CLAIR News February 2024

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CLAIR News February 2024



Important
Registration for the Safety Confirmation System (Emergency Call) and Contact Information Survey for JET Participants

CLAIR requests that each JET Programme participant register for the Safety Confirmation System (Emergency Call) and Contact Information Survey. These are two separate systems. Please register to both using the links below.

Safety Confirmation System:

https://asp2.emc-call.jp/clair/index_en.html  or
https://asp2.emc-call2nd.jp/clair/index_en.html

Your login ID and password are both the final nine digits of your JET Number, omitting the first two digits (20).

*If your contracting organisation has changed, please register your new address.

Contact Information Survey: https://goo.gl/u1gVT2
Login ID: JET Number (11 digits beginning with 20)
Password: Date of birth (YYYYMMDD)

*For JET Programme participants who were originally scheduled to arrive in Japan in 2020 or 2021 please use your pre-arrival JET number that starts with 2020 or 2021.

Emergency Pocket Guide for JET Programme Participants

To ensure your safety in Japan, please take the time to prepare in case a disaster occurs.

CLAIR has compiled an Emergency Pocket Guide for reference in the event of a disaster. Please fill out the important portions and keep it with you, as a disaster can occur any time.

*CLAIR distributes the Emergency Pocket Guide during orientation for new arrivals.

https://jetprogramme.org/en/emergency-support/

Response to Safety Confirmation during Emergencies

In the event of a disaster CLAIR will confirm the safety of JET Programme participants using the Safety Confirmation System (Emergency Call). It only takes a few moments to confirm your safety via the email you receive. Please make sure you respond regarding your safety situation when a safety confirmation email arrives, as it otherwise takes time for Host Prefectures/Designated Cities to confirm the safety of each individual JET Programme participant in the affected area(s).

In any given year in Japan, there will be somewhere which has had an emergency warning issued. The country is also prone to large earthquakes. Because of this, we are asking JET Programme participants and supervisors at each contracting organisation to confirm information registered with the Safety Confirmation System and to check how to respond to a safety confirmation request should an email arrive. If you receive a safety confirmation request email, please respond to it right away.

Safety Confirmation requests are sent out based on Host Prefecture/Designated City, so participants may receive safety confirmation requests even when they are not physically near the site of a disaster. In this case, a response is still required from each individual to whom the request is sent.

Mental Health Support Resources

CLAIR offers the JET Programme Mental Health Counselling Assistance Programme with the aim of enhancing mental health support for JET Programme participants. This Programme provides a partial subsidy (50%, up to 30,000 yen per year) for counselling costs incurred through consultation with mental health professionals not covered by health insurance.

The coverage period for this year is from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024.  Documents for the subsidy should be submitted through contracting organisations no later than 5 April 2024. Please consider submitting documents early, as CLAIR usually receives a high volume of applications in March and April.

JET Programme participants can also benefit from free counselling offered by CLAIR via email and Skype. If you wish to use these services, please access them using the URL below, input the ID/password, and follow the instructions for registration. Up to seven Skype sessions are available between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024. We recommend starting with email, which has no limits on usage.

Web Mail and Skype Counselling

Website: https://jetcounseling.com/

Login Information:
Username: jet
(Please check the email edition of CLAIR News for the latest password.)

News・Updates
Period of Stay and Status of Residence Renewal

For JET Programme participants who arrived in April, it is time to extend your period of stay, so please check the dates written on your residence card (especially JET Programme participants in their third year who will be reappointed for another term). For information on extending your period of stay or changing your status of residence, please refer to the Section 2.6 ‘Status of Residence’ in the General Information Handbook (GIH).

https://jetprogramme.org/en/gih/

Information for JET Programme Participants ending their Term of Appointment

JET participants finishing their appointments in 2024 should refer to CLAIR’s online After JET Guide for information about how to prepare for your successor, move out of your apartment, deal with reverse culture shock and prepare for your next career move.

In addition, if you are finishing your term of appointment on the JET Programme this year and returning to your home country, please make sure you have discussed travel arrangements with your contracting organisation as early as possible.

https://jetprogramme.org/en/ajg/

After JET Contact Details Survey

To all JETs finishing their appointment between 1 September 2023 and 30 April 2024:

Every year, CLAIR collects contact information from non-reappointing JETs through the JET Programme After JET Contact Details Survey.

The link to the survey has already been emailed to all non-reappointing JETs, so we ask for your kind cooperation.

Email Title:【Request・ご依頼】After JET Contact Details Survey・終了後連絡先調査.
Deadline: 26 February 2024 (23:59 JST)

The survey takes approx. 8 minutes and is crucial to maintaining the JET alumni network. We thank you for your help!

2024–2025 Reappointment Procedures

Reappointment procedures are underway for the participants who arrived in January. Please talk with friends, family, etc. and consult with your supervisor before making your decision. Changes cannot be made to reappointment decisions after the submission deadline.

All JET Programme participants should receive documentation regarding the reappointment procedures from their contracting organisations. Please read the documents carefully and consult with your supervisor if you have any questions. The reappointment documents will also be made accessible on the JET Programme website after the official notice to contracting organisations. Please refer to the link below.

More information about reappointment can be found in the GIH (pp. 65–69). Please note that the content of the GIH may differ from the reappointment documents provided by your contracting organisation. In that case, please prioritise the content in the documents provided by your contracting organisation.

https://jetprogramme.org/en/gih/

https://jetprogramme.org/en/reappointment/ (Please check the email edition of CLAIR News for the latest password.)

Call for Writers for ‘JET Kara no Tegami’

CLAIR is searching for writers for the column ‘JET Kara no Tegami (Letters from JETs)’ in its monthly magazine, CLAIR Forum.

In every edition of this column, one JET participant introduces themselves and their work activities, etc. in approximately 1600 characters in Japanese.

If you are interested in becoming a writer, please email the information below to chousei@clair.or.jp.

  1. Name
  2. JET number
  3. Nationality
  4. Job type (ALT/CIR/SEA)
  5. Host Prefecture or Designated City
  6. Contracting Organization
  7. Affiliation (department/school etc.)
  8. Content you would like to write about, things you pride yourself on etc. (Please write in detail)

If you are selected to write for CLAIR Forum, you will receive five copies of the magazine containing your article upon publication. CLAIR staff will help edit your submissions, so please feel free to get in touch no matter your level of Japanese.

Note: Please accept that we may not request articles from all applicants. This is because writers will be selected to ensure a balance of article content, placement area, nationality and other factors. We appreciate your understanding in this matter.

Back issues of CLAIR Forum can be at the following page:
https://www.clair.or.jp/j/forum/forum/index.html

Call for Presenters at the April CIR Post-Arrival Orientation

CLAIR is looking for CIR participants to do a presentation about CIR work at the incoming April orientation.

Eligibility: Current CIRs
Date: Either 8 April in the afternoon or 9 April in the afternoon
Place: Hotel Le Port Kojimachi
Themes:

  • School Visit/Language Class (8 April)
  • Leveraging Social Media (9 April)
  • Event Planning (9 April)

Presentations last for 40–50 minutes and are conducted entirely in Japanese. Please ask your contracting organisation’s supervisor for more information about the application process.

Application deadline: Thursday, 22 February, 17:00

JET Video Contest

We have started reviewing submissions for the 2024 JET Video Contest! Special recognition will be given to the video(s) with the most likes, so please check out all the videos at the link below and give your favourite a like!

https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/jetvideocontest2024

CIR Mid-Year Conference Session 2 in March

The second session of the 2023–2024 CIR Mid-Year Conference will be held in March.

Session 2: 4–6 March 2024
Participants: First- through third-year CIRs not representing the following countries: United States of America, China, South Korea, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Peru

Unfortunately, fourth- and fifth-year CIRs and supervisors are unable to attend as participants due to venue restrictions.

CLAIR will provide further details through contracting organisations in the coming days.

Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) Grant

The 2023–2024 Grant for JLPT is offered to JET Programme participants who have passed the N1, N2, or N3 level of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) for either the first or second test of 2023. The grant reimburses the complete testing fee of 7,500 yen.

Details regarding application procedures are available at the link below.
https://jetprogramme.org/en/jlpt/

Certificates of Japanese-Language Proficiency for the December 2023 test are set to be sent in early February.

To apply, please mail the application form and relevant documents to CLAIR so that they arrive by Friday, 15 March 2024.

General Information
Home Country Taxes

Personal tax affairs in one’s home country are the responsibility of each JET Programme participant. Be sure to obtain and keep your gensen chōshūhyō, or Statement of Earnings. Please refer to the General Information Handbook (GIH) for more details.

https://jetprogramme.org/en/gih/

Japanese Language Courses (Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced)

You can apply for online Japanese language courses offered by CLAIR.

For the 2023–2024, changes are being made to the format and application process for the JET Programme Japanese language courses. For detailed information, please check out the course guide on the JET Programme website (links below).

http://deli3.study.jp/?multi
http://jetprogramme.org/ja/languagecourses/

Japanese Language Course Application Form:
https://bit.ly/2HfLvpv

Regarding unit deadlines: Each unit will be extended automatically for up to six months, requiring additional contact through the course help desk for extensions into the seventh month onward. It is recommended to complete each unit within one month to complete the course in a reasonable timeframe.

Note: Questions about course content (grammar, vocabulary, etc.) may be submitted through the course provider site to receive an instructor response. Please not that responses may take a few days.

Embassy Information for JET Programme Participants

CLAIR has started a new webpage on the JET Programme website for embassies in Japan to post information for JET Programme participants from their country. Please check this page regularly for updates.

https://jetprogramme.org/en/embassyinformation/

Please note that CLAIR does not take responsibility for any of the information listed on this page. For enquiries regarding the information on this webpage, please contact the embassy in question directly.

Registering with Your Embassy

All JET Programme participants are strongly advised to register with their home country’s embassy or local consulate, and/or through their embassy run travel registration scheme while living in Japan. Your embassy may be able to help you and your relatives obtain necessary information and check on each other’s safety in times of emergency. Please check the website of your home country’s embassy or local consulate for more details:

https://www.mofa.go.jp/about/emb_cons/protocol/index.html

Grant for TEFL/TESOL Certification

The second application period for the 2023–2024 Grant for TEFL/TESOL Certification has now closed. All successful applications should have received a notice of eligibility from CLAIR.

Please aim to complete your course and send the Course Completion Report and course certificate so that it arrives at CLAIR by the deadline of Thursday, 22 February 2024.

Details regarding the grant are available on the following page: https://jetprogramme.org/en/tefl/

For questions, please use CLAIR’s new grant-specific email address: grant@clair.or.jp

Lump-Sum Pension Withdrawal Payment

JET Programme participants finishing their appointments and returning to their home countries may be eligible to receive a pension refund (lump-sum withdrawal payment). For more information, please refer to page 176~183 of the General Information Handbook (GIH).

https://jetprogramme.org/en/gih/

Information is also available in English and Japanese on the following website:

https://www.nenkin.go.jp/international/english/index.html

Enrolment in Property Insurance

Is your house or apartment covered by property insurance (kasai hoken)? If you do not know, please check with your contracting organisation supervisor.

There have been several cases where JET Programme participants were forced to pay for the damages to not only their own, but also their neighbours’ housing when there were water leaks or other problems. (If a water leak occurs, damage to the property of neighbours is covered by the JET Accident Insurance Policy Liability Endorsement, but damage to your own property as well as damage to the structure or building can only be covered by property insurance.)

Whether or not to purchase property insurance is the choice of the JET Programme participant. However, if found liable for damages, the costs can be very high. Therefore, CLAIR recommends that participants enrol in property insurance.

Although the majority of JET Programme participants live in rental properties, earthquake insurance may also be taken to account for the cost of lost household items, such as personal computers or TVs. Therefore, please take care to research a suitable form of insurance for your situation.

ALT, CIR & SEA Resources Available on the JET Programme Website

This is a reminder that CLAIR compiles handbooks for ALTs, SEAs, and CIRs on the JET Programme website.

The handbooks provide information on work duties, and how to adapt to your workplace in Japan.

If you have not checked out your handbook yet, please take a look!

Additionally, the page contains teaching materials for ALTs, including many example games and activities for different school levels.

https://jetprogramme.org/en/acs-h/

In addition to the resources above, another ALT Handbook produced by MEXT with support from the British Council can be viewed at the following site.

https://www.britishcouncil.jp

PAGETOP
Copyright 2015 by the Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR)