Interview Information


Key Points:

All JET Programme interviews for UK participants are conducted in person within the UK. Interviews cannot be conducted at embassies abroad for UK applicants, conducted by telephone, or at any location other than those specified below. Unfortunately there can be no exceptions to this rule.

Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) interviews are held at the Embassy of Japan in London or at the Consulate General of Japan in Edinburgh. Co-ordinator for International Relations (CIR) interviews are only conducted at the Embassy of Japan in London.

Interview Invitations

ALT applicants selected for interview in London are contacted by the JET Office from late December and during January and February. Interviews will be held throughout January and February.

ALT applicants selected for interview in Edinburgh are contacted by the JET Office from mid-January. Interviews are held during January and February.

CIR applicants selected for interview will be contacted by the JET Office from late January. CIR Interviews are usually held in February.

If you are selected for an interview, you will receive first initial contact from us via email. Therefore it is imperative for all applicants to make sure they write their email address down correctly on their application form. We also recommend that applicants check their junk mail boxes regularly.

After initial email notification, it is standard practice for the UK JET Programme to send letters through the post outlining important details for the interview. Please be aware that the interview letter will be posted on the same day that the interview notification is sent out via email. Therefore those who have received the initial notification email should allow some time for the letter to reach them. Interview letters will be sent to both permanent and temporary addresses (if applicable). Please be aware that results of application / interview cannot be provided by telephone.

Due to the continual postal problems in the UK, if your interview is soon approaching and you have not yet received your interview letter, please contact the JET Office as soon as possible and we will be sure to get this information to you before your interview date. Applicants who have not confirmed interview attendance will be contacted by the JET Office shortly before their interview date.

If you receive an interview invitation letter, please confirm that you plan to attend by sending a confirmation e-mail to info@jet-uk.org.You must attend your interview at the time allotted to you. Interview slots are very limited, therefore we are generally unable to rearrange interviews for candidates unable to attend at their allocated time. In exceptional circumstances, every effort is made to re-allocate interviews if candidates contact the JET Desk giving valid reasons for unavailability.

NB: Please note that all applicants are requested to notify the JET Desk as soon as possible of any periods of unavailability throughout January and February, including university examination dates, so that a possible interview can be scheduled accordingly. It is unlikely that candidates who fail to notify the JET Desk of unavailability will be rescheduled should they be unavailable on their allocated interview date. If you know you will be unavailable at any time during the interview period, please enclose a short letter of explanation with your application. We shall do our best to schedule any interview accordingly; however we cannot guarantee to meet your requests. Please e-mail the JET Desk should you need to update us regarding dates of unavailability after sending in your application.

If you are unable to attend your interview, you must inform the JET Desk as soon as possible so that the interview slot can be re-allocated. By the end of February all applicants will have received postal notification stating whether or not they have been offered an interview with the JET Programme. If you are unsuccessful this time, you are welcome to apply again next year.

About the Interview

The interview is usually conducted by a Japanese national (usually an Embassy official) and a former JET Programme participant. All interviewers have been briefed and are given strict guidelines. Consequently, they strive to be as fair as possible in their evaluation of candidates so that no JET candidate is disadvantaged. Interviews last for approximately 15-20 minutes and you will be asked to take a written test prior to your interview. Before your interview, you will also have the opportunity to have any questions answered by former JET Programme participants and to watch a short video of JETs in action!

We recommend that, in preparation for the interview, candidates should have a clear understanding of what the role as an ALT or CIR may entail as well as an understanding of the broader purpose of the JET Programme. Candidates may also wish to consider visiting their local Job Centre or university careers service in order to improve their interview skills. Mock interviews especially can be invaluable for those with little or no interview experience.

Interview Results

Interviewed applicants will start to receive notification of their interview results in early April. There are 3 possible outcomes: successful ('final short-list'), unsuccessful, or alternate (reserve) status. If you have been offered a place and wish to decline, please inform us immediately so that we may offer it to someone else and your contracting organisation is not left without a participant. We would also recommend that you send a letter indicating your reasons for withdrawing from the Programme in order that any future application you may like to make to the JET Programme will not be jeopardised.

We would advise all applicants of the UK JET Programme to follow our Twitter account to track the progress of our JET application process.

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