Medical Documents

Key Points:

• All applicants are required to complete the Self-Assessment Medical Report.
• Past or current medical conditions will not prejudice your application, but failure to disclose information will do.
• All successful candidates must submit a Certificate of Health in April detailing all past medical conditions. Discrepancies between an applicant's Self-Assessment Medical Report and their JET Certificate of Health will result in disqualification from the JET Programme.
• Many applicants will also need to include a Statement of Physician with their application. Please read each question on the Self-Assessment Medical Report carefully to determine if you need this form. Some applicants will also have to submit a Personal Medical Statement. Please see below for further details.
• All information is regarded as strictly confidential.
• If you have any questions regarding the Self-Assessment Medical Report, Statement of Physician, Personal Medical Statement or the JET Certificate of Health, please contact the JET Desk at info@jet-uk.org or by telephone at 020 7465 6668. All e-mails and calls are confidential.

Self-Assessment Medical Report

The Self-Assessment Medical Report is part of the JET Programme application form and must be completed by all applicants.

It consists of ten questions (see below) and aims to give a complete overview of your medical history and current medical conditions. Applicants should complete the Self-Assessment Medical Report clearly and accurately. It is important to make sure you are fully aware of your medical history and answer all questions as comprehensively as possible, giving as much detail as you can.

Question 1 : When and for what reason did you last consult a physician? Colds, fevers and acne (if not currently undergoing treatment) may be omitted. Also visits to OB/GYN facilities or consultations for the requesting of contraception may be omitted. If you have answered this question in the negative or if the physical issues mentioned in your answer are not reoccurring, then you will not require a Statement of Physician. This is true so long as you are not currently receiving any prescriptions or treatment for these issues. In all other cases, please have your doctor complete the Statement of Physician.

Question 2a: What diseases, ailments or injuries have you had in the past five years? If any of these resulted in hospitalisation, please give details as to when, why and the duration of the treatment, and have your doctor complete a Statement of Physician.

Question 2b: What is your current status with regard to the illness(es) detailed above? If it is ongoing, please have your doctor complete a Statement of Physician.

Question 3: Are you currently seeing a physician and/or undergoing treatment? If yes, you must detail AND have your doctor complete a Statement of Physician.

Question 4: Have you ever been treated for any nervous or mental disorders (including, but not limited to anxiety, depression, ADD, ADHD and eating disorders)?
If yes, you must give details as to when, cause (if known), nature and duration of treatment (including any prescription medications taken), results of treatment AND have your physician or psychiatrist issue an authenticated letter or fill in the Statement of Physician stating whether or not you are fit to participate in the JET Programme and, as such, to live and work overseas. Please note that we may contact your doctor if further information is necessary.

Question 5: Have you ever been treated for any other serious illness or condition previously undisclosed on this Medical Report? If so, please explain and have your doctor complete the Statement of Physician.

Question 6: Do you foresee any physical challenges resulting from the need to go up and down several flights of stairs on a daily basis? If yes, please give reasons and have your doctor complete the Statement of Physician.

Question 7: What allergies do you have, if any? Are you currently undergoing treatment? Please have your doctor complete the Statement of Physician if you are currently undergoing treatment.

Question 8: If you are currently taking, or have taken in the last five years, any prescription medication, other than oral contraceptives, please give details including medication's name, purpose and dates taken. If you are currently taking prescription medication, please have your doctor complete the Statement of Physician. Please ensure that you have detailed all medical conditions in your above answers.

Question 9: Are there any foods or substances which, for medical or personal reasons you do not eat? If so, please give details.

Question 10: Give details of any other health-related issues, in particular if you suffer from any type of disability (e.g. legally blind, hearing impaired, confined to a wheelchair, certified dyslexia, pending medical treatment etc). Candidates who have tattoos and / or body piercings, need only to describe the details of the location and the size in this section. Please have your doctor fill out the Statement of Physician, except for tattoos and body piercings. Candidates with certified dyslexia must provide a copy of the certificate received from their specialist.

Statement of Physician

The Statement of Physician form will be printed automatically when printing a completed application form after submission.

To correspond with your answers to the Self-Assessment Medical Report, the Statement of Physician must be completed by your GP or a specialist who has access to your medical history and must address whether, based on his/her knowledge of your medical history, you would be fit to work in Japan as a participant on the JET Programme. The GP or the specialist should also give a description of your past and/or existing medical conditions.

Please note that a Statement of Physician is not required for applicants who declare nothing on their Self Assessment Medical Report.

The Statement of Physician is NOT a full medical; however, an examination may be necessary if your GP deems it so. All costs incurred are the responsibility of the applicant.

The Statement of Physician form may be released prior to the application form. Applicants wishing to prepare medical documents in advance of the application period can submit a letter from a doctor / specialist with access to their medical history in place of the Statement of Physician. The letter should:

• Be obtained no earlier than September of the year of application (and dated accordingly).
• Be on surgery headed paper.
• Comment on any medical issues declared in answer to the 10 questions in the Self-Assessment Medical Report (see above).
• Describe the applicant's medical condition.
• Comment on the applicant's physical and mental fitness to live and work in Japan for a 12 month period.
• Note any medications the applicant might need to take during his/her participation on the JET Programme.
• Be hand-signed and stamped with the surgery stamp.

Personal Medical Statement

Applicants with ongoing medical conditions or who have been treated for any kind of mental, emotional, nervous or eating disorder or for depression at any time in their lives are required to detail their condition on the Self-Assessment Medical Report and on an additional sheet, if necessary. This applies for even a one-off consultation with a doctor or specialist. Please provide as much detail as possible, including the cause of the condition, whether you saw any specialist doctors or counsellors, specific dates, type and time period of medication taken and how you feel now.

Certificate of Health

In April, all successful candidates must submit a JET Certificate of Health form to the JET Desk. This is the final health check before candidates depart for Japan and must be completed by a GP with knowledge of the candidate’s medical history. Any discrepancies between the JET Certificate of Health and Self-Assessment Medical Report / Statement of Physician will result in disqualification from the JET Programme application process. Specific information regarding the Certificate of Health will be sent to candidates following confirmation of their successful application. All costs incurred are the responsibility of the applicant.