JET Programme Canada

The Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme aims to promote grass roots internationalisation at the local level by inviting young overseas graduates to assist in international exchange and foreign language education in local governments, boards of education and elementary, junior and senior high schools throughout Japan. It seeks to foster ties between Japanese citizens (mainly youth) and JET participants at the person-to-person level.

JET participants are placed in contracting organisations throughout Japan. Contracting organisations consist of 47 prefectural and 18 designated city governments, individual city, town and village governments, and some private schools. JET participants sign their terms and conditions with their contracting organisation and as such, they are under the jurisdiction of the local authority which employs them. CLAIR implements the JET Programme at the national level in conjunction with three Japanese Ministries.

The objectives of the Programme are being achieved by offering JET Programme participants the opportunity to serve in local authorities as well as public and private elementary, junior high and senior high schools in Japan.

The Programme is conducted by local authorities and other organisations (hereinafter, contracting organisations) of Japan in cooperation with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and the Council of Local Authorities for International Relations  (CLAIR).          

The JET Programme started in 1987 with cooperation from participating country governments. In 2011, there were 4,330 participants in the Programme from 39 countries.

Participants are appointed by a contracting organisation for a one-year period. The cost of transportation from the participant’s origin to Japan, as well as remuneration, will be funded by tax payers of the contracting organisation where the participant is appointed. Because participants serve as a civil servant of their contracting organisation, they are required to uphold behaviour befitting a civil servant. Withdrawal from the Programme after receipt of placement or early termination of appointment should be avoided as it causes many problems for contracting organisations, in addition to severely impacting the administration of the Programme itself.