Greetings everyone! I've recently decided, after years of debating, that I'd like to participate in the JET program after I complete college. I know that while I don't need to know Japanese before-hand, it would be extremely beneficial and help me secure a position.

I'm a very goal-oriented individual and don't do well unless I have an immediate goal to work towards and evaluate myself. The most obvious goal right now is JLPT N5. I've started studying a couple weeks ago and am starting with RTK1. I've been doing a minimum of two lessons a day and currently have a little over 400 Kanji memorized. I know the entirety of RTK won't benefit me for N5, but I might as well. I've been studying about 4 hours a day in total and have more time that I *can* spend, but I don't want to overload myself or burn out.

My question is, what should I focus on after RTK to be able to pass the N5 this december and is it advisable to take N5 after only a few months of studying? What would you recommend for learning the grammar? And is there any standard material that people use for training listening skills?

You can find material to study for JLPT Levels 5 ~ 1 here: http://www.tanos.co.uk/jlpt/jlpt5/ The question you should ask yourself is not is it too early, but is JLPT 5 worth to bother with and what you want to do with it? Imho. it is better to study for L2 and take it when you are ready.

I think you're making assumptions about what the JLPT will do for. You should find out exactly what it means for what you want to do. I see 3 possibilities:

1) A certain level of JLPT might increase your chances.
2) It means nothing at all.
3) They don't want people who are studying Japanese, and it actually prevents you from getting selected.

I've heard #3 about some English-teaching jobs in Japan, so any of these is certainly possible.

Don't assume. Find out.

wccrawford Wrote:I think you're making assumptions about what the JLPT will do for. You should find out exactly what it means for what you want to do. I see 3 possibilities:

1) A certain level of JLPT might increase your chances.
2) It means nothing at all.
3) They don't want people who are studying Japanese, and it actually prevents you from getting selected.

I've heard #3 about some English-teaching jobs in Japan, so any of these is certainly possible.

Don't assume. Find out.

From personal experience on JET my answers to the 3 possibilities would be:

1) Yes, it shows you're interested in Japan.
2) I think it does have an effect because the boards of education will be saying what kind of ALT they want. For example, some boards of education looking for ALTs for primary schools may want an ALT with some Japanese skill as the teachers will probably have a lower/non-existant level of English. In the UK, in the orientation before we all went to Japan we had some Japanese classes. There were at least 20 of us in the advanced class and about 4 intermediate classes as well as several complete beginner classes.
3) I'd say it's not true.