Practise the thinking. Keep the judgement.
JET Programme guide: requirements and how to apply
Understand ALT and CIR roles, organise your application, and choose a Japanese study plan that fits your next step.
- Choose a role
- ALT or CIR
- Check the rules
- Your country’s JET office
- Prepare with purpose
- Application + Japanese
JET readiness check
Checks degree timing and role-language starting points only. Your JET office confirms full eligibility.
Optional Japanese check: 12 vocabulary, grammar and reading questions, with answer review and suggested practice.
Practice results only. Speaking, listening and writing are not assessed; this is not a JLPT level or CIR eligibility result.
What is the JET Program?
The Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme is a Japanese Government initiative for local international exchange. Participants work with schools and local organisations in Japan. You may also see the American spelling, “JET Program”.
Begin with the work you want to do. Helping learners communicate in a classroom calls for different preparation from supporting international activities in a local government office.
Consulate-General of Japan in Sydney: JET overview and recruitment
ALT or CIR: choose the work first
Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs) support language teaching alongside Japanese teachers, including preparing materials and helping with classroom activities. Coordinators for International Relations (CIRs) support local international exchange; duties can include translation, interpretation and work with foreign residents.
Japanese is not required for ALT applications in the official Australian and UK guidance. CIR applicants need a strong functional command of Japanese; the UK guidance specifies N2 or equivalent as a minimum benchmark. Check the requirements for your own country and intake. A certificate alone does not demonstrate every skill used at work.
A third role, Sports Exchange Advisor (SEA), is recruited for specific sporting needs. Do not assume every country or recruitment cycle offers all three roles.
What are the JET Programme requirements?
Find the Japanese embassy or consulate responsible for JET applications from your country of citizenship. Read its current eligibility rules in full, including degree completion, nationality, previous participation and other conditions. Australian guidance requires a bachelor’s degree in any discipline; UK guidance requires completion by departure.
Australian 2027 guidelines also allow an ALT alternative involving completion of a qualifying teaching course of at least three years. Ask the relevant JET office to confirm your qualification and timing. Create a checklist with three columns: requirement, evidence, and your next action. The current official guidelines decide your eligibility.
Consulate-General of Japan in Sydney: JET overview and recruitment
Embassy of Japan in the UK: JET eligibility FAQ
Australian 2027 JET application guidelines: eligibility, section 3
How to apply for the JET Program
Record the intake year, deadline, time zone, submission method and required documents from your local recruitment page. Requirements can change between cycles and countries. For example, Australia’s 2027 instructions separate the online application, online medical self-report and emailed supporting documents into three required steps.
Prepare your answers offline, request references early, and follow the current rules for academic records and supporting evidence. Keep a submission checklist and confirmation receipts. Completing one form does not necessarily complete the application.
Embassy of Japan in Australia: current JET application instructions
Make your statement and interview examples concrete
For your personal statement, connect your interest in Japan with a useful contribution. Choose a real example of supporting a learner, working with others or adapting when a plan changed. Explain what you did and what you learned, following the prompt and length set by your JET office.
Original example: instead of “I enjoy sharing my culture”, describe how you adapted an activity when a group had different language levels. Practise explaining the situation, your action and the outcome aloud. These are preparation suggestions, not a prediction of the questions you will be asked.
Choose the next preparation task
If you are starting Japanese, build a small routine around greetings, numbers, schedules and asking for clarification. If you are considering CIR work, combine advanced reading and listening with spoken explanations and writing feedback.
JLPT practice can give your language study structure. SPI belongs to a separate career decision: use it if a future employer’s recruitment instructions call for that assessment. There is no need to add every test to your JET application checklist.
Try it yourself
You want an ALT role but have not studied Japanese. What should you check first: a JLPT booking, or your country’s current JET eligibility and application instructions?
Show the answer and explanation
Check the official eligibility and application instructions first.
Australian and UK ALT guidance does not require Japanese proficiency. Confirm your own intake’s rules, then plan useful Japanese study alongside the application tasks.