Hey guys, if you've got a minute (or 5-10 :/), I would really appreciate any feedback on my statement of purpose short essay. It's got a 2-page (double spaced) limit and is a part (quite an important part I gather) of the application for the JET Programme.
Would love any comments from past/current JETs in particular. There shouldn't be many typos left, but I've been staring at this for too long and need a fresh pair of eyes.
ps. yes it's long and yes it's cheesy and unrealistic. よろしくね！
Statement of Purpose:
If you were successful in your application, what particular goals would you like to achieve, and what specific contributions do you think you could make in your position as a CIR or ALT?
When I enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Education program at Sydney University, I did so hoping to become a high school English and history teacher. In my first year however, I was also able to pick Japanese as an elective subject. My previous experience learning Japanese was limited to grade 7 of high school—where I quickly decided I was just not ‘cut out’ to learn a second language. I had no reason to expect anything different at university, however a few encouraging teachers and a growing interest in Japanese culture helped me hang in whenever giving up looked like a tempting option. My love for the language and culture continued to grow and by second year I had stopped studying history in order to continue taking Japanese, eventually electing it as a major alongside my education studies.
Having just recently completed my degree, I have a strong passion to teach Japanese language and culture to students in Australia and to show them how rewarding and fun studying a second language can be. This is a long-term goal of mine, but I do not feel at this stage that my Japanese ability or knowledge of authentic Japanese culture is sufficient to teach with confidence. My experience with learning Japanese and my desire to be an expert languages educator in the future frames the goals I would hope to achieve if I were chosen to participate in the JET Programme, and also forms a part of my strengths as a potential candidate.
Firstly, my personal goals include an earnest desire to improve my Japanese language ability and to experience authentic Japanese culture first-hand. It is hard for me to think of a better opportunity to interact with Japanese people and experience their customs and ways of life than to work as an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) on the JET Programme.
Secondly, my background in Japanese language and education makes me a strong candidate with a lot to contribute if I were chosen to participate in this program. During my studies I completed four teaching placements, however the very first one was unique in that it involved teaching Japanese to junior students at Hurlstone Agriculture High School—a school fortunate enough to host university students from Japan as ALTs on a regular basis. As a non-native and relatively inexperienced speaker of Japanese, I quickly realised just how useful working with an ALT can be—for the classroom teacher and for the students themselves.
It would be a pleasure to find myself on the other side as an ALT: assisting and working with a Japanese Teacher of English and interacting with students to boost their motivation, celebrate their successes, and encourage them to persist through the difficulties of learning English. I enjoy working with students and young people in general and the potential for meaningful and significant interaction is an exciting prospect. During a TESOL placement at Fairfield Intensive English Centre I enjoyed the challenge of teaching English to a mixture of Iranian and Vietnamese students, alongside one Japanese girl who had arrived in Australia only two weeks earlier. Volunteering to assist international students with English conversation at Monash University and Queensland University of Technology during trips organised in my summer holidays were similarly rewarding experiences.
Finally, I take seriously the role of a participant in the JET Programme as an ambassador of both one’s home country and of the JET Programme itself. Japan is a near neighbour of Australia with many common regional and international interests, and both countries have benefitted from close strategic and economic partnership over the past 50 years. The strength of this relationship is reflected in the fact that Japan is Australia’s largest export market and that Japanese is the most widely taught foreign language in Australia—a unique situation among Western countries. If I am chosen to participate in this programme, I will gladly represent both Australia and the JET Programme by acting in a professional manner at all times and taking opportunities to share Australian culture and customs in a mutual exchange with Japanese students, teachers and the wider community.
Would love any comments from past/current JETs in particular. There shouldn't be many typos left, but I've been staring at this for too long and need a fresh pair of eyes.
ps. yes it's long and yes it's cheesy and unrealistic. よろしくね！
Statement of Purpose:
If you were successful in your application, what particular goals would you like to achieve, and what specific contributions do you think you could make in your position as a CIR or ALT?
When I enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Education program at Sydney University, I did so hoping to become a high school English and history teacher. In my first year however, I was also able to pick Japanese as an elective subject. My previous experience learning Japanese was limited to grade 7 of high school—where I quickly decided I was just not ‘cut out’ to learn a second language. I had no reason to expect anything different at university, however a few encouraging teachers and a growing interest in Japanese culture helped me hang in whenever giving up looked like a tempting option. My love for the language and culture continued to grow and by second year I had stopped studying history in order to continue taking Japanese, eventually electing it as a major alongside my education studies.
Having just recently completed my degree, I have a strong passion to teach Japanese language and culture to students in Australia and to show them how rewarding and fun studying a second language can be. This is a long-term goal of mine, but I do not feel at this stage that my Japanese ability or knowledge of authentic Japanese culture is sufficient to teach with confidence. My experience with learning Japanese and my desire to be an expert languages educator in the future frames the goals I would hope to achieve if I were chosen to participate in the JET Programme, and also forms a part of my strengths as a potential candidate.
Firstly, my personal goals include an earnest desire to improve my Japanese language ability and to experience authentic Japanese culture first-hand. It is hard for me to think of a better opportunity to interact with Japanese people and experience their customs and ways of life than to work as an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) on the JET Programme.
Secondly, my background in Japanese language and education makes me a strong candidate with a lot to contribute if I were chosen to participate in this program. During my studies I completed four teaching placements, however the very first one was unique in that it involved teaching Japanese to junior students at Hurlstone Agriculture High School—a school fortunate enough to host university students from Japan as ALTs on a regular basis. As a non-native and relatively inexperienced speaker of Japanese, I quickly realised just how useful working with an ALT can be—for the classroom teacher and for the students themselves.
It would be a pleasure to find myself on the other side as an ALT: assisting and working with a Japanese Teacher of English and interacting with students to boost their motivation, celebrate their successes, and encourage them to persist through the difficulties of learning English. I enjoy working with students and young people in general and the potential for meaningful and significant interaction is an exciting prospect. During a TESOL placement at Fairfield Intensive English Centre I enjoyed the challenge of teaching English to a mixture of Iranian and Vietnamese students, alongside one Japanese girl who had arrived in Australia only two weeks earlier. Volunteering to assist international students with English conversation at Monash University and Queensland University of Technology during trips organised in my summer holidays were similarly rewarding experiences.
Finally, I take seriously the role of a participant in the JET Programme as an ambassador of both one’s home country and of the JET Programme itself. Japan is a near neighbour of Australia with many common regional and international interests, and both countries have benefitted from close strategic and economic partnership over the past 50 years. The strength of this relationship is reflected in the fact that Japan is Australia’s largest export market and that Japanese is the most widely taught foreign language in Australia—a unique situation among Western countries. If I am chosen to participate in this programme, I will gladly represent both Australia and the JET Programme by acting in a professional manner at all times and taking opportunities to share Australian culture and customs in a mutual exchange with Japanese students, teachers and the wider community.
