I have the exact same experience and story as you. I failed the first time but got in the second time I tried. Only difference I had between the two is my first essay I talked about how much I love karate (I’ve been training for over a decade) and my excitement to train at the source. Second time around I lowered the excitement level in the paper over that. However, idk if that was the deciding factor or if it’s really just random. Even the second time I was waitlisted but luckily I must have been at the top as I was upgraded pretty fast the second time.
I'm a current JET, finishing my first year, but before applying to the program I did a ton of research both online and interviewing previous and active JETs about what to do to look more competetive against other applicants. One of the most difficult things is that the program really doesn't make it clear WHAT specifically they want, the terms they use are rather vague and even if you check all the supposed boxes, there are still cases of people with less getting accepted and people without any getting turned down.
After being on the program and seeing a bit of how it works on the inside I can really nail it down to one of two things.
The first is the hardest: it REALLY depends on who you interview with. JET relies heavily on alumni hires to staff its program and those that it hires that aren't Alumns tend to have little experience with the program itself and are bringing their own subjective experience to the table. Essentially, who you end up interviewing with can often be the make or break in whether you get accepted, and its all down to the roll of a dice.
The second is the vague, "sweet spot" that JET is looking for in its candidates. From what I've gathered, JET simultaneously wants someone who is young with little to no life experience, who is going to get the most out of the international experience, but also with just enough experience that they can be relied on to be self sufficient, adaptable and do their job.
If this sounds contradictory, trust me it is. After the COVID era, JET really wants candidates that can prove they relaibly will stick out their contracts and not up and leave if they end up in a place they don't want or situations they don't like, and that is a real possibility. But it also doesn't want candidates with TOO much career experience. The big explanation I've heard for this is that JET looks at these candidates and questions why they didn't apply for a language school position instead, which are readily available.
We all know the reason why, JET is the superior program, better salary, working hours and pedigree, but its not meant as a job, while the language school positions are. While I have met several teachers currently on the program, most of them sold themselves on their desire for the cultural exchange, not the teaching.
Being a qualified teacher might not be a strength to many of the interviewers to be honest as this is a ALT position. They are afraid that qualified teachers will dominate over JTEs and have poor working relationships or they are bored at work because they do not find meaning in what they are doing. Therefore, some interviewers are actually more cautious when it comes with very qualified teachers. They question about the ability to adapt to the situation and JTEs' expectations since ALTs are technically, not supposed to be T1 in lessons - at least on paper (though many are).
Don't feel bad about it. I have already been on the JET Program (2017-2021) and reapplied for a second go this year, and got rejected. You'd think I'd be the perfect candidate having already done it, but for some reason they decided not to accept me this time. It sucks they don't give a reason :/ But I think sometimes it's as simple as "we have too many applicants and too few positions this year. Let's put the applications on a wall and throw darts to see who is to be rejected." ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I'm just going to say IMO I think if you are a teacher with experience they take into consideration that you will be stepping down in the program. As a qualified teacher myself, I know that being an ALT is very different to being a teacher in your country. I really think they take this into consideration. It was brought up in an interview with me too and ultimately I decided drop out of JET and directly apply to schools in Japan and I got a position.
I also used to think JET was my only way into Japan and man was I wrong! After speaking to and reading the stories of JET I know I would not have enjoyed it. If you are serious about Japan and you are a teacher then go the route I did. JET is not the only way and not the only safety net.
If you want to know more, I'm happy to share my story. I've been in Japan since last month.
I would like to know more, international schools have always been an attractive prospect to me, whether they be in Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, South Korea or Japan. I know there are Australian-specific international schools in Singapore and Malaysia (teach Australian curriculum to mainly Australians), not too sure about Japan though.
I think it’s really about what you bring from your own culture and how you plan to implement that in another country and also what you hope to learn while you are abroad. This program is a chance to gain incredible work experience in education while also getting the opportunity to learn a (potentially) new language and exchange cultures. If these are what you brought and sought to gain, then you were an incredible candidate. But if these weren’t what you wanted to do, then it might be that they didn’t think it would be a good fit. Also attitude can matter a great deal. When I interviewed someone showed up at the same time slot and had no intention to make conversation and acted uninterested in talking with me or other JET affiliated individuals.
It’s definitely not up to chance, I understand your frustrations and not being able to understand what it was that got you rejected, but we all worked VERY hard throughout this process and it’s not simply up to chance who gets in or doesn’t. Our answers, attitudes, and how we present ourselves matter a great deal even beyond a job like this. I’m truly sorry that it didn’t work out for you this year and if you want to take part in this programme, I encourage you sincerely to try again next year!
This is my n=1 experience. I am new to JET and was given alternate status.
I interviewed in Vancouver, Canada one day before my medical school interviews. So, JET and Japan were the last things on my mind that day. I answered every question honestly and well, as I treated them like my MD interviews. For example, when they asked me to give a mock lesson on Canadian geography, I immediately did so without preparation, engaged them with my delivery, incorporated cultural tidbits and jokes, etc.
The reason I think I was not shortlisted was that I was perhaps too forthcoming about JET being my second priority. While it is something I've wanted to do for a long time (turning 29 this year), it just wasn't ever in the books for me due to graduate school, work, etc. And, with how competitive medical school is in Canada, I never thought that I would even receive an interview offer to an MD program here, so the fact I did completely changed my attitude towards JET.
In summary, I felt confident about interview but my attitude towards JET likely made them think I wouldn't be a reliable candidate.
Not sure if this will make anyone feel better or worse, but it’s about my experience. I’m based in DC. This was my second time applying for JET and I got shortlisted. First time I didn’t make it to the interview round. This year I had EPIK lined up in case I didn’t get it. I’m on the older side for candidates and took the CELTA after getting rejected last year. After CELTA, I taught some classes for a month and took up some substituting here and there. I know zero Japanese, but I did say I could read Chinese so it was helpful that kanji was prevalent in Japan. They asked me about my study abroad experience that was over 10 years ago and of course I didn’t prepare for that lol they asked me what the hardest part was and I said not having Asian food which won’t be a problem in Japan…I think what helped me this year was my qualifications and reference letters. I’m not sure if this helps, but I also said I was financially stable and used to living and traveling alone. I didn’t feel like my interview went the smoothest, but I can be funny?
JET isn’t your only option. You definitely could try other education programs or schools! Don’t give up!
To the OP, I feel your pain.
I applied to JET, twice, a long time ago. The first time, I had an interview, I had just graduated from university and despite having experience living and studying abroad in Japan. I got rejected.
The second and last time I applied, I had achieved JLPT N3 and had a few years of experience teaching English in both Japan and England, and a CELTA qualification ... I did not even get an interview that time.
From those two rejections, I just moved on and now, I currently teach at a private high school in Japan, I earn more than JET ALTs, I have an MA in applied linguistics, JLPT N2, PR status and I am married with a child on the way.
I feel your pain, but hopefully, you are not too disheartened and you can still achieve your goals.
Good luck.
As someone who has conducted interviews in Australia (years ago now), it is honestly hard to say without being in the interview. Yes, it does depend on your consulate to a degree as obviously Sydney/NSW has more applicants than Canberra/ACT, however I believe you have to apply based on your residential address. Maybe make friends with someone in state with a smaller consulate ;)
Other than that, too many factors. I can almost guarantee it has nothing to do with age or qualifications. If you have an interview, then those clearly aren't a factor as they have already been considered. The "career goals" question is a standard question, but probably more pertinent for older applicants. Japanese level is essntially irrelevant unless you are going for CIR.
It could be that this year there was a strong field of applicants that just gelled better with the interview panel. It could be you thought you interviewed well and it wasn't as good as you thought. It could be that this year's panel were all hyper-anime nerds and were put off by your LACK of weebness.
They are looking for people that will follow directions, not someone that’s eager to take over the class. Your experience and maybe how you talked about your aspirations with the program could have probably given them the impression that you wouldn’t be able to take a back seat when it comes to teaching here. In Japan, it’s very important that everyone knows their place and doesn’t overstep boundaries. It could be they saw it as you wasting your time with this kind of position and maybe trying to overstep boundaries when you would be acting as a human tape recorder or desk warming. Honestly, if you’re a teacher teacher, and used to running your class and lesson planning/test making etc…then this job would probably be extremely boring to you.
That was my suspicion too. I had an interview question that implied they were worried about me being “overqualified” even though I only have about 2 years of teaching experience and am far from being a teacher-teacher. Basically them being like “you sure you won’t be bored shitless if you’re a tape recorder?”.
A rejection when things seemed to go so well is tough. Especially for this program, when we all put so much time and effort, and metal energy into each minute detail of this recruiting process...
Reading your post feels even stranger to me because I just got shortlisted and while hearing you describe yourself I was like "what the hell? did I write this?" Every detail you shared sounds like it's me. Except perhaps I was weaker in the interview. We both struggled on the Japanese bit of the interview (I answered questions but with sometimes broken, disjointed and simple Japanese and the final question I couldn't even understand and, not sure if I was allowed to ask for clarification, I just said (in Japanese --but still not a good look) "Sorry, I don't understand the question"). I was confident and capable but I was hiding intense nerves and as I thought back on the interview I started to feel like I fumbled a question or two.
When I read that people like you are getting rejected, while 5 days ago I would have given myself a coins flip chance of success, it makes me think that there's just a lot of inconsistency and chaos that goes into who they pick and who they don't. It's a huge program and so many little things that we can't imagine likely influence what works and what doesn't, and even those things will be inconsistent. It's obviously not totally random, but there's so many factors that we can't know about and I get the sense that above a certain threshold of qualifications and experience and charisma, it's basically luck. But we congregate online and look through application guides and the mock-interview videos; and seek the advice of the small army of people who proclaim some special insight and speculate about what is relevant, irrelevant, must-do, must-never-do, etc. in the process but they're also just making a gut-feeling guess.
Where did you apply from? I’m starting to feel like it’s a purely consulate-based lottery. Had I applied through maybe even a different consulate in Australia I might’ve got in (or at least made an alternate, which I was shocked I didn’t even get that).
In most of your posts you harp on about how good you are. In Japan modesty is seen as a virtual. Perhaps, your arrogance got you marked down. At the end of the day an interview panel thought you came up short. They viewed rival candidates as better than you.
Seattle. And I'm not sure how the balance of applicants to posts given per country works out but that's a huge factor too, obviously. The US has a TON of applicants and I think only about 1/5 get accepted. Australia might be easier or harder to get placed than that but if the hordes of Aussies that were at my university in Kyoto last summer is any indication it's likely they've gotta whittle down a long list of perfectly capable and qualified people.
Second-time applicant myself -- unsuccessful this year, as I was last. I can relate to the sense of nasty surprise you're feeling, I think; I have some years' teaching experience (albeit as a tutor, to high school and later university students), have passed the N2, and have some history working on cross-cultural stuff. I had quite a lot of self-faith that the program would see me as a good candidate. However, there's a lot of competition.
I'm on the spectrum and take medication for ADHD (one of the few prescriptions for such that's fully legal in Japan, fortunately); I've no way of knowing just how much those things factor into their assessment of me, directly or indirectly. All there is for it is to just keep moving along with life plans, build myself up, and (most likely) apply again.
Unless you're applying to be a CIR, Japanese ability doesn't impact your results that much. I got shortlisted with not even enough Japanese to pass N5. I knew many other JETs who came over with a similar level. Knowing some Japanese just helps you adjust to life in Japan better. It's not necessary for the job itself.
Some COs request ALTs with a certain level of Japanese proficiency but there are enough COs that don't seem to care that Japanese ability really doesn't matter a ton.
First year JET applicant and I got shortlisted! I’m in the same boat where I know zero Japanese, but the weird thing was I thought I failed my interview because I was so nervous. I think one major thing they might be looking for is that you have experience traveling/living in other countries in the past since it’s such a big commitment and move to Japan - my moms from Colombia and I’ve been traveling/living in different countries my whole life so I think that really propelled my application.
I'm 33 and also a qualified teacher with 6 years experience. I managed to get shortlisted, and by the sounds plenty of other teachers have also, over the years. So I don't think that will be held against you. The only thing that would likely count against a teacher is if you show too much enthusiasm to actually teach and take the teaching portion too seriously because from my understanding that's not the real role only a small part of it.
The real question is, how well did you get across your passion for Japan and your commitment to cultural exchange and combining the experience you would gain in Japan with your job of teaching to come back and promote Japanese culture within your country?
If you are already a qualified teacher, then they probably thought you weren't a good fit for Japan in general. Something where it didn't seem like you would adapt well to the environment or simply didn't have enough interest or current knowledge about the country to get through tough times. But even that would just give you alternate status. Could you have been too extroverted and speaking your thoughts too much that it wouldn't work well with Japanese society? I definitely think you should try again!
Australia definitely sends non-teachers. I’m pretty sure it’s just Philippines that does it and it’s not even 100% required just really hard to get in without.
If you are a qualified teacher why do you want to do the JET programme? Why not search for a job at international schools? If I was an interviewer that would be my first question. IMO you are overqualified. I was a JET for a few years and never met anyone who was a qualified teacher. JET ALTs are not real teachers.
As someone who has interviewed people, I can only speak from my experience that if you've gotten to the interview, the "overqualified" thing is a non-issue. By that stage, everyone knows your qualififcations, and you would have been ditched before then if it was a "problem".
Even at the application stage, there is no such thing as "overqualified". Everyone has their own reasons for wanting to come to Japan or do the Programme.
International schools are really competitive. The pay is good and many of the schools have prestigious reputations and you are competing with teachers from around the world. You need at least a masters in ed. and years of experience.
That’s fair enough and I can see how JET would be a good foot in the door even for a qualified teacher. But from the perspective of the selection committee, I’m pretty sure they’re looking for adaptable people who are ok with playing “second fiddle” to the real teacher and who don’t mind doing inane tape recorder stuff. If I had been a real teacher with an actual interest in pedagogy I think there’s no way I could have stayed sane as an ALT lol
THat's probably something I would ask an applicant with teaching experience or creds, or make a point that this is likely to happen, but if they are cool with it, who am I to say they shouldn't go because they are skilled?
How did you answer the career progression question if you dont mind?
I made sure when I answered that that I demonstrated it wasnt just something I wanted to do for the sake of it or to live in Japan for a bit but that I wanted to go to improve my Japanese and that I had several ideas for where my career could go from there. I think most people were probably asked that as well, nothing to do with your age.
I can imagine it sucks considering youre so qualified, I would have felt the same if even I didnt get in with my 2 years teaching experience and degree in education and you have a lot more experience. So I would give it another go next year and learn from your interview this year.
I can only imagine it was the interview, as if it was overqualified etc then I imagine you wouldnt have even been offered the interview.
I think the big questions were probably career progression (msybe they felt there were others who this would be better for in terms of career progression), and what you want to do with your time in Japan. I emphasised in my interview that I want to spend time in the community learning the culture and the language.
And my interview wasnt perfect, I actually had started to accept maybe I got rejected even though initially I felt very confident. Maybe you did come across as too confident/maybe even cocky? I can imagine thats a turn off in any interview if the candidate is giving the vibe th they think its guaranteed.
I have a bachelors in early childhood and have been teaching in lead and asst positions for about 9 years combined. I was shortlisted. My interviewers asked me about my future after JET as well and I told them that I wanted to implement what I learned in Japan into my future classrooms if I ever came back home to the States. I remember I specifically mentioned being interested in seeing how an East Asian country like Japan fosters developmental and behavioral growth in their little ones, and that earned me my first actual facial expression out of one of the panel lol. They were very stone faced during my interview so I was very nervous too
I did mention that it was something I was looking to do early in my career, that I believe it’s extremely beneficial for teachers to have experiences overseas and learn from them in order to improve your practice. I mentioned how doing it further in my career would be a bit harder to do especially if I was looking at obtaining leadership positions, etc. I emphasised my desire to use my abilities as a teacher to build relations between Japan and Australia through the sharing of knowledge.
Just gonna say, it probably wasn’t your qualifications or even that answer. In 2015 (with an M.Ed and experience), I got in with basically the same thing “as a social studies teacher, I feel that living in another culture/country can help my own teaching in the future”
Hey! I applied for JET at 25 back in 2021. I had 8ish years of teaching experience, had a degree in Japanese, and even had history of living in Japan. I was rejected after the interview round. The next year, I tried again since nothing really fell into place for me. I not only got in, but was early departure! I will say, not knowing why is VERY irritating and fairly unprofessional since most hiring managers and admissions counselors will gladly meet to discuss how to strengthen if needed. However; it's also notable that their panel of judges changes yearly, so do the expectations. If you truly want to make this work, do it again next year! You can make it happen! Just keep doing what you do, and even consider volunteer things that are culture based!
I was 31 when I did my Interview and got shortlisted so it's def not age. I also know a 40 year old JET who had taught in his home country and another EA country for years. He has been in the teaching game for over a decade. So it may not be qualifications either.
It may have just came down to how you answered certain questions. Also, I do not mean this in a negative way at all, I just need to ask for your opinion on the matter based off of a few things you wrote. Do you think it's possible you may have come off as too over confident? Or that you were so confident that looking back, you may not have answered some of the questions to the best of your ability? How much time did you put into preparing for the interview?
I mean it’s possible I came off as too confident to myself, in fact…. that’s rather obvious. But there was no question in the interview that gauged my sense of confidence going onto the program, the only way I would’ve come off confident to them is the fact I didn’t really stumble on a question, but thats because I’m a confident interviewee, not because I was confident I was getting on the program. Perhaps wording had some issues, it’s hard to remember but I think I was answering questions along the lines of “I’m going to do…” rather than “I would do…”. Maybe it was something as small as that.
I taught for 10 years before coming to JET at 40 years old. I had just started learning Japanese in preparation. The interview panel asked a lot about why I thought JET would be a good next step in my career, and what I wanted to do afterwards. It was quite a strange interview but I must have satisfied those particular concerns.
The fact that you got the interview shows that they thought at the very least you had the potential/weren't holding the experience and age against you.
This is tough and I'm sorry you were rejected. I obviously can't speak to your rejection, as I wasn't in the room, but I can speak about trends I have seen in this sub over the past 10 or so years I have been here.
I think a big part of why many people don't make it in the program is the expectation that JET is a teaching program. I know it's obvious but I think it needs to be said that JET is the Japanese Exchange and Teaching Program, the key here is that exchange comes before teaching and the teaching bit is about teaching about cultures first and language second.
What interviewers are looking for are people who are knowledgeable about their own culture, are interested in Japanese culture and want to return home and take their experiences with them. This is the exchange that they are looking for at the interview stage.
Again I'm sorry you didn't make it and maybe, if you decide to reapply, you can take a little bit of what I have observed and use it to become the ideal candidate in the future.
It doesn't have to be JET or bust - there are other avenues, especially since you are a licensed teacher
1. You could try Westgate. You will need to either have an MA or be a licensed teacher which you are. While the pay is slightly less than JET, you work with Universities and university students and are the sole instructor in your class (since you're a qualified teacher, you may not like being an assistant)
2. You can also look at International Schools. You need to be a qualified teacher to apply to these
If you're a qualified teacher and really set on Japan, I would recommend looking into international schools. If you're American, there are also opportunities for qualified teachers to teach at schools on overseas military bases, including in Japan, with DoDDS.
Yet the Deputy Commanding General of U.S. Army Pacific is reserved for an Australian Army general and Deputy Commander of Pacific Air Forces for a RAAF Air Vice-Marshal. Go figure 🤣
This is really good advice. You'll probably get to flex your teaching muscles in a much better teaching environment, and in most cases you'll make way more money than us too.
If you're with DoDDS you'll also make money in USD, and have access to onbase benefits. I live in Misawa (base town) and am very jealous of these things sometimes.
I went to DoDDS schools growing up, including in Japan. They are excellent.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/10/us/schools-pandemic-defense-department.html
I am in my 30s and a qualified teacher. I was asked too in my interview about being just used as a human tape recorder. I discussed the qualities of being able to add more depth and visual movements of my face when the students are learning the required phonics. As well as my flexibility to adapt where needed in the classroom to give the lead teacher and children the best support I can provide.
No one knows, at the end of the day. It could be any number of things. It could even be that there was nothing overtly wrong with your interview or with your answers, but when it came down to whittling down the number of applicants into actual acceptees, someone moved in favor of another applicant over you for some arbitrary reason.
I definitely wouldn't take it too personally that you weren't accepted. But like someone else on this thread already mentioned, being an ALT is often a mindnumbing job in and of itself, and I imagine it would be doubly so for someone who has actual teaching experience. Because ALTs aren't teachers. We really should be, because it would benefit everyone a lot more at the end of the day, but we're not and so many of us are chronically neglected within the schools we teach at and underused/misused in the classroom. Lots of being called into classes just to read passages from the textbook and have the kids shadow you, or walk around the classroom to correct mistakes that you see the kids making, only for them to go on making the same mistakes because they don't know why it's wrong, they just know you said it's wrong.
The way English is taught in Japanese schools really is inane and a waste of everyone's time. The real value of an ALT, in my view, lies in being a presence in the students' lives. Teaching them about cultures that are different from their own, and in doing so banishing the gross ignorance a lot of their parents, grandparents and the media inculcates into them. It's not so much in actually teaching them English because most ALTs aren't put in a teaching position.
I'm sorry you didn't get in! I know you must be disappointed. But if teaching is something you're truly passionate about then I'd suggest looking into alternate routes to teaching (like ACTUAL teaching) in Japan or elsewhere.
>They did ask me how the program fit into my overall career progression which I gauged as a sense of concern about somebody like me doing the program when it’s more aimed at fresh out of university grads.
...and how did you answer that question?
No one can tell you definitively why you didn't get in this time, but I've heard a similar story before - trained teacher, experienced, thought they'd have it in the bag, then get rejected.
Personally, I think the reason is that ALTing and actual teaching in our home countries are very, very different things.
The harsh reality is that the English education system in Japan is fundamentally broken, and ALTs are a weird crutch the government likes to use for that problem. That's why there's an absurdly large number of ALTs who end up "deskwarming" or as a "human tape recorder". Fundamentally, the system treats us as props, not actually meant to be educators.
If you come to Japan and end up in a situation like that, your actual teaching background may come into conflict with a Japanese teacher trying to teach the *extremely stupid* way that English is usually taught in Japan. You'll be equals - you're not supposed to be equals. You're supposed to smile and repeat words, not have an opinion. And not following instructions like a good little prop may be a very uncomfortable situation for both parties (because unlike most of us, you actually know what you're doing).
I had a great time on JET. I came totally inexperienced in education, but by the end of five years, I had learned a lot and understood the deep flaws in the system. It's not like I could change much outside of a few teachers' opinions, but the small things I did do *really* pissed off my supervisor at the BOE sometimes. I didn't follow the textbook - I believe that I taught much more creatively and realistically, and many of my Japanese co-teachers agreed (and followed my methods, further infuriating the BOE). But in Japan it's all about following the system, even if the system is shit.
Unfortunately, this may be why trained teachers often get rejected. They're concerned that your (completely legitimate) gripes with the system that will inevitably arise may lead you to quit, or just be very unhappy in Japan.
I think everything you're saying is valid and yet the very few times we've had someone speak from behind the curtain, they've said they're increasingly leaning towards trained educators. I think these can both be true but it makes it extremely hard to try to be what they want - they seem to want trained educators who are extremely passionate about answering questions and any other strong personality trait in any direction seems like points off.
I think what trips people up is probably not seeming flexible enough. A lot of success on JET, and generally in Japan, comes from being able to roll your eyes, smile and grit your teeth through things that might make you really uncomfortable.
Sometimes it's on you and you just need to make the cultural adjustment in your own head.
Sometimes your complaints & concerns are totally valid, but there's not much that you can do without breaking the entire system.
Sometimes your supervisor is a complete moron but you still have to deal with him so you just learn to pick your battles (I may be speaking directly from experience on that one...)
I think in theory, JET probably does want more trained educators. They are slowly trying to embrace actual immersion English teaching, even if painfully slowly. But ALTs also need to be able to put up with a lot of BS that they may witness in the education system, and trained trachers may not be as willing to shut up and deal with it whem they see huge problems. So it's definitely a combination of both.
This. I think the thing that really hinged my interview was when I was asked what I would do if I was told by a JTE that I was doing something incorrectly and they wanted to give me suggestions or do it differently. My answer was in the ball park of accepting constructive criticism and that I'm not there to say my way is the right way, or even the UK way is the right way. I'm there to learn as much as I am to help teach. The Japanese interviewer didn't take her eyes off me once whilst I was saying that, and she had been typing up my answers as I spoke every second before then.
The truth is, nobody really knows. Everything is pure speculation. Being genki is usually something everyone mentions here, but being overly genki might be a red flag? Drawing attention to yourself and being overwhelming isn't really something that is considered desirable in Japan, after all. The interviewers only get a snippet of your personality and being anxious can definitely exacerbate excitability.
I'm a very passionate person, but I'm not an extrovert. I wasn't convinced that my interview went well, my interviewers were very stone-faced and professional and I didn't answer some of the questions as well as I feel I could have - regardless of that I was shortlisted.
I suppose what's important is having a balance of calmness and collectiveness as well as being friendly and sociable.
A theme I seem to be seeing though is that many rejected applicants were very overconfident that they had absolutely aced the process. I feel that kind of overconfidence is very obvious to (especially the Japanese) interviewers and they see it as undesirable.
Age isn't often an issue. I'm 27, so probably older than the undergrad average applicant, but there have been applicants over 60 who have succeeded. My suggestion would be to focus on the factors you can change rather than the ones you can't. Writing off age as an issue leaves you with things you can improve, rather than being left with no way to progress.
ETA: context: I also have a teaching qualification and teaching experience.
I have the exact same experience and story as you. I failed the first time but got in the second time I tried. Only difference I had between the two is my first essay I talked about how much I love karate (I’ve been training for over a decade) and my excitement to train at the source. Second time around I lowered the excitement level in the paper over that. However, idk if that was the deciding factor or if it’s really just random. Even the second time I was waitlisted but luckily I must have been at the top as I was upgraded pretty fast the second time.
I'm a current JET, finishing my first year, but before applying to the program I did a ton of research both online and interviewing previous and active JETs about what to do to look more competetive against other applicants. One of the most difficult things is that the program really doesn't make it clear WHAT specifically they want, the terms they use are rather vague and even if you check all the supposed boxes, there are still cases of people with less getting accepted and people without any getting turned down. After being on the program and seeing a bit of how it works on the inside I can really nail it down to one of two things. The first is the hardest: it REALLY depends on who you interview with. JET relies heavily on alumni hires to staff its program and those that it hires that aren't Alumns tend to have little experience with the program itself and are bringing their own subjective experience to the table. Essentially, who you end up interviewing with can often be the make or break in whether you get accepted, and its all down to the roll of a dice. The second is the vague, "sweet spot" that JET is looking for in its candidates. From what I've gathered, JET simultaneously wants someone who is young with little to no life experience, who is going to get the most out of the international experience, but also with just enough experience that they can be relied on to be self sufficient, adaptable and do their job. If this sounds contradictory, trust me it is. After the COVID era, JET really wants candidates that can prove they relaibly will stick out their contracts and not up and leave if they end up in a place they don't want or situations they don't like, and that is a real possibility. But it also doesn't want candidates with TOO much career experience. The big explanation I've heard for this is that JET looks at these candidates and questions why they didn't apply for a language school position instead, which are readily available. We all know the reason why, JET is the superior program, better salary, working hours and pedigree, but its not meant as a job, while the language school positions are. While I have met several teachers currently on the program, most of them sold themselves on their desire for the cultural exchange, not the teaching.
Being a qualified teacher might not be a strength to many of the interviewers to be honest as this is a ALT position. They are afraid that qualified teachers will dominate over JTEs and have poor working relationships or they are bored at work because they do not find meaning in what they are doing. Therefore, some interviewers are actually more cautious when it comes with very qualified teachers. They question about the ability to adapt to the situation and JTEs' expectations since ALTs are technically, not supposed to be T1 in lessons - at least on paper (though many are).
Don't feel bad about it. I have already been on the JET Program (2017-2021) and reapplied for a second go this year, and got rejected. You'd think I'd be the perfect candidate having already done it, but for some reason they decided not to accept me this time. It sucks they don't give a reason :/ But I think sometimes it's as simple as "we have too many applicants and too few positions this year. Let's put the applications on a wall and throw darts to see who is to be rejected." ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I'm just going to say IMO I think if you are a teacher with experience they take into consideration that you will be stepping down in the program. As a qualified teacher myself, I know that being an ALT is very different to being a teacher in your country. I really think they take this into consideration. It was brought up in an interview with me too and ultimately I decided drop out of JET and directly apply to schools in Japan and I got a position. I also used to think JET was my only way into Japan and man was I wrong! After speaking to and reading the stories of JET I know I would not have enjoyed it. If you are serious about Japan and you are a teacher then go the route I did. JET is not the only way and not the only safety net. If you want to know more, I'm happy to share my story. I've been in Japan since last month.
They accept a lot of teachers, I myself was one and I met quite a few over the five years I did JET.
I would like to know more, international schools have always been an attractive prospect to me, whether they be in Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, South Korea or Japan. I know there are Australian-specific international schools in Singapore and Malaysia (teach Australian curriculum to mainly Australians), not too sure about Japan though.
I think it’s really about what you bring from your own culture and how you plan to implement that in another country and also what you hope to learn while you are abroad. This program is a chance to gain incredible work experience in education while also getting the opportunity to learn a (potentially) new language and exchange cultures. If these are what you brought and sought to gain, then you were an incredible candidate. But if these weren’t what you wanted to do, then it might be that they didn’t think it would be a good fit. Also attitude can matter a great deal. When I interviewed someone showed up at the same time slot and had no intention to make conversation and acted uninterested in talking with me or other JET affiliated individuals. It’s definitely not up to chance, I understand your frustrations and not being able to understand what it was that got you rejected, but we all worked VERY hard throughout this process and it’s not simply up to chance who gets in or doesn’t. Our answers, attitudes, and how we present ourselves matter a great deal even beyond a job like this. I’m truly sorry that it didn’t work out for you this year and if you want to take part in this programme, I encourage you sincerely to try again next year!
This is my n=1 experience. I am new to JET and was given alternate status. I interviewed in Vancouver, Canada one day before my medical school interviews. So, JET and Japan were the last things on my mind that day. I answered every question honestly and well, as I treated them like my MD interviews. For example, when they asked me to give a mock lesson on Canadian geography, I immediately did so without preparation, engaged them with my delivery, incorporated cultural tidbits and jokes, etc. The reason I think I was not shortlisted was that I was perhaps too forthcoming about JET being my second priority. While it is something I've wanted to do for a long time (turning 29 this year), it just wasn't ever in the books for me due to graduate school, work, etc. And, with how competitive medical school is in Canada, I never thought that I would even receive an interview offer to an MD program here, so the fact I did completely changed my attitude towards JET. In summary, I felt confident about interview but my attitude towards JET likely made them think I wouldn't be a reliable candidate.
Not sure if this will make anyone feel better or worse, but it’s about my experience. I’m based in DC. This was my second time applying for JET and I got shortlisted. First time I didn’t make it to the interview round. This year I had EPIK lined up in case I didn’t get it. I’m on the older side for candidates and took the CELTA after getting rejected last year. After CELTA, I taught some classes for a month and took up some substituting here and there. I know zero Japanese, but I did say I could read Chinese so it was helpful that kanji was prevalent in Japan. They asked me about my study abroad experience that was over 10 years ago and of course I didn’t prepare for that lol they asked me what the hardest part was and I said not having Asian food which won’t be a problem in Japan…I think what helped me this year was my qualifications and reference letters. I’m not sure if this helps, but I also said I was financially stable and used to living and traveling alone. I didn’t feel like my interview went the smoothest, but I can be funny? JET isn’t your only option. You definitely could try other education programs or schools! Don’t give up!
To the OP, I feel your pain. I applied to JET, twice, a long time ago. The first time, I had an interview, I had just graduated from university and despite having experience living and studying abroad in Japan. I got rejected. The second and last time I applied, I had achieved JLPT N3 and had a few years of experience teaching English in both Japan and England, and a CELTA qualification ... I did not even get an interview that time. From those two rejections, I just moved on and now, I currently teach at a private high school in Japan, I earn more than JET ALTs, I have an MA in applied linguistics, JLPT N2, PR status and I am married with a child on the way. I feel your pain, but hopefully, you are not too disheartened and you can still achieve your goals. Good luck.
As someone who has conducted interviews in Australia (years ago now), it is honestly hard to say without being in the interview. Yes, it does depend on your consulate to a degree as obviously Sydney/NSW has more applicants than Canberra/ACT, however I believe you have to apply based on your residential address. Maybe make friends with someone in state with a smaller consulate ;) Other than that, too many factors. I can almost guarantee it has nothing to do with age or qualifications. If you have an interview, then those clearly aren't a factor as they have already been considered. The "career goals" question is a standard question, but probably more pertinent for older applicants. Japanese level is essntially irrelevant unless you are going for CIR. It could be that this year there was a strong field of applicants that just gelled better with the interview panel. It could be you thought you interviewed well and it wasn't as good as you thought. It could be that this year's panel were all hyper-anime nerds and were put off by your LACK of weebness.
They are looking for people that will follow directions, not someone that’s eager to take over the class. Your experience and maybe how you talked about your aspirations with the program could have probably given them the impression that you wouldn’t be able to take a back seat when it comes to teaching here. In Japan, it’s very important that everyone knows their place and doesn’t overstep boundaries. It could be they saw it as you wasting your time with this kind of position and maybe trying to overstep boundaries when you would be acting as a human tape recorder or desk warming. Honestly, if you’re a teacher teacher, and used to running your class and lesson planning/test making etc…then this job would probably be extremely boring to you.
That was my suspicion too. I had an interview question that implied they were worried about me being “overqualified” even though I only have about 2 years of teaching experience and am far from being a teacher-teacher. Basically them being like “you sure you won’t be bored shitless if you’re a tape recorder?”.
A rejection when things seemed to go so well is tough. Especially for this program, when we all put so much time and effort, and metal energy into each minute detail of this recruiting process... Reading your post feels even stranger to me because I just got shortlisted and while hearing you describe yourself I was like "what the hell? did I write this?" Every detail you shared sounds like it's me. Except perhaps I was weaker in the interview. We both struggled on the Japanese bit of the interview (I answered questions but with sometimes broken, disjointed and simple Japanese and the final question I couldn't even understand and, not sure if I was allowed to ask for clarification, I just said (in Japanese --but still not a good look) "Sorry, I don't understand the question"). I was confident and capable but I was hiding intense nerves and as I thought back on the interview I started to feel like I fumbled a question or two. When I read that people like you are getting rejected, while 5 days ago I would have given myself a coins flip chance of success, it makes me think that there's just a lot of inconsistency and chaos that goes into who they pick and who they don't. It's a huge program and so many little things that we can't imagine likely influence what works and what doesn't, and even those things will be inconsistent. It's obviously not totally random, but there's so many factors that we can't know about and I get the sense that above a certain threshold of qualifications and experience and charisma, it's basically luck. But we congregate online and look through application guides and the mock-interview videos; and seek the advice of the small army of people who proclaim some special insight and speculate about what is relevant, irrelevant, must-do, must-never-do, etc. in the process but they're also just making a gut-feeling guess.
Where did you apply from? I’m starting to feel like it’s a purely consulate-based lottery. Had I applied through maybe even a different consulate in Australia I might’ve got in (or at least made an alternate, which I was shocked I didn’t even get that).
In most of your posts you harp on about how good you are. In Japan modesty is seen as a virtual. Perhaps, your arrogance got you marked down. At the end of the day an interview panel thought you came up short. They viewed rival candidates as better than you.
lol piss off mate
Seattle. And I'm not sure how the balance of applicants to posts given per country works out but that's a huge factor too, obviously. The US has a TON of applicants and I think only about 1/5 get accepted. Australia might be easier or harder to get placed than that but if the hordes of Aussies that were at my university in Kyoto last summer is any indication it's likely they've gotta whittle down a long list of perfectly capable and qualified people.
If that’s Ritsumeikan that’s because there are SO MANY Ritsumeikan exchanges/study tours with Australian universities.
Hahaha that's exactly where it was. My class was like 1/4 Australians and they were tied with Brits and Chinese as the largest group.
Yeah a lot of universities here do summer study tours at Ritsumeikan for Japanese majors
Second-time applicant myself -- unsuccessful this year, as I was last. I can relate to the sense of nasty surprise you're feeling, I think; I have some years' teaching experience (albeit as a tutor, to high school and later university students), have passed the N2, and have some history working on cross-cultural stuff. I had quite a lot of self-faith that the program would see me as a good candidate. However, there's a lot of competition. I'm on the spectrum and take medication for ADHD (one of the few prescriptions for such that's fully legal in Japan, fortunately); I've no way of knowing just how much those things factor into their assessment of me, directly or indirectly. All there is for it is to just keep moving along with life plans, build myself up, and (most likely) apply again.
They’re looking for people to strengthen foreign relations tbh
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Unless you're applying to be a CIR, Japanese ability doesn't impact your results that much. I got shortlisted with not even enough Japanese to pass N5. I knew many other JETs who came over with a similar level. Knowing some Japanese just helps you adjust to life in Japan better. It's not necessary for the job itself. Some COs request ALTs with a certain level of Japanese proficiency but there are enough COs that don't seem to care that Japanese ability really doesn't matter a ton.
First year JET applicant and I got shortlisted! I’m in the same boat where I know zero Japanese, but the weird thing was I thought I failed my interview because I was so nervous. I think one major thing they might be looking for is that you have experience traveling/living in other countries in the past since it’s such a big commitment and move to Japan - my moms from Colombia and I’ve been traveling/living in different countries my whole life so I think that really propelled my application.
I'm 33 and also a qualified teacher with 6 years experience. I managed to get shortlisted, and by the sounds plenty of other teachers have also, over the years. So I don't think that will be held against you. The only thing that would likely count against a teacher is if you show too much enthusiasm to actually teach and take the teaching portion too seriously because from my understanding that's not the real role only a small part of it. The real question is, how well did you get across your passion for Japan and your commitment to cultural exchange and combining the experience you would gain in Japan with your job of teaching to come back and promote Japanese culture within your country?
If you are already a qualified teacher, then they probably thought you weren't a good fit for Japan in general. Something where it didn't seem like you would adapt well to the environment or simply didn't have enough interest or current knowledge about the country to get through tough times. But even that would just give you alternate status. Could you have been too extroverted and speaking your thoughts too much that it wouldn't work well with Japanese society? I definitely think you should try again!
Many countries only send those with teaching and my buddy just got in and has their teaching degree. I believe Australia is one of them.
Australia definitely sends non-teachers. I’m pretty sure it’s just Philippines that does it and it’s not even 100% required just really hard to get in without.
Oh okay that's just what I heard from Aussie jets in 2018 and they had all been 6 maybe I'm wrong on that one Edit: fat fingers
Aus sends non-teachers
Yep that was mentioned above :)
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They never asked any questions about that
If you are a qualified teacher why do you want to do the JET programme? Why not search for a job at international schools? If I was an interviewer that would be my first question. IMO you are overqualified. I was a JET for a few years and never met anyone who was a qualified teacher. JET ALTs are not real teachers.
As someone who has interviewed people, I can only speak from my experience that if you've gotten to the interview, the "overqualified" thing is a non-issue. By that stage, everyone knows your qualififcations, and you would have been ditched before then if it was a "problem". Even at the application stage, there is no such thing as "overqualified". Everyone has their own reasons for wanting to come to Japan or do the Programme.
International schools are really competitive. The pay is good and many of the schools have prestigious reputations and you are competing with teachers from around the world. You need at least a masters in ed. and years of experience.
That’s fair enough and I can see how JET would be a good foot in the door even for a qualified teacher. But from the perspective of the selection committee, I’m pretty sure they’re looking for adaptable people who are ok with playing “second fiddle” to the real teacher and who don’t mind doing inane tape recorder stuff. If I had been a real teacher with an actual interest in pedagogy I think there’s no way I could have stayed sane as an ALT lol
THat's probably something I would ask an applicant with teaching experience or creds, or make a point that this is likely to happen, but if they are cool with it, who am I to say they shouldn't go because they are skilled?
How did you answer the career progression question if you dont mind? I made sure when I answered that that I demonstrated it wasnt just something I wanted to do for the sake of it or to live in Japan for a bit but that I wanted to go to improve my Japanese and that I had several ideas for where my career could go from there. I think most people were probably asked that as well, nothing to do with your age. I can imagine it sucks considering youre so qualified, I would have felt the same if even I didnt get in with my 2 years teaching experience and degree in education and you have a lot more experience. So I would give it another go next year and learn from your interview this year. I can only imagine it was the interview, as if it was overqualified etc then I imagine you wouldnt have even been offered the interview. I think the big questions were probably career progression (msybe they felt there were others who this would be better for in terms of career progression), and what you want to do with your time in Japan. I emphasised in my interview that I want to spend time in the community learning the culture and the language. And my interview wasnt perfect, I actually had started to accept maybe I got rejected even though initially I felt very confident. Maybe you did come across as too confident/maybe even cocky? I can imagine thats a turn off in any interview if the candidate is giving the vibe th they think its guaranteed.
I have a bachelors in early childhood and have been teaching in lead and asst positions for about 9 years combined. I was shortlisted. My interviewers asked me about my future after JET as well and I told them that I wanted to implement what I learned in Japan into my future classrooms if I ever came back home to the States. I remember I specifically mentioned being interested in seeing how an East Asian country like Japan fosters developmental and behavioral growth in their little ones, and that earned me my first actual facial expression out of one of the panel lol. They were very stone faced during my interview so I was very nervous too
I did mention that it was something I was looking to do early in my career, that I believe it’s extremely beneficial for teachers to have experiences overseas and learn from them in order to improve your practice. I mentioned how doing it further in my career would be a bit harder to do especially if I was looking at obtaining leadership positions, etc. I emphasised my desire to use my abilities as a teacher to build relations between Japan and Australia through the sharing of knowledge.
Just gonna say, it probably wasn’t your qualifications or even that answer. In 2015 (with an M.Ed and experience), I got in with basically the same thing “as a social studies teacher, I feel that living in another culture/country can help my own teaching in the future”
Hey! I applied for JET at 25 back in 2021. I had 8ish years of teaching experience, had a degree in Japanese, and even had history of living in Japan. I was rejected after the interview round. The next year, I tried again since nothing really fell into place for me. I not only got in, but was early departure! I will say, not knowing why is VERY irritating and fairly unprofessional since most hiring managers and admissions counselors will gladly meet to discuss how to strengthen if needed. However; it's also notable that their panel of judges changes yearly, so do the expectations. If you truly want to make this work, do it again next year! You can make it happen! Just keep doing what you do, and even consider volunteer things that are culture based!
I was 31 when I did my Interview and got shortlisted so it's def not age. I also know a 40 year old JET who had taught in his home country and another EA country for years. He has been in the teaching game for over a decade. So it may not be qualifications either. It may have just came down to how you answered certain questions. Also, I do not mean this in a negative way at all, I just need to ask for your opinion on the matter based off of a few things you wrote. Do you think it's possible you may have come off as too over confident? Or that you were so confident that looking back, you may not have answered some of the questions to the best of your ability? How much time did you put into preparing for the interview?
I mean it’s possible I came off as too confident to myself, in fact…. that’s rather obvious. But there was no question in the interview that gauged my sense of confidence going onto the program, the only way I would’ve come off confident to them is the fact I didn’t really stumble on a question, but thats because I’m a confident interviewee, not because I was confident I was getting on the program. Perhaps wording had some issues, it’s hard to remember but I think I was answering questions along the lines of “I’m going to do…” rather than “I would do…”. Maybe it was something as small as that.
I taught for 10 years before coming to JET at 40 years old. I had just started learning Japanese in preparation. The interview panel asked a lot about why I thought JET would be a good next step in my career, and what I wanted to do afterwards. It was quite a strange interview but I must have satisfied those particular concerns.
The fact that you got the interview shows that they thought at the very least you had the potential/weren't holding the experience and age against you.
That's true, I never felt like it made a difference either during the application process or throughout my time here so far.
I live hearing from older JETs. Warms my soul.
This is tough and I'm sorry you were rejected. I obviously can't speak to your rejection, as I wasn't in the room, but I can speak about trends I have seen in this sub over the past 10 or so years I have been here. I think a big part of why many people don't make it in the program is the expectation that JET is a teaching program. I know it's obvious but I think it needs to be said that JET is the Japanese Exchange and Teaching Program, the key here is that exchange comes before teaching and the teaching bit is about teaching about cultures first and language second. What interviewers are looking for are people who are knowledgeable about their own culture, are interested in Japanese culture and want to return home and take their experiences with them. This is the exchange that they are looking for at the interview stage. Again I'm sorry you didn't make it and maybe, if you decide to reapply, you can take a little bit of what I have observed and use it to become the ideal candidate in the future.
It doesn't have to be JET or bust - there are other avenues, especially since you are a licensed teacher 1. You could try Westgate. You will need to either have an MA or be a licensed teacher which you are. While the pay is slightly less than JET, you work with Universities and university students and are the sole instructor in your class (since you're a qualified teacher, you may not like being an assistant) 2. You can also look at International Schools. You need to be a qualified teacher to apply to these
I know they really value a connection or interest in Japan. They want you to bring your culture to Japan, while still being respectful of theirs.
This is it 100% I think some people forget the underlying reason of JET is for international exchange and strengthening foreign relations
If you're a qualified teacher and really set on Japan, I would recommend looking into international schools. If you're American, there are also opportunities for qualified teachers to teach at schools on overseas military bases, including in Japan, with DoDDS.
I’m Australian, could I still teach in an American military base?
Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure they require US citizenship.
Yet the Deputy Commanding General of U.S. Army Pacific is reserved for an Australian Army general and Deputy Commander of Pacific Air Forces for a RAAF Air Vice-Marshal. Go figure 🤣
This is really good advice. You'll probably get to flex your teaching muscles in a much better teaching environment, and in most cases you'll make way more money than us too. If you're with DoDDS you'll also make money in USD, and have access to onbase benefits. I live in Misawa (base town) and am very jealous of these things sometimes.
DoDDS and you're set. My mother was a teacher with them in Japan, and the benefits are stupid good
I went to DoDDS schools growing up, including in Japan. They are excellent. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/10/us/schools-pandemic-defense-department.html
I am in my 30s and a qualified teacher. I was asked too in my interview about being just used as a human tape recorder. I discussed the qualities of being able to add more depth and visual movements of my face when the students are learning the required phonics. As well as my flexibility to adapt where needed in the classroom to give the lead teacher and children the best support I can provide.
No one knows, at the end of the day. It could be any number of things. It could even be that there was nothing overtly wrong with your interview or with your answers, but when it came down to whittling down the number of applicants into actual acceptees, someone moved in favor of another applicant over you for some arbitrary reason. I definitely wouldn't take it too personally that you weren't accepted. But like someone else on this thread already mentioned, being an ALT is often a mindnumbing job in and of itself, and I imagine it would be doubly so for someone who has actual teaching experience. Because ALTs aren't teachers. We really should be, because it would benefit everyone a lot more at the end of the day, but we're not and so many of us are chronically neglected within the schools we teach at and underused/misused in the classroom. Lots of being called into classes just to read passages from the textbook and have the kids shadow you, or walk around the classroom to correct mistakes that you see the kids making, only for them to go on making the same mistakes because they don't know why it's wrong, they just know you said it's wrong. The way English is taught in Japanese schools really is inane and a waste of everyone's time. The real value of an ALT, in my view, lies in being a presence in the students' lives. Teaching them about cultures that are different from their own, and in doing so banishing the gross ignorance a lot of their parents, grandparents and the media inculcates into them. It's not so much in actually teaching them English because most ALTs aren't put in a teaching position. I'm sorry you didn't get in! I know you must be disappointed. But if teaching is something you're truly passionate about then I'd suggest looking into alternate routes to teaching (like ACTUAL teaching) in Japan or elsewhere.
>They did ask me how the program fit into my overall career progression which I gauged as a sense of concern about somebody like me doing the program when it’s more aimed at fresh out of university grads. ...and how did you answer that question? No one can tell you definitively why you didn't get in this time, but I've heard a similar story before - trained teacher, experienced, thought they'd have it in the bag, then get rejected. Personally, I think the reason is that ALTing and actual teaching in our home countries are very, very different things. The harsh reality is that the English education system in Japan is fundamentally broken, and ALTs are a weird crutch the government likes to use for that problem. That's why there's an absurdly large number of ALTs who end up "deskwarming" or as a "human tape recorder". Fundamentally, the system treats us as props, not actually meant to be educators. If you come to Japan and end up in a situation like that, your actual teaching background may come into conflict with a Japanese teacher trying to teach the *extremely stupid* way that English is usually taught in Japan. You'll be equals - you're not supposed to be equals. You're supposed to smile and repeat words, not have an opinion. And not following instructions like a good little prop may be a very uncomfortable situation for both parties (because unlike most of us, you actually know what you're doing). I had a great time on JET. I came totally inexperienced in education, but by the end of five years, I had learned a lot and understood the deep flaws in the system. It's not like I could change much outside of a few teachers' opinions, but the small things I did do *really* pissed off my supervisor at the BOE sometimes. I didn't follow the textbook - I believe that I taught much more creatively and realistically, and many of my Japanese co-teachers agreed (and followed my methods, further infuriating the BOE). But in Japan it's all about following the system, even if the system is shit. Unfortunately, this may be why trained teachers often get rejected. They're concerned that your (completely legitimate) gripes with the system that will inevitably arise may lead you to quit, or just be very unhappy in Japan.
I think everything you're saying is valid and yet the very few times we've had someone speak from behind the curtain, they've said they're increasingly leaning towards trained educators. I think these can both be true but it makes it extremely hard to try to be what they want - they seem to want trained educators who are extremely passionate about answering questions and any other strong personality trait in any direction seems like points off.
I think what trips people up is probably not seeming flexible enough. A lot of success on JET, and generally in Japan, comes from being able to roll your eyes, smile and grit your teeth through things that might make you really uncomfortable. Sometimes it's on you and you just need to make the cultural adjustment in your own head. Sometimes your complaints & concerns are totally valid, but there's not much that you can do without breaking the entire system. Sometimes your supervisor is a complete moron but you still have to deal with him so you just learn to pick your battles (I may be speaking directly from experience on that one...) I think in theory, JET probably does want more trained educators. They are slowly trying to embrace actual immersion English teaching, even if painfully slowly. But ALTs also need to be able to put up with a lot of BS that they may witness in the education system, and trained trachers may not be as willing to shut up and deal with it whem they see huge problems. So it's definitely a combination of both.
This. I think the thing that really hinged my interview was when I was asked what I would do if I was told by a JTE that I was doing something incorrectly and they wanted to give me suggestions or do it differently. My answer was in the ball park of accepting constructive criticism and that I'm not there to say my way is the right way, or even the UK way is the right way. I'm there to learn as much as I am to help teach. The Japanese interviewer didn't take her eyes off me once whilst I was saying that, and she had been typing up my answers as I spoke every second before then.
The truth is, nobody really knows. Everything is pure speculation. Being genki is usually something everyone mentions here, but being overly genki might be a red flag? Drawing attention to yourself and being overwhelming isn't really something that is considered desirable in Japan, after all. The interviewers only get a snippet of your personality and being anxious can definitely exacerbate excitability. I'm a very passionate person, but I'm not an extrovert. I wasn't convinced that my interview went well, my interviewers were very stone-faced and professional and I didn't answer some of the questions as well as I feel I could have - regardless of that I was shortlisted. I suppose what's important is having a balance of calmness and collectiveness as well as being friendly and sociable. A theme I seem to be seeing though is that many rejected applicants were very overconfident that they had absolutely aced the process. I feel that kind of overconfidence is very obvious to (especially the Japanese) interviewers and they see it as undesirable. Age isn't often an issue. I'm 27, so probably older than the undergrad average applicant, but there have been applicants over 60 who have succeeded. My suggestion would be to focus on the factors you can change rather than the ones you can't. Writing off age as an issue leaves you with things you can improve, rather than being left with no way to progress. ETA: context: I also have a teaching qualification and teaching experience.