So a total of 6/7
I'm finishing in August but I got told they're not replacing me so unless they lied to me hue if you did get placed here I would say it's prolly most likely you'll be in the prefectural office in Oita City, unless a town/city who doesn't have one atm has decided they want one.
Thank you for the detailed answer! And wow, it narrows down easily. Yes, I just got my placement yesterday. I was surprised because I was bracing myself for a rejection letter because I felt I bombed the interview. I have never been to Oita but I am just happy it is in Kyushu! No problem!~ ^^
Ah nice, congrats!
Yeah, when I looked at your older posts I saw you'd wanted to be in Kyushu so that's great that you got what you wanted!~ ^^ I would say if you arrive before I leave let's meet up, but since this year's intake are arriving late (unless you're an early arrival?) 'cause of the Olympics I guess that's unlikely huh ^^;;;
But yeah, Oita really is a lovely place, so I hope you'll like it too~ ^^
And even if not, Fukuoka's only a 2 hour bus/train ride away XP
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Post by beniyuri on Mar 12, 2020 14:50:02 GMT 9
Early departure here so I have less than a month to prepare ^^; I am not quite sure what kind of gift should I bring and how many people should I give it to. My greatest worry is the apartment setup and what the things I would need.
How is the weather? Did you have to get a car for personal travels? I know there is a train station but I have feeling it might be limited.
(Oh wow I can meet up people I know from Fukuoka so near~~)
Sorry for asking questions.
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Post by 𝑜𝓇𝒾𝒽𝒾𝓂𝑒 on Mar 12, 2020 16:39:14 GMT 9
Early departure here so I have less than a month to prepare ^^; I am not quite sure what kind of gift should I bring and how many people should I give it to. My greatest worry is the apartment setup and what the things I would need. How is the weather? Did you have to get a car for personal travels? I know there is a train station but I have feeling it might be limited. (Oh wow I can meet up people I know from Fukuoka so near~~) Sorry for asking questions. Oh wow!
I wasn't early departure but I was a reserve, so I found out pretty close to the time I'd be leaving too, hope the preparations go well!
I can't remember if you said where you're from, but since I'm English I brought some nice loose leaf tea in fancy boxes for the mayor and BUCHO, and I think iirc some nice looking biscuits or sth for my KA/KACHOU, a gift for the two ladies (the HOSA and the lady I think may be my supervisor) who helped me arrange things like my apartment, hanko, etc. before I arrived. I think even just gifts for mayor/whoever in-charge type person you might meet or be officially introduced to if you are at the prefectural office, BUCHO and KACHOU and then a general gift for your KA would be enough.
Do you know if you're moving into a successor's apartment or if you have to find your own?
Either way, someone from the office you'll be working with should contact you after a while to help you arrange all that stuff. I had to find a new apartment since I had no predecessor, but my soup asked me what kind of specs I'd want in an apartment (for example, I specified no tatami, a separate kitchen rather than one of those tiny corridor kitchens, and a sink area. Oh, and that it not be on the ground/first floor) and looked for apartments for me based on my preferences, then arranged that for me before I got there and all that was left for me to do was stamp/sign the contract.
As for furniture, they took me around on the first day or two of my being there to get all the furniture/immediate stuff I needed (futon, fridge, microwave, washing machine, desk, curtains, lights) and helped me transport it to my apartment.
The summers are HOT (highest was about 38 degrees C last year I think, but generally around 30-35 from late July to maybe even early September) and very humid. So I would definitely advise bringing some "cool biz" type workwear, e.g. short sleeved shirts made of light/sweat reducing fabric.
The winters generally don't go much below 0 or even 5 degrees C, and we didn't get any snow this winter just gone. The winter before that we got like one day of snow in late January.
Other than what I mentioned above, it's generally pretty temperate (most days atm it's around 15 degrees C) and it feels like it hardly ever rains.
I can't drive, so I didn't get a car, and I can get around just fine. There're 4 train stations in Beppu alone, and a reasonable number in Oita City from what I hear* (there're also buses ofc)
*I checked with my coworker who sits next to me and he said there're 8 stations around Oita City and the outer areas of it, 4 between Oita City and nearby traditional onsen town Yufuin, and 5 between Oita City and Bear Origin.
I did hear that JETs in Oita City itself aren't allowed to have cars, but I don't know how accurate that is.
Yeah, Fukuoka is nice and close if you miss that big city feel, I really like Fukuoka~
No problem! I'm happy to have a kouhai to help X3
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mobo573
Straight outta Narita
Posts: 19
CIR Experience: Prospective CIR
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Post by mobo573 on Mar 15, 2020 15:37:13 GMT 9
For Canada, just a normal check is required. I was told that we don’t need Vulnerable Sector. I think that’s specifically for people working in schools in Canada, but don’t quote me on that.
I’m still holding out hope that I can get in. It’s been over a month since my interview and I’m still replaying all the stuff I fucked up in my head. I need to move on but I really had my heart set on this.
Congrats on getting ED though!
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Post by Dee on Mar 16, 2020 8:47:25 GMT 9
Btw, since I know many of you are eagerly awaiting to hear your interview results, here is the timeline and dates when I received my oh-so-important emails back in 2017 March 29 (Wed) – Interview Results May 16 (Tues) – Placement Notification May 26 (Fri) – First contact from CO I hope you all get favorable results in a couple of weeks!
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Post by herakleitos on Mar 17, 2020 2:57:24 GMT 9
Happy to say I've been placed in Fukuoka-shi on ED! Heading over on April 11.
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Post by long johnson on Mar 17, 2020 8:23:59 GMT 9
Happy to say I've been placed in Fukuoka-shi on ED! Heading over on April 11. congrats! LUCKY HILL city is a great location!
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Post by Aqua on Mar 17, 2020 9:44:07 GMT 9
Happy to say I've been placed in Fukuoka-shi on ED! Heading over on April 11.
Oh! Another Kyushu CIR! Congrats!
Hope all goes well and you get here safe and sound! The start of a big new adventuree
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Post by ❄icepath❄ on Mar 17, 2020 21:41:36 GMT 9
Happy to say I've been placed in Fukuoka-shi on ED! Heading over on April 11. WELCOME =D Where are you going to work? (pm me if you're not comfortable posting it on this public thread... or hmm is "fukuoka-shi" the actual placement...)
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Post by herakleitos on Mar 18, 2020 4:23:55 GMT 9
Happy to say I've been placed in Fukuoka-shi on ED! Heading over on April 11. WELCOME =D Where are you going to work? (pm me if you're not comfortable posting it on this public thread... or hmm is "fukuoka-shi" the actual placement...) It is the actual placement (as far as I know).
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Post by herakleitos on Mar 18, 2020 5:36:45 GMT 9
Now for an impromptu reflective pre-journey thought. I guess I can get this out of the way here. I'm well aware that everybody has their own experience as a CIR, and I think going off of what I experienced in Fukuoka as a tourist at the very least I will enjoy the city/location. After doing my fair share of perusal of CIRHP I'm aware that some people have rather deflating experiences, and I'm taking these into account too- but merely keeping on the backburner just so I can sculpt my expectations of the trip.
So I'm trying to cultivate a mentality that when I get to Japan, I will be coming up 'against' something that could be positively arcane and abstruse, and that my job is to find a way to negotiate my expectations against that, whatever it may be, to the best of my abilities. Alternatively, because it is a 'wall' and thus an object to my subject, it really doesn't have to obey (or really even to challenge) my expectations of it. It just will be what it is, and I need to figure it out, and get to know the other individuals that populate this impending topography of life...
I do think though that I will use this to either springboard into a fuller-time job afterwards, or to start working on my Philosophy PhD, maybe in Japan. But I keep an open mind (At least for now!)
Sorry for waxing-pseudo whatever. I feel like this is a place I can kind of leave behind this post, and thus, will do that. I hope everything goes well, and even in the event there are issues, I will do my best to make it better for myself and others.
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Post by 𝑜𝓇𝒾𝒽𝒾𝓂𝑒 on Mar 18, 2020 9:34:55 GMT 9
Happy to say I've been placed in Fukuoka-shi on ED! Heading over on April 11. Oh nice! I really enjoy Fukuoka whenever I visit, so I hope you'll like it too ^^ And yay, another Kyushu CIR TwT
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Post by herakleitos on Mar 19, 2020 1:38:18 GMT 9
Also could I ask a question regarding the provision of healthcare in JP? I need to get some dentistry done soon and was hoping I could do it here in the US prior to departing, but with the virus situation escalating things in my city might become a bit more fuzzy and with the limited amount of time I have left I was wondering about getting the work done in Japan.
Does anybody have experience with this kind of thing there?
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ravioliravioligimmetheformuoli
Guest
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Post by ravioliravioligimmetheformuoli on Mar 19, 2020 3:47:19 GMT 9
I'm in a bit of a pickle. I applied for CIR (Early Departure) and I had my interview a month or so ago. The interview was fantastic except the Japanese portion, I was so nervous that I'd mess up the kanji readings, when I was done I didn't comprehend anything I read (common problem?) and wasn't able to answer my interviewers question. I walked out feeling like there's no WAY they'll hire me. I still haven't heard back, but in the meantime I interviewed and was offered a position today at my local Japanese consulate. It pays around ¥3,000,000 a year with some other benefits. It's kind of like an Eternal Overlordistrative/reception position and I'd get to use Japanese often.
I'm trying to weigh the pros and cons IF by some miracle I get the CIR position. I lived in Japan for a few years as an ALT, and I do miss it. I don't know which job would be more fulfilling. What if I get alternate'd? I don't want to throw away a consulate job for the chance at CIR but everything I've done for the past few years has been to get accepted.
I don't know, maybe this is more of a rant, but I'd like to hear your thoughts.
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